STUDY GUIDE
Prepared by Literary Associate Andy Knight and
Literary Associate Kristina Leach
OZ 2.5 • South Coast Repertory • 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part i: the play
2 ..........................
2 ..........................
3 ..........................
3 ..........................
4 ..........................
5 ..........................
The Characters
The Story
Going by the Book: An Excerpt from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
by L. Frank Baum
Meet the Author: L. Frank Baum
Meet the Playwright: Catherine Trieschmann
The Many Worlds of Oz: Other Adaptations of
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
part ii: classroom activities
Before the Show
7 ..........................
8 ..........................
8 ..........................
9 ..........................
After the Show
Questions for Discussion and Activities
Gaming Safety Tips
The Linnaean System of Classification
Words, Words, Words!
11 ........................ Discussion About the Theatre
11 ........................ Discussion About the Play
11 ........................ Activities
part iii: at the theatre
12 ........................
12 ........................
12 ........................
12 ........................
Welcome to the Julianne Argyros Stage
Theatre Etiquette
Student Tips for Theatre Trips
Programs
part iv: education station
13 ........................ California Visual and Performing Arts Framework
14 ........................ Five Strands of Art Education
15 ........................ Basic Theatre Vocabulary
part v: resources
17 ........................
17 ........................
17 ........................
17 ........................
2 • South Coast Repertory • OZ 2.5
More Information on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
More About Author L. Frank Baum
More About Online Safety
More About the Linnaean System
Part I: The Play
the characters
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•
•
•
Dee
Toto
Aunt Emily
Uncle Henry
•
•
•
•
The Munchkins
Scarecrow
Tin Man
Lion
•
•
•
•
The Wicked Witch of the West
The Monkeys
The Gatekeeper
Steve
the story
F
ourteen-year-old Dee lives with
her Aunt Emily and Uncle
Henry in Kansas. She doesn’t
like it much: there’s little to
do, no one to hang out with and
nothing to see besides endless
prairie. Dee longs for “real lifeand-death fun,” and she finds it
by playing an online game called
OZ 2.0. She’s a good player,
but Dee, or DOROTHY14 as
she’s known in the game, keeps
getting stuck in the Munchkin
Realm. Her online friend TOTO_
BALLERSHOTCALLER14
(Toto
for short), whose picture makes
him look just like Harry Potter,
has made it further than Dee—but
he gets to play a lot more than she
does. And at least he gives her some
tips on the game.
One day, Dee, Aunt Emily and Uncle
Henry are out on the farm and a tornado
approaches. They all head to the storm
cellar, but Dee, who left her iPad on
the ground, lags behind. The moment
she grabs her tablet, the storm hits and
everything goes black.
When Dee wakes up, she finds herself
in Oz—literally; somehow she is now inside
the computer game. Everything is bright
and colorful, crisp and exciting, and it’s all
real. Dee meets two munchkins who tell
her that she’s in the Munchkin Realm. She’s
shocked at first, but then realizes that this is
her chance to actually have some life-anddeath fun. She decides to play the game.
Her first order of business is to find the
silver shoes, which she accomplishes
with ease. (Those dancing munchkins
aren’t hard to outsmart.) Once she
puts on the shoes, she advances
to the next level: the Realm of the
Yellow Brick Road.
In the Realm of the Yellow Brick
Road, Dee finds herself in a cornfield.
Amidst the corn, she meets the
Scarecrow, who promises to help
Dee if she removes him from his
pole. Dee’s wary at first; Toto warned
her to watch out for characters
claiming to help. Plus, the Scarecrow
admits that he doesn’t have a brain,
so how could he possibly help? Just
as she’s about to leave, Scarecrow
tells her that her vitals are low and
points to a blinking icon behind her.
He convinces Dorothy to eat a piece of
corn, and she feels better immediately.
Now that Dee knows he’s trustworthy,
she decides to bring the Scarecrow on
her journey. She releases him and they
both continue along the Yellow Brick
Road.
In some woods, Dee and Scarecrow
come across the Tin Man holding his
axe high in the air. He’s unable to move,
though, and needs Dee to oil his joints
with the oil can nearby. In return, he
promises to destroy things with his axe.
