C i n der el l a
Avalon Theatre Company
Study Guide
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Cinderella
Welcome to Cinderella by Avalon Theatre Company!
Our touring production of Cinderella, an original sixtyminute presentation, has been designed to “Educate,
Enlighten & Entertain!” Our professional actors, playing
multiple roles, will take your students on a magical
journey through this beloved and classic fairy tale.
In this study guide, developed by professional educators and English-language
teachers, you will find Pre- and Post-Performance Activities and Discussion Topics,
as well as teacher and student resources.
For students who are learning English we have also included key vocabulary so that
your students will get the most out of our performances. This study guide may be
reproduced and distributed to students. It can be found on our website
www.avalontheatrecompany.com
Avalon Theatre Company’s Cinderella is an interactive performance and we
encourage your students’ participation and we will be asking a number of your
students to join us on stage.
Avalon Theatre Company welcomes your opinion & suggestions on our
performances and Study Guides, so that we can continue to provide teachers and
students with the finest in-school, educational theatre experience.
We love hearing from students and teachers! Please encourage your students to
leave a comment on our Facebook page (Avalon Theatre Company – Group Page)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/89366695578/ or write us letters and tell us what
you thought of the show!
Sincerely,
Avalon Theatre Company
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Cinderella
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Vocabulary and Activities that are highlighted in red are the most important in
ensuring that your students understand and enjoy Cinderella. If you only have a
limited amount of time to prepare your students for the show, we suggest you focus
on these Vocabulary Items & Activities.
All of the Activities in our Study Guide may be copied and given to your students.
The Answer Key for all of the Activities is on Page 15.
THE STORY OF CINDERELLA…………………………………..…………………………..4
CINDERELLA (Around the World) – Suggested Books, Films & Plays.......................…….....5
ACTIVITY 1 – Talk about the Story.…………….……….……………………………………6
LET”S SING……………………….…...…….……..………………….…………………..…7
VOCABULARY ..……..………………………………………….…..………………..…….8
ACTIVITIES…………..………..…………………………………………….…..……..……. 9- 14
ACTIVITY ANSWERS……………………………………..…..…..………………………..15
ABOUT THE ARTISTS………………………………………………………………………16
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Cinderella
THE STORY of CINDERELLA
The story of Cinderella can be traced back centuries and individual elements of the
story can be found in almost every world culture. There are more than 1,500
variations on the story estimated worldwide, each adding something unique.
The earliest version of the story comes from China somewhere around 850 AD. In
that tale, a young princess is captured and taken to live as a servant in another
province. Eventually she is rescued and her true identity is revealed because her foot
is small enough (having been bound in traditional Chinese fashion) to fit into the
Princess’ shoe.
In 15th century Italian folk tales, CINDERELLA is a young orphan girl who sleeps
among the ashes, and earns the name “The Cat Cinderella” for curling up like a cat at
the fire.
Our modern-day story owes a great deal to the French version , CINDERELLA AND
THE GLASS from 1697. This version introduced the characters of the step-mother
and step-sisters. It also had Cinderella going to the royal ball and had Cinderella
wearing a glass slipper. It is possible that Perrault misunderstood an older oral
version of the tale, mistaking the word vair (fur) for verre (glass), for in those days it
would have been nearly impossible to fashion a shoe from glass.
In the 1800’s The Brothers Grimm created a version of Cinderella which introduced
the magical fairy godmother.
The Cinderella story that we know today is a combination of all of these versions.
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Cinderella
CINDERELLA
ALL AROUND THE WORLD!
The story of Cinderella has been told in many ways. Here are a few versions for
children that we recommend.
CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Climo, Shirley. The Egyptian Cinderella. (1989) Rhodopis, a Greek slave girl living in Egypt, is
teased by the servants about her colouring. Eventually, one of her rosy-gold slippers is carried to the
pharaoh's court. He searches for, and finds, the girl.
Steptoe, John. Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters. (1987) Nyasha must put up with a nagging, badtempered sister. But when both girls are tested, Nyasha's kindness wins her the prince.
Martin, Rafe. The Rough-Face Girl. (1992) A young Indian girl, whose face and hands have been
burnt from tending the fire, wishes to marry the Invisible Being. Tested by his sister, she alone of
all the village maidens is found worthy. A beautiful, haunting retelling of a tale from the Algonquin
Indian tradition.
