Rudyard Kipling’s
JUNGLE BOOK
adapted by Poppy Burton-Morgan
Teacher’s Pack
to accompany Metta Theatre’s 2016 production of JUNGLE BOOK
Adaptor & Director |​
Poppy Burton-Morgan
Choreographer |​
Kendra J Horsburgh
Designer |​
William Reynolds
Costume Designer |​
Kate Lane
This pack contains a series of tasks that you can use as before or after seeing Metta Theatre’s production
of JUNGLE BOOK.
The tasks are divided into three sections :
● things to make
● things to write
● things to do
Feel free to dip in and out of the tasks rather than working through them from beginning to end.
About the Show:
This spectacular new production from the award-winning Metta Theatre brings Kipling’s classic tale
crashing into the 21st Century with breathtaking street dance and circus.
Mowgli is finding her way in the urban jungle. With a beat-boxing bin man Baloo, graffiti artist Bagheera
and a skateboarding Wolf crew, this heart-warming coming of age story will astonish and amaze.
About Metta Theatre:
Metta Theatre is one of the UK’s leading touring companies – making exceptional theatre and opera at the
mid, large and small scale and touring that work throughout the UK. Established in 2005 by visionary
Director Poppy Burton-Morgan and Motley trained Designer William Reynolds Metta Theatre is at the
forefront of cross-art-form theatre practice, known for combining emotionally powerful performances with
imaginative theatricality and striking visual style. Over the last decade Metta have collaborated with some
brilliant organisations including the Roundhouse, Young Vic, Soho Theatre, Bush Theatre, Southbank
Centre, V&A, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Oxford Playhouse, Manchester Royal Exchange, Theatre
Royal Bury St Edmunds, Pegasus Theatre, Polka Theatre, Egg Theatre, Bikeshed Theatre.
MISSION STATEMENT
Story is at the heart of every Metta production and we stage those stories using words, movement, music,
projection, puppetry and circus. Our work wears its theatricality on its sleeve – we tell stories with
imagination – for adults, children and everyone in between. We believe that everyone, regardless of their
age or background, should be able to access bold, innovative and intelligent theatre.
meta-theatrical: theatre that’s aware of it’s own theatricality – replacing reality with imagination.
metta: a Buddhist word meaning compassion, loving kindness, the strong wish for the happiness of others.
Website – www.mettatheatre.co.uk
Facebook -​
https://www.facebook.com/mettatheatre
​
Twitter - @mettatheatre
Characters:
These are the characters that we meet in our version of JUNGLE BOOK.
Mowgli​
- An acrobatic feral child who is the focus of the story (also
represented by a puppet when she is a baby), who is raised by
‘animals’ in the urban jungle
Baloo​
- A beat-boxing bin-man bear who teaches Mowgli the ways of
the streets [jungle]
Rann​
- A chador clad Kite [a type of bird], who respects Mowgli’s
knowledge and use of the appropriate greetings for each ‘animal’ and
helps her in her time of need
Bagheera - ​
A graffiti artist black panther who also befriends Mowgli
Shere Khan​
- A gangster rapper tiger with no respect for human life.
He is Mowgli’s enemy, as sees himself as rightful King of the Streets
[Jungle]
Akela ​
- The skateboarding leader of the wolf pack ‘crew’, who takes
Mowgli into their pack when she is abandoned a baby
Raksha ​
- Akela’s break-dancing and skateboarding girlfriend wolf, who becomes a
surrogate mother to Mowgli
Kaa ​
- A wise but dangerous snake who performs the ‘hunger dance’ on her street lamp (a
chinese pole)
Bandar-log ​
- A pack of street-dancing monkeys who kidnap
Mowgli. They are scatterbrained and foolish
Vee​
- a homeless Vulture who befriends Mowgli when she is
cast out from both the urban jungle and the city suits
Messua​
- A city suit, who adopts Mowgli, [rightly] believing her to be
her long lost daughter
Buldeo ​
- A city suit who takes an immediately dislike to Mowgli and becomes her enemy
Plot Synopsis
It is worth noting that there are two famous versions of JUNGLE BOOK - the original by Rudyard Kipling,
and the Disney version. There are subtle differences between the two versions, and ours makes reference
to both.