Again, Dee doesn’t know if the Tin Man is
a friend or a foe, and she becomes more
conflicted when Tin Man admits that—in
Costume design for Dee by Sara Ryung Clement
OZ 2.5 • South Coast Repertory • 3
the same way the Scarecrow has no brain—he has
no heart. Dee decides to leave the Tin Man behind.
As she and Scarecrow leave, a monkey jumps out
and zaps her. Dee loses the first of her four lives.
The game resets.
When the game begins again, Dee is back in
the cornfield with the Scarecrow begging her to
release him. This time, Dee knows just what to do:
she releases the Scarecrow and oils the Tin Man’s
joints. In return, the Tin Man saves them from the
monkey.
The three continue to travel through the woods
until they meet the Lion. At first, Lion tries to
frighten them with his roar, but they quickly realize
that he’s actually a coward. Lion tells Dee that he
met her friend, Toto, and so she decides to let him
come along with them. Lion even has a message
from Toto: make sure to eat the poppies.
Much to her surprise, Dee loses her next life
when she eats a poppy. The game resets and she
must, once again, start from the beginning. After
quickly making it through the Realm of the Yellow
Brick Road­—this time avoiding the poppies—Dee,
the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion make it to
the Gates of the Emerald City.
The Emerald City is in disarray,
however, for the Witch of the Western Realm
has invaded. Dee didn’t think that the Witch
could leave her Realm (that’s what Toto said), but
then Dee learns that there’s been an upgrade to the
game: this isn’t OZ 2.0—it’s OZ 2.5…and there has
been a major glitch.
The Witch—who’s fashionable and beautiful,
not ugly and green like most expect her to be—
accosts Dee and her companions. She wants Dee’s
silver shoes, but Dee refuses. The Witch is very
powerful, however, and gets the shoes away from
Dee through the use of spells. Once the Witch puts
them on, Dee loses another life.
Due to the game’s faulty upgrade, Dee and her
friends find themselves in a control room in Oz,
where they meet the tech guy named Steve. Dee
no longer wants to play the game; she’s worried
about what will happen to her if she loses her last
life. But Steve tells her that she has no choice: she’s
signed the player’s agreement. The Scarecrow, the
Tin Man and the Lion want to help, but they feel
powerless. But then Dee gets an idea.
Once they’re back at the Gates of the Emerald
City, Dee teaches her friends to fight the Witch
with skills that they never knew they had: the Tin
Man shows passion, the Lion shows courage and
the Scarecrow shows cleverness. In the end, they
defeat the Witch in an altogether surprising and
creative way.
With the Witch gone, Dee is granted entrance
to the Emerald City. The Gatekeeper tells Dee that
Toto is waiting for her in the Wizard’s Chambers,
and Dee leaves her friends behind to go meet him.
In the Wizard’s Chambers, Dee meets Toto, but
he isn’t a bit like she expected. He isn’t a 14-yearold who looks like Harry Potter—he’s actually a
grown-up. He’s been tricking Dee so she doesn’t
get ahead of him in the game, including lying about
his age to make her think that they’re friends. Dee
feels betrayed and more homesick than ever. In his
first moment of honesty, Toto tells Dee that she can
finally go home by clicking her heels together three
times. But before she leaves, Dee goes back to say
goodbye to the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the
Lion—her true friends.
After she clicks her heels three times, Dee is
back in Kansas surrounded by Aunt Emily and Uncle
Henry. She had a bad fall, but Uncle Henry rescued
her before the tornado hit. Now that she’s safe
and sound, Dee realizes that there’s nowhere more
beautiful than her prairie home after a storm.
Munchkin costume design by Sara Ryung Clement
4 • South Coast Repertory • OZ 2.5
going by the book:an excerpt from
“the
wonderful wizard of oz”
This excerpt from chapter three, How Dorthy Saved the Scarecrow,
begins when Dorothy first encounters the Scarecrow without a brain.
S
he bade her friends goodbye, and again started along
the road of yellow brick.
When she had gone several miles
she thought she would stop to
rest, and so climbed to the top of
the fence beside the road and sat
down. There was a great cornfield
beyond the fence, and not far away
she saw a Scarecrow, placed high
on a pole to keep the birds from
the ripe corn.
