12
The Cast
Barney Meats - Abacus, Minus, Father
Barnaby trained at Bristol University and the
National Youth Theatre. Previous work with
Quantum includes Gerbil Jones, Sir Jasper
Queerfish and Tarquinn in the Missing Link,
Detective T.Copper, Gino Tutti Frutti and Dr
Boffin in The Big Drip and Ben Gunn,
Tom and Black Dog in Treasure Island.
Barnaby is delighted to be involved in Johnny
Spacehopper. Other Theatre work includes
Men Should Weep (Oxford Stage Company)
Henry V and VI Parts 1+2 (Generator
Ensemble) The Revengers Tragedy, West Country Gangster, Waiting for
Godot, Gravediggers and Chomp and Play (Dead Protest) Chalk Walls
(RSC Summerhouse) Mother Country, 7 and a half minutes of
happiness, Clear and Last Orders for Love (Bristol Old Vic) Freaks
(Round Midnight) The Broken Heart and Eastwood Ho! (Wickham
Theatre, Bristol) and The Day of the 43 Sunsets (Edinburgh Festival)
Film and TV includes Bad Habits (Academy Productions), Screwed
(BBC) and Business Therapy (Brief Encounters)
Bridie Rowe - Kelly MacDonald, Zilch
Bridie has recently graduated from
Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Credits
whilst training include Lucy in The
Threepenny Opera, Doris in Arthur Miller’s
The American Clock, Isabella in Measure for
Measure, Sonya in Uncle Vanya and Maria in
West Side Story. Theatre credits include Zuko
in Acting Up and Tara in The Legion. Film
includes Beautiful Girl in Happy, Sad,
Beautiful and Candice in The Station. Bridie
will be starring as Maid Marion in pantomime this Christmas.
Elizabeth Gale—
Gale—company manager
Elizabeth trained at Rose Bruford College where she studied a
BA(hons) in Actor Musicianship. Since graduating Elizabeth has done
two primary school tours with Quantum Theatre, ‘Captain Cholesterol
and the Grannies from Mars’ and ‘The Big Drip’. Other theatre credits
include Rosie in ‘Horrid Little K., The Monkey Girl’ at the Battersea Arts
Centre Studios and Pam in ‘Girlfriends’ at the Battersea Arts Centre.
Elizabeth is delighted to be working with Quantum Theatre again on
Johnny Spacehopper.
Gary Bowman—
Bowman—lighting designer/technican
Gary Bowman trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, studying
Technical Theatre and Stage Management. Gary’s credits include:
Assisstant Technical Manager on “Kill the Messenger” & “Alas Poor
Yorick” (Works Well Productions) , Company Stage Manager on “We
Will Rock You” (school’s edition), Lighting Designer on “Jesus Christ
Superstar”, “Children of Eden”, “Annie get your Gun” and “Honk”
(Stagedoor Manor, NY). Now working for Quantum Theatre he hopes
that the experience will lead to more touring and stage management
based work in the future.
Daniel Henderson - Johnny Spacehopper, Neil
Daniel trained at Birmingham School of
Acting. His credits include: Larry in
Company, Jemmy in Moll Flanders, Friar
Laurence in Romeo and Juliet and Leantio
in Women Beware Women. He has recently
finished a tour of The Yellow Jersey in and
around the South East of England. He is
delighted to have been cast in this national
tour of Johnny Spacehopper and is very
much looking forward to travelling the
length and breadth of the country playing with light sabres!! He
hopes you all enjoy the show!
Michael WhitmoreWhitmore-writer/director/producer
Michael Whitmore founded Quantum Theatre in 1993 and since
then has written and adapted all of the company’s output. To date
Michael’s plays include Destination Earth, The Big Drip, The Starry
Messenger, The Missing Link, The Lights and Sounds of Tinseltown,
Captain Cholesterol and the Grannies from Mars, What if it Rains?,
Octopushy and Bin Raider for Primary schools, and A Complete
Guide to Horses/Forces and Everything you never knew about
electricity and wished you hadn’t asked for Secondary schools all
covering different topics from the National Curriculum for Science.
His maths plays to date are The Calculating Mr One, Mrs Jessop and
the Maths Lesson of Doom and Johnny Spacehopper and his vital
statistics. In 2006 Michael adapted Robert Louis Stevenson’s
Treasure Island for a national outdoor summer tour which toured
again this summer. He is currently working on On the Trail of the
Countback Kid, a new maths play touring theatres in Spring 2008.