METTA’S JUNGLE BOOK
ACT ONE
Our version of JUNGLE BOOK is set in an urban jungle. All the characters are represented by their city
counterparts.
Wolves Raksha and Akela discover a young girl in their territory. They quickly establish she is not one of
them, but a ‘suit’ child; the offspring of the wealthy workers of the city. Raksha is quickly enthralled by the
child and decides to take it in as one of her own. When Shere Khan discovers the wolves have taken in the
girl he demands the child as his quarry. Raksha refuses. The tiger retires in anger.
Akela takes Mowgli to the Council Rock to be recognized by the wolves. The wolves are unsure of whether
to accept Mowgli, but Bagheera, the panther, and Baloo speak for Mowgli’s acceptance into the wolf pack.
This angers Shere Khan and he vows one day to kill the girl.
Baloo and Bagheera become Mowgli’s teachers and instruct her in the lore of the streets [jungle]. Mowgli
learns the greetings of all the ‘jungle’ people. Suddenly, a gang of Monkeys appear, throwing rubbish and
creating chaos in their wake. Two of the Monkeys steal Mowgli’s mobile and kidnap Mowgli before Baloo
and Bagheera can do anything about it. The Monkeys take Mowgli to Shere Khan who has orchestrated the
kidnapping. He gives them money in return for Mowgli’s phone. Kaa, the snake sees the encounter - Shere
Khan has power over but he owes her money so she is not disposed to help him. The Monkeys take
Mowgli away and Shere Khan approaches Kaa. She gestures for the money she has just seen him accept,
but he refuses to give it to her. A fight ensues, which Shere Khan wins.
Elsewhere, Mowgli is now lost in the city streets, the Monkey’s still her captor. She spots Rann, the kite, a
friendly face, and performs the kite greeting. The Monkeys swiftly move on with Mowgli in tow.
In another part of the city, Baloo and Bagheera happen across Kaa. Baloo asks for Kaa’s help in finding
Mowgli. Kaa agrees, if only to get revenge on Shere Khan. They bump into Rann, who is able to show them
which way the Monkeys took Mowgli.
The scene changes to Cold Towers, the home of the Monkeys. Mowgli does not fit in here. Baloo and
Bagheera appear and try and fight the Monkeys, but there are too many of them. Its is Kaa’s appearance
that halts the Monkeys - she has total control over them. The Monkeys follow Kaa meanwhile Mowgli,
Baloo and Bagheera finally have the chance to escape.
The scene moves back to the wolves territory, where Baloo is sweeping the streets. Bagheera enters. She
has bought a suit for Mowgli; a sign that it is time for Mowgli to return to the ‘suits’ in the city where she
belongs. At first Mowgli is reluctant to don the suit and return, but with the threat of Shere Khan’s rage
growing ever more apparent she eventually leaves.
Mowgli walks through the city until she comes across a place that seems familiar. She happens across the
home of Messua and Buldeo who are having a BBQ. Messua recognises Mowgli but isn’t sure why (Mowgli
is actually her long lost daughter). Buldeo forces Messua to return to the party. Mowgli sees the BBQ and
has an idea to use the flames, the ‘red flower’ to defeat Shere Khan - his one fear being fire. She grabs the
BBQ and leaves.
ACT TWO
We return to the wolves territory. Akela the leader of the wolves misses his ‘kill’. The other wolves see this
as a sign of age and weakness, and a sign he can no longer lead the pack. Shere Khan appears to win the
wolves support. Mowgli appears and Shere Khan tries to persuade the wolves to cast Mowgli out. Mowgli
takes out the ‘red flower’. Shere Khan immediately cowers in fear. Mowgli flicks fire at Shere Khan, burning
him. The rest of the pack are surprised by his weakness and laugh at him. Mowgli however has lost
patience with the wolves who were so quick to cast her out so she bids her friends goodbye and returns to
the city where she belongs.