Dorothy leaned her chin upon her
hand and gazed thoughtfully at
the Scarecrow. Its head was a small
sack stuffed with straw, with eyes,
nose and mouth painted on it to
represent a face. An old, pointed
blue hat, that had belonged to
some Munchkin, was perched on
his head, and the rest of the figure
was a blue suit of clothes, worn and
faded, which had also been stuffed
with straw. On the feet were some
old boots with blue tops, such as
every man wore in this country, and
the figure was raised above the
stalks of corn by means of the pole
stuck up its back.
While Dorothy was looking earnestly into the queer, painted face
of the Scarecrow, she was surprised
to see one of the eyes slowly wink
at her. She thought she must have
been mistaken at first, for none of
the scarecrows in Kansas ever wink;
but presently the figure nodded its
head to her in a friendly way. Then
she climbed down from the fence
and walked up to it, while Toto ran
around the pole and barked.
“Good day,” said the Scarecrow, in
a rather husky voice.
“Did you speak?” asked the girl,
in wonder.
“Certainly,” answered the Scarecrow. “How do you do?”
“I’m pretty well, thank you,”
replied Dorothy, politely. “How do
you do?”
“I’m not feeling well,” said the
Scarecrow with a smile, “for it is
very tedious being perched up
here night and day to scare away
crows.”
“Can’t you get down?” asked
Dorothy.
“No, for this pole is stuck up my
back. If you will please take away
the pole I shall be greatly obliged
to you.”
send me back to Kansas.”
Dorothy reached up both arms
and lifted the figure off the pole,
for, being stuffed with straw, it was
quite light.
“Why, don’t you know?” she returned, in surprise.
“Thank you very much,” said the
Scarecrow, when he had been set
down on the ground. “I feel like a
new man.”
Dorothy was puzzled at this, for it
sounded queer to hear a stuffed
man speak, and to see him bow
and walk along beside her.
“Who are you?” asked the Scarecrow when he had stretched himself and yawned. “And where are
you going?”
“My name is Dorothy,” said the
girl, “and I am going to the Emerald City, to ask the great Oz to
“Where is the Emerald City?” he
inquired. “And who is Oz?”
“No, indeed; I don’t know anything. You see, I am stuffed, so I
have no brains at all,” he answered
sadly.
“Oh,” said Dorothy, “I’m awfully
sorry for you.”
“Do you think,” he asked, “if I go
to the Emerald City with you, that
Oz would give me some brains?”
“I cannot tell,” she returned; “but
you may come with me, if you like.
If Oz will not give you any brains
you will be no worse off than you
are now.”
The Wonderful Wizard of OZ by L. Frank
Baum, first published in 1900
OZ 2.5 • South Coast Repertory • 5
Meet
the
Playwright:
Catherine Trieschmann
C
Meet the Author:
L. Frank Baum
L.
Frank Baum was born in 1856 in upstate
New York, the seventh child of a very
successful barrel-maker and later oil
producer. However, Baum’s own career path was
a rocky one. Beginning as an actor, Baum tried
working as a traveling salesman, editor of a small
town newspaper and publisher of a retail trade
publication, but he failed to distinguish himself in
any occupation. His careers either failed to provide
a sufficient living for his beloved wife, Maud, and
their children, or were so exhausting that they
became debilitating. In the 1890s, Baum took
the advice of his mother-in-law—suffragist leader
Matilda Gage—and turned his attention to trying
to sell the stories he’d been telling to his sons and
their friends.
In 1897, Baum published Mother Goose in Prose, in
which he rewrote the famous Mother Goose poems
as prose stories. While the endeavor proved to be
a moderate success, Baum’s next children’s book,
Father Goose, His Book, a collection of poems with
illustrations by W.W. Denslow, quickly became a
bestseller when it was published in 1899. In 1900,
Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, also illustrated
by W.W. Denslow, became the author’s second
bestseller and remains his best-known work. Baum
went on to write 13 more books in the Oz series
before his death in 1919.
