The House
at Pooh Corner
AStudyGuide
Production Personnel
Cast
ANDREW G. COOPER:
RANDI EDMUNDSON:
STEFANO GIULIANETTI:
DEIDRICH ORTON:
Tasker / Piglet / Tigger
Alice / Tasker / Eeyore / Rabbit / Kanga / Roo / Owl
Alexander / Tasker / Winnie the Pooh
Christopher Robin
Production Team
HEATHER CANT:
RANDI EDMUNDSON:
TRAVIS HATT:
MARIAN TRUSCOTT:
SHAWN KETTNER:
CATHY NOSATY:
MADISON HENRY:
ERIK HAGAR:
Director
Music Director
Set & Lighting Designer
Costume Designer
Puppet Designer & Builder
Original Composition
Stage Manager
Design Apprentice
TheHouseatPoohCornerisaplaybasedonabookwrittenbyA.A.Milne.
TheoriginalplaywaswrittenbyBettyeKnapp.WesternCanadaTheatre’s
productionofTheHouseatPoohCornerhasbeenadaptedbyKimSelody.
1
A.A. Milne and Winnie the Pooh
AlanAlexanderMilne(1882–1956)beganhiswritingcareerafter
graduatingfromCambridgeUniversity.AfterservinginWorldWarI,he
workedformanyyearsastheassistanteditoroftheBritishhumour
magazinePunch.Asuccessfulplaywright,hisplayswereproducedin
LondonandNewYork.In1920,hiswifeDaphnegavebirthtoason,
ChristopherRobinMilne.A.A.Milne’scareerasachildren’sauthor
beganwiththepublicationofacollectionofversesentitledWhenWe
WereVeryYoung,illustratedbyErnestH.Shepard.
ChristopherRobin’sfavouritetoywasan18inch-highstuffedbear
purchasedatHarrod’sDepartmentstoreforhisfirstbirthday.Named“EdwardBear”atfirst,
thebearwasrenamed“Winnie”afterablackbearintheLondonZoo.Asayoungchild,
ChristopherRobinhadquiteafriendshipwiththebear,andvisitedregularlytoplaygamesand
giveWinnieaspecialtreat:condensedmilk.AlthoughMilnecreatedahoney-lovingbearforus,
thereal-lifeWinnie’sdislikedhoney,preferringthetasteofcondensedmilk.
The“Pooh”partofWinnie’snamewasaddedevenlater,“Pooh”havingbeenthenameofa
swaninWhenWeWereVeryYoung.Milne,hiswife,andChristopher’sNannyoftenmadeup
storieswithandforChristopherandhisgrowingcollectionofstuffedtoys.DaphneMilne
encouragedherhusbandtopublishthestories.
TheMilne’shomewaslocatedatCotchford
FarmnearHartfield,EastSussex(aboutan
hour’sdrivefromLondon).Inthe
surroundingareawerestreams,forests,
bridges,andtheFiveHundredAcreWood,
whichwasthemodelfortheHundredAcre
Woodofthebooks.Winnie-the-Pooh,
illustratedbyErnestH.Shepard,was
publishedin1926.ItwasfollowedbyNow
WeAreSix(1927)andTheHouseatPooh
Corner(1928).
TheoriginalstuffedtoysofChristopher
RobinnowondisplayattheNewYork
Library.
2
Characters
Winnie-The-Pooh(Pooh)isananthropomorphicteddybearandthemaincharacterinthe
book.Heisnaivebutextremelyfriendly,verythoughtfulandoccasionallyprofoundwithgreat
insight.Heisalwayswillingtohelphisfriendsandalwaysgivesofhisbest.Poohismotivated
easilybyhisloveofhoney.Thispursuitofhoneycanoftengethimintotrouble.
Poohisatalentedpoetandhisstoriesarefrequentlypunctuatedbyhislittleditties,or"Hums".
Heiscomfortableinhiscreativityandratherhumbleabouthistalent,tellinghisfriendsthat
onedoesnotfinda"hum"butonemustgotowherea"hum"mayfindhim.Poohis
ChristopherRobin'sbestfriendandviceversa.