Back in the city Messua and Mowgli are reunited. Messua tries to make Mowgli conform to the ‘suits’
standards, with little success. Raksha comes to visit Mowgli and tells her that: Shere Khan is plotting his
revenge. Mowgli, however, does not feel threatened.
Messua and Buldeo take Mowgli to a restaurant. On the way, they bump into Vee, the Vulture. She is
begging. Initially, Messua is oblivious to her. It is only when Mowgli stops, that Messua sees her and give
her some change. Mowgli’s table manners are awful and she cannot use the cutlery. Shamed by Buldeo
Mowgli runs out of the restaurant in tears. She finds Vee the Vulture who offers Mowgli shelter from the rain
under her umbrella. Mowgli gives Vee her jacket. Suddenly, Shere Khan enters. A chase ensues, with the
police quickly following. The police almost arrest Shere Khan, but he breaks free and runs towards the
edge of a building. He jumps, misses the next building, and falls to his death.
Mowgli flees the scene and finds Messua. The police are on her tail, but she successfully avoids them, until
she sees they have arrested Kaa. Mowgli explains to Messua that Kaa previously saved her. Messua
persuades the police to leave Kaa with her, and while they are searching for Mowgli Messua picks the lock
on Kaa’s handcuffs and frees her. Messua understands that the streets is where Mowgli really belongs and
the two say an emotional farewell.
Mowgli returns to the wolves territory. She tells them of Shere Khan’s death. The wolves are now ready to
accept her but is she ready to accept them…?
Rudyard Kipling’s THE JUNGLE BOOKS
THE JUNGLE BOOKS is a collection of stories that relate the experiences of a human child, Mowgli, who is
adopted and raised by wolves in an Indian jungle. As he grows up, he learns the ways of the jungle and the
different personalities of its animals. He is accepted as a "wolf" by the other animals, but when he is finally
exposed to humans, he begins to question his own identity. He resists the realization that he is human
because he is dismayed by the greed and destructiveness of those who invade the jungle.
He can accept stupidity or savagery, as characterized by certain members of the animal world, because
each animal in its own way is true to its nature. But the greed of humans is beyond his understanding.
Through a series of adventures in which he must defeat his sworn enemy, the tiger, and overcome many
obstacles, he eventually comes to accept his humanness.
The Mowgli stories in The Jungle Book are followed by a series of animal fables that pursue similar themes.
These stories feature such familiar characters as the mongoose Riki-Tikki-Tavi. Some editions of Kipling's
work place all the stories of Mowgli in one volume and all of the animal stories in a second volume.
Disney’s THE JUNGLE BOOK
A panther named Bagheera one day comes across an abandoned boat, in which a small baby is seen.
Taking pity on the baby, Bagheera takes it to a small family of wolves, who adopt the boy.
10 years pass. Word has reached the pack that the tiger Shere Khan has been spotted in the jungle. The
pack knows of Khan's hatred of 'man,' and wish to send Mowgli away for protection. Bagheera volunteers
to take Mowgli to a man-village some distance away. Mowgli and Bagheera meet Kaa, a python with a
hypnotic gaze, who tries to hypnotize both of them, before being pushed out of the tree by Mowgli.
The next day, they are awakened by 'The Dawn Patrol,' a pack of elephants led by Colonel Hathi. Bagheera
orders Mowgli to continue on their way to the man-village, but Mowgli refuses. After some struggles,
Bagheera and Mowgli separate. As Mowgli sulks by a rock, he is suddenly discovered by Baloo, a large
bear with a care-free attitude. Mowgli now wishes to stay with Baloo. However, a group of monkeys
suddenly appear, and take Mowgli away. Mowgli is taken to some ancient ruins, lorded over by an
orangutan named King Louie, who figures since Mowgli is a man-cub, he can help him learn how to make
fire. Bagheera and Baloo show up shortly, and after a fierce chase, get Mowgli away from King Louie.
