Supplemental Study Guide

Compiled by Andrew Wojtek

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February 24, 2011

Dear Teacher:

We are thrilled that you are interested in using the Study Guide for The Flea and The Professor in your classroom. We look forward to interacting with you and your students during this upcoming spring. We hope that you will use the following Study Guide as you discuss Hans Christian Andersen in your classroom and possibly attend a performance of the World Premiere of The Flea and the Professor this spring at Arden Theatre Company.

The following Pennsylvania academic standards are met in this Study Guide:

Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening 1.1.3 A, B, C, D, E, F, G; 1.1.5 A, B, C, D, E, F, G 1.2.3 A, C; 1.2.5 C 1.3.3 A, B, C, E, F; 1.3.5 A, C, E, F 1.4.3 A, C; 1.4.5 A Mathematics 2.1.5 C 2.2.3 A, B; 2.2.5 A 2.3.3 A; 2.3.5 E Science and Technology 3.3.4 A Arts and Humanities: 9.1.3 B, I; 9.1.5 B, I 9.2.3 H; 9.2.5 H 9.3.3 A; 9.3.5 A

For more information on bringing your class to Arden Theatre Company for a performance of The Flea and the Professor this Spring, please feel free to contact our Group Sales Associate, Nanci Cope, by email to ncope@ardentheare.org, or by telephone at 215.922.8900n ext.20.

We look forward to meeting you under the big top!

Sincerely,

Maureen Mullin FowlerDirector of EducationArden Theatre Company40 N. 2nd StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19106Phone:215.922.8900 ext.28

Table of ContentsWhat is a Commission?

About the Playwright

Who is Hans Christian Andersen?

Write Your Own Story

The Story of the Flea and the Professor

Our Production

History of the Circus

Design Your Own Circus

The High and Low of Hot Air Balloons

Make Your Own Hot Air Balloon

Help the Flea and the Professor Flee!

The Professor’s Math Class

The Storyteller’s Vocabulary List

Vocabulary Exercise

Rhyme Time!

Flea Fact Sheet

Real vs. Fictional Fleas

Cooking with the Cannibals

Discussion Questions

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Jordan Harrison grew up on an island near Seattle. His plays tend to have many storylines, that is many characters the audience must follow through many adventures. Jordan received a commission from Arden Theatre Company to write The Flea and the Professor, but he has also received commissions from other theatres across the United States. He studied at Stanford University and graduated from the Brown University MFA (Master in Fine Arts) Playwriting program. Jordan has also taught classes on playwriting at Brown, The Playwrights’ Center, and SUNY Purchase. He has won many awards and has been nominated for even more!

What is a Commission?

About the Playwright

The Arden draws its performances from storytelling; the oldest form of entertainment and the true root of theatrical entertainment. We also take pride in new works from playwrights. Perhaps some adults you know have seen shows like Ghost-Writer earlier in our season which was written by Michael Hollinger, a Philadelphia-based playwright. Sometimes, playwrights need money for their work, which is where a commission comes into play.

When a new work is commissioned, the Arden takes the playwright under its wing and helps him or her through the process. That means, editing the play through what we call readings (we had a reading for The Flea and the Professor last May). The Arden has confidence in the writer and encourages excellent work from him or her.

The Flea and the Professor is the first piece of children’s theatre that the Arden has commissioned. It is our goal to create excellent theatre for children, so in seeking out playwrights to create new scripts, we have a better chance of making something wonderful for a young audience to enjoy.

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Who is Hans Christian Andersen?

Hans Christian Andersen was born in Odense, Denmark on April 2, 1805. Despite the fact that his father told stories of belonging to a higher social class, the Andersen family was not related to Danish royalty as it was rumored. As he aged, several families (including King Frederick VI of Denmark) supported his education, covering expenses that came with attending grade school. Throughout school, Andersen showed interest in the arts including music and theatre. Above these, his greatest passion was writing.

Following his education, Andersen began to travel through Europe while exploring a career in writing. While traveling, he wrote several collections of poems and his first novel. Just a few years later in 1845, his fairy tales had grown steadily in popularity. His fairy tales include the stories of Thumbelina, The Snow Queen, The Ugly Duckling, The Little Mermaid, The Emperor’s New Clothes, and The Princess and the Pea. Many of these stories are adapted for performance on stage and several have been made into movies.

Andersen died an internationally renowned writer and treasured artist on August 4, 1875. Following his death, a large statue was sculpted in his honor and placed in the town hall square in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. Furthermore, April 2 (his birthday) is celebrated as International Children’s Book Day each year.

