A Puente Theatre and Old Trout Puppet Workshop co -production adapted to a school audience with
support from Quest Theatre
Study Guide for Teachers
Created by Mercédes Bátiz-Benét and the Old Trout Puppet Workshop’s Judd Palmer
Based on the book Written and illustrated by Judd Palmer Shortlisted for Canada’s Governor-General’s Award
for Children’s Literature
1 THE UMBRELLA STUDY GUIDE
About the play
“There once was an umbrella who loved a man.”
The play, THE UMBRELLA, is based on a book written and illustrated by The Old
Trout Puppet Workshop’s Judd Palmer (shortlisted for Canada’s GovernorGeneral’s Award for Children’s Literature). The play is the result of a
collaboration between Puente Theatre (Mercedes Batis-Benet), Judd Palmer
(The Old Trout Puppet Workshop), and Nikki Loach (Artistic Director / Quest
Theatre).
Using hand-carved wooden puppets, wind, rain and thunder machines, THE
UMBRELLA is an uplifting story of the relationship between an umbrella and the
human being who is its beneficiary. The play also features an original score by a
Balkan Brass Band.
Through this exquisite tale of love, loyalty and devotion, we learn that while
someone might be struggling, flawed, or even broken, they still have value and
deserve to be loved. During a storm, our heroes suffer damage – but love
prevails.
The play, THE UMBRELLA, based on the book of the same name by Judd
Palmer, is still a work in progress at the time of the writing of this document.
The main themes will not differ; however, some details of the story may
change, as well as any quotes used here, during the course of the rehearsal
process.
2 *Placeholder Image
3 About the main characters
The Umbrella Salesman – a mean, greedy man who takes advantage of less
fortunate people.
The Man – a poor musician who struggles to earn enough money to buy an
umbrella in a soggy, soggy land.
The Umbrella – the Man’s loyal and trusty protector.
The Crow – a nasty bird that tries to convince the Umbrella to fly away and
desert the Man.
Brief synopsis
The umbrella salesman, who will also act as storyteller, addresses the audience,
warning of an impending storm: “Downpour! Deluge! Gush, Spurt and Flood! … A
storm, little ones! A storm is nigh!”
He climbs to the top of a ladder and tells us that he’s the one we will need when
the storm comes: he sells umbrellas and nobody ever has one when they need
it.
As the rain begins, he spots a poor man seeking shelter from the storm. The
umbrella salesman refuses to supply the unfortunate man with an umbrella
because he has no money to pay for it. The needy man gets his violin and
begins to play. Soggy and wet he finally earns enough to buy an umbrella… a
beautiful umbrella.
A nasty crow tries to break up the loving relationship between the man and his
umbrella: “A man does not love an umbrella.” A barbaric gust of wind wrenches
the umbrella away and the crow flies off with it. The umbrella is torn to tatters.
The exact ending of the play is still in development; however, as stated in Judd
Palmer’s book, “The umbrella, though broken, loved truly, and true love is
always returned.
4 Topics to discuss before you see the play
1. Describe the worst storm you have ever experienced? Where were you?
What was it like? How did it make you feel?
2. What would you be willing to do to protect a friend or family member you
thought was in danger?
3. Have you ever been lost in a scary situation with no one around to help?
What did that feel like?
4. If you didn’t have enough money to buy something you wanted or even
needed, what would you do?
5. What does the word ‘greed’ mean to you? What would the opposite be?
Describe someone who is not ‘greedy.’
6. Do you have a best friend? What would you do if someone was jealous of
that friendship and tried to break you up by saying bad things to you
about your best friend?
Topics to discuss after you see the play
1. Tell the story of the play in your own words.
2. Were there any parts of the story that were unclear, confusing or
surprising to you?
3. Which part(s) of the story did you like best and why?
4. How did you feel about the main characters – the umbrella salesman, the
poor man, and the crow? Was the umbrella a character in the story?
Why/why not?
5. Why did the crow try to keep the umbrella away from the man?
6. Why did the man want to keep the umbrella even though it was broken?
Would you have thrown it away? Why/why not?
