REP INSIGHT
THE WIZARD OF OZ
WELCOME!
Welcome to this REP INSIGHT into the WIZARD OF OZ. Whether you’re a teacher
looking for a dynamic learning resource, a parent or child looking for fun ways to follow
up your theatre visit, or a theatre goer wishing to gain an insight into the creative process
behind this production, this two-part REP INSIGHT should prove invaluable. This REP
INSIGHT is full of class room exercises and fun activities for Key Stage 1, 2 and 3
pupils, background notes on the production including interviews with director Rachel
Kavanaugh and designer Peter McKintosh.
Juliet Raynsford
Education Officer
Contents
Part One
Teachers Resource Pack
• Introduction
• English activities
• Writing a Review competition
• PSHE activities
• Geography activities
• Art activities
Part Two
Production INSIGHT
• Interview with director Rachel
Kavanaugh
• Interview with designer Peter
Mckintosh
• Interview with Julia Wickham,
Assistant Stage manager
• Interview with Katie Leeming &
Kirsty Hoiles from the cast
• Interview with Michael Cahill, who
plays The Scarecrow
INTRODUCTION
From children’s novel to stage play to phenomenal international film success The Wizard
Of Oz has proved itself to be an incredibly popular, accessible and engaging text with
audiences for over a century. We are delighted this Christmas to be bringing the original
stage version to life here at The REP.
As well as being a recommended text for year six pupils, due to it’s rich storyline,
exciting characters and underlying social and philosophical themes, The Wizard Of Oz is
an engaging and provoking text for all ages, and can lend itself to a great wealth of
potential cross curriculum activities.
Alongside each activity in this pack recommendations are made regarding which key
stage level the exercise is most suitable for. This is to help teachers, at a glance, see
which exercises are most relevant to their pupils. These are merely suggestions and you
may feel that a lot of the exercises can be modified to suit the needs of other key stage
level pupils. It is our hope that you will find this pack a rich source of ideas and that you
will feel free to modify and adapt it to suit your own classroom needs!
Would you like a Wizard Of Oz workshop in your school?
Either prepare your pupils for their visit to the theatre or follow up their visit with an
interactive drama workshop. Explore characters, scenes and plots in your school with a
workshop leader from our education team. Workshops are suitable for up to 30 pupils and
cost £90. Contact Juliet Raynsford on 0121 245 2093.
Credits
Thank you to Stuart Dickinson, Chad Vale Junior and Infants School, Chris Sudworth at
The Octagon Theatre, and The REP’s Marketing and Education Departments.
ENGLISH ACTIVITIES
Level: Key Stage 2
Individual or small group activity
Duration: 20 – 40 mins, depending on whether you wish pupils to share work and ideas back as a whole group
When a writer creates a story they make very deliberate decisions about how they will
introduce you, the reader or the viewer, to the characters. A writer will often do lots of
thinking about all aspects of their characters lives, so that they have a complete picture of
what their characters are like, from the minute they wake up to the minute they go to
sleep. They may even make a list of the most likely things their characters dream about!
All of this helps a writer create convincing and interesting characters.
ACTIVITY: Creating characters
Imagine you are the writer of the Wizard of Oz and it is essential that you know the
characters inside out. Choose a couple of your favorite characters and fill in character
profiles for them by answering the questions below. Some of the information you will be
able to get from the play but some of it you will have to make up depending on what you
think the character is like. Try and make your answers as full of detail as you can.
What is their name?
How old are they?
Where do they come from?
What do they do with their time?
Choose three words that describe them.
What have they always dreamed of doing but have never had the chance to?
Try to hear this person talking in your head. Imagine them talking to someone
else. Imagine what their accent is. Imagine whether they talk fast or slow. What
are their favourite words? Then write down three things that this person might
say.
ENGLISH ACTIVITIES
Level: Key Stage 2
Individual or small group exercise
Duration: a whole lesson or could be divided up over a series of lessons, depending on how much depth you wish to go in to.
