TEACHER GUIDE
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Pinocchio
Music from:
Mozart, Offenbach, Donizetti, Pergolesi, Sullivan and Verdi
Story adapted by John Davies
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THE CAST
Fall 2015
Pinocchio (mezzo-soprano)
Geppetto (tenor)
Blue Fairy/Old Lady (soprano)
Cat (soprano)
Fox (tenor)
Dr. Dulcamara (baritone)
Olympia (soprano)
Stephanie Feigenbaum
Nathanael Hein
Allison Nicholas
Allison Nicholas
Nathanael Hein
Jacob Pence
Allison Nicholas
Stage Director
Accompanist/Coach
Costumes
Set
Ty Stover
Allegra Sorley
Indianapolis Opera
Indianapolis Opera
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Study guide written and produced by
Indianapolis Opera, Carol Baker
A one-act opera based on the children’s adventure series “Pinocchio”, by Carlo Lorenzini
Collodi, which first appeared in serial form in 1881-82 and was published in its entirety in 1883.
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EDUCATION PROGRAM SUPPORTED IN PART BY
Electric Keyboard Provided by Louise Hartigan
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THE STORY
Once upon a time, there lived a woodcarver named Geppetto. He lived all alone and made
beautiful wooden toys, boxes and other objects for the many people of the village. Living all
alone, he surrounded himself with all of his fine creations.
One day, he made a wooden puppet and called him Pinocchio. "How
nice it would be if it were a real boy!" he said as he finished painting
his new creation. That night, a good fairy heard him and made his
wish come true. “Because of your good faith and honesty, Geppetto, I
award you the greatest gift of all, a son!”
That same night an impatient puppeteer named Dr. Dulcamara
knocked on Geppetto’s door demanding help. He dragged in a broken
puppet of his own -- the magical mechanical wind up doll, Olympia.
“Why must I wait? Fix him now!”, he said. As Geppetto worked on
Dulcamara’s mechanical puppet, Dulcamara noticed the magnificent
puppet in the corner (Pinocchio).
“My what an excellent puppet. I must have this beautiful piece of
craftsmanship.” Geppetto emphatically told the puppeteer that
Pinocchio was not for sale and bid him a goodnight.
The next day Geppetto gave Pinocchio a special wooden pencil case
to take with him to school. This special pencil box was Geppetto’s when he was a little boy.
Before Pinocchio leaves Geppetto makes Pinocchio promise he would not talk to strangers along
the way.
On the way to school, Pinocchio runs into Fox and Cat who trick Pinocchio by taking his pencil
box and leading him to the puppeteer, Dr. Dulcamara.
Pinocchio peeks in on Dr. Dulcamara’s magic puppet show and hears the magical mechanical
wind up doll, Olympia, singing a beautiful song. When Dr. Dulcamara recognizes Pinocchio in
his theatre, he tells Pinocchio that he now belongs to him. Pinocchio runs from the theatre and is
chased by Dulcamara.
Pinocchio and Dulcamara run past Geppetto in the streets.
When Pinocchio comes home, Geppetto asks him how school was. At first Pinocchio tells
Geppetto a lie, saying he went to school and had a great day. Geppetto asks him again, “Are you
sure? There’s nothing else you want to tell me?”
“No papa.” <Pinocchio’s nose grows with each lie.>
“Are you sure?”
“Oh Papa,” says Pinocchio. “I’m so sorry. I am not telling you the truth. On my way to school I
lost your pencil case and met Fox and Cat who told me they knew someone who could help me
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find it. Then I ran into the Dr. Dulcamara the puppeteer, who wanted me to stay with him. Oh
Papa, I’m so sorry. I promise I will always do what you want me to.”
The Blue Fairy appears at that moment with a blessing for the woodcarver and Pinocchio. With
the blessing, a tear falls from Pinocchio’s eye and he turns into a REAL boy.
PINOCCHIO
WORDS AND STORY ADAPTATION BY JOHN DAVIES
Since 1974, John Davies has performed with opera companies
throughout the United States, including the Metropolitan Opera, San
Francisco Opera, and the opera companies of Boston, Philadelphia,
Salt Lake City, Atlanta, St. Louis, Kansas City, Omaha, Cincinnati,
Phoenix, Nashville, and Anchorage. He has also performed in
concert as bass-baritone soloist with the symphony orchestras of
Boston, San Francisco, St. Louis, Detroit, San Antonio,
Indianapolis, Chattanooga and Syracuse.