5 ACTIVITIES
Loyalty
THE UMBRELLA is a love story about a man and his umbrella. One stormy day,
an evil crow threatens to disrupt their happiness together; however, true love is
loyal and asks for nothing in return.
Grades K-3
Open Dictionary defines loyalty as support that you always give to someone or
something because of your feelings of duty and love towards them. To young
students, loyalty means, “I am true to my friends, family and school.” Loyal
people keep their promises, talk kindly about their friends, help out, stay true to
their teachers and school and stick up for their friends, siblings or relatives if
someone is being mean to them.
Go through each of the following scenarios with your students and discuss
which ones demonstrate loyalty or disloyalty.
a) Johnny told his dad he would shovel the walk. He went skating instead.
b) Brandy told her teacher she would play with the new girl, Sandy, at
recess. She shared her snack and introduced Sandy to some of her other
friends.
c) Jennifer and Shari were invited to Robin’s birthday party. They said they
would attend but went to the movies instead.
d) David promised that if he got a new puppy he would walk her every day.
He walks her even in the rain.
e) Michelle and Katie are telling secrets about their friend Annie.
f) Jay promised his little sister he would take her to the park. They are going
there now.
6 Grades 3-6
For older students, loyalty can mean being faithful and committed to a person,
place, group or cause. Loyal people keep their promises, stick up for those who
are being treated unfairly, don’t say mean things behind someone’s back and
don’t reveal what someone has told them in private. However, sometimes it is
important to tell a trusted adult what we know.
Examine each of the following situations with your students and discuss
whether to ‘tell’ or ‘not tell.’ Why/why not?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Your brother is planning a surprise party for his best friend.
You saw your sister taking money from your mother’s wallet.
You are being bullied at school by the daughter of your father’s boss.
Your best friend copied your homework.
Your dad tells you he is going to surprise your mum with a trip to Las
Vegas for her birthday.
f) Your brother feeds his brussel sprouts to the dog.
7 Shelter from the Storm
Grades K-2
In a version of THE UMBRELLA script, the storyteller tells of a terrible
thunderstorm about to happen.
a) Have students brainstorm to come up with as many words as possible to
describe a thunderstorm. Then repeat the words, one at a time,
encouraging students to come up with sound effects to further
demonstrate each word.
b) The Rain Game: Seat students in a circle on the floor. When they are all
completely still and silent, quietly tell them to follow along and copy what
you are doing. Begin by slowly rubbing your palms together. Ask the
children to hear the wind. A storm is coming. Then tap your fingers on
your palm. I think it is starting to rain. Then clap your hands. It’s raining!
Then slap your legs. It’s really coming down now! Then stomp your feet.
A rainstorm! Now reverse the process slowly, returning to the original
finger tap.
c) The play, THE UMBRELLA, is a love story between a man and the umbrella
that tries to protect him from a nasty storm.
Read the following poem (author unknown) to your students.
Will you be my umbrella?
Hold me close,
Keep me safe
When the rain pours down?
Ask students to create artwork depicting how they might protect
someone they care about from something or someone that may be
fearful, unsafe or dangerous.
8 Grades 3-6
a) The play, THE UMBRELLA, is based on a book written and illustrated by The
Old Trout Puppet Workshop’s Judd Palmer. The book was short-listed for
Canada’s Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature. The story is
about an umbrella that tries everything to protect a poor, unfortunate man
from a nasty rainstorm.
Read the following poem with your students:
UMBRELLA ANXIETY
I don’t know what it is
But I have grown very fond
Of umbrellas
All shapes and sizes and colours
I never owned an umbrella
Until a week ago
It was raining all day
And my mom gave
An umbrella
Nothing fancy
Just a black umbrella
Then the rain let up
And I almost used the umbrella
But I was worried
I wouldn’t be able to dry it out
Getting an umbrella wet
Is a funny thing to worry about
But that’s how I think
And that’s not going to change
So when the sun comes back out
To dry the streets
Only then
Will I use
My first umbrella
For the first time
And it won’t get wet.
-­‐ Matthew P. Beron
Talk about the poem and then ask students to create illustrations of one or
more of the ideas or images they really liked from the poem. When the drawings
are all done, students may then present their depiction(s) to the rest of the
class with a brief explanation of each.