Steel, Flora Annie. Tattercoats: An Old English Tale. (1976) Children will sympathize with
Tattercoats. She is dressed in rags and reviled by the servants, with no friends but a goose herd.
This is a satisfying old-fashioned fairy tale, with magic and meanness, a castle and king, a ball and
beauty.
Louie, Ai-Ling. Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China. Here the hardworking and lovely girl
befriends a fish, which is killed by her stepmother. Yeh-Shen saves the bones, which are magic, and
they help her dress appropriately for a festival. When she loses her slipper after a fast exit, the king
finds her and falls in love with her. This beautiful story, is retold from one of the oldest Cinderella
stories.
FILMS
Cinderella, an animated feature released on February 15, 1950, now considered one of Disney's
classics. The film is the most popular version of the Cinderella story, with most people re-telling
the Disney version as opposed to the original.
Ever After (1998), starring Drew Barrymore
ON STAGE
Musical Theatre - Cinderella by Rodgers and Hammerstein was produced for television three times.
It has also been presented on stage in theatres throughout the world.
Opera - La Cenerentola by Gioacchino Rossini
Ballet - Cinderella by Sergei Prokofiev
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Cinderella
ACTIVITY #1 – Talk About The Story
1.) Go over the classic (but simplified) version of CINDERELLA with the children. Ask
them to name the principal characters and what they are like (describe them).
2.) CINDERELLA is a fairy tale. Ask your students about other fairy tales they know.
Talk about imagination....what is real and what is make-believe.
3.) In CINDERELLA, the ugly stepsisters and stepmother are cruel to Cinderella. Ask
students how they feel when people are cruel to them.
4.) Cinderella works very hard. She does all the cleaning, cooking and domestic
chores around the house. Ask students what chores they do at their home to help
out. Talk about the value of hard work and what they learn from these jobs.
5.) Tell the students that the show they are going to see is a new version of
CINDERELLA. Ask them to guess ways in which Avalon Theatre’s version might be
the same as or different from the traditional version. After the show see how well
they guessed!
6.) At the end of the story, Cinderella and Prince Charming live “happily ever
after.” Ask students what makes them happy. What does “living happily ever after”
mean to them?
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Cinderella
Let’s Sing!
During the show, Cinderella will sing Cinderella Had a House with the children! It
is to the melody of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.”
In our version the song will have the four Mice, two Rats and a Lizard. The Mice
will “squeak” (the sound a mouse makes), the rats will “sneak” (to move slowly and
quietly), and the Lizard will “slurp” (the sound a lizard makes when he sticks out his
tongue). This song is also a good way to teach children how the vowels “E”, “I”,
and “O” are pronounced in English.
Cinderella Had a House
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzQ8VRwsJjc
Cinderella had a house
E I E I O
And in that house
She had some mice
E I E I O
With a squeak, squeak here
And a squeak, squeak there
Here a squeak, there a squeak
Everywhere a squeak, squeak
Cinderella had a house
E I E I O
Cinderella had a house
E I E I O
And in that house
She had a lizard
E I E I O
With a slurp, slurp here
And a slurp, slurp there
Here a slurp, there a slurp
Everywhere a slurp, slurp
Cinderella had a house
E I E I O
Cinderella had a house
E I E I O
And in that house
She had a rat
E I E I O
With a sneak, sneak here
And a sneak, sneak there
Here a sneak, there a sneak
Everywhere a sneak, sneak
Cinderella had a house
E I E I O
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Cinderella
VOCABULARY
The following is a list of some of the vocabulary from the play which teachers may
choose to pre-teach before the performance although we hope much of it will be
understood from the context within the performance.
NOUNS
THE FAMILY
Mother
Husband
Stepmother
Stepbrother
Father
Wife
Stepfather
Stepsister
Son
Brother
Stepson
Godfather
Daughter
Sister
Stepdaughter
Godmother
ROYAL TITLES
King
Count
Queen
Countess
Duke
Prince
Duchess
Princess
PEOPLE
Coachman
Servant
Footmen
CLOTHING
A dress
A glass slipper
Two dresses
A pair of glass slippers
A shoe
A bow
A pair of shoes.