ChristopherRobinistheonlyhumancharacterinthebook.Heisacheerful,friendlylittleboy
whoislovingandempathetic.Heisadmiredandrespectedbyalloftheothercharactersand
althoughheisjustachildheisbyfarthewisest.ChristopherRobinagesbeforeoureyesand
theplaytellsusthetimehascomeforhimtobeofftoschool.Becauseofthisheisnotableto
spendhisdaysinHundredAcreWoodanymore.InthefinalsceneChristopherRobinandPooh
leaveeachotherbehind,promisingtoremembertheotherevenwhentheyareonehundred.
PigletgenerallyfollowsPooh'sleadandseemseasilyworriedandalittletimid,butisactually
ratherbraveincrisissituations.WhenPoohgiveshimencouragementPigletreallyexcels.Heis
kind,gentleandleanstowardshyness.Heisalsoextremelytidyandratherparticular.
Eeyoreisaneternalpessimistwhoisalwaysglum.Hehastroublekeepinghistailattachedto
histail-end.Eeyorelivesinahousemadeoutofstickswhichblowsawayandhisnewlyre-built
homeistheeponymous"HouseAtPoohCorner".Eeyoreiscautiousandalthoughnotoneto
followthecrowdrarelyspeaksuporvoicesoppositionbecausehedoesnotbelievethat
anyonewilllistentohim.DespitehisnegativityEeyoreismuchlovedbyhisfriends.
Kangaisafemalekangarooanddotingmothertoherson,Roo.Whentheyfirstmeether
everythingthinkssheisgoingtoberatherfiercebuttheyquicklyrealizesheisfriendlyand
becomefastfriendswithher.WhenTiggerarrivesintheforestshewelcomeshimintoher
home,findsfoodthathelikesandallowshimtostay,treatinghimlikeasecondson.Thisis
typicalofKangaroowhoisgenerouswithanopen,givingheart.Sheispatientandmotherlyand
alwaysreadytolistenorgiveadviceasneeded.Kangaisalmostover-protectivewhenitcomes
toRoo.
Rabbitisafriendlycharactergiventooccasionalirritability.Heisalwaysconfidentthatheisthe
smartestinhabitantofHundredAcreWoodandconsequentlybelievesthathiswayisthebest
3
waytodoabsolutelyanythingatall.Hehasatendencytowardsobsessive-compulsive
organizationandrule-keepingandisveryorderly.Althoughbossy,heloveshisfriendsvery
much.RabbitwasnotbasedononeofChristopherRobinMilne'stoysbutcamefromAA
Milne'simagination.
Tiggerishappyandexuberantandhasapersonalityasbouncyasheis.Hecanbeirresponsible
andcangetintotroubleifnotkeptfirmlyinline.Tiggerlovesbouncing,mostlyontoothers.He
isexceedinglyenergetic,veryoutgoingandlovestohavefun.Tiggerisveryconfidentand
believesthatanytaskorchallengeis"whatTiggersdobest."
Owlistheoldestmalecharacterinthebookandisworldlyandwise.Extremelytalkative,heisa
leaderandrespectedmentoralthoughhecansometimesbeatriflestuffy.Hehasatendencyto
beascatterbrainbutbothheandallofhisfriendsbelievehimtobethemostintelligentinthe
group.HisspeechescanrambleonforhoursandOwlwillgetverytestyifheisinterrupted.He
livesinatreeknownasTheChestnuts,anoldworldresidenceofgreatcharmmuchasOwlisan
oldworld,charmingresident.
Rooisenergeticandplayful,heisalwayscheerfulandadoreshisbestfriendTiggerwhomhe
looksuptoagreatdealalmostlikeanolderbrother.Heistheyoungestcharacterinthebook.
4
Activities in the Classroom
Activity #1: Which Pooh are You?
Haveanopendiscussionwithyourclassabouteachcharactertheysawintheplay.Havethem
givedescriptivewordsforeach(usetheabovelistasareference).Whatdidtheylikeand
dislikeaboutthecharacters?Itwillbehelpfultowritethecharactersontheboard,sotheycan
referenceitforthefollowingactivity.