ACTIVITY: The newspaper front page
When a big story breaks every journalist has to work fast. When something as
monumental as an evil dictator being assassinated happens every paper editor will be out
to get the big news scope to his or her readers. Imagine that you are the editor of the
leading newspaper in Munchkin Land and you have just heard that The Wicked Witch of
the East, who has oppressed your people for years, has been killed by a young unknown
girl called Dorothy. This extraordinary assassination involved The Wicked Witch being
crushed to death by the young girl’s house landing on her. The girl claims to have never
heard of any of The Wicked Witch Of The East’s wicked crimes against the Munchkin
people or to have ever been to Munchkin land before
Using the template of a newspaper front page provided create your own front page. The
template is divided in to eight numbered boxes. There is a different task to go with each
box.
Box 1 – Design a logo
Most newspapers have their own logo, as do most big organizations and companies. A
logo is usually a small image that is very striking and memorable. People who design
logos want them to be images that people will remember and immediately associate with
the same product. Can you think of some famous logos? What do they say about the
product or organisation they represent? Does your school have a logo? Can you design a
logo for our Munchkin newspaper?
Box 2 – Name the newspaper
Start off by making a list of all the different newspaper titles you know. Do any of these
titles have anything in common? What sort of words get used for newspaper titles, are
they serious or fun words? Can you think of a name for the Munchkin newspaper?
A newspaper’s title is printed in big letters at the top of the front page. Like the
newspaper’s logo it needs to be an interesting design that will leap out at your readers
when they go to buy a paper. When you have decided how you want the name of the
newspaper to look start drawing it on to box 2.
Box 3 – Interesting features
On its front page a newspaper will often advertise other interesting news articles it has
inside the paper. Newspapers promote these features so that people will be persuaded to
buy the paper. Maybe they have more information on their headline story inside. Maybe
they have an exclusive scoop about the government, maybe a celebrity is giving their
opinion on a topical news item, or maybe the paper is running an exciting competition
with huge prizes. Try to think of three different special articles your newspaper is
running.
Box 4 – Leading photograph
It is very important that you have a striking picture on the front page of your paper. If a
really big news event has happened there will be lots of competition between rival
newspapers to get the most graphic and compelling image. It is important to select an
image that will immediately grab the readers attention. Is your picture of the house
squashing the Wicked Witch? Is it a close up of Dorothy? Is it a crowd shot of
Munchkins reacting to the Witch’s death? Or have you got an even better scoop?
Box 5 – The leading news story
Imagine you are a journalist working on your paper. What is your opinion on the death of
The Wicked Witch? Have you been able to get any exclusive quotes from any of the
witnesses? What does the scene of the crime look like? Can you describe the reaction of
Dorothy, The Good Witch Glinda and the Munchkin people? What sort of things did
people do when they heard the news? What effect do you think the death of the Witch
will have on the day to day lives of the Munchkin people?
For really important news stories newspapers will create a headline. This is a short
snappy sentence, which gives the reader an immediate insight in to the story. This is
often printed in bold, just above the main article. Can you think of a headline for your
story?
Box 6 & 7 – Smaller news items
What else is happening in Munchkin land? Does the Yellow Brick Road need urgent
repairs? Is there going to be an election for a new Mayor? Is a new statue of Glinda, The
Good Witch going to be erected in the town square? Create two topical news stories for
the front page.
Box 8 – Advert
All newspapers sell advertising space and yours is no different. Make a list of all the
things we know about Munchkin Land and its people. What sort of products does the
average Munchkin family crave? What do these products look like? How much do they
cost? Can you think of a catchy phrase that sums up what your product does? Remember
adverts use images and words to sell their products so try to use both in your advert.
Box 1
Box 2
Box 3
Box 4
Box 6
Box 7
Box 5
Box 8
REP COMPETITION
Win a free backstage tour of The REP for your class, (up to 30 pupils), and two free
tickets to see a show of your choice!
Have you been to see The Wizard Of Oz at The Birmingham Repertory Theatre? Would
you like to enter our review competition and win free tickets to a performance of your
choice? Are you aged between 7 and 11 years old?
Reviews should be no more than 500 words long. Email your reviews to
[email protected] by 27 Jan 2005.
Knowing where to start when writing a review can be difficult. Here are a couple of
exercises aimed to help you get started.
ACTIVITY: Memory Game
Listed below are six different categories. Taking them one at a time, write down
everything you remember about this part of the performance. Try to write continuously
without censoring yourself. Afterwards you can go through your lists and select two or
three specific areas to concentrate on in your review.
