Please Come...
To the performance of
Nobody’s Perfect
It’s about me, Megan, and my
positively purple birthday party
and how two very different girls learn
to understand each other.
You will be the first people in the
entire world to see this brand new
musical performed !
Being super-organized, I’ve included
everything you need to know in this
invitation.
Join us online, too!
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obodysperfect
Whose Birthday?
Mine!
My name is Megan and I’m about to turn
10 years old. To celebrate I’m having a
positively purple birthday party. Why purple?
It’s my favorite color! I’ve made party
invitations for all the girls in my class, including
my best friends, of course.
Then what happens? A new girl—Alexis—
arrives. At first, she seems perfect. But
when I invite her to my party, she says no. That
hurts my feelings. I’m afraid she doesn’t
like me because I’m deaf (that means I can’t hear).
And then it gets worse. Our teacher
assigns Alexis and me to work together on
a science fair project! To find out how it all ends,
you’ll have to come to the performance.
,
Who s Coming?
All the characters
in this musical, of course!
Let me introduce you to them:
g Me
g My older brother, Matt
g My best friends:
• Cindy
• Keisha
• Bethany
As you watch the
performance, think
d
about how Matt an
I get along compared
d
to how Alexis an
Justin get along.
g Alexis, the new girl
g Her younger brother, Justin
g My teacher, Mr. Morgan
g The class hamster, Zippity ...yes,
a hamster plays a role—you’ll see!
Psst.
secret. All the
Here’s a little
tar )
arked with a s
boys’ roles (m
e same actor.
are played by th
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How can one ac
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the other? Wat
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it
how he does
closely to see
About the Party
Nobody’s Perfect is...
… A Musical …
That’s a story acted out on stage with actors,
lights, words, and songs.
…Performed in Two Languages…
I speak American Sign Language, or ASL.
It is its own language, just like Spanish or French.
In ASL, instead of using your voice to talk, you
“talk” with your hands, body, and facial expressions.
In the musical, actors will use both ASL and spoken
English. Don’t worry! If you don't know ASL,
you can listen to one of the actors, who will be
speaking out loud what I am silently signing, or
read the words on a screen onstage.
…With Big Ideas!
As you watch and listen, think about:
1 what different people, like me and Alexis,
could learn from each other, and
2 what the title, Nobody’s
Perfect, means.
No Gifts, Please.
Instead You Can
Learn About…
Ty pes of Deafness
Some people are born unable to hear any sounds
at all.Other people lose their hearing because of an
accident or from being sick. Others can hear some,
but not all, sounds—so, they might use hearing aids
or headphones to make sounds louder.
Why My Voice Sounds Different
I speak sometimes during the performance. I learned
how to speak but not all people who are deaf do.
For audience members who can hear, my voice may
sound unusual. That’s because I cannot hear my
own voice. (Hearing people depend a lot on sound
to help them pronounce their words exactly right.)
Why Justin Acts Differently
Justin is a boy whose brain works differently.
He has autism (pronounced AW-tih-zum).
Children who have autism usually behave
differently and they might need extra
help communicating.
Things toTalk About at
The Part y —Talking!
Besides the color purple,
I love talking. I talk using:
g ASL
g Spoken English
I also communicate using:
g Finger spelling. I can spell words
using finger positions that match letters of
the alphabet. Finger spelling (which is part
of ASL) is helpful when I don’t know a
sign for a word like a person’s name.
Here’s how to finger spell my name.
g Writing. Writing works for me,
too—on paper, on a screen, or in a
text, e-mail, or instant message.
g Lip reading. Alexis asks me to
watch her lips to figure out what she is
saying. That’s hard, though, because
many words look the same when spoken.
Often I just guess (but I’m really good
at guessing!)