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Write Your Own StoryJordan Harrison uses many characters and storylines to create one large story. Write your own adventure with many storylines using the following Hans Christian Anderson characters: Thumbelina, the

Ugly Duckling, and the Snow Queen.

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The Story of The Flea and the Professor

This is the original story of The Flea and the Professor written by Hans Christian Andersen and published in Scribner’s Monthly, Volume 5, Issue 6 (April 1873): Pages 759-761.

There was once an aëronaut with whom things went badly; the balloon burst, tumbled the man out, and broke into bits. His boy he had two minutes before sent down with a parachute,—that was the boy’s luck; he was unhurt and went about with knowledge enough to make him an aëronaut too, but he had no balloon and no means of acquiring one.

But live he must, and so he applied himself to the art of legerdemain and to talking in his stomach; in fact he became a ventriloquist, as they say. He was young, good-looking, and when he got a moustache and had his best clothes on, he could be taken for a nobleman’s son. The ladies seemed to think well of him; one young lady even was so taken with his charms and his great dexterity that she went off with him to foreign parts. There he called himself Professor—he could scarcely do less.

His constant thought was how to get himself a balloon and go up into the air with his little wife, but as yet they had no means.

“They’ll come yet,” said he.

“If only they would,” said she.

“We are young folks,” said he, “and now I am Professor.” She helped him faithfully, sat at the door and sold tickets to the exhibition, and it was a chilly sort of pleasure in winter time. She also helped him in the line of his art. He put his wife in a table-drawer, a large table-drawer; then she crawled into the back part of the drawer, and so was not in the front part,—quite an optical illusion to the audience. But one evening when he drew the drawer out, she was also out of sight to him: she was not in the front drawer, not in the back one either, not in the house itself—nowhere to be seen or heard— that was her feat of legerdemain, her entertainment. She never came back again; she was tired of it all, and he grew tired of it, lost his good-humor, could not laugh or make jokes;—and so the people stopped coming, his earnings became scanty, his clothes gave out; and finally he only owned a great flea, which his wife had left him, and so he thought highly of it. And he dressed the flea and taught it to perform, to present arms and to fire a cannon off,—but it was a little cannon.

The Professor was proud of the flea, and the flea was proud of himself; he had learned something, and had human blood, and had been besides to the largest cities, had been seen by princes and princesses, had received their high praise, and it was printed in the newspapers and on placards. Plainly it was a very famous flea and could support a Professor and his entire family.

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The flea was proud and famous, and yet when he and the Professor traveled they took fourth-class carriages on the railway; they went just as quickly as the first class. They were betrothed to each other; it was a private engagement that would never come out; they never would marry, the flea would remain a bachelor and the Professor a widower. That made it balance.

“Where one has the best luck,” said the Professor, “there one ought to go twice.” He was a good judge of character, and that is also a science of itself. At last he had traveled over all countries except the wild ones, and so he wanted to go there. They eat Christian men there, to be sure, the Professor knew, but then he was not properly Christian and the flea was not properly a man, so he thought they might venture to travel there and have good success.

They traveled by steamship and by sailing vessel ; the flea performed his tricks, and so they got a free passage on the way and arrived at the wild country. Here reigned a little Princess. She was only eight years old, but she was reigning. She had taken away the power from her father and mother, for she had a will, and then she was extraordinarily beautiful—and rude.

Just as soon as the flea had presented arms and fired off the cannon, she was so enraptured with him that she said, “Him or nobody!” She became quite wild with love and was already wild in other ways.

“Sweet, little, sensible child!” said her own father. “If one could only first make a man of him!”

“Leave that to me, old man,” said she, and that was not well said by a little Princess when talking with her father, but she was wild. She set the flea on her white hand.

“Now you are a man, reigning with me, but you shall do what I want you to, or else i’ll kill you and eat the Professor.” The Professor had a great hall to live in. The walls were made of sugar-cane, and he could lick them, but he was not a sweet-tooth. He had a hammock to sleep in. It was as if he were lying in a balloon, such as he had always wished for himself—that was his constant thought.

The flea lived with the Princess, sat upon her delicate hand and upon her white neck. She had taken a hair from her head and made the Professor tie it to the flea’s leg, and so she kept him tied to the great red coral drop which she wore in her ear-tip. What a delightful time the Princess had, and the flea too, she thought, but the Professor was not very comfortable. He was a traveler; he liked to drive from town to town, and read about his perseverance and cleverness in teaching a flea to do what men do. But he got out of and into his hammock, lounged about and had good feeding, fresh bird’s-eggs, elephant’s eyes and roast giraffe. People that eat men do not live entirely on cooked men—no, that is a great delicacy.

