Performance Activities
Speech-sound collage
A teacher reads a story and periodically pauses the action. The students then improvise character dialogue or animal sounds to describe the character action unfolding at that point in the story. Approximate time: 15-20 minutes.
Move like an animal
A teacher reads a story or an excerpt from a book, like The Sheep-Pig, in which animals are featured as the main characters. Students spread out and stand in their own personal space bubble. Students listen without speaking as the teacher’s voice unfolds the story and physicalize the animal characters the story features. The teacher provides side-coaching periodically, to encourage the children to experiment with multiple body postures (i.e. “Can you still be a cat even if you stand on two legs like a person? How do cats move their shoulders? How do they clean their paws? How do you move slowly as a cat? How do you move quickly?”). Approximate time: 15-20 minutes.
Book excerpt for performance
Here’s a short excerpt from Babe, the Gallant Pig that would provide a suitable text for the performance activities:
"He's going to bring them down into· the home paddock, away from the lane," said Fly quickly. "You be quiet and keep out of the way," and she went to sit waiting by the farmer's right side.
"Come by!" he said, and Fly ran left up the slope as the sheep began to bunch above her. Once behind
them, she addressed them in her usual way, that is to say, sharply.
"Move, fools!" she snapped. "Down the hill. If you know which way 'down' is," but to her surprise they did not obey. Instead they turned to face her, and some even stamped, and shook. their heads at her, while a great chorus of bleating began.
To Fly sheep-talk was just so much rubbish, to which she had never paid any attention, but Babe, listening below, could hear clearly what was being said, and although the principal cry was the usual one, there were other voices saying other things. The contrast between the politeness with which they had been treated· by yesterday's rescuer and the everlasting rudeness to which they were subjected by this or any wolf brought mutinous thoughts into woolly heads, and words of defiance rang out.
"You got no manners! . . . Why can't you ask nicely? . . . Treat us like muck, you do!" they cried, and one hoarse voice which the pig recognized called loudly, "We don't want you, wolf1 We want Babe!" whereupon they all took it up.
"We want Babe!" they bleated. "Babe! Babe! Ba-aa-a-a-be!"
Script excerpt for performance
Here’s a portion of the script of Babe, the Sheep-Pig that would provide another good performance experiment:*
Fly comes forward to narrate.
Fly: (To the audience) Everything was going well. Babe was in great shape. But something was bothering me. Something that could spoil his chances. Something only the sheep might have the answer to. I'd never really spoken to sheep before-well, they're such stupid creatures-but I owed it to Babe to try. I swallowed my pride and went up to the field.
(She approaches the Sheep. The Sheep shuffle nervously.)
Fly: (Ultra polite) Good evening.
Sheep: (nervously) Wolf! Wolf!
Fly: (nearly losing her cool and snapping) No, no, I'm not a wolf. (She recovers herself) I'm Fly the sheep-dog, Babe's friend.
Sheep: (settling) Aaaaah! Ba-a-a-a-abe!
Fly: Yes. I wonder if you would be kind enough to help me. Well, help Babe, really.
Sheep: Ba-a-a-a-a-abe!
Fly: You see, tomoaow' s his big day. He and the boss are taking part in the Grand Challenge Sheep-dog Trials. I know he' s a pig, but he’s as good as a dog, you know that and that's the point. You know him. You've worked with him. But strange sheep, the sheep at the Trials, won't know him. How can he stop them running away at the sight of him? Please tell me. How can Babe gain their trust?
Pause, as the Sheep think
Sheep 1: Password.
Fly: I beg your pardon?
Sheep 1: Password.
Sheep: (joining in) Password. Pa-a-a-a-a-assword!
Sheep 1: What our Babe's got to do is larn what all of us larned when we was little lambs at our mothers' hocks.
Fly: I see.
Sheep: (chanting) So then wherever we do go
To market or to fa-a-a-arm
If we do say the password
We'll never come to ha-a-a-a-arm!
Fly: Please. Please will you tell me the password?
The Sheep consider. They tum inwards, forming a hubbub. Fly looks on impatiently
Sheep 1: 'Tis for Babe.
Sheep: 'Tis for Babe! 'Tis for Ba-a-a-a-abe! (They tum back to Fly. Mysteriously) A-a-a-a-ah!
Then ...(Intoning, as though in a trance) I may be ewe, I may be ram,
I may be mutton, may be lamb,
But on the hoof or on the hook,
I 'bain't so stupid as I look.
Fly: Is that it? Please, again. (She tries hard to remember) I may be ewe, I may be ...
Sheep: ... ra-a-a-am ...
Fly: I may be mutton, may be ...
Sheep: ... la-a-a-amb .. .
Fly: But on the ...
Sheep: ... hoof...
Fly: ... or on the ...
Sheep: ... hook ..
All: I 'bain't so stupid as I look.
The Sheep start to wander off
Fly: Thank you. Thank you, dear, kind sheep!
Please note that the performance rights to Babe, the Sheep-pig are owned by Samuel French, Ltd.