Gideon Escott—
Escott—music
Gideon Escott was first commission to write the music for
Quantum’s show The Big Drip back in 1993 and thus
began the partnership which continues to this day. Gideon
writes and arranges all the music for Quantum shows with
styles ranging from 1930s jazz through rock to
contemporary pop and rap. This summer saw him
arranging traditional sea shanties to be performed live in
Quantum’s production of Treasure Island.
Johnny
Spacehopper
and his
Vital Statistics
A new play on data handling By Michael Whitmore
Music by Gideon Escott
Lyrics by Jessica Selous
As well as writing the songs Gideon plays all the
instruments you hear on the soundtrack for Johnny
Spacehopper and his Vital Statistics.
Jessica Selous—
Selous—lyrics
Jessica co-founded Quantum Theatre with Michael in 1993
and has since written lyrics to all the songs. She also
writes and produces all literature for teachers and designs
children’s worksheets as well as turning her hand to set
painting, prop making and occasional leaflet design when
the occasion demands.
Designed by………………………………………..……………………………………………………………...…………………………………………………...……….Andrea Harper
Teachers’ Notes KS2
Maths content
Choreography by…………………………….……….……………………………………………………………………………………..………………………………….Kirsty Dickson
Fight Director………………………………..……….……………………………………………..………………………………………..……………....Adrian Clargo/Jack Beale
Visuals………………..…………………….……………………………………………..…….…………………………………………………………………….…………….Tim Dawkins
Work sheet
The Old Button Factory, 1-11 Bannockburn Road, Plumstead, London SE18 1ET
Tel: 020 8317 9000, Email: office@quantumtheatre.co.uk, www.quantumtheatre.co.uk
12
2
11
Bus stop A
5.
BUS 72
Towards Station
Towards Town
6.00 am
5.50 am
6.20 am
6.10 am
6.40 am
6.30 am
And at same minutes past each hour until 8.00 pm
And at same minutes past each hour until 8.10 pm
Quantum Theatre is Michael Whitmore & Jessica Selous
Production Manager: Beccy Allen
Administration & web design: Gideon Escott
The timetable above tells you the times of the buses from bus stop A. If it takes 20 minutes from this
bus stop to get to the station and I arrive at the station at 7.00am what time did I catch a bus from the
bus stop?
QUANTUM PRODUCTIONS TOURING SCHOOLS
Captain Cholesterol and the Grannies from Mars
on health and nutrition
6.
The Mysterious Disappearance of Mr Winchlever
This spinner shows the arrow on number 3. What is the probability of the arrow
stopping on 3? Write your answer as a fraction
5
8
4
3
8
4
on forces and mechanics
The Starry Messenger
Which two numbers are equally likely to come up?
5
on Astronomy and Earth's place in the Universe
What if it Rains?
8 has a) A more than even chance of coming up
On walking to school, our health and the environment
b) An even chance of coming up
Bin Raider
c) A less than even chance of coming up
on personal responsibility in environmental issues
Circle the phrase above that best describes the chances of the spinner stopping on an 8.
The Lights and Sounds of Tinseltown
on light and sound
8.
Gases in Calculus' Atmosphere
The Missing Link
The Big Drip
Carbon
Dioxide
Oxygen
on materials and their properties
Nitrogen
Quirks in the Works
Other
on animal and human biology
on electricity
8
If carbon dioxide takes up ¾ of the atmosphere on Calculus
what percentage of the atmosphere do the rest of the gases
combined take up?
9.
Lightyears per zoogon
Octopushy!
on forces
A Complete Guide to Horses Forces
on forces and mechanics (11-14 yrs)
Everything you never knew about electricity…
on electricity (11-14 yrs)
Here is the time/distance chart plotted by Johnny and
Abacus, but they haven’t plotted the final stages of
their journey:
800
600
400
In the next zoogon they travel 400 lightyears to Venn.
200
And in the fourth zoogon they remain on Venn.
Johnny Spacehopper and his Vital Statistics by Michael Whitmore
Lyrics by Jessica Selous
1
Music by Gideon Escott
Teachers’ notes and worksheet devised and designed
by Jessica Selous
© Copyright Quantum Theatre 2007
2
2
3
4
See if you can plot the last two zoogons of their journey.
zoogons
10.