A father of six children, John takes an active interest in the performing arts for young people. His
operas for young audiences have been presented by more than 100 opera companies and
university opera programs in the United States and Canada.
THE AUTHOR OF THE ORIGINAL PINOCCHIO
Italian children’s writer, Carlo Lorenzini Collodi is best
known for the world-renowned fairytale novel, The
Adventures of Pinocchio. Collodi began his writing career as
a newspaperman and first submitted short stories about the
wooden puppet in a magazine between 1881-1882. In 1883,
the “Adventure” series was published in novel form.
Find an illustrated version of Pinocchio from your school
library and share how the versions are different from our
opera version. How are they similar and how are they
different?
NOTE: Similar to the graphic nature of the Brothers Grimm Fairytales, Collodi’s The Adventures
of Pinocchio depicts some vivid scenes generally not recommended for the elementary
classroom. There are several versions of the Pinocchio story available today, like the Walt
Disney version, which you may find more suitable. The Indianapolis Opera version is
appropriate for all audiences.
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A NOTE FROM JOHN DAVIES
“Pinocchio’s colorful characters lend themselves to opera, and the message that truth-telling is
always the best choice is certainly worth conveying. That said, having grown up during the age
of TV-Disney, the idea of reducing such a broadly conceived story into a 40-minute opera
seemed at first glance impractical.
“Of course, Disney’s version of Pinocchio is very selective, with elements culled from here and
there. As I began to read Carlo Collodi’s original series I found a world very different from that
of the animated movie with which we’re so familiar. Pinocchio throws a hammer at the Cricket
("Jiminy" is Disney’s name) and kills it in the original. Who would have expected that?
In developing a storyline of my own, I selected
elements from Collodi’s original stories and interlaced
them into a portion of the Olympia scene from Jacques
Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann. Offenbach’s
Olympia is a mechanical doll that only seems alive. In
my adaptation, Olympia’s friendship with Pinocchio
gives her the boost she needs to become a real girl.
So far, at least, even without chirping insects in my
story, no little audience members have asked, "What
happened to Jiminy Cricket?" Considering Collodi’s
original story, that’s a big relief. [In all, the children’s
opera version] makes for some fun theater, and
hopefully provides a point of departure for subsequent
classroom discussion.”
THE MUSIC IN THE OPERA
Music used in Pinocchio comes from
many different operas by Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart, Gaetano Donizetti,
Jacques Offenbach, Pergolesi, Arthur
Sullivan and Giuseppe Verdi. The
story adapter, John Davies, took pieces
from operas – songs, duets, or trios –
arranged them and set new words to
the tunes to help tell the story. You
may recognize some of the music because the tunes are also used in cartoons, movies and
commercials. While the musical selections come from diverse opera stories told in different
languages --- Italian, French, German --- our children’s opera is sung in English!
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WHAT IS AN OPERA?
An opera is a drama that is sung. In
some operas, all the words are sung.
In others, there are spoken words
between the songs or musical
numbers. Opera started in Italy more
than 400 years ago and later
developed in countries all over the
world. There are many American
operas, and they are often based on
well-known plays or novels.
The Mikado, Indianapolis Opera
WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE AN OPERA SINGER?
Opera singers will tell you that what they do is very similar to playing a
sport. Just like professional athletes, they have to train for a long time to
develop the muscles they need. It usually surprises people to learn that
opera singers do not use microphones when they perform. It takes years
of studying proper breathing and singing techniques for them to be able
to project their sound all the way to the back of a large hall over a full
orchestra.
Living a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise and consuming good
foods is important for all of us. Opera singers also need great discipline
and excellent study skills. Practice, practice, practice.
Opera is a part of many world cultures, so in addition to taking voice
lessons, opera singers must study foreign languages such as Italian,
French, German, and Russian.
Lucia di Lammermoor,
Indianapolis Opera
BOOKS ABOUT OPERA
The Bantam of the Opera
By Mary Jane Auch, Holiday House, 1997
The Great Poochini
Gary Clement, Groundwood Books, 1999
Operantics with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
By Mary Neidorf and Daniel Stevens, Sunstone Press, 1999.