6 • South Coast Repertory • OZ 2.5
atherine Trieschmann is the author
of The Bridegroom of Blowing
Rock, Crooked, How the World
Began, Hot Georgia Sunday and The Most
Deserving. Her work has been produced
off-Broadway at the Women’s Project, the
Bush Theatre (London), Out of Joint at
the Arcola Theatre (London), South Coast
Repertory, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre,
the New Theatre (Sydney), Florida Stage,
the Summer Play Festival, Actors Theatre
of Louisville, American Theatre Company
and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, among
others. She has received commissions
from South Coast Repertory, Manhattan
Theatre Club and the Denver Center
Theatre Company. She is the recipient of
the Weissberger Award, the Otis Guernsey
New Voices Playwriting Award from the Inge
Theatre Festival and the Edgerton New
Play Award. She also wrote the screenplay
for the film Angel’s Crest, which premiered
at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival and was
released by Magnolia Pictures. Originally
from Athens, Ga., she now lives in a small
town in western Kansas.
An Interview With Playwright:
Catherine Trieschmann
Playwright Catherine Trieschmann, whom SCR commissioned to write this new play for the Theatre for
Young Audiences Series, took some time to answer a few questions about the inspiration behind OZ 2.5,
her creative process and what it’s like to write for a younger audience.
What made you want to put your own
spin on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz?
Mainly, I moved to the plains of western Kansas
eight years ago, where The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
is not only a famous children’s book, but also a local
identity. When I went back and re-read the book,
I suddenly had a strong connection with Baum’s
description of the gray prairie and Dorothy’s longing
to escape the monotony of the landscape. I’d even
dare to say that my current life is a bit like Dorothy’s.
I live on the prairie, get tired of the hum drum days,
go away to somewhere bright—and beautiful and
perhaps a bit dangerous—to make a play and then
am happy as a pea in a pod to return to my ho-hum
life in Kansas when it’s all over.
Is this your first time writing a play
that’s based on other source material?
What are the benefits to having another
source to guide you? What are the
challenges?
That’s right--it is the first time I’ve written a play
based on other source material, although I was
hired to adapt a book into a screenplay a few
years ago. The delight is, of course, you don’t
have to build a brand new plot. There’s a structure
you can hang your hat on, even if you end up
deconstructing it completely. The difficulty that you
do have to make it your own, which means creating
the story anew. Adaptations don’t work when they
merely mimic the original. You have to re-create the
world, so it’s original and arresting, even to people
already familiar with the story. You have to put your
own spin on the characters and write new dialogue
particular to those voices. I doubt I used even three
lines of dialogue from the book.
Is this your first play for young
audiences? Is writing for young
audiences different than writing for
adult audiences?
This is my first play for young audiences, and I’m
completely hooked. I found a tremendous amount
of freedom in writing OZ 2.5. The actual act of
writing well doesn’t change, whether you’re writing
for adults or children, but there is a psychological
shift. I found myself less concerned with impressing
an imaginary reader or audience and just having
fun. I’ve been trying to bring this sense of play to
my work for adults, but it’s harder to do than you
might think. The burden of expectation is hard to
shrug off.
Is there any one character in the play
that you’ve come to love the most?
I admit, I really fell hard for the Tin Man. There’s
something about his journey from being a
detached, objective, almost
robotic observer to a full
human being with deep and
unfettered feeling that is
delightful.
What do you hope
audiences will take
away from OZ 2.5?
I hope they
remember that the
best part of being
alive takes place in
communion with other
human beings, not in
front of a screen.
Dee costume design by Sara Ryung Clement
OZ 2.5 • South Coast Repertory • 7
The Many Worlds of Oz: Other Adaptations
“The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”
of
Playwright Catherine Trieschmann’s OZ 2.5 is inspired by The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.
Although the plot shares similarities to the original novel, the play is set in modern day and the Land of Oz
takes on a new form: a virtual game that suddenly becomes real to Dee.
Because of its timeless popularity, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has inspired many adaptations—some
faithful, others wildly imaginative—across a variety of forms and for all different ages. Here is a short list of
some of the most famous spins on the novel first published in 1900.