Lighting
Sound effects
Music
Dance
Set
Acting
ACTIVITY Review Questionnaire
Answering the following questions will help you remember exactly what you thought of
the production when you saw it. The questions are divided in to different subject areas
and you may want to use some of the completed sentences in your review. Remember
what makes a review interesting is your unique opinion. So don’t be afraid to go in to
detail about what you liked or disliked about an aspect of the play.
Introducing the play
The Wizard Of Oz is currently being performed at The Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
• I saw the play on . . . .
• The plot of the play is
• The main themes of the play are. . . .
• The style of the performance is. . . .
The actors and characters
• The main characters in the play are. . . . played by. . . .
• My favourite performance was the character of . . . because. . . .
• The most frightening character was. . . because. . .
• His/ her body language was
• My favourite scene was. . . . because. . .
• It was particularly exciting/ funny/ dramatic when . . .
• My least favourite scene was . . . because. . .
The set, costumes, light and sound
• When the play started the set looked like . . .
• The play was set in lots of different locations, there was . . . .
• The atmosphere created was. . . . .
• The costumes were. . . .
• My favourite costume was . . because. . .
• The lighting and sound particularly added to the atmosphere when . . .
• There is lots of singing in this play. My favourite song was . . . .
In the conclusion of the review
• The audience were/ were not very enthusiastic towards the play . . .
• I think this was because. . .
• I would / would not recommend this production because . . .
• I think they could have improved the production by .
PSHE
Level: Key Stage 2 & 3
Small or whole group activity
Duration: A whole lesson
ACTIVITY
Divide the class in to small discussion groups. Give each group one of the theme cards
below. Each group should discuss their topics in their small groups. Each group should
then prepare to feed their opinions back to the whole group.
POWER
Definition of power: Ability to do or act, to have influence and authority.
What gave the Wizard of Oz his power over the people of Oz? Was it real power? Would
you like to be ruled by a leader like the Wizard of Oz? Make a list of all the qualities you
think a good leader should have.
INSECURITY
Definition of insecurity: Lacking in self-confidence and self belief, believing that
everybody else is better or more skilled then you are.
Did the Lion, Scarecrow and the Tinman need certificates to be brave or clever or have
feelings? They thought they did. Why was this? What things happen to them in the story
that make them think differently about themselves? Make a list of the things they do that
you think helps boost their confidence and self-belief?
HUMAN RIGHTS
Definition of Human Rights: A component of human existence that all human beings
should be free to do whoever they are or wherever they live.
Examples of Human Rights, as set down by the United Nations: On Dec 10th 1948 The
General Assembly of The United Nations published their Universal Declaration of
Human Rights. There are 30 different basic human rights listed. Here are three examples;
• No one should be subjected to torture or to cruel inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment.
• Everyone has the right to freedom of expression or opinion.
• Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment and to just and
favorable conditions of work.
The Winkies, are a whole nation which has been captured by the Wicked Witch of the
West. They have no freedom and no rights and the Witch has imprisoned them in her
castle. The Witch forces them to carry out all her evil work. How do you think the
Winkies feel about this? What basic rights do you think every member of a society
should have? Try to make a list of at least five rights.
GROWING UP
Definition of Growing Up: A process which all human beings most go through, during
which a child will go through lots of different stages of development.
After all her adventures in the Land of Oz how has Dorothy changed? Do you think she is
more grown up then when we first meet her at the beginning of the story? Make a list of
all the difficult and challenging situations Dorothy has had to deal with during the story.
TRUST
Definition of trust: To believe that someone is reliable, honest, that they speak the truth,
to believe that you can confide in them, by telling them things you wouldn’t tell other
people, to believe that someone can keep secrets and look after precious things for you.
Which characters in the play have misleading personas? Make a list of who you think
these characters are. How do you determine which appearances to trust and which not to
trust in real life?
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Definition of home: A dwelling where people live, the native land you associate with your
family and ancestors.
Why do you think that Dorothy wants to return to a drab existence in Kansas when the
Land of Oz is so beautiful and colorful? Make a list of the reasons why Dorothy prefers
home to Oz
FRIENDSHIP
Definition of friendship: Forming a trusting and honest bond with another person,
spending time with another person and sharing a variety of things in common,
Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tinman and the Cowardly Lion were all very different. Did
that stop them from being friends? Why would people want to be friends with others who
were different to them? Can you see benefits to having friends who are very different to
you? Make a list of the reasons why.
