Dick Whittington Resource Pack – KS1 / KS2
The Real Dick Whittington
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A real person who was Lord Mayor of London four times, not three.
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He was a son in a very wealthy family and was an excellent businessman before
becoming Lord Mayor.
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His ‘cat’ was a type of merchant ship, not a pet kitty, but helped him make his fortune,
just like Tom does in the pantomime.
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He really did marry a girl called Alice Fitzwarren.
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He died in London in 1423.
The Pantomime Story
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A Synopsis
Dick Whittington leaves his home in Gloucester to make his fortune in London,
because his father has told him the streets there are paved with gold. He meets a cat
along the way and adopts him and the good fairy of the Bow Bells promises to look
after them on their journey. A small boy has stolen a spell book and accidentally turns
himself into a giant rat, who decides that the rats should take over the land and get rid
of all the humans. He is later crowned King Rat. He meets the people who live in
Alderman Fitzwarren’s shop and gets a job there. He falls in love with the Alderman’s
daughter Alice but is too poor to marry her. The Alderman thinks he has stolen his
money and Dick has to leave London. He hears the Bells of Bow and they tell him his
future, so he turns back and clears his name. He sets off on a voyage with the
Alderman and his friends on a great ship. King Rat sends a storm to wreck the ship
and they arrive at Morocco where they meet the Sultan. He gives Dick lots of money
when King Rat is defeated, and Dick becomes Lord Mayor of London and can marry
Alice.
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The Rhyme
Turn again, Whittington,
Once Mayor of London!
Turn again, Whittington,
Twice Mayor of London!
Turn again, Whittington,
Thrice Mayor of London!
History of Pantomime
Pantomime originated in Ancient Greece and became popular in ancient Rome. It grew as a
type of theatre in Italy in the Middle Ages and reached England in the 16th Century. It takes
many of its ideas from pagan festivals still celebrated in Medieval England, where the world
was turned topsy turvy – like men playing women’s parts in panto.
As it became more popular, panto became funnier and included lots of references to current
events. As theatres became more sophisticated, they used bigger and bigger effects in panto
to make them more magical. There was drop in popularity and at the edn of the 19 th Century
panto had practically vanished from theatre.
© Barbican Education 2006
Today Panotmimes are performed at Christmastime by local amateur theatres and
professional theatres alike. They are written using familiar stories and fairy tales for family and
school audiences, using lots of song and dance, slapstick and jokes.
Look out for
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The hero is always played by a young woman.
The pantomime dame is played by a man in women’s costumes and make up.
The audience are invited to particpate in the action with things to call out and things
thrown into the crowd.
The audience call out “He’s behind you!” when they see the baddie arrive at the back
of the stage.
There is usually an animal, like a horse or cow, played by two actors in one costume.
A celebrity usually plays one of the main characters.
Panto Around The World
Pantomime is mainly a British tradition, but some other countries where lots of British people
have emigrated to also perform panto.
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Austrailia Panto is performed at Christmas in Oz too with celebrity stars and lots of
gags. They also do panto on the radio.
USA In America Pantomime is generally understood to be traditional mime, very
different from British Panto! A few states do have pantos though, just like the UK.
Canada There is a real Panto held in British Columbia every year, using lots of local
gossip and jokes.
Panto Stories
Pantomimes can be based on many different stories. Here are a few of them. Can you think
of other stories that might work?
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Cinderella
Alladin
Sleeping Beauty
Beauty and the Beast
Back In The Classroom Activities
Art and Design
 Choose a scene from the panto and design a new set for it. Fold a piece of A3 paper
in half to make 2 A4 sheets, one lying on the table as the stage, and one at right
angles to it to make the backdrop. Decorate both to show where you are setting the
action. Let your imagination go wild - will your scene be set in the future? Or in
space? Or in the jungle?! Cut out models of your characters, props, furniture and
scenery and make them stand up with a piece of stiff card attached to their backs.
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Colour in our attached character sheets!
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Be inspired by the fantastic costumes in Dick Whittington and create your own
character for a different pantomime in a crazy costume.
© Barbican Education 2006
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Create your own sea monster that you would find scary if you landed on a deserted
beach… Build him out of old packets and boxes, paint him and give him a gruesome
name…
Drama
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Actors warm up with exercises when they start to rehearse a new play. Warm up your
vocal chords with half the class being “Oh no it isn’t” and the other half being “Oh yes
it is!” Respond to each other on a signal from the teacher, starting very quietly and
getting louder and louder, then quieter again.
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Split the class into 6 groups, one for each of the following characters; Sarah the
Cook, Dick Whittington, Alice Fitzwarren, King Rat, Fairy Bow Bells, Totally Lazy
Jack. Don’t forget, boys and girls can play characeters of the opposite sex in panto!
Everyone must choose a piece of costume or headdress or a prop to represent their
character, or write stickers for name tags. Everyone walk around the room at a slow,
steady pace, changing direction. When the teacher makes a sign stop at the first
different character you come to and improvise a short scene with them for 15
seconds. Think about how your character responds to the one you have just met.
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Split into 4 groups. Choose 3 scenes per group from the panto and perform them as
tableaux. That means making a picture of the scene to show te action, with out
anyone moving or talking – its like a game of statues but in character! The rest of the
class have to guess which scene it is. You can use costumes and props to make it
easier.
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Perform your own version of Dick Whittington and His Cat – don’t forget to use all the
panto jokes and all the characters. You can even include some that relate to your
own school and the people in it – is the baddy the headmaster, and the good fairy
your lollipop lady?!
English / Literacy
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Can you write a list of all the references to London that you remember in the panto?
Get out a big map of the city and find where Dick lived (Cheapside) and where he
traveled to (Highgate Hill) and where the bells are that he heard (Bow). Write a story
about his journey across London and describe the places he sees on the way. If you
haven’t been to those places, try and think what they sound like from their names.
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Write a poem about sailing on the sea. What does it feel like? Who else is with you?
Where are you going? What do you do all day? What happens to you?
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Pretend you are one of the characters in the Panto. Write a diary, describing what
happens to you when you meet Dick Whittington. Do you like him? What are your
hopes and fears for the future? How do you feel at the end of the story?
Music
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See the separate pack on the Barbican website.
© Barbican Education 2006
Panto Quiz
Questions
1. Where did Dick leave to go to London?
2. Was did Dick name his Cat?
3. What is the name of Port’s sidekick?
4. Who was squirting water at the audience?
5. What colour was Sarah the Cook’s nightie?
6. What did the audience have to shout out when they saw Jack falling asleep?
7.
What animal did the troupe meet when they arrived in Morocco?
8. How many veils did the Dame have to take off in her dance?
9. What relationship was the Sultan to the Alderman?
10. What happens to King Rat in the end?
Answers
Gloucester
Tommy
Lemon
The Queen
Pink
Jack, Jack, don’t be slack!
Camel
Seven
Brother
He is turned back into a boy.
© Barbican Education 2006
Dick Whittington Cast
Fairy Bow Bells Debbie Chazen
Tommy the Cat Derek Elroy
King Rat Nickolas Grace
Lemon Miles Jupp
Alderman Fitzwarren Sam Kelly
Sarah the Cook Roger Lloyd Pack
Port Toby Sedgwick
Alice Caroline Sheen
Dick Whittington Summer Strallen
Totally Lazy Jack Danny Worters
Ensemble Chloe Campbell, Robin Colyer, Zoe-Leone Gappy , Christopher Hawes, Shaun
Henson, Natasha Lewis, Sean Parkins, Joanne Sandi
Creative Team
Written by Mark Ravenhill
Songs by Jim Bob, Antony Dunn, Justin Edwards, Howard Goodall, Charles Hart, Kit
Hesketh-Harvey, Dillie Keane, Issy van Randwyck, Mark Ravenhill, George Stiles and
Anthony Drewe, Sarah Travis
Directed by Edward Hall
Musical direction and musical arrangements by Sarah Travis
Designed by Michael Howells
Lighting by Ben Ormerod
Sound Design by Matt McKenzie
Choreography by Emma Tunmore
Movement Direction by Toby Sedgwick
Fight direction by Alasdair Monteith
Weblinks
Barbican Panto
http://www.barbican.org.uk/panto/home
Dick Whittington
http://www.longlongtimeago.com/llta_folktales_dickwhittington.html
http://www.thewhittingtons.org.nz/dick_whittington.htm
http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/business_city/lordmayor/
History of Panto
http://www.danbbs.dk/~erikoest/pt_uk.htm
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