A teacher reads a story and periodically pauses the action. The students then improvise character dialogue or animal sounds to describe the character action unfolding at that point in the story. Approximate time: 15-20 minutes.
Move like an animal
A teacher reads a story or an excerpt from a book, like The Sheep-Pig, in which animals are featured as the main characters. Students spread out and stand in their own personal space bubble. Students listen without speaking as the teacher’s voice unfolds the story and physicalize the animal characters the story features. The teacher provides side-coaching periodically, to encourage the children to experiment with multiple body postures (i.e. “Can you still be a cat even if you stand on two legs like a person? How do cats move their shoulders? How do they clean their paws? How do you move slowly as a cat? How do you move quickly?”). Approximate time: 15-20 minutes.
Book excerpt for performance
Here’s a short excerpt from Babe, the Gallant Pig that would provide a suitable text for the performance activities:
"He's going to bring them down into· the home paddock, away from the lane," said Fly quickly. "You be quiet and keep out of the way," and she went to sit waiting by the farmer's right side.
"Come by!" he said, and Fly ran left up the slope as the sheep began to bunch above her. Once behind
them, she addressed them in her usual way, that is to say, sharply.
"Move, fools!" she snapped. "Down the hill. If you know which way 'down' is," but to her surprise they did not obey. Instead they turned to face her, and some even stamped, and shook. their heads at her, while a great chorus of bleating began.
To Fly sheep-talk was just so much rubbish, to which she had never paid any attention, but Babe, listening below, could hear clearly what was being said, and although the principal cry was the usual one, there were other voices saying other things. The contrast between the politeness with which they had been treated· by yesterday's rescuer and the everlasting rudeness to which they were subjected by this or any wolf brought mutinous thoughts into woolly heads, and words of defiance rang out.
"You got no manners! . . . Why can't you ask nicely? . . . Treat us like muck, you do!" they cried, and one hoarse voice which the pig recognized called loudly, "We don't want you, wolf1 We want Babe!" whereupon they all took it up.
"We want Babe!" they bleated. "Babe! Babe! Ba-aa-a-a-be!"
Script excerpt for performance
Here’s a portion of the script of Babe, the Sheep-Pig that would provide another good performance experiment:*
Fly comes forward to narrate.
Fly: (To the audience) Everything was going well. Babe was in great shape. But something was bothering me. Something that could spoil his chances. Something only the sheep might have the answer to. I'd never really spoken to sheep before-well, they're such stupid creatures-but I owed it to Babe to try. I swallowed my pride and went up to the field.
(She approaches the Sheep. The Sheep shuffle nervously.)
Fly: (Ultra polite) Good evening.
Sheep: (nervously) Wolf! Wolf!
Fly: (nearly losing her cool and snapping) No, no, I'm not a wolf. (She recovers herself) I'm Fly the sheep-dog, Babe's friend.
Sheep: (settling) Aaaaah! Ba-a-a-a-abe!
Fly: Yes. I wonder if you would be kind enough to help me. Well, help Babe, really.
Sheep: Ba-a-a-a-a-abe!
Fly: You see, tomoaow' s his big day. He and the boss are taking part in the Grand Challenge Sheep-dog Trials. I know he' s a pig, but he’s as good as a dog, you know that and that's the point. You know him. You've worked with him. But strange sheep, the sheep at the Trials, won't know him. How can he stop them running away at the sight of him? Please tell me. How can Babe gain their trust?
Pause, as the Sheep think
Sheep 1: Password.
Fly: I beg your pardon?
Sheep 1: Password.
Sheep: (joining in) Password. Pa-a-a-a-a-assword!
Sheep 1: What our Babe's got to do is larn what all of us larned when we was little lambs at our mothers' hocks.
Fly: I see.
Sheep: (chanting) So then wherever we do go
To market or to fa-a-a-arm
If we do say the password
We'll never come to ha-a-a-a-arm!
Fly: Please. Please will you tell me the password?
The Sheep consider. They tum inwards, forming a hubbub. Fly looks on impatiently
Sheep 1: 'Tis for Babe.
Sheep: 'Tis for Babe! 'Tis for Ba-a-a-a-abe! (They tum back to Fly. Mysteriously) A-a-a-a-ah!
Then ...(Intoning, as though in a trance) I may be ewe, I may be ram,
I may be mutton, may be lamb,
But on the hoof or on the hook,
I 'bain't so stupid as I look.
Fly: Is that it? Please, again. (She tries hard to remember) I may be ewe, I may be ...
Sheep: ... ra-a-a-am ...
Fly: I may be mutton, may be ...
Sheep: ... la-a-a-amb .. .
Fly: But on the ...
Sheep: ... hoof...
Fly: ... or on the ...
Sheep: ... hook ..
All: I 'bain't so stupid as I look.
The Sheep start to wander off
Fly: Thank you. Thank you, dear, kind sheep!
Please note that the performance rights to Babe, the Sheep-pig are owned by Samuel French, Ltd.