Lost In
Verona
teacher’s pack
dossier didactico
A
Creation
Introduction
The following teacher’s pack is a selection of excercises designed to prepare your
students for story of Lost In Verona. The exercises are designed to help prepare your
students for the storytelling session. Use the exercises you find most suitable to your
students´age and ability. The little CD symbol found on some of the pages refers to
the track numbers of the listening excercises and songs found on the accompanying
CD.
Our storyteller needs the following conditions in order to embark your students on her
exciting adventure.
- A large classroom, assembly hall, gymnasium or small theatre where students
can sit comfortably on the floor in rows, separated by a centre aisle. Please
remove any desks or other large objects.
- A small space at the front of the class for her to act in. This should be at least
3m X ·3m. This will be her “stage”.
- A power socket for her to plug in her CD player
- A group of students and teachers willing to have a good time!
We strongly recommend that students be prepared before attending a storytelling
session. Please select the material from this teacher’s pack which you feel is most
suitable to your students’ age and ability. The first part of the material relates directly
to the storytelling session, and should be accessible to all students. The second part
focuses on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and is suitable for more advanced
students. If your class are studying Romeo and Juliet, we recommend this teachers
pack is used in conjunction with an ‘Easy Reader’ version of the text.
We are open to all sorts of suggestions, comments or critiques you may have with
regards to the show or the contents of this Teacher’s Pack . If you have any doubts
or questions concerning the show feel free to call our central office, or fill out our
questionnaire which you will find on our web page: www.teatroeningles.com
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Plot Synopsis
The Shakespeare Theatre, Verona, Italy.
It’s the opening night of Romeo and Juliet, by The Really Famous Theatre Company.
Some of the world’s most famous actors will be appearing, and the audience are very
excited. The curtain is about to go up, the press are waiting… only one problem.
Where are the actors?
The usherette is very upset. Unless she can solve the problem, there will be no
performance, and what is worse, she will lose her job!
True or False?
The theatre where the play will be performed is in London
T
F
Everything goes according to plan
T
F
The actors in the play are very famous
T
F
The play being performed is Hamlet
T
F
The usherette will lose her job if she does not solve the problem
T
F
Write the false sentences correctly:
____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2
CD
Theatre Vocabulary
3&5
2
listening
Play
Production
Perform
Actor
Actress
Director
Celebrity
Famous
Playwright
Première
Opening night
Tickets
Awards
Curtain
Scene
Tragedy
Dressing room
Stage fright
Review
Listening Exercise 1 (CD track 3)
Romeo and Juliet in Verona
Tonight is the __________
________ of Romeo and Juliet at the Shakespeare
Theatre. The ________ will be performed by The Really Famous Theatre Company.
Many of the actors are _______________ and the production is nominated for several
_______________. We hope you have bought ______________! Romeo and Juliet
is a tragedy by the ___________ William Shakespeare. The actor playing Romeo
suffers from _________ _________, and would not come out of his __________
________ for an interview. We interviewed the director, who said: I hope the
__________ are good. I want to make a lot of money!
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CD
Celebrities
1&2
listening
Can you guess who will be playing Romeo and Juliet?
The Really Famous Theatre Company employs many famous actors. Listen to the
following two celebrities talk about themselves and write down five things about each.
Now listen again and try to guess who they are. Cut out photos from a magazine and
paste them in the boxes.
Celebrity 1: Romeo
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
Celebrity 2: Juliet
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
4
CD
A Nasty Accident!
4
listening
Verbs:
to crash
to jam
to be stuck to kidnap to party
Nouns:
traffic
plane
train
theatre
Adjectives:
hung over lost
late
wrong.
to call.
paparazzi.
Listen to the following members of the audience explaining why the actors might not
be in the theatre. Now join each explanation up with its’ corresponding picture.
I think the actors are lost in Verona.
I think the actors are stuck in a traffic jam.
I think the actors’ train is running late
I think the actors have gone to the wrong theatre.
I think the actors were involved in a plane crash.
I think the actors have been kidnapped by the paparazzi!
Call the police!
I think that the actors were at a party yesterday
and are hung over. They are probably still in bed!
Do you agree with any of the explanations? Using the vocabulary above, make up
your own reason why the actors might be missing.
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Romeo and Juliet - The Story
Vocabulary: to kill, to stab, to poison, to fight, to marry, to hate.
There are two families in Verona, called Montague and Capulet, who are enemies.
Romeo Montague goes to a party held by the Capulet family, where he meets
Juliet. hey fall in love.
Romeo sneaks into Juliet’s garden at night. He talks to her on her balcony.
They realise they are from enemy families. Friar Lawrence wants to help them,
so next day he marries Romeo and Juliet in secret.