After some time going through the jungle, Mowgli encounters Kaa, who hypnotizes the boy. Kaa is just
about to eat Mowgli, when he is alerted to Shere Khan. Kaa manages to carry on a conversation with the
tiger, and just barely hides the fact that the man-cub is nearby. Once Shere Khan leaves, Kaa's plans to eat
Mowgli are foiled when Mowgli comes out of his trance, and is able to escape.
Sometime afterward, Mowgli chances upon a group of vultures, who are willing to take him in as one of
their own. However, before they can do so, Shere Khan appears. Mowgli refuses to run. Just as it seems
that Shere Khan may devour Mowgli, Baloo appears, and wrestles with the tiger, who ends up clawing at
the large bear. In the ensuing chaos, Mowgli ties a flaming branch to Shere Khan's tail, and the fire spooks
the tiger, sending him running away.
It seems that Bagheera's plan to get Mowgli to the man-village have failed, when a beautiful song wafts
through their ears. As the three of them look through some bushes, they see the man-village, and by a
small stream, a little girl appears, gathering water. This intrigues Mowgli, who tries to go for a closer look.
The girl leads him back to the man-village. Baloo whispers for Mowgli to come back, but the boy follows
the girl into the village. Bagheera happily explains that Mowgli is now where he belongs.
Kipling’s Life and Times
RUDYARD KIPLING was born in Bombay on December 30th 1865, son of John Lockwood Kipling, an artist
and teacher of architectural sculpture, and his wife Alice. Young Rudyard's earliest years were blissfully
happy in an India full of exotic sights and sounds. But at the tender age of five he was sent back to England
to stay with a foster family in Southsea, where he was desperately unhappy. The experience would colour
some of his later writing.
When he was twelve he went to the United Services College at Westward Ho! near Bideford. He had poor
eyesight which handicapped him on the games field so the Headmaster, a friend of his father, encouraged
him to write.
In 1882, aged sixteen, he returned to Lahore, where his parents now lived, to work as a journalist. In his
limited spare time he wrote many remarkable poems and stories. He returned to England before marrying
an American. It was in America that he wrote The Jungle Books. He returned to England in 1896 and
gradually gained more and more renown as a writer, winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907. He
continued to write until his death in 1936.
Things to make
Newspaper Task
·
In small groups, pick a section or element of the story to report on. This could, for example, be Mowgli
returning to the village, or the fear of an attack by Shere Khan
You could draw pictures to accompany your article. Try and set it out on a double page spread, and in
columns like a real newspaper. Make sure you give it a really creative headline. You could explore media
bias- if two groups are working on Hermione’s trial, one could write it in support of Hermione, and the other
in support of Leontes. When these are completed, you can put them together to create a class newspaper.
Stereotypes Task
Think about the different characters that we meet in the play. Are the characters stereotypes? In groups,
cut out celebrities who you think are similar to the characters and create a collage. Discuss with the rest of
the class why you have chosen these celebrities, and what are the similarities between them and the
characters.
Things to write
Rap Task
Our version of JUNGLE BOOK is set within a hip-hop urban world, and includes sections of spoken word.
Use this premise as a base for to write your own group raps which summarise the plot. Discuss rhythm,
rhyming, and a refrain. You could find a basic drum beat which you can then practice the rap to. This could
culminate with a performance for the rest of the class.
Critic Task
This task could be completed after seeing the show. Pretend you are a theatre critic. Write a review of
JUNGLE BOOK. What did you like? What did you think could be improved? What star rating would you
give it? You could have a class discuss about the format of reviews, and even use the completed reviews
as a class blog.