Abacus
9
The Exciteroid
11
Facinoid
8
R4 D291
6
The Robotron
11
Terrortron
10
Transporticus
11
Abacus takes size 9 boots but all robots are different! Here’s a table of
sizes:
What is the modal size of boot?
And what is the median boot size?
11
10
3
PUPIL WORKSHEET
Write your name here:
Introduction
1.
SPARTAN
SONIC
STUN
BLASTER
GUN
ZOG
120 28 100 92
107 33 75 86
189 54 125 102
BRUTON
TUFFNUT
Name of
vehicle
STAR
SHOOTER
EYE BALL
POPPING NOSE
HAIR PINCHING
SPLATTER GUN
FIGHTER
Distance
Top speed
travelled on
(in light
one tank
years per
0-60
The Spartan Stun Gun was better than all the rest of the
weapons added together! But HOW much better was it?
How many more warriors did it kill?
Which fighter was the best at his job?
How many warriors did he kill in total?
2.
Abacus used this table to compile his
graph of the fastest vehicles in the Universe.
Which one was it?
Air Bag
(in lightyears
per zygon)
Speedlauncher 1,000 light
yrs
100
35
No
Space Racer
2,000 light
yrs
190
20
No
Venn Rocket
5,000 light
yrs
199
25
No
Spacehopper
1,000,000
light yrs
210
23
A big one
Stomach
Wrenching
Pantspoiler
2 light yrs
500
1
No
What does the Spacehopper have that no other
vehicle has?
Which vehicle takes the longest getting from o60 lightyears per zygon?
Johnny Spacehopper and his Vital Statistics
Which vehicle goes the furthest on one tank of
fuel?
The main focus of the play is on the manipulation of data from tables, bar
graphs, pie charts, timetables and frequency charts, coupled with the idea of
probability and how that relates to fractions. Average and range are also introduced and various methods of mental calculation used to interpret the data.
3. One of the five vehicles has been omitted from this bar graph. Which vehicle is it?
Fill in the bar chart with a bar for this vehicle and then tell us which vehicle is represented by the
following numbers:
1
600
Data is presented in a variety of forms and the audience is directly involved in
answering problems through correct interpretation of the various charts. Each
question posed is answered with the help of the audience so that the children
understand how to arrive at the correct answer. Throughout the play the work
is put into a number of everyday contexts through which the problems are explored.
500
2
3
has been developed to support the maths curriculum in schools at Key Stage 2
and to reinforce much of the work done on presenting, reading and interpreting data in the SATS for year 6.
400
300
200
4
5
100
0
1
2
3
4
5
The following pages provide a summary of the work covered and examples of
how it is put into practice in the play. At the back of this booklet you will find a
pupils’ worksheet designed to tie in with the topics covered in the play which
can be photocopied for use in the classroom.
4. What is the mean speed of these five vehicles?
10
3
4
9
PROBABILITY
Teachers’ Notes
Probability is one of the harder topics covered but at its
most basic level it requires the children to understand
that it means how likely something is to happen and
that the ‘probability’ or ‘chance’ of something happening
can be calculated.
DATA PRESENTATION
Tables, charts and graphs are used to make given
information easier to interpret. Data can be presented in many different forms and the choice of
graph or table used depends on which will represent
the data in the clearest possible way. This production
aims to help pupils feel at home reading and interpreting data from any given chart and to convert one
chart into another.
TABLES
The play begins with a simple table presenting data on the best weapons in
the universe, showing in table form the three best fighters, the weapons they
used and how many warriors each weapon killed with one blow.
107 32 75 86
152 54 125 102
The difference between the best and worst weapon is then calculated and all
the previous totals are added up to find out the total number of warriors killed.
vehicle
3
4
5
6
7
3
4
5
6
7
8
4
5
6
7
8
9
5
6
7
8
9
10
6
7
8
9
10
11
7
8
9
10
11
12
From the table it is clear to see that out of
36 possible combinations there are six
different ways of throwing a 7, giving it a 6
in 36 chance, or 6/36, simplified to a
probability of 1/6. Throwing a double 1 or
double 6 are both equally unlikely as they
both have only a 1 in 36 chance of being
thrown or, a 1/36 chance.