Haveeachstudentpickonecharacterthatbestrepresentstheirownpersonality.Theycan
basethisonthewordsthattheclassshared,orthecharactertheysawonstage.Havethem
drawthatcharactertothebestoftheirability.
Theplayfocusesonthehomesofthecharacters(orlackthereof).Havethestudentsthendraw
thehomeofthatanimal.
Activity #2: Bringing our Toys to Life
WinniethePoohwasatoythatwasbroughttolifebyA.A.Milne.Poohwashisson,
ChristopherRobin’s,mostpreciousstuffedanimal.Askyourclassiftheyhaveeverthoughtof
oneoftheirtoysasreal.Didtheyspeaktoyou?Didyoutalkbacktothem?Didyoupretend
theywererealortellthemyoursecrets?Whydidyoudothis?Whywasitimportantforyou
tosharefeelingsorthoughtswithyourtoys?Didyoufindithelpfulwhenyouneededsomeone
totalkto?
Havetheclassbringthattoytoclassforashowandtellstyleactivity.Havethemtelltheclass
abouttheirtoyandwhyitisimportanttothem,whentheygotitandwhattheyliketodowith
thetoy.
Havethegroupseparateintopairs.Tellthestudentsthattheirtoyshavenowcometolife!
Havethemintroducetheirtoysandaskquestionsofeachother.Convincethestudentsthat
thisexerciseisbestplayedwhentheytrulybelievetheyarereal.Havethemspeakhowthey
feeltheirtoywould(high,low,fast,slow,studdering,musical,timid,confidant).Askthegroup
whytheirtoysspeakthewaytheydo?Whyaretheyshy?Oncetheyhaveestablishedthe
character,havetheclasswalkaboutintroducingtheirtoystotheothertoys.
5
FUNCLASSROOMGAME!
Toyshop:Tellthestudentsthattheclassroomisatoyshop.Theycanchoosetobeanytoyin
thatshop.Theyeachhavean“on”and“off”button.Whenthe“on”buttonispressed,they
canactasthetoy.Pressthe“on”buttononthetoystoseethemplay.
Eachnightthetoykeeper(that’syou!)leavestheshop.Whenshe/hedoes,thetoyscometo
life!!Youcandothisbyactuallyleavingtheclassroom(watchnoiselevels!Thingscanget
crazy!).Abruptlycomebackin,swearingthatyouheardnoisescomingfromyourshop.That
can’tberight?Youshutallthetoysoff!!Doublechecktomakesurethatyoudidindeedshut
themoff.Makeaspeechtothetoysthatwhileyoulovethemall,theyshouldunderno
circumstancecreateadisturbanceintheneighborhood.Theyaretobeontheirbestbehavior
whenthestoreisclosed.Yawn,saygoodnightandleaveagain.Feelfreetoenterandexitas
manytimesaslongasthegameremainsfunandnotchaotic.Remarkonthefactthatyouare
surethatthetoydogwasnotnearthebarbieandthatthelegomanwasstandingthelasttime
youcamein!
Kidslovethisgameasitencouragesimagination,playandtheylovetotrickthetoykeeper!
Youcanaddanotherelementandhaveacouplekidswalkinduringthestoresopenhours.
Theycanpress“on”onthetoysandseewhattheycando.Theycanalsothenpurschasethem!
Activity #3: Off to School and Growing Up
Sayingfarewell,beinglost,andgrowinguparethreethemesthatareprevalentinTheHouseat
PoohCorner.ChristopherRobinissayinggoodbyetohisfriendsattheHundredAcreWood
becauseheissettogoofftoschoolsoon.ChristopherRobinisawarethathewon’thavethe
opportunitytoseePoohasmuchashedidbefore.Heknowsheisgrowingup:“Whatever
happens,youwillunderstand,won’tyou?”
Askyourstudentsiftheycanrememberatimewhentheyrealizedtheyweregrowingup?Or
whentheyfelt“tooold”forsomething(perhapstheirtrainingwheels,theirteddybearor
blanketatnight,theirfavoritearticleofclothingthattheywerenowtoobigfor).Howdidit
makethemfeeltohavetogiveupsomethingthatwasprecioustothem?Orperhaps,they
gaveitupwithoutafightatallanditisnotuntilnowthattheyrealizetheyhaven’tplayedwith
thattoyinalongtime?Whatarethefeelingswegetfromobjectsthatbecomeclosetous?