The Wizard of Oz
(film, 1939)
The Wiz
(stage musical, 1975)
Original cover for the Broadway cast
album
(film, 1978)
A poster for the 1939 film
Although it was far from the first stage or
screen adaptation of Baum’s novel, the
1939 musical film is perhaps the most
famous. Its special effects and stylistic
choices—like using Technicolor in Oz
to provide a stark contrast to the sepiatoned scenes set in Kansas—delighted
audiences. The performances by stars
Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley
and Bert Lahr did, too. The Wizard of Oz
was nominated for six Academy Awards,
including Best Picture, and won two.
8 • South Coast Repertory • OZ 2.5
A poster for the film adaptation of
The Wiz
This musical
adaptation, with
music and lyrics by
Charlie Smalls and
a book by William
F. Brown, retells the
story of Dorothy’s
journey through Oz
from a black cultural
perspective. With
its all-black cast, the
original production
of The Wiz gave
a new identity to
characters historically
represented in the
mainstream media
with white performers.
The musical—which
won seven Tony
Awards, including Best
Musical, and ran for
1,672 performances—
also marked a shift
in the Broadway
theatre as one of the
first widely popular
musicals with an allblack cast. In 1978, a
film adaptation of the
musical was released.
Although it featured
an all-star cast that
included Diana Ross,
Michael Jackson and
Lena Horne, it failed
to gain the same
popularity as the
stage production.
Return to Oz
Wicked
(film, 1985)
(novel, 1995)
A poster for the 1985 film
This 1985 film was inspired by other
books in Baum’s Oz series. Although it
was not a critical or commercial success
at the time of its release, it has gained a
cult following because of its quirky story
and visual effects.
The Muppets’
Wizard of Oz
(television, 2005)
Gregory Maguire’s Wicked
Gregory Maguire’s bestselling novel tells the story
of Oz before Dorothy’s arrival and focuses on the
story of the Wicked Witch of the West—known as
Elphaba. Maguire’s novel is geared towards adult
readers and is the first in his series The Wicked
Years that includes three other novels set in Oz.
In 2003, Maguire’s novel was adapted into a
musical with the shortened title Wicked. Wicked,
with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a
book by Winnie Holzman, opened on Broadway
in October 2003, became an instant hit and is still
running today. The success of the musical has led
to productions around the country and the world.
This musical produced for television put a new spin on
Baum’s story, with favorite Muppet characters playing many
of the story’s iconic roles. Miss Piggy, for example, played all
of the witches.
An ad for The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz
OZ 2.5 • South Coast Repertory • 9
Part II: Classroom Activities
BEFORE THE SHOW
1. Introduce L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful
Wizard of Oz to the students. Read excerpts
from the novel aloud during class.
• Ask the students to identify some of the
novel’s major themes.
• Ask the students to identify different traits
found in the characters whom Dorothy
encounters in the Land of Oz.
2. Discuss the concept of home with the students.
• What does home mean to them?
• Ask them to give examples of other homes
from books, movies, television or even
theatre. What were those homes like?
3. Both Dorothy in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
and Dee in OZ 2.5 take long journeys. Talk
about the role of journeys in works of fiction.
• Ask the students to identify other
stories in which the main character
takes a long journey. What did those
journeys teach those characters?
Why are journeys so common in
stories?
4. Ask the students to think about
a journey they’d like to take. If
they could go anywhere (real or
imaginary), where would they go?
• Have the students write
short stories about a day in
that place.
5. Discuss adapting an older work of
fiction and setting it in modern day.
• Ask the students to think of
other modern adaptations of
older stories.
• Ask the students to think of
an old story that they like and
to write an adaptation of it
that’s set today. What would
change in the story? What
would stay the same?
The Lion costume design by Sara Ryung Clement
10 • South Coast Repertory • OZ 2.5
Gaming Safety Tips
Like many people her age, Dee likes to
play games online. The internet is a fun and
informative tool, but it’s also important to
practice online safety.
Have a discussion with the students about
online safety. Here are a few tips to get started:
1. Always use a strong password for
your online gaming accounts.
2. If another player is making you feel
uncomfortable, tell a parent or guardian
immediately.
3. Learn how to block and/or report
another player if they’re making you
uncomfortable.