Two bows
ANIMALS
A mouse
A lizard
Four mice
Two lizards
A rat
A unicorn
Two rats
Some unicorns
OBJECTS
Pumpkin
Cupboard
Broom
Ball (party)
Window
Floor
Invitation (to the Ball)
PLACES
The house
The kitchen
The garden
The Palace.
ADJECTIVES
Rich
Kind
Quiet
Poor
Cruel
Loud
Young
Charming
Beautiful
Happy
Rude
Pretty
Sad
Loud
Ugly
Magical
Mean
Timid
VERBS
To clean
To cook
To love
To wish
To go (to the Ball)
To wash
To marry
To sing
To dance
To try on (the slipper)
To go shopping
To change into
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Cinderella
ACTIVITY #2– Vocabulary
Ask the students to look at the list of characters on the left and to match them to the
descriptions on the right. Pre-teach any new vocabulary.
PEOPLE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
DESCRIPTIONS
Cinderella
Cinderella’s Father
The Stepmother
Bertha and Gertie
The Fairy Godmother
Prince Charming
A) Ugly, horrible and cruel
B) Handsome, rich and charming
C) Young, beautiful and sad
D) Old, generous and timid
E) Loud, mean and horrible
F) Magical, kind and friendly
ACTIVITY #3– Vocabulary
Using the adjectives listed below, ask the students to complete the blanks in the
following phrases using antonyms or opposite words.
Rich
Kind
Quiet
1.
2.
3.
4.
Poor
Cruel
Loud
Young
Charming
Beautiful
Happy
Rude
Pretty
Sad
Loud
Ugly
Magical
Mean
Timid
Cinderella is very _ _ _ but the stepsisters are very _ _ _ _ _.
Prince Charming is very _ _ _ _ but Cinderella is very _ _ _ _.
The Fairy godmother is very _ _ _ _ but the stepmother is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.
The stepsisters are very, very _ _ _ _ but Cinderella is very _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.
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Cinderella
ACTIVITY #4 – After The Show - Vocabulary
When the Fairy Godmother helps Cinderella to go the Ball she uses her magic. She
transforms or changes animals and objects into other things. Ask the students to
look at the animals or objects on the left and to match them with the animals or
objects on the right that they change into. Ask them to write complete sentences as in
the example.
Example: 1. – D. The pumpkin changes into a coach.
1. The Pumpkin
a. Unicorns
2. The Rats
b. A Coachman
3. The Mice
c. Footmen
4. The Lizard
d. A Coach
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Cinderella
ACTIVITY #5 – VOCABUlARY!
WORD SOUP
Cinderella is making a delicious Word Soup for dinner! Have students find the
vocabulary words listed below in the puzzle.
N
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BALL
MICE
RAT
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PRINCE
STEPMOTHER
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GODMOTHER
PUMPKIN
STEPSISTER
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SLIPPER
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Cinderella
ACTIVITY #6 - AfTer the Show - True or False?
Ask the students whether the following questions are True or False.
1.) When the play starts Cinderella is very sad.
2.) Cinderella’s father is generous.
3.) The stepmother’s name is Gertrude.
4.) Bertha and Gertie are Cinderella’s sisters.
5.) Bertha and Gertie are cruel to Cinderella.
6.) Cinderella discovers her special dress in a cupboard.
7.) In total, three children from our school change into animals.
8.) Cinderella gets the pumpkin from the kitchen
9.) The Prince likes to dance.
10.) Cinderella must leave the Ball at 10 o’clock.
11.) Gertie dances with the Prince.
12.) The Prince is in love with a mysterious woman.
ACTIVITY #7 – What Did They Say?
Ask the students to match the characters to the expressions that they often use.
CHARACTER
1. Cinderella
2. Bertha and Gertie
3. The Stepmother
4. Cinderella’s Father
EXPRESSION
a. “Impossible!”
b. “Happily ever after.”
c. “Yes, Dear.”
d. “ I’m very sad.”
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Cinderella
ACTIVITY #8 – Magical Mathematics!
Photocopy this sheet and after the show ask students to fill in the numbers in the
blanks. After they have filled in all the numbers ask them to add them up.
