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A play is written by a playwright. A playwright crafts his or
her writing specially so it sounds good when it is spoken.
It’s different to writing creatively or writing an essay.
You need to think about how the characters feel when they
are speaking. They need to have something that is
motivating them to speak – they must have an aim.
You are going to write a short scene between Holly and
Teddy.
They are two of the characters in Get Santa!
Holly is cross! She’s angry with Santa! Every year she asks
for something special and she never gets what she wants.
She’d fed up with pink ponies and ipods. This year Holly
wants Santa to read her letter and deliver the real present;
the present she’s always wanted…
What might Holly be saying to Teddy?
What might she want for Christmas?
How are they going to get Santa’s attention?
Will he listen?
Will he stay?
Will he talk?
You could start like this:
At the beginning of rehearsals, the actors in Get Santa! used
warm up games to help them prepare and get focussed.
They stretch their muscles and get their brains into gear
before starting the busy rehearsal day.
Rehearsals go on all day from 10 in the morning til 6 in the
evening. Here is a video of a small selection of the games.
See if you can do some of them in your class!
• You are a reporter for the Daily News. You must rush to
the scene of the incident and try to find out more.
• All you know is that a group of children have trapped Santa
and managed to kidnap him. How did they do it? What
kind of a trap did they use? Extra mince pies? What might
they want from Santa? Who are they? Where do they
come from? Are they friends?
• Imagine you are reporting from the scene of the crime.
What questions will you ask the victim – Santa? What will
you ask the children? What about the police? Are they
there too?
• An actor plays a character.
• The designer creates a look for the play. He or she
designs the set - how the stage looks, the costumes - what
the actors wear, and the props - the things the actors use
on stage.
• The costume is very important. It helps the actor become
the character. For example, if the character is a happy
person, the costume might be brightly coloured.
• It helps tell you, the audience or people watching, a little
bit more about the kind of person the actor is trying to
create.
• Now imagine you are designing the costume for Bumblehole.
Bumblehole is Santa’s son and helps Santa deliver presents on
Christmas Eve. He spends a lot of time working with the elves.
He’s a bit of a clown and often makes mistakes and trips up.
• Think about the Bumblehole’s character and what kind of
costume he might wear.
• What colour might the costume be?
•Think about things he might need to help him with his job of
delivering presents.
Designer’s drawing
Bumblehole’s actual costume in
Get Santa!
Different cultures celebrate in different ways.
Some people celebrate a traditional type Christmas.
Others don’t.
Some people celebrate other religious festivals at different
times of year.
Answer the following questions – if you don’t know, maybe
discuss it with the person sitting next to you.
We’ve chosen a few countries around the world.
See how many you know and how many you can guess!
?
Sweden
1. What is the capital of Sweden?
2. What happens in Sweden in December?
3. What are the Northern Lights? Can you see them in Sweden?
4. What countries share a border with Sweden?
1. What language is spoken in Brazil?
2. Which ocean makes up Brazil’s east coast?
3. What do you think happens in December in Brazil?
Brazil
?
4. What famous jungle makes up some of north Brazil?
5. What scary fish can you find in the Amazon River?
1. What do you call a country like Zambia, which is surrounded
by other countries?
2. Zambia has a tropical climate. What do you think the weather
might be like?
3. What do you think Zambians do at Christmas?
?
Zambia
4. You can see one of the most splendid waterfalls in the world
from Zambia. Do you know which one it is?
1. What do you think the landscape is like in Egypt?
2. Can you name something famous about Egypt?
?
Egypt
3. What is the important river that runs through Egypt?
Russia ?
1. When do Russians traditionally celebrate Christmas?
2. What did Russians call their ‘King’ or leader of their Empire?
1. What is the capital of Australia?
2. What do you think the weather is like at Christmas time in
Sydney?
3. There’s a kind of animal that looks after it’s newborn in a pouch.
Can you name one of these animals?
Australia
?
4. What is a baby kangaroo called?
5. What do you think kangaroos do during December?
Main
Menu
?
Canada
1. What languages are spoken in Canada?
2. Can you name the symbol on Canada’s flag?
3. What do Canadians do at Christmas?
1. When do the Thais celebrate New Year?
Thailand ?
2. What year is it in Thailand?
Gabriel Quigley • Barbara
Imogen Doel • Holly
Bill Buckhurst • Terry
Robert Stocks • Bernard
Amanda Hardinge • Gran
Tom Godwin • Bumblehole
Chand Martinez • Puppeteer
David Sterne • Santa
Teddy
•Your ticket will have your seat number on it. It will have a
letter to tell you the row and a number for the seat.
•Ushers will help you find your seats. They stand at the door
into the theatre and will help you find your seat. They will
also be selling programmes and ice-creams.
•You must remain sitting in your allocated seat throughout
the performance. No sitting in the aisles or on the floor or
stairs.
•Please turn off mobile phones and any other electrical
equipment: no ipods or mp3 players please!
• No food is allowed in the auditorium.
• Half way through the play there will be a 15-minute
interval. You can use this time to go to the toilet. The
theatre will be very crowded so make sure you stay
with your group.
ENJOY THE SHOW
•How many characters were there in the play?
•Who was your favourite? Why?
•Was there any music? If so, what kind?
•What is a special effect in theatre?
•Were there any special effects in Get Santa!?
•Did anything surprise you? What?
•What happened in the story? See if you can
remember some of the details in the story.
•Did you like the costumes? Try and remember
what some of the characters were wearing. Did
they help you decide what the character was
like?
Thank you for
downloading the
Get Santa!
Education Pack
For more information:
[email protected]
or visit our website at
www.royalcourttheatre.com