“Shoulder of children with sharp sauce,” said the Princess’s mother, “is the most delicate.”

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The Professor was tired of it all and would rather go away from the wild land, but he must have his flea with him, for that was his prodigy, and his bread and butter. How was he to get hold of him? That was no easy matter. He strained all his wits, and then he said, “Now I have it.”

“Princess’s Father! grant me a favor. May I summon your subjects to present themselves before your Royal Highness? That is what is called a Ceremony in the high and mighty countries of the world.

“Can I, too, learn to do that?” asked the Princess’s father.

“That is not quite proper,” replied the Professor; “but I shall teach your wild Fathership to fire a cannon off. It goes off with a bang. One sits high up aloft, and then off it goes or down he comes.”

“Let me crack it off!” said the Princess’s father. But in all the land there was no cannon except the one the flea had brought, and that was so very small.

“I will cast a bigger one!” said the Professor. “Only give me the means. I must have fine silk stuff, needle and thread, rope and cord, together with cordial drops for the balloon, they blow one up so easily and give one the heaves; they are what make the report in the cannons s inside.”

“By all means,” said the Princess’s father, and gave him what he called for. All the court and the entire population came together to see the great cannon cast. The Professor did not summon them before he had the balloon entirely ready to be filled and go up: The flea sat on the Princess’s hand and looked on. The balloon was filled, it bulged out and could scarcely be held down, so violent did it become.

“I must have it up in the air before it can be cooled off,” said the Professor, and took his seat in the car which hung below. “But I cannot manage and steer it alone. I must have a skillful companion along to help me. There is no one here that can do that except the flea.”

“I am not very willing to let him,” said the Princess, but still she reached out and handed the flea to the Professor, who placed him on his hand.

“Let go the cords and ropes,” he shouted. “ Now the balloon’s going.” They thought he said “the cannon,” and so the balloon went higher and higher, up above the clouds, far away from the wild land.

The little Princess, all the family and the people sat and waited—they are waiting still; and if you do not believe it, just take a journey to the wild land; every child there talks about the Professor and the flea, and believes that they are coming back when the cannon is cooled off; but they will not come, they are at home with us, they are in their native country, they travel on the railway, first class, not fourth; they have good success, a great balloon. Nobody asks how they got their balloon or where it came from: they are rich folks now, quite respectable folks, indeed—the flea and the Professor!

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Our Production

The Storyteller .............................................Jennifer BloodSea Captain/Loyal Subject..........................Aaron CromieFlea....................................................................Scott GreerCannibal Princess...........................................Alex KeiperCannibal Queen...........................................Mary MartelloProfessor .................................................Robert McClure

CAST

Scenic Designer....................................Louisa ThompsonCostume Designer............................................Olivia GajicLighting Designer..............................................John HoeySound Designer...........................................Rob KaplowitzMusic Director.................................................Dan KazemiChoreographer..................................................Jenn RoseStage Manager.............................................Alec E. Ferrell

PRODUCTION TEAM

Applause, please, for our sponsor: Community Partner:

The Flea and the Professor is produced under the auspices of the Arden’s Independence Foundation New Play Showcase.

The Flea and the Professor has been supported by The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage through the Philadelphia Theatre Initiative.

The commissioning of The Flea and the Professor was made possible by the generous support of the Virginia and Harvey Kimmel Arts Education Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation.

This play is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.10

History of the CircusPerhaps you have been to the circus and seen clowns and acrobats, animals and trapeze acts. Perhaps you have heard of more contemporary circuses like Cirque du Soleil. But the art of circus performing has been around for a long time: the first circuses took place in Ancient Rome around the year 50 BC. However, the circus as we know it today did not come along until 1768 when Philip Astley brought his circus to London. The Astley performance featured horse acts and trick horse riding. From here, the popularity of circus acts grew.

Englishman John Bill Ricketts brought the first modern circus to the United States. In fact, it was first performed right here in Philadelphia and was attended by George Washington, the country’s first President! American circuses changed the art of the performance, making it something unique and different from English or Ancient Roman circuses. Horse riding acts changed into acts involving more exotic animals like elephants and tigers. Since it was difficult to hear in the large arenas where circuses are held, silent performers like clowns and acrobats entertained the crowds.

Circuses are often led by a Ringmaster who presents performers, speaks to the audience, and keeps the show moving and energetic. The acts are typically performed in one of three rings within the arena and are set to music that is familiar and upbeat. While some of the performances may be done by clowns who tumble and jump on trampolines, other performers consider themselves “daredevil acts.” Examples of daredevil performances include the human cannonball, fire eating, knife throwing, and sword swallowing.