1.) How many stepsisters does Cinderella have?
____
2.) How many mice are there?
____
3.) How many rats are there?
____
4.) How many lizards are there?
____
5.) How many people try on the glass slipper?
____
TOTAL
____
Bonus Question!
6.) How many toes try on the glass slipper?
____
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Cinderella
ACTIVITY #9 – Connect the Dots!
A Unicorn is a mythical creature. Ask the students what other mythical creatures
they know? (examples: Loch Ness Monster, a Yeti, etc.) For fun, ask the students to
create their own mythical creature!
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Cinderella
ACTIVITY #2– Vocabulary
ANSWERS: 1.) c 2.) d
3.) e
4.) a
5.) f
6.) b
ACTIVITY #3– Vocabulary
1.
2.
3.
4.
Cinderella is very sad, but the stepsisters are very happy.
Prince Charming is very rich, but Cinderella is very poor.
The Fairy godmother is very kind, but the stepmother is cruel.
The stepsisters are very, very ugly , but Cinderella is very beautiful.
ACTIVITY #4- Vocabulary
ANSWERS: 1.) d
2.) c
3.) a
ACTIVITY #5- Vocabulary
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ACTIVITY #6- Vocabulary
ANSWERS: 1.) True 2.) True 3.) False – Her name is Malvada. 4.) False – They are her step
sisters.
5.) True
6.) True
7.) False – There are 7
8.) True
9.) True 10.) False
– Cinderella must leave at midnight
11.) True 12.) True
ACTIVITY #7- Vocabulary
ANSWERS: 1. ) d 2.) b
3.) a
4.) c
ACTIVITY #8- Vocabulary
ANSWERS: 1.) 2 2.) 4
3.) 2
4.) 1
5.) 4
TOTAL- 13
Bonus Question – 20 (Four people try on the glass slipper, i.e. 4 feet X 5 toes = 20)
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Cinderella
About the artists
Zoe Kaye (Cinderella) originally from Herefordshire, U.K., received a
Distinction Certificate in her Performing Arts exam for L.A.M.D.A and studied
Children’s Theatre at Herefordshire College of Art and Design where she
performed in the Herefordshire Performing Arts Festival. Zoe has lived in
Portugal for over a year and is looking forward to her second year with Avalon
Theatre Company.
Meg Thurin (Stepmother, Fairy Godmother), graduated from John Cabot University
with a Bachelor of Arts and received her postgraduate degree from the Istituto Arte
Artiginato e Restauro, Rome, Italy. Since moving to Portugal in 2009, Meg has worked
with Avalon Theatre Company and has also participated in various voice-over projects
and has performed in a recent TV sitcom pilot filmed in Lisbon.
Cesar Ribeiro (Stepsister Bertha, Prince Charming) trained in Speech and Drama at
Trinity College in London. Originally from Zimbabwe, Cesar is also a singer and has
studied Modern Dance, Tap and Jazz. From Shakespeare to children’s theatre, he has
performed in the Polka Theatre in the United Kingdom and the Waterfront Theatre,
Pretoria State Theatre and Baxter Theatre in South Africa. Television appearances
include CAVE GIRL for BBC1. Cesar has lived in Portugal for 6 years and most recently
appeared in Filipe La Féria’s A CANÇÃO DE LISBOA at Teatro Politema and in PETER AND
THE WOLF with Os Primeiros Sintomas. This is Cesar’s second year with Avalon
Theatre Company.
Grant Shepherd (Father, Stepsister Gertie) – Grant has lived in Portugal for over 10
years and has been involved in a number of productions, both as actor and director. He
studied Drama at University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, where, as well as acting
and directing, he specialised in Shakespeare, Neo-classical French and Restoration
Theatre. Directorial credits include The Virtuoso by Thomas Shadwell, The Winter’s
Tale by William Shakespeare; True West by Sam Shepard; and The Country Wife by
William Wycherley. Favourite roles include Lee (True West); Leontes (The Winter’s
Tale); and Vindice (The Revenger’s Tragedy). Grant appeared in the TV series
“Equador” as William Cadbury. Grant is a founding partner of Avalon Theatre
Company.
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