With the audienceJohnny then reads
off which is the
fastest,
slowest
and works out the
difference
in
speeds of various
vehicles
using
‘counting on’.
There are three different types of average: the mode of a set of data is the
one that occurs most often, the median is the middle number when the data
is arranged from smallest number to largest and the mean is what is normally
meant by ‘the average’ ie. The total of the data divided by the number of data
entries.
3
Using our chart we calculate the
mean, the mode and the median of
this set of data and learn a rhyme
to remember which is which:
The median’s the middle, with equal either side
The mode’s the most popular, that’s its pride
And the mean’s the meanest, you must add and
divide
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
gu
f
th f
ril
li n
g
go
sh
Stomach
Wrenching
Pantspoiler
Spacehopper
Venn Rocket
Space Racer
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Speed
Launcer
2
st
up
id
sm
ug
ve
nn
ea
rth
na
s
ca ty
lc
ul
us
Johnny uses a bar chart of relative speeds to see which is the fastest vehicle
in the universe. The horizontal axis is labelled ‘vehicle’ and the vertical axis
‘speed of vehicle’. The vertical axis is split into chunks of 100 lightyears per
zygon and it reads thus:
speed of vehicle
6
THE MEAN, THE MODE AND THE MEDIAN
BAR CHARTS
4
5
brains per creature
TUFFNUT
4
6
BRUTON
99
3
5
120 28 100
2
4
ZOG
1
3
STAR
SHOOTER
We return to the topic of Probability later in the play. Using the tally chart of
dice throws from earlier in the play a graph is compiled showing that the
most likely total to throw is a 7. This can be explained in probability terms
when looking at a table of all possible totals when rolling two dice:
2
SPARTAN
SONIC
BLASTER
STUN
GUN
Using the data the audience
helps Johnny find out which is
the best weapon by totalling the
columns to see which is the
most effective. A basic ability in
mental calculation is assumed
at this point as the audience is
split into sections to perform the
task.
We move on to show that 3 hits out of six throws can be seen as an even
chance because probability can be written as a fraction: 3 over 6 is 3/6 or,
simplified, 1/2. If the can is hit 4 times out of 6 then the probability is 4/6 or,
simplified, 2/3.
1
FIGHTER
EYE BALL
POPPING NOSE
HAIR PINCHING
SPLATTER GUN
The idea of probability is introduced when two characters are trying to hit a can with a stone. We see that a probability scale runs
from ‘impossible’ through an ‘even chance’ in the middle to ‘certain’. A simple probability scale is set up and the children are asked to grade the answers
to a series of questions as ‘dead cert’, ‘even’ or ‘no chance’.
planets
9
8
5
PLOTTING CHARTS, GRAPHS AND COORDINATES
METHODS OF MENTAL CALCULATION
Data manipulation requires a certain level of ability at
mental calculation and so Johhny takes the audience
through various methods. Abacus, the robot, has taught
Johnny: Estimate, count on count back, round and then adjust, know your tables, you’re your bonds, break your numbers up.
Working out coordinates of a given point
from information provided is a necessary skill
at this level. The children are required to plot
the coordinates of a hiding place for the
spacehopper from the following information:
The coordinates of the forth point are
calculated using the information given:
y
Using the table of warriors and their weapons Johnny adds each column up.
Firstly he ‘breaks numbers up’ adding first the units then the tens and finally
the hundreds. He then uses ‘rounding’ for the Sonic Blaster, rounding the 28
up to 30 and the 32 down to 30 to make the calculation easier. The third column is added by knowing number bonds and the forth column is added again
using rounding up and then adjusting the calculation at the end.
Toilets (4,6)
•
We see that the spacehopper’s
position is at 4 on the x axis—
directly below the toilets so we
know the x coordinate is (4, y)).
•
We are given the information that
the hopper is half way between the
school at (2,1) and the Coop at
(4,5) so the y coordinate is 3.
Co op (6,5)
SpacehopperCo
School (2,1)
•
x
The hopper is therefore hidden at
(4,3)
At the conclusion of the play Daft Apeth has sent his missile to Earth and has
escaped on Neil’s spaceship.