Tu r n ov er
On the Part y Menu
Ideas and Songs
g The Idea for My Story
Movie and TV star Marlee Matlin, who is deaf, has
written three books—Nobody’s Perfect, Deaf Child
Crossing, and Leading Ladies—so that
all kids could learn more about growing
up deaf. We adapted, or changed,
parts of the book Nobody’s Perfect
to make this musical.
g Putting it in Song
Listen and watch for what the songs
in the musical tell you about the
story and the characters.
Marlee Matlin
Song Titles
)
r!
lo
o
c
vorite
“Purple” (My fa
perfect?)
is
x
le
party?)
A
e
s
h
(I
t
”
o
n
t
io
e
ct
m
e
o
c
rf
e
P
is
“
y won’t Alex like me.)
h
(W
”
o
N
id
a
“She S
riends mostly
f
y
(M
”
t
a
re
G
project.)
e
c
n
ie
“Megan Is
c
s
a
d
e
e
n
.)
s” (We
“Cats and Dog ’s too much trouble to turn 10
” (It
Zippity?)
is
“Fine with Nine
re
e
h
W
!
o
n
” (Oh,
“Hamster Panic
!)
“Purple” (Again
Part y Games
I love to play
games
where we work together to tell a story. Creating
a musical is like that. Here are a couple of games
for Nobody’s Perfect.
Game 1: Let’s Pretend!
How can an actor pretend to be a hamster?
Standing upright and using only movement
and facial expression, work with your
friends to plan and practice a good way
to show an audience you’re a hamster.
(At the show, watch for how the actor does it!)
Game 2: Setting the Stage
How can we help the audience imagine the different
places the musical takes place—my bedroom, Alexis’
bedroom,the classroom, and the shopping mall?
Work with your friends to plan simple ways to
set the stage for each location. Draw your ideas.
(At the show, watch for how we do it!)
Where...
At the Theater!
g Coming to the Theater
Ushers will help you find your seats.
The performance lasts about one hour.
g Hey! Headphones!
In the theater, headphones (Assistive Listening
Devices) that make the actors’ voices and music
louder, are available for people who need them.
g What to Do
So that all audience members can enjoy the
performance and we performers can do our best,
please:
• Pay close attention to what is happening
on stage.
• Wait until after the performance to talk
with your friends.
• Read the onstage captions if you need help
understanding what the actors are “saying.”
• If you enjoy the musical, applaud
at the end when we bow.
Keep the Part y
Going!
You’ll find more online at
artsedge.kennedy-center.org/nobodysperfect
Stephen A. Schwarzman
Chairman
Michael M. Kaiser
President
Darrell M. Ayers
Vice President, Education
Soula Antoniou
President, VSA arts
VSA arts is an affiliate of the
Kennedy Center.
Theater at the Kennedy Center is
presented with the generous support
of Stephen and Christine Schwarzman.
Major funding for Nobody’s Perfect
is made possible by VSA arts through
a grant from the U.S. Department
of Education.
Additional support for the Kennedy
Center Performances for Young
Audiences is provided by the U.S.
Department of Education, The
President’s Advisory Committee on
the Arts, the Estate of Joseph R.
Applegate, Chevy Chase Bank, The
Clark Charitable Foundation, Alma
and Colin Powell, and Aaron and
Sondra Drutz.
Nobody’s Perfect Cuesheet
Editorial and Art Direction:
Lynne B. Silverstein
Writer: Marcia A. Friedman
Design: Carla Badaracco
Cuesheets are produced by
ARTSEDGE, a program of the Kennedy
Center Education Department.
For more information about the
performing arts and arts education,
visit our Web sites:
• www.kennedy-center.org/education
• www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org
• www.vsarts.org
Questions, comments? Write us at
[email protected]
© 2007, The John F. Kennedy Center
for the Performing Arts
The U.S. Department of Education supports
approximately one-third of the budget for
the Kennedy Center Education Department.
The contents of this Cuesheet do not
necessarily represent the policy of the U.S.
Department of Education, and you should
not assume endorsement by the Federal
Government.