9 b) The play, THE UMBRELLA, is a story told with puppets, sound effects
and music by the Balkan brass band, Bucan Bucan. The set is a
theatrical storm contraption, complete with thunder sheet, wind
machine and rain spout, providing vivid visual and sound effects.
In order to have students experience how sound effects can enhance
the telling of a story, have then construct simple rain sticks. Rain
sticks are ceremonial musical instruments believed to have been
invented by the Aztecs to bring about rainstorms when played. They
are usually made from dead cactus tubes with the cactus spines driven
into the tubes like nails. Pebbles or other small objects are placed
inside the rain stick and the ends are sealed. A sound like falling water
is made when the direction of the rain stick is changed.
For one method to make simple rain sticks in your classroom, you will
need:
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A paper towel tube or other long cardboard tube for each
student
Aluminum foil
Small dried beans like lentils, seeds, un-popped popcorn, dry rice,
small pasta like macaroni, couscous, beads, etc.
Brown paper or construction paper
Glue or tape
Scissors
Paints, crayons, markers and/or a variety of materials to use for
decoration such as beads, sequins, tissue paper, felt, wrapping
paper, stickers, etc.
10 Step 1
Trace around the end of the tube on to a piece of brown paper or
construction paper.
Draw a larger circle around the first circle that was drawn from the
end of the tube and then draw a lot of spokes from the edge of
the larger circle to the outer edge of the smaller circle.
Cut along the spokes.
Put glue on the spokes and glue the cap on to one end of the tube.
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Note: as an option, use paper, plastic wrap, tape or elastic bands to seal
the end of the tube.
Step 2
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Twist and crunch up a long thin piece of aluminum foil into a spiral
shape and insert it into the tube. The foil will act as the barrier to
keep the beans, rice, etc. moving through the tube at a slower rate,
making the rainfall sound.
Note: another method to create the barrier is to insert small nails or
straight pins. The length of these should be slightly less than the
diameter of the cardboard tube.
Step 3
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Pour about a tablespoon of dry beans, un-popped popcorn, etc.
(see materials list) into the tube.
Cover the open end of the tube with your hand and experiment to
see how different amounts and types of seeds, beans, etc. change
the sound.
Step 4
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Make another cap (see Step 1) and close the open end of the tube.
Step 5
11 •
Decorate the tubes any way that suits your students’ fancy.
c) Have each student write a short rain poem. Ask them to use all their
senses to vividly describe the rain. You may wish to use a writing
prompt, such as, “I love the rain because …” or “When it rains, I…”
Students then take turns performing their poems with the rest of the
class adding sound effects with their rain sticks (see activity b) or
other means they come up with to create sound effects.
12 Puppets
The main characters in the play, THE UMBRELLA, are represented as
puppets. Some are beautifully hand carved wooded puppets; others are
everyday objects, such as an umbrella, used to represent something else
such as a crow. All of them were created by award winning artists,
Mercedes Batiz-Benet and Judd Palmer.
The following activities are suggested to give your students a sense of
how simple puppets may be created and utilized.
Grades K-2
Stick puppets are fun and easy to make. The possibilities of different
characters are endless – bound only by the vivid imaginations of your
students.
You will need:
• Construction paper, printer paper, cardboard or foam sheets
• Craft sticks or popsicle sticks
• Wiggle eyes or buttons
• Scissors
• Glue stick, white glue or a glue gun (adult supervision required)
• A collection of magazines that may be cut up
• Crayons, coloured pencils or markers and a variety of other
materials than can be used for decoration, such as yarn or fabric
scraps.
Step 1
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Have students decide what kind of head they would like their stick
puppets to have. They can either choose one from a magazine, or
draw one of their own on art paper. The possibilities are endless –
anything from birds, animals, flowers, people, weird aliens, creatures
from another world, etc.
Step 2
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Once students have chosen or created the template for their
puppets’ heads, cut them out, glue them to a sturdier material,
such as cardboard or foam. Then carefully cut the shape out.