Description Task
Find a description of either an urban environment or a jungle environment (this could be taken from the
poems in the book). Imagine you are in that environment. Write a description about that place. Think about
your five senses. This description can be the opening to a short story. Continue the story using one of the
themes from JUNGLE BOOK. This could be acceptance, hierarchy, individuality, or fear.
Things to do
Translation Task
The following is a rap performed by Shere Khan in our JUNGLE BOOK, in which he vows to bring down
Mowgli:
YOU WILL REGRET THIS MISTAKE OF YOURS
DO NOT FORGET THE KNIVES IN MY CLAWS
AS THE DAWN WAS BREAKING THE SUIT CHILD YELLED
AND SHE’S MINE FOR THE TAKING
AND A CHILD LEAPED UP, AND A CHILD LEAPED UP
FROM THE POND IN THE PARK WHERE THE WILD DEER SUP.
THIS I, SCOUTING ALONE, BEHELD,
ONCE, TWICE AND AGAIN!
AS THE DAWN WAS BREAKING, MY CLAWS WERE ACHING
FOR THE KILL, BLOOD SPILL, MY HUNGER FULFILLED,
THIRST QUENCHED, SWEAT DRENCHED, HEART CLENCHED
IN MY JAWS, HEAR ME ROAR THIS IS WHAT I CAME FOR
I SEE YOU ALL QUAKING, SHE’S MINE FOR THE TAKING
STEP INTO MY JAWS, THIS IS WHAT SHE CAME FOR
AS THE DAWN WAS BREAKING THE WOLF PACK YELLED
AND SHE’S MINE FOR THE TAKING
FEET IN THE JUNGLE THAT LEAVE NO MARK!
EYES THAT CAN SEE IN THE DARK--THE DARK!
TONGUE--GIVE TONGUE TO IT! O HARK!
ONCE, TWICE AND AGAIN!
SHE WILL DIE, YOU WILL STAND BY
WHEN I STRIKE ONCE, TWICE AND AGAIN.
YOU WILL CRY, WATCHING HER SOUL FLY HIGH
WHEN I STRIKE ONCE, TWICE AND AGAIN
The original book was written long before the language of rap became popular. Translate it into language
which would have been used in 1894. Here is the section of the book the rap was based on:
As the dawn was breaking the Sambhur belled -Once, twice and again!
And a doe leaped up, and a doe leaped up
From the pond in the wood where the wild deer sup.
This I, scouting alone, beheld,
Once, twice, and again!
As the dawn was breaking the Sambhur belled -Once, twice and again!
And a wolf stole back, and a wolf stole back
To carry the word to the waiting Pack,
And we sought and we found and we bayed on his track
Once, twice and again!
As the dawn was breaking the Wolf-Pack yelled
Once, twice and again!
Feet in the jungle that leave no mark!
Eyes that can see in the dark -- the dark!
Tongue -- give tongue to it! Hark! O Hark!
Once, twice and again!
What are the similarities and differences between our rap and the original? How has language developed?
What are the differences between the translation you did and the original? Now, try and write your own rap
from this piece of text.
Improvisation
JUNGLE BOOK involves a scene where Mowgli returns to civilisation and is reunited with her mother.
Create improvisations about the conversations which might have taken place at this meeting. How does
Mowgli feel about leaving the streets? Does Messua, the mother, want to know what adventures Mowgli
has had? Discuss all the different emotions that the characters might be feeling.
Freeze Frame
Pick three key moments from the story. Create freeze-frames which depict them. See if the rest of the class
can guess which part of the story it is. Ask the rest of the group to come up with the internal thoughts of
each of the characters who are on stage. This might describe their emotions or opinions about the scene.
Styles Exploration
In our version of JUNGLE BOOK, we use many different styles of dance and music. How many different
music and dance styles can you think of? In groups, assign yourselves one dance or music form. Create a
short piece in this style. As an extension, you could combine one style of dance with a different style of
music - what is the effect? Is there a way to make it work?