The Flea and the Professor has a circus-like feeling to its performance. In his description of the setting, Jordan Harrison, the playwright, says, “This theatre has the feeling of a circus. A 19th century circus. The air smells like burnt sugar and peanuts.” By doing this, Harrison is setting the scene for the story of the Professor and his friend, the Flea. Like a Ringmaster, the character of the Storyteller introduces you to characters and keeps the action of the play moving along. Knowing the connection between the circus and the story of The Flea and the Professor will help you better understand the story as well as the design of our production.

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Design a Circus

Draw your own three ring circus! Remember that each ring must have a different act: think of different exotic animals, daredevils, and other entertainers, like clowns.

Draw yourself on stage as the Ringmaster!

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The High and Low of Hot Air Balloons

The Storyteller explains that instead of a car, the Flea and the Professor travel around in a hot air balloon. But, how does a hot air balloon work?

Fun Fact: The first balloon flight in North America took place in 1793. Jean Pierre Blanchard made a 45-minute flight from Philadelphia to Gloucester County, NJ. It was witnessed by George Washington!

Vent: the vent at the top of the balloon is used to control the air. If the vent is closed, the balloon rises. When it is open, the balloon descends.

Balloon: the balloon holds the hot air. Since hot air rises, this is what allows the hot air balloon to take flight. The balloon itself can hold very large amounts of hot air, allowing it to travel high in the sky, though not as high as an airplane. It is shaped to be larger at the top and smaller at the bottom so that it can hold more hot air than cold.

Gores: these are ridges in the balloon that help direct the hot air upwards, helping the whole hot air balloon lift off the ground.

Propane tank: the hot air that fills the balloon is created using propane, a very hot gas that can heat up a lot of air at once. The air in the hot air balloon will cool off over time, so the propane tank helps fill the balloon with more hot air, keeping it afloat.

Basket: the basket attached at the bottom of the balloon is what the passengers ride in. It is usually made of wicker, the same light material that baskets in your home would be made out of. Since it is light, it helps the balloon get off the ground.

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Make Your Own Hot Air Balloon

With the help of an adult, experiment with supplies you have around the house to make your own hot air balloon.

What you’ll need:• Plastic bags of different sizes... think outside the box!

Use grocery bags, trash bags, dry cleaning bags, large lawn bags, etc.• Straws• Coat Hangers• String• Scotch tape• Hairdryer

Putting it together:1. Make a structure for your hot air balloon using the coat hangers and straws. Keep it together by taping it. What does your hot air balloon look like? It doesn’t have to look like the typical hot air balloon. Try making it a funny shape, like a dog or a pyramid.

2. Cover your structure with a plastic bag. Make sure that there are no holes were the hot air can escape because you’ll want your balloon to fly as high as possible. If there are any holes, tape them together with a piece of scotch tape. Be sure to leave an opening at the bottom of the balloon for the hot air to enter.

3. Now it’s time to take flight! With the help of an adult, fill your balloon with hot air using the hairdryer. How long can you keep the balloon afloat? Are there any changes you can make to the balloon to get it to fly longer?

Fun Fact: From 1794-1945 balloons were used in wars. From the U.S. Civil War, through World Wars I and II balloons are used as tools for warfare, for transportation surveying, and communication.

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Help the Flea and the Professor Flee!

Help the Flea and the Professor navigate their hot air balloon out of the storm and back into fair weather!

STARTSTOP

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The Professor’s Math ClassThe Professor is putting you to the test with a few of his favorite math problems... Can you answer the following questions? Do your work in the

space provided and write your final answer in the hot air balloon.

3. The Flea is 6 feet tall and the Professor is 5 feet and 10 inches tall. How much taller is the Flea than the Professor?

2. If the Professor weighs 175 lbs, the Flea weighs 200 lbs, and the hot air balloon and basket weigh 225 lbs, how much weight does the balloon need to lift?

1. When filled with air, the balloon is 50 ft tall. The cables holding the balloon to the basket are 5 ft long and the basket is 4 feet high. What is the full height of the basket, cables, and balloon?

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The Storyteller’s Vocabulary List

Check your understanding of the following words...

Bachelor: an unmarried man

Cabana: A shelter, like a cabin or hut, usually found on a beach or at a swimming pool used as a bathhouse.

Cannibal: a person who eats the flesh of another human

Decadent: over the top and luxurious.

Ecosystem: a community of living things in an environment where they function together as a team.

Fauna: animals.

Flora: plants.

Fourth-class: a lower class, the opposite of “first-class.” In travel, fourth-class is the lowest and cheapest form of transportation.