4. Never reveal your real name,
location, age or any other
personal information to other
online gamers.
5. Don’t meet a stranger
from your gaming world
in person. People aren’t
always who they say they
are.
6. Be aware that what you
post or share on the internet
can be viewed by many people
whom you don’t know.
What other safety tips can the
students think of? Continue
having a dialogue
about online safety.
For more resources,
visit https://www.
staysafeonline.org/
The Linnaean System of Classification
The Tin Man in OZ 2.5 loves to
classify things using binomial
nomenclature. Eighteenthcentury Swedish scientist Carl
Linnaeus is credited with creating
the system that identifies,
species using different categories
that get progressively narrower
until arriving at the “Latin name”
(genus and species).
For example, here’s the classification of a lion:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Kingdom: Animalia (animals)
Phylum: Chordata (vertebrate animals)
Class: Mammalia (mammals)
Order: Carnivora (meat eaters)
Family: Felidae (all cats)
Genus: Panthera (great cats)
Species: Leo (lions)
With this information,
we know that a lion’s Latin name is Panthera Leo!
Talk to the students more about binomial nomenclature. Have them research
the different groups and then have them classify their favorite animal.
OZ 2.5 • South Coast Repertory • 11
words, words, words!
Match these words with their definition and then listen for them during the performance.
1. ______ Tornado
2. ______ Prairie
3. ______ Sorghum
4. ______ Realm
5. ______ Coward
6. ______ Graphics
7. ______ Upgrade
8. ______ Charlatan
9. ______ Concussion
10. ______ Antelope
11. ______ Cellar
12. ______ Choreography
13. ______ Vital signs (“vitals”)
A. A large area of grasses and shrubs
B. These measure the body’s basic functions to assess the health of a
living being
C. A room that is wholly or partially underground and often beneath a
building
D. A very destructive windstorm that forms a funnel-shaped cloud
E. An artistic representation of something often used for illustration
F. A type of grass with a grain that is often used to make sweetener
G. A mammal with long legs and long, hollow horns
H. The art of composing or arranging dances
I. When referring to electronics, this means replacing the hardware or
software with a newer, better version
J. One who pretends to have a skill or expertise in order to deceive others
K. A kingdom or special place
L. An injury to the brain resulting from a heavy blow or fall
M. One who lacks the bravery to face danger or difficulty
Answer key: 1D, 2A, 3F, 4K, 5M, 6E, 7I, 8J, 9L, 10G, 11C, 12H, 13B
word search
Try to find the following
vocabulary words in the
word search! (Words can
be written horizontally,
vertically or even
diagonally—but not
backwards.)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Tornado
Prairie
Realm
Coward
Graphics
Upgrade
Concussion
Antelope
Cellar
Choreography
12 • South Coast Repertory • OZ 2.5
UKQHGAOE J KNT
PC G E A I F W I J C O
GOY RBNR PWSNR
RW T O A A T K V O F N
AALRLPPE IMFA
DRS LEFHS LAZD
EDE EHA S I UOKO
KCAMMU LMC T P L
OY B G C A W M Z S D E
JKUNPRAIRIEC
CHOR EOGRAPHY
TC V K J J R S B P R Q
AFTER THE SHOW
Hold a class discussion when you return from the
performance, and ask the students about their
experience attending live theatre.
1. What was the first thing you noticed about the
theatre? What did it look like?
2. Discuss the design and technical elements of
the production—the set, the costumes, the
lighting and the sound. Ask the students what
they liked best and why. How did the creative
team bring the virtual world to life?
3. Was there anything surprising about the way the
play was performed? Was the story told in the
same way that you predicted it would be?
4. How is watching a live performance different
from watching television or a movie? How does
your experience change when you know that
the story is being performed live and that the
actors can see and hear you?
DISCUSSION ABOUT THE PLAY
Now discuss the content of the play with the
students.
1. What was the funniest moment in the play?
What was the most exciting? What was the
scariest?
Dee? What were his motivations? What lesson
did Dee learn when she discovered his real
identity?
6. At what point in the play did Dee want to return
home? What changed in Dee at the moment?