13 Step 3
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Now have fun decorating the puppets with crayons, coloured
pencils, markers and whatever other materials are available. Eyes
may be drawn on or wiggle eyes or buttons may be used.
Step 4
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Glue the puppet to the popsicle/craft stick. Make sure the glue is
completely dry before playing and performing with the puppets.
Once the puppets are done, there are any number of fun activities to do
with them. To begin, for example, ask students to come up with names
for their puppets and give them each a character voice. Each student
then introduces his/her puppet to the rest of the class. You may then
wish to go further and have students create brief puppet plays or
scenarios in small groups, or brainstorm about what the life of each of the
puppets is like. Anything is possible!
Grades 3-6
In this activity, students will create large puppets using only newspaper
and masking tape. These instructions are adapted from a ‘childdrama’
website about newspaper puppets.
You will need:
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A whole lot of old newspapers – a pile approximately 6-12 inches
tall for each group.
Many rolls of masking tape – 4 or 5 rolls per group.
Method:
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Divide the class into groups of 3 or 4 and give each some
newspapers and masking tape.
Each group will build a giant figure, person or animal, real or
imagined, out of rolled up, folded or wadded up newspaper and
masking tape.
Students work cooperatively to figure out the best way to create
limbs and bodies using the paper and tape.
14 •
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Scissors may not be used: paper may be torn to shape.
The figures may even be as large as the students, although they
will be much lighter. The more flexible joints and movable limbs the
better.
As students build their figures, encourage them to be thinking
about how they will move. This is the kind of puppet that is
manipulated by holding it on the outside, not the inside. Students
will have to decide who operates, the feet, legs, arms, hands, head,
etc. depending on the kind of figure or creature they come up with.
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When the puppets are completed, students try different ways of
manipulating them to have them move around. Rehearse until they
can smoothly operate the puppet. Have each group experiment
with the sound(s) their creations might make or the words they
might say.
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Have each group introduce their puppet to the rest of the class.
What is its’ name? How does it move? What does it sound like?
Which other puppets would it like to meet and interact with? Do
they like each other? Are they afraid of each other? The
possibilities are endless.
15 Crow – Friend or Foe
Throughout history, the crow has been associated with high intelligence,
boldness, evil, meanness and trickery. The character of the crow in the
play, THE UMBRELLA, is no exception. He wickedly threatens the
happiness of an unfortunate man and his loyal umbrella.
Grades K-2
As an example of how clever crows can be, read the following fable to
your students and then ask them what they think the meaning, lesson or
moral of the story is. What did they think of the way the crow solved his
problem? Could they come up with other solutions?
One hot day, a thirsty crow flew all over the fields looking for water. For a
long time, he could not find any. He felt very weak, almost lost all hope.
Suddenly he saw a water jug below a tree. He flew straight down to see if
there was any water inside. Yes, he could see some water inside the jug!
The crow tried to push his head into the jug. Sadly, he found that the
neck of the jug was too narrow. Then he tried to tilt the jug for the water
to flow out but it was too heavy.
The crow thought hard for a while. Then, looking around, he saw some
pebbles. He suddenly had a good idea. He started picking up the pebbles
one by one, dropping each into the jug. As more and more pebbles filled
the jug, the water level kept rising. Soon it was high enough for the crow
to drink. His plan had worked!
16 Grades 3-6
The poem, ‘Counting Crows’, is based on a traditional English rhyme that
was used to predict the future according to the number of crows seen.
Below are three variations of the rhyme.
One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret,
Never to be told.
One for sadness, two for mirth;
Three for a wedding, four for a birth;
Five for laughing, six for crying;
Seven for sickness, eight for dying;
Nine for silver, ten for gold;
Eleven for a secret that will never be told.
One for death and two for birth,
Three for wind and four for earth,
Five for fire, six for rain,
Seven’s joy and eight is pain,
Nine to go, ten back again.
Have students read the three versions of the rhyme and then select one
to illustrate in black and white. Perhaps they might be interested in
creating a book format, with one line or partial line of the chosen rhyme
per page along with a corresponding drawing. Staple the pages together
and create an illustrated cover page entitled ‘Counting Crows’ that also
includes their names as author and illustrator.
17