FRANK BAUM | DIRECTOR’S NOTE | PRE-SHOW QUESTIONS | PRE-SHOW UNIT | POST-SHOW QUESTIONS | POST-SHOW UNIT | SOURCESīy participating in the exercises in this guide, students will: THEMATIC OVERVIEW | CURRICULUM EXPECTATIONS | ABOUT L. In keeping with our season theme of “only the best is good enough for children”, YPT is proud to bring this treasured children’s classic back to our mainstage in this new production directed by Joseph Tremblay.
The exercises in this guide will encourage students to look introspectively as well as beyond themselves, as Dorothy journeys from Kansas to Oz and back again, exploring and expanding the idea of “home”. Dorothy, like many of us, is constantly negotiating and renegotiating the definition of family. In Oz, she chooses a family in the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion for the duration of her stay. Indeed, there is no mention of her parents. Dorothy lives with her aunt and uncle in Kansas, not her biological parents. More than ever, families consist of extended family, friends, and members of a community - not unlike Dorothy’s experience both in Kansas and in Oz.
Throughout this study guide you will find discussion questions, improvisation exercises, and creative writing activities all intended to investigate through different points of view, notions of “home” and “family”.