Johnny plots the relative
speeds of two vehicles:
The missile travels at a
steady speed of 199
lightyears per zygon, (in
yellow)
1200
This song is repeated throughout the play and the audience join in:
If you want to be a chart topper
Take a tip from Johnny Spacehopper
Estimate, count on, count back
Then you know you’re right on track
Round and then adjust it
Then you’ve really sussed it
Learn your tables, know your bonds
Break your number into tens and ones
And you’ll get a huge ovation on the day of graduation to the Friendly Federation of peaceful planets
TALLY CHARTS TO BAR CHARTS
Tally charts are used when collecting information and they in turn are often
converted into a bar charts. In the play two dice have been thrown 100 times
and the totals logged on a tally chart: Once converted in to a bar chart it is
easy to see which total was thrown most and which the least.
1000
800
600
2
400
200
Daft Apeth’s vehicle travels
slowly at first: at 50
0
ligthyears per zygon for the
1
2
3
4
first 2 zygons, then at 75
lightyears per zygon for the
next zygon and finally at 400 lightyears per zygon from then on. (in black)
5
3
1111 111
4
1111 1111 11
5
1111 1
6
1111 1111 1111 1
7
1111 1111 1111 1111 11
8
1111 1111 1111 11
5
9
1111
0
10
1111
11
1111 111
12
1
25
20
15
10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
t o t al f r o m d i ce sco r es
If the vehicles are travelling in the same direction then they are set to collide
in the forth zygon.. So the Earth is saved!
8
This tally chart converts into this bar graph
5
6
7
TIMETABLES
Reading a timetable and calculating the next or previous
departure from a given time or on a certain trip is a necessary skill and in the play the characters involve the audience with working out the times and directions of
given bus trips.
PIE CHARTS
Pie charts illustrate what fraction or percentage of the whole is taken by the
individual ‘slices’ and are useful when comparing two sets of data. This is illustrated in the play when the protagonists compare the atmosphere’s on two different planets:
BUS STOP A
BUS 72
Towards Station
Gases in the Earth's Atmosphere
Gases in Calculus' Atmosphere
n it r ogen
Carbon
Dioxide
Oxygen
nitrogen
Towards Town
oxygen
6.00 am
6.20 am
6.40 am
And at same minutes past each hour
until 8.00 pm
5.50 am
6.10 am
6.30 am
And at same minutes past each hour
until 8.10 pm
In the first instance the time is given as 5.35pm and the audience are asked
what time the next bus will be towards the station. The answer is 6pm.
A second timetable is used for the return journey and the given time is almost
6.55pm. They are going back towards town so the next bus is 6.55pm.
BUS STOP B
BUS 72
Towards Station
Towards Town
6.15 am
5.15 am
6.35 am
5.55 am
6.55 am
6.15 am
And at same minutes past each
hour until 7.55 pm
And at same minutes past each hour
until 8.15 pm
Nitrogen
carbon dioxide
and other gases
car bon dioxide an d ot her
gases
Other
oxygen
The audience are asked to identify the
main gas in both Earth’s and Calculus’ atmospheres. They are then asked to
estimate the percentage of Nitrogen on Earth by imagining the pie split into
100 equal pieces and to estimate what fraction of the atmosphere on Calculus
is made up of Carbon Dioxide.
CONVERSION CHART
Converting one type of measurement or currency into another is most easily
achieved using a conversion chart and this is illustrated in the play.
Time on the planet Calculus is measured in ‘zoogons’ and ‘zygons’. Our two
earthlings work out that one ‘zoogon’ seems to be the equivalent of two Earth
hours and, using this information, they set up the following chart:
4
3.5
3
zoogons
Finally the robot Abacus has managed to get in a tangle with his bus journeys.
He is supposed to be catching the 6.55 towards town. He gets a bus at six fifty
five, but five minutes later he finds himself at the station. He then waits a
whole 10 minutes before getting the next bus back to where he wants to go.
The audience are given the interval to work out what Abacus did wrong and
which buses he actually caught: in fact Abacus catches the 6.55 towards the
station. And after waiting for a bus back towards town he arrives back at the
initial bus stop at 7.45pm.
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
hours
If Abacus has been thinking for 15 minutes after
his arrival at 7.45 what is the next bus back towards
the station? Of course there isn’t one!
6
They then ask the audience to convert 2½ zoogons into hours, 3 hours into
zoogons and half an hour into zoogons.
7