Juliet’s cousin Tybalt fights and kills Romeo’s friend and cousin Mercutio.
Romeo wants revenge, and kills Tybalt. As punishment, Romeo is sent away
from Verona in exile.
Juliet’s family want her to marry someone else. She refuses, and drinks a potion
so that she will appear dead for 48 hours. This way she will wake up in the
family tomb, and be able to run away with Romeo.
Romeo goes to the tomb. He thinks that Juliet really is dead, so he drinks
poison to kill himself. Juliet wakes up and sees Romeo is dead. She stabs
herself with a dagger. Because of the tragedy their hate has caused, the two
families make peace.
Read the plot on the above and rewrite this sequence of events in the order that they
happen:
Romeo kills Tybalt / The two families make peace / Romeo and Juliet get married / Juliet’s
family hold a party / Juliet drinks a potion.
1. _________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________
4. _________________________________________________________________
5. _________________________________________________________________
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Characters
Following the clues, fill in the names of the different personalities in the play:
Juliet’s cousin. He is killed by Romeo.
________________________
Religious man who marries Romeo and Juliet.
________________________
She is in love with Romeo.
________________________
He kills himself by drinking poison
________________________
Romeo’s friend and cousin
.
__________________________
Modern Adaptations
Vocabulary:
film, theatre, music, dance, books, poetry.
Romeo and Juliet is one of the most well-known stories of all time. As a class,
complete the table with information about other interpretations of Romeo and Juliet
you can think of in films, music, dance, theatre, books or poetry.
Name
Romeo and
Juliet
Type of work
Film
Director/
Author’s name
Year
Other Interesting Information
Baz Luhrman
1996
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and
Claire Danes
Watching the Baz Luhrman film in class would be an ideal way to get to know the
story better. Compare the film to Shakespeare’s version. What changes has Luhrman
made? And what has been kept traditional?
In groups of three, brainstorm your ideas and write a review outlining what you liked
and disliked about the film version.
How do you think Romeo and Juliet is relevant as a story today? Try to imagine
modern situations in which young people in love might have the same difficulty,
perhaps because of money, religion, race or cultural differences.
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Activities
For this project, it would be ideal to work in the gymnasium, or to clear the desks in
your classroom to one side to allow room for movement.
It would also be useful to borrow a video camera from the audio visual department.
PART 1:
Divide the class into groups of four or five and give them the task of presenting their
own interpretation of the Romeo and Juliet story. They will have twenty minutes to
prepare, and the final performance should last no longer than 3 minutes. As the object
of the exercise is that students become familiar with the story, this exercise is equally
valuable if done in English or Spanish. Alternatively, ask your students to prepare a
silent version, expressing the story solely through mime.
PART 2:
After the presentations, the class will vote on which was the best, and then everyone
can work together, developing the ideas from the winning presentation to rehearse,
perform and if possible film a class version of the story, to be presented to other
students in your centre.
William Shakespeare
Vocabulary:
To be born, to die, to marry, daughter, twins, props costumes,
scenery, script, rehearsal.
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-on-Avon, England, in 1564. He worked
as a writer and actor, and formed his own theatre company, called The King’s Men.
Shakespeare married Ann Hathaway in 1582, and his first daughter was born in 1583,
followed by twins in 1585. In 1588 Shakespeare moved to London. His company built
The Globe theatre, on the banks of the river Thames in London, in 1599.
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The Globe Theatre
The Globe theatre was an open-air, circular
theatre. Plays were performed from May to
September. Sometimes the theatres had to
close in summer because of the plague. The
plays were performed with no scenery, but the
props and costumes were very good. As women
were not allowed to act, women’s roles were
played by boys. The actors did not have scripts,
just their words and a cue for when to say them.
They had to pay attention!
Shakespeare wrote 37 plays in total, as well as several poems and
154 sonnets. He wrote in 3 main styles: comedy, tragedy and
historical plays. Romeo and Juliet, probably his most famous play,
was written between 1594 – 1597.
Shakespeare died in 1616, at 52 years old. He is buried in Stratfordupon-Avon.
A Biography
Read about Shakepeare’s life and times, and write a short biography of him. Try to
select the most important events in relation to family, work and other aspects of his
life.
OR
Using the information on Shakespeare’s life and work, draw the timeline of Shakespeare’s
life. It begins when he was born and ends when he died. Insert all the important
events and dates in it.
1564._______._______._______._______._______._______._______.______1616
was born
died
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Biography Comprehension
Now re-read the text on Shakespeare’s life and work, and use the information to
answer the following questions.
Was Shakespeare an actor?
_______________________________________
What was the name of the theatre which Shakespeare built?
In which city is it?
________________
________________________________________________
Where is Shakespeare buried?