Whyareourfavoriteblankets,toys,clothesimportanttous?
6
Activity #4: Going on an “Expotition”
InTheHouseatPoohCorner,thecharacterofNannyexplainsthatTasker,Alexanderandsheareonan
“expotitiontofindChristopherRobinandPoohandhisfriends”.Sendyourstudentsontheirown
expedition!!
Separatetheclassintogroupsof3or4.Havethempickadestinationspotontheschoolpremise(outsideis
yourbestbetsoasnottodisturbotherclasses).Suggesttothemspotsthatarefurthestonthepremiseand
arelandmarked(ie.atree,ahydrant,aplaygroundpieceorgoalpost.Orifyouaresoinclined,thestudents
couldbuildsomethingoutofthingsintheenvironmenttomarkaspace).Asagrouptheymusttraveltothat
place.Alongthewaytheyshouldtakenotesastowhattheypass(underfootandtotheirleftandright),and
howfartheyhavetravelled.
Oncetheyhavetrackedoutthepath,theymustreturntoclassandcreateamap.Themapmustbedetailed
enoughthatanothergroupcouldfollowit.Thismapmayincludewhattheexplorersmightneedtohaveon
them(compass,diggingtools,rubberboots,magnifyingglass;thisreallydependsonhowindepthyouwant
tomakethehunt).Itshouldalsodepictwhattheexplorerswillpass(aplayground,thegrade6room,a
parkingspot,atree).Havethemgoandplaceanitematthedestination(stickers,smalltreats,aspecial
note).
Havethegroupsexchangemaps.Nowtheclassareexplorersandneedtofindthetreasure!Besureto
checkoverthemapsbeforetheclassheadsout.Ifyoucannotfindit,oddsarethemapneedstobetweaked.
Youcoulduseonegroupasguineapigsandhavethenextgroupdothehunt.Theguineapiggroupcangive
feedbacktotheoriginalmapmakerstoensurethattheprizeisfound.
HappyHunting!
Activity #5: A Post-Show Discussion
1. Discusstheplaywithyourclass.Whatdidtheylike,whatdidtheyfindchallenging?
Why?Askforspecifics.Whowasyourfavouritecharacterandwhy?
2. Friendshipisanothermajorthemeinthisplay.Whataresomeoftheinstanceswhere
wesawwonderfuldisplaysoffriendshipamongstthecharacters?
3. Didyouliketheset?Whatdidyouthinkofthehomesforeachofthecharacters?
4. Whatdidyouthinkofthepuppetsfortheshow?Whydoyouthinktheplaywright
wouldaskthatpuppetsrepresentthecharactersandnotactorsincostume?Didyou
enjoythevoicestheactorsused?
5. Didyoulikethemusicintheshow?HowdidyoulikePooh’smusicality?Whatwereyou
thinkingofwhenPoohwashumminghislittletunes?
7
6. HaveyoueverseenorheardaWinniethePoohstorybefore?Ifso,howdidtheplay
compare?Werethecharactersportrayedthewayyouthoughttheywouldbe?Inthe
end,whichdidyouprefer,thestorybookcharacters,thecartooncharactersorthe
charactersonthestage?Howdoesourideasofstorieschangewhentheyarelivein
frontofuscomparedtoonaTVorinabook?
Curriculum Connections
Drama
ArtsEducation
Music
LanguageArts
Exploring,DramaForms
Performance
Context
ExploringandCreating
SocialContext
Thoughts,ImagesandFeelings
Context
OralLanguage,ReadingandViewing,SpeakingandListening
Works Sited
www.cloudfront.net
www.gradesaver.com/the-house-at-pooh-corner
www.pooh-corner.org
Selody,Kim.TheHouseatPoohCorner.AdaptedfromtheplaybyBettyeKnapp.Takenfromthebook,The
HouseatPoohCornerbyA.A.Milne.DuttonBooksforYoungReaders,1988.
8