Bravo! Brava! A Night at the Opera
By Anne Siberell, Oxford University Press, 2001
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OPERA VOCABULARY
Aria - a composition for solo voice, usually with accompaniment, or a musical background. In
most operas, each principal singer sings at least one aria.
Chorus – a group of people who perform together as characters on stage. The term “chorus” also
refers to any musical number in the opera that is sung by this group.
Composer – the creator of a musical work.
Designer – a person who creates the look of stage
scenery, costumes, or lighting.
Duet – a composition for two performers.
Finale – the last part of an act or opera, usually
sung by all the main characters.
Aida, Indianapolis Opera
Libretto – the complete text of the opera; the words
that are to be spoken or sung.
Premiere – the first performance of a work for the stage.
Props (short term for properties) – the smaller, movable articles used as part of the setting on
stage.
Quartet – a composition for four voices.
Set or Scenery – painted screens, backdrops or hangings used on the stage to represent places
and surroundings in a play or opera.
Stage director – the person who decides what the opera will look like on stage.
Trio – a composition for three voices.
CLASSROOM DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITY IDEAS
Discuss literary/story elements with students. Ask students to
consider Pinocchio story from the viewpoints of Geppetto or
Dulcamara. Discuss how they might see the story differently from
the way it is told. Challenge students to rewrite the story from
different viewpoints. How would the story be different or the same?
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Talk about voice types with your students: soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, and baritone.
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Ask, why they think Dulcamara was sung by a low voice (bass/baritone) and Blue Fairy was
sung by a high voice (soprano). Talk about different sound colors for different voice types and
how they might or could corresponded to characters. Share information about traditional opera
parts for voice types. In operas, usually the soprano and/or tenor singers play princesses, princes,
heroine, hero, love interests, etc. Often times the mezzo-soprano singer plays boy parts and
bass/baritones often play comical characters or villains. Why do you think that is so? Would you
change these conventions? Why or why not?
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Read excerpts from the traditional story of The Adventures of Pinocchio with your students.
Compare and contrast the story with the opera as a class. Have the students research several
alternate endings to the story or create their own. Ask these questions to the class: have you ever
seen a movie that has alternate endings on the DVD menu? Is there one ending to these stories
that makes the most sense? Why? Write your own fairy tale that has several endings. (Extension:
Act out or read the stories and pause before the endings occur. Let the class choose which ending
they want performed/read.)
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Explore points of view asking children to write (or draw) a “Dear Diary” entry about characters
in the Opera. For example, “My day after-school” - “Meeting new people” – or – “I have a
problem, what should I do?”
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Ask students about story elements from Pinocchio:
Character: What makes the characters
interesting? What makes them believable? Are
their actions, words, thoughts consistent?
Conflict: What is conflict and how is it
established? How are the conflicts resolved?
Climax: To what climax does the conflict lead?
Conclusion: How well does the conclusion work?
Is it consistent? Satisfying? Believable?
Context: What are the historical, physical, and
emotional settings? Sets and costumes?
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Retell the opera story through drama. Review the story from the synopsis on page 3. Choose a
scene and select one student to portray each character. Act out the scene as a narrator reads the
select synopsis passage.
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LISTENING ACTIVITY
Compare and Contrast - Musical pieces from several operas were borrowed to create the
children’s opera Pinocchio by John Davies. Here are just two pieces: “L’ho perduta, me
meschina!” (In English: I have lost it) from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and a duet from
Mozart’s The Magic Flute.
“L’ho perduta, me meschina!”
Papageno Papagena Duet
From The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart
From The Magic Flute by Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart
Sung by one person, this is a solo or ARIA
(AR-ee-ah). An aria is an expressive solo
found in an opera. The Marriage of Figaro is
performed in Italian.
This is a DUET found in Act II of The Magic
Flute. Duets are songs performed by 2
people.
The aria is sung in Italian.
Originally composed in German, but it is also
frequently performed in English.
From the original opera, the aria is sung by
the maid, Barbarina, who is frantically
looking for a lost pin she was to deliver to
Susanna. She is afraid she will get in trouble.