Gluttony: excess in eating or drinking.

Immodest: lacking modesty.

Inflection: the pitch and tone of one’s voice.

Inimitable: unable to be imitated.

John Donne: an English poet who lived from 1572-1631

Paprika: A mild powdered seasoning made from sweet red peppers. A dark to deep or vivid red-dish orange in color.

Pawn: the selling of a good in exchange for money.

Sacrifice: The act of offering something to a god in honor, especially the ritual slaughter of an animal or a person.

Sextant: a navigational instrument.

Theory: a set of ideas explaining a group of facts or natural occurances. These ideas have been repeatedly tested and widely accepted.

Ventriloquism: The art of projecting one’s voice so that it seems to come from another source.

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Vocabulary Exercise

Pick four words from the stories of Hans Christian Andersen that you do not know. List them below and,

using a dictionary, write out their definitions.1.

2.

3.

4.

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Rhyme Time!The words that make up a song are called lyrics. You may have noticed in songs you already

know, but a lot of lyrics, rhyme!

Here are some lyrics written by Jordan Harrison and Richard Gray:

The show is really overWe’ve no more tale to tellNo plot point left to cover

No more brassy song to sell

Write lyrics to your own song using the picture below as inspiration. Make sure that the ends of each line in your song rhyme!

Title of song:

By:

Lyrics:

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The Flea Fact SheetLearn some basic facts about fleas before completing

the activity on the next page!

• Fleas are 1/12 to 1/6 of an inch in size. If you look at a ruler, that’s REALLY tiny!

• They have flat bodies and have 6 legs

• They do not have wings, so they do not fly. However, fleas can jump up to 8 inches high -- that’s over 150 times its own height! If you could do this, you’d be able to leap over skyscrapers.

• Fleas only live for about 100 days.

• In their lifetime, fleas can reproduce anywhere from 400 to 500 offspring (or baby fleas).

• Fleas are parasites. A parasite is an organism or an animal that grows, feeds on, and is sheltered by a host. This is why fleas are usually found on dogs or other animals. They can also live on shoes, pant legs, and blankets.

• Fleas feed on blood. Human beings and animals are allergic to their saliva, so when we are bitten by a flea, we get painful, itchy, red bumps.

• Do you know about the plague that took place hundreds of years ago? The disease that killed many Europeans was actually spread by fleas.

• You can prevent fleas from living near you by cleaning and vacuuming your home frequently. Keeping a clean yard helps too, so remove all trash and pet droppings.

• If you have a pet, make sure you bathe it regularly and give them monthly flea and tick treatments.

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Real Fleas vs. Fictional Fleas

Since real fleas are only 1/12 of an inch big, we had to make our flea on stage GIANT so that you can see him. Other than size, what are

the differences and similarities between a natural flea and a fictional flea?

Natural Flea Fictional Flea

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Cooking with the CannibalsAsk an adult to help you make this fun recipe for pasta salad, one of the Cannibals’ favorite

foods!

Prep time: 10 minutesCook time: 10-12 minutes for the pastaYield: 8 cups

What you’ll need:Salad• 8 oz tricolor fiori pasta• 1 cup frozen peas, defrosted• 1/2 cup shredded carrots• 1 cup reduced-fat cheddar cheese, cubed• 4 oz smoked turkey, cubed

Dressing• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise• 2 Tbs lowfat milk• 2 Tbs ranch dressing and seasoning mix,

such as Hidden Valley

Putting it together:1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cool water. Place in a large serving bowl. Add peas, carrots, cheese, and smoked turkey.

2. Mix the mayonnaise, milk, and dressing mix in a small bowl. Pour over the pasta mixture. Stir well to combine.

How kids can help:Help make this pasta salad by mixing the ranch dressing and stirring it in the pasta

Per serving (1 cup): 217 calories, 6g fat (3g saturated), 55mg sodium, 19 mg cholesterol22

Discussion Questions

1. What is your favorite circus act?

2. When watching the play, how did you have to use your imagination?

3. Who was your favorite character? Your least favorite? Support your answer with at least three reasons.

4. If you could commission a play, what would it be about?

5. Using a costume (the clothes an actor wears), how would you make a human look like an insect?

6. If you couldn’t use a car to get around, how would you like to travel?

7. What kind of insect would you like to see come to life and perform on stage in a musical?

8. Predict what the performance would be like if there was no music. How do you think it would be different?

9. Compare the Flea and the Professor to other Hans Christian Ansdersen characters (like Thumbelina, the Little Mermaid, the Ugly Duckling, etc.) How are they similar and different?

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