7. Discuss the changes in the Scarecrow, Tin Man
and Lion. What did Dee teach them about
themselves? And when did they discover it?
What did they teach Dee about friendship?
8. Why did Dee have to leave home to truly
appreciate it?
ACTIVITIES
1. Give the students an opportunity to create their
own variations of the play. Have them write
these variations down, tell them aloud or act
them out with other members from the class.
a. Tell the story from a different character’s
point of view.
b. What would happen to Dee if she lost
her last life in the game?
c. What other characters could Dee have
met along her way? Write a new scene
for the play in which Dee meets another
character in Oz.
d. What happens after the last scene in the
play?
2. What was the biggest surprise of Dee’s journey
through Oz?
2. Where didn’t Dee go in Oz? Have the students
illustrate the set design for a new Realm in Oz.
3. Who was your favorite character and why?
3. OZ 2.5 is an online game based on a famous
book. Have the students work in groups to
design a game based on a different famous
book. What kind of game would it be? What
would the player’s goal be? What are the rules?
4. How did Oz look different from Kansas?
5. Discuss the character of TOTO_
BALLERSHOTCALLER14. Why was he tricking
LETTERS OF THANKS
G
ive the students the opportunity to write letters
of thanks to SCR describing the most memorable aspects of attending a performance of OZ 2.5,
and what they enjoyed most about their visit to SCR.
South Coast Repertory
Attn: TYA
PO Box 2197
Costa Mesa, CA 92628-2197
OZ 2.5 • South Coast Repertory • 13
Part III: At The Theatre
WELCOME TO THE
ARGYROS
Julianne Argyros Stage
T
he 336-seat Julianne Argyros
Stage opened in 2002 and we
are delighted that thousands of
Orange County school children fill this
state-of-the-art facility each season to
enjoy our Theatre for Young Audiences
productions. The Argyros is a proscenium
theatre designed to provide audiences
a feeling of intimacy, with no seat more
than 39 feet from the stage.
THEATRE ETIQUETTE
T
heatre is an art form that depends
on both the artists and the
audience. A performance is influenced by
an audience, just as an audience is influenced by a
performance. The artists and staff of South Coast
Repertory are creating a special new world for you
to visit. When you walk into the theatre, you will feel
that behind the curtain lies the secret of that new
world that is about to come to life before your eyes.
Sometimes it’s so exciting, you can barely hold still.
But remember that once the play begins, you have a
very important job to do. Everybody in the theatre is
a part of the play. You are connected to all the other
people in the audience, as well as to the actors on
the stage. Remember, you’re all in the same room.
They can SEE you, HEAR you, and FEEL you, just as
you can SEE, HEAR, and FEEL them. Your attention,
involvement, responses, and imagination are a real
part of each and every performance. The play can
actually be made better because of you!
STUDENT TIPS FOR THEATRE
TRIPS
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Stay with your group at all times and pay attention
to your teachers and chaperones.
Listen carefully to the SCR staff member who will
board your bus with last-minute tips.
Take your seat in the theatre before going to the
bathroom or getting a drink of water.
14 • South Coast Repertory • OZ 2.5
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•
•
•
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•
Make yourself comfortable while keeping
movement to a minimum.
Do not stand up, walk around or put your feet on
the seat in front of you.
Absolutely no chewing gum, eating or drinking in
the building.
No backpacks, cameras or electronic devices are
permitted in the theatre.
Feel free to talk quietly in your seats before the
show.
Show your appreciation by clapping for the actors
at the end of the play.
After the lights come back up, wait for the ushers
to escort your group out of the theatre.
PROGRAMS
E
veryone who attends a Theatre for Young
Audiences performance at SCR receives a
program, also called a playbill. Patrons at
weekend public performances receive their programs
from the ushers upon entering the theatre. At the
conclusion of each weekday matinee, teachers will
be given programs for their students which can be
distributed back in the classroom. In addition to
the customary information about the play and the
players, the program contains features and activities
that students will have fun working on after the show,
either in class or at home on their own.