_______________________________________
How many plays did Shakespeare write?
______________________________
Who played the roles of women in Shakespeare’s plays?
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________________
Shakespearean Language
For foreign students of English, Shakespeare’s language can seem intimidating.
There are many differences to modern English, and of course it is written in verse.
However, we often forget that Shakespeare’s language was not written to be read,
rather to be heard. Listening to a good interpretation can explain to us the meaning
to the words, even if we do not understand the text on its own. Practice reading the
prologue to Romeo and Juliet aloud with your class, giving each student one of the
lines to say. Study the translation in Spanish, and try to repeat the line in English,
giving it the same sense of meaning and tone of voice. If we understand what we are
saying, the language comes to life on its’ own!
Two households, both alike in dignity,
Dos familias antiguas, de nobleza pareja
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
(en la bella Verona, desde done contamos)
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny
Avivan nuevos fuegos de sus querellas viejas
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
Y la sangre civil mancha civiles manos.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
Nacidos en el seno fatal de estos rivals
A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life;
Dos amantes signados toman sus propias vidas
Whose misadventur’d piteous overthrows
Y sus infortunadas, deplorables partidas
Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife.
Entierran con su muerte las pugnas de sus padres.
The fearful passage of their death-mark’d love
La marcha aterradora de su amor sentenciado,
And the continuance of their parents’ rage
La furia de sus padres, su insistente condena
Which, but their children’s end, nought could remove,
Que, a no morir sus hijos, nunca habría terminado
Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage;
Ahora y por dos horas ocuparán la escena;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
Así, si con oídos pacientes escucháis,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
Con cello enmendaremos aquello que perdáis.
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Further Work
We hope you have found this teacher’s pack useful. If your students have enjoyed the work on
Romeo and Juliet, we recommend supplementing this teacher’s pack with an Easy Reader version
of the text and accompanying exercises.
There are also various educational websites with information, activities and ideas for further work
for foreign students of Shakespeare. Sites worth a visit include:
www.bananatv.com:
Increase your knowledge of Shakespeare as “The Bard” is brought to life
in a fun and compelling way through interactive video programmes
www.romeoandjuliet.com: Meet Bill Shakespeare in The Author. To get the lowdown on fair Verona,
where we lay our scene, check out The Setting. Get all the information
on the Baz Luhrmann movie you want. You can even download a Romeo
& Juliet Screensaver.
Answers
teachers
Page 3: Fill in the blanks
Tonight is the opening night of Romeo and Juliet at the Shakespeare Theatre. The play will be performed by The
Really Famous Theatre Company. Many of the actors are celebrities and the production is nominated for several
awards. We hope you have bought tickets!
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy by the playwright William Shakespeare. The actor playing Romeo suffers from stage
fright, and would not come out of his dressing room for an interview. We interviewed the director, who said: I hope
the reviews are good. I want to make a lot of money!
Page 4: Celebrities
You will have to wait and see! However the text is:
Celebrity 1: Hello. I am a very famous actor. I am 33 years old and my nationality is American. I have blonde hair. I
am very handsome. I starred in the film Titanic.
Celebrity 2: Hello. I am a very famous actress. I am Spanish, but my mother is Romanian. I am very beautiful and
my photograph often appears in magazines. My current boyfriend is English.
Page 5: A Nasty Accident!
“I think the actors are lost in Verona.” = picture 4
“I think the actors have gone to the wrong theatre.” = picture 7
“I think the actors are stuck in a traffic jam.” = picture 5
“I think the actors’ train is running late” = picture 3
“I think the actors were at a party yesterday and are hung over.They’re probably still in bed!”= picture6
“I think the actors were involved in a plane crash.” = picture 1
“I think the actors have been kidnapped by the paparazzi. Call the police!” = picture 2
Page 6: Plot sequencing
1. Juliet’s family hold a party
2. Romeo and Juliet get married
3. Romeo kills Tybalt
4. Juliet takes a sleeping potion
5. The two families make peace.
Page 7: Characters in the play
1. Tybalt
2. Friar Lawrence
3. Juliet
4. Romeo
5. Mercutio
Page 7: Modern Adaptations
Some ideas to fill the table could be: West Side Story (film, 1961, starring Natalie Wood), Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev
(ballet), the 1968 film Romeo and Juliet directed by Franco Zeffirelli, any interpretations the students have seen in local
theatres, etc…
Page 10: Biography
1. Was Shakespeare an actor? Yes
2. What was the name of the theatre which Shakespeare built? The Globe
3. In which city is it? London
4. Where is Shakespeare buried? Stratford
5. How many plays did Shakespeare write? 37
6. Who played the roles of women in Shakespeare’s plays? Boys
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