BEING ADVENTUROUS
Definition of adventure: A daring enterprise, an unexpected or exciting incident, a
hazardous activity
At the beginning of the story Dorothy lives in Kansas. She yearns to leave home and go
‘somewhere over the rainbow’. What did she learn about lands over the rainbow when
she got there? Were people better or worse or just different? If you had a friend who said
they wanted to go on an adventure, maybe ‘somewhere over the rainbow’, to a place they
had never been before, what advice would you give them before they set off? Write down
this advice as if you were writing your friend a letter.
RESPECT
Definition of respect: Being tolerant of difference, using good manners, not using bad
language, being considerate of the feelings of others, not being threatening or violent to
others.
Dorothy treats the people she meets in Oz with respect. Can you think of some examples,
where she is in challenging situations with challenging people, but she still manages to be
respectful? Try to think of three different situations. If Dorothy had not treated others
with respect do you think she would have still made it home?
CARING
Definition of caring: Being kind, being compassionate, showing others you care,
expressing gratitude, being able to forgive others, helping people in need
Dorothy cares for the friends she makes in Oz. Can you think of things she does which
show she cares? Try to list as many as you can. In the end she doesn’t decide to stay with
her friends even though it is obvious she cares very much for them. Why do you think
this is? By leaving do you think she has stopped caring?
GEOGRAPHY
Level: Key Stage 2
Individual or small group exercise
Duration: 40 minutes +, depending on how much you want the group to feedback their ideas to each other
KANSAS
The state of Kansas is part of the great plains, which is a large plateau in the centre of
North America. The great plains extend for over 1500 miles from the Sakatchewan River
in Canada, south to the Rio Grande and the gulf of Mexico. The east–west measure is
about 400 miles beginning at the Rocky Mountains and extending east. The natural
vegetation is buffalo grass. The climate is hot in summer and cold in the winter. The
average annual rainfall is only 20 inches. The landscape is famous for its undisturbed
monotony.
ACTIVITY
Can you find the answers to the following questions:
• Can you name two animals who are native to the great plains?
• Can you name two other cities which lie on the great plains?
• Can you name one other river which flows through the great plains?
• Can you name two other plants which grow on the great plains?
ACTIVITY
Can you find an example of another great plain landscape, which isn’t in North America?
• Which country is it in?
• Name two animals who are native to this plain.
• Name one river which flows through the plain.
• Name two plants which are native to this plain.
• Do any people live on this plain? Who are they? How do people make their livelihood
there?
• What is it like growing up on this plain? Can you find out two interesting things that a
child growing up in this part of the world would be likely to do during the day.
ACTIVITY :Creative Writing
The beginning of The Wizard Of Oz is set in Kansas, the land where Dorothy has grown
up. Write an alternative version of the opening of the story set on the plain you have
researched. What would be different? How does setting the story in another country
affect the storyline and characters?
TORNADOS
Level: Key Stage 2
Individual or small group exercise
Duration: 20 – 40 minutes
Tornadoes are one of the most violent storms in nature. They can occur anywhere in the
world but most often strike in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. The speed
of the winds in a tornado range from 200 – 500 miles per hour. Since tornadoes generally
destroy any instruments which record wind velocities, there are no exact recordings of
winds inside a tornado. Tornadoes take the form of a funnel made up of water, dust and
debris sucked up into the storm. Where they touch the ground tornadoes can only be a
few metres wide or they can be up to a kilometre wide. Damage to property results from
the wind and from the extremely reduced pressure in the centre. Structures explode if the
air can’t get out of them fast enough. People are instructed to open windows and take
cover if a tornado approaches.
Exercise 1
Can you find the answers to the following questions.
• What is the difference between a hurricane and a tornado?
• Have there been any Tornadoes recently in the world. Can you find an example of
one? Where was it? What damage did it do?
• What are the strongest wind speeds recorded in the UK?
• What instruments are used for measuring wind speeds.
• What causes a Tornado?
ART ACTIVITY: Make your own Tinman head
Level: Key Stage 1
Individual activity
Duration: 30 –50 minutes