Part IV: Education Station
1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION
Sol Castillo and Guilford Adams in
South Coast Repertory’s 2008 Theatre
for Young Audiences production of
Charlotte’s Web
Processing, Analyzing, and Responding to Sensory
Information Through the Language and Skills Unique
to Theatre
Students observe their environment and respond,
using the elements of theatre. They also observe
formal and informal works of theatre, film/video, and
electronic media and respond, using the vocabulary of
theatre.
Development of the Vocabulary of Theatre
1.1 Use the vocabulary of theatre, such as plot,
conflict, climax, resolution, tone, objectives,
motivation, and stock characters, to describe
theatrical experiences.
Comprehension and Analysis of the Elements of
Theatre
1.2 Identify a character’s objectives and motivations
to explain that character’s behavior.
1.3 Demonstrate how voice (diction, pace, and
volume) may be used to explore multiple
possibilities for a live reading. Examples: I want
you to go. I want you to go. I want you to go.
2.0 CREATIVE EXPRESSION
Creating, Performing, and Participating in Theatre
Students apply processes and skills in acting,
directing, designing, and script writing to create
formal and informal theatre, film/videos, and
electronic media productions and to perform in them.
Development of Theatrical Skills
masks to communicate a character in formal or
informal performances.
3.0 HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL
CONTEXT
Understanding the Historical Contributions and
Cultural Dimensions of Theatre
Students analyze the role and development of theatre,
film/video, and electronic media in past and present
cultures throughout the world, noting diversity as it
relates to theatre.
Role and Cultural Significance of Theatre
3.1 Identify theatrical or storytelling traditions in the
cultures of ethnic groups throughout the history
of California.
History of Theatre
2.1 Demonstrate the emotional traits of a character
through gesture and action.
3.2 Recognize key developments in the
entertainment industry in California, such as the
introduction of silent movies, animation, radio
and television broadcasting, and interactive
video.
Creation/Invention in Theatre
4.0 AESTHETIC VALUING
2.2 Retell or improvise stories from classroom
literature in a variety of tones (gossipy, sorrowful,
comic, frightened, joyful, sarcastic).
2.3 Design or create costumes, props, makeup, or
Responding to, Analyzing, and Critiquing Theatrical
Experiences
Students critique and derive meaning from works of
theatre, film/video, electronic media, and theatrical
OZ 2.5 • South Coast Repertory • 15
artists on the basis of aesthetic qualities.
Critical Assessment of Theatre
Film/Video, and Electronic Media to Other Art Forms
and Subject Areas and to Careers
4.1 Develop and apply appropriate criteria or
rubrics for critiquing performances as to
characterization, diction, pacing, gesture, and
movement.
Students apply what they learn in theatre, film/video,
and electronic media across subject areas. They
develop competencies and creative skills in problem
solving, communication, and time management that
contribute to lifelong learning and career skills. They
also learn about careers in and related to theatre.
4.2 Compare and contrast the impact on the
audience of theatre, film, television, radio, and
other media.
Connections and Applications
Derivation of Meaning from Works of Theatre
5.1 Dramatize events in California history.
4.3 Describe students responses to a work of theatre
and explain what the scriptwriter did to elicit
those responses.
5.2 Use improvisation and dramatization to explore
concepts in other content areas.
5.0 CONNECTIONS,
RELATIONSHIPS, APPLICATIONS
Connecting and Applying What Is Learned in Theatre,
basic theatre vocabulary
Acting The process by which an individual interprets
and performs the role of an imagined character.
Action The core of a theatre piece; the sense of
forward movement created by the sequence
of events and the physical and psychological
motivations of characters.
Ad-Lib To improvise stage business or dialogue; to
make it up as you go along.
Apron The area of the stage that extends toward the
audience, in front of the main curtain.
Backstage The space behind the acting area, unseen
by the audience.
Balcony An upper floor of seats projecting out over
the main seating area of a theatre.
Blocking The movement and stage business,
designed by the director and performed by the
actors.
Boxes Seats separated from the main seating area
located on the upper level near the stage.
Box Office A windowed space at the front of the
16 • South Coast Repertory • OZ 2.5
Careers and Career-Related Skills
5.3 Exhibit team identity and commitment to
purpose when participating in theatrical
experiences.
theatre building where tickets are