In the original opera, the duet is sung by
Papageno and Papagena. The words in the
duet are “Papageno” and “Papagena.” “I Have Lost It” - In Pinocchio, this song is
such by Pinocchio after he realizes the pencil
box that Geppetto gave him is missing. He is
scared that Geppetto will be angry with him.
In Pinocchio, the Duet is sung by Geppetto
and Pinocchio – in their excitement of
becoming a family… “Papapapa… Pi-pi-pipi-nochio!”
Recording source material can be found here:
"L’ho perduta, me meschina!" from Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro | Opera da Camera, 2013.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N1xWnnMLXE
Papageno Papagena duet from The Magic Flute | Paris Opera, 2001.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87UE2GC5db0
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SINGING, A SPORT?!
Many people do not realize that singing is much more than opening your mouth and making
sounds. Opera singers typically train for many years before they give their debut performance in
a mainstage opera production. As in sports, opera singing requires you to be physically active
and make healthy choices to keep your body in top condition. If you make poor choices, your
voice or breath are going to feel it first.
Things To Know:
• Fruits and vegetables are the foundation of a
healthy diet. They are low in calories and packed with
nutrients (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.)
Try to eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day
and with every meal—the brighter the better.
• The better your cardio-respiratory fitness, the
easier it is for your lungs to keep your heart and muscles
supplied with oxygen.
• Friendships can have a major impact on your
health and well-being. Friends can help you celebrate
good times and provide support during bad times. Great
friends are great for your health and overall well-being.
Choose them wisely.
• Drinking lots of water helps energize muscles,
helps keep skin looking good and helps maintain the
balance of body fluids.
Choices are around us everywhere. Food, Friends, Behaviors,
Actions... Can each of these influence your health? YES!
CLASSROOM ACTIVITY: Our opera singers
make choices every day so they can continue
performing at the top of their game. Ask students
to make a list of the things they love doing. These
can be activities with friends, family or alone.
Then ask students what choices to they have to
make in order to get to do the things they love.
Discuss in small groups or as a class.
Taking care of
y our body helps
y ou do amazing
things!
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STANDARDS RELATED TO OUR PRODUCTION
Music Standard 6: Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
Music Standard 7: Evaluating music and music performances.
Music Standard 8: Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines
outside the arts.
Visual Arts Standard 8: Experience the integrative nature of visual arts, other arts disciplines,
and disciplines outside the arts, and understand the arts as a critical component of learning and
comprehension in all subject areas.
Language Arts Standard 3: Literary Comprehension and Analysis: Response to grade-levelappropriate literature includes identifying story elements such as character, theme, plot, and
setting, and making connections and comparisons across texts.
Language Arts Standard 5: Demonstrate Different Types of Writing and Their Characteristics
Language Arts Standard 7: Listen critically and respond appropriately to oral communication.
History Standard 2: Civics: Roles of Citizens: Describe group and individual actions that
illustrate civic virtues, such as civility, cooperation, respect and responsible participation;
Americans are united by the values, principles and beliefs they share rather than by ethnicity,
race, religion, class, language, gender or national origin.
Other Core Competencies:
• Working with others and contributing to the overall effort of a group
• Working well with diverse individuals and in diverse situations
• Displaying effective interpersonal communication skills
• Maintaining a healthy self-concept
• Nurturing 21st Century Learning: Creativity and Innovation, Critical Thinking and
Problem Solving, and Communication and Collaboration
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ABOUT THE INDIANAPOLIS OPERA
Indiana Opera was founded in 1975 and is the only professional opera company in the state.
Ambitious programming is coupled with innovative education and outreach work that improves
the quality of life for the region.
Serving Indianapolis, the state of Indiana and the Midwest, Indianapolis Opera’s mission is to
educate, inspire and entertain through the creation and presentation of musical storytelling for
the Hoosier community.
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Students are welcome to send letters and drawings following their
Indianapolis Opera visit. We will share them with artists and sponsors.
Indianapolis Opera
4011 N Pennsylvania St
Indianapolis, IN 46205
Phone: 317-283-3531 | Fax: 317-923-5611
www.indyopera.org
Visit www.indyopera.org for information on all our education programs.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
IO Production Photos: © Denis Ryan Kelly, Jr.
Website Resources:
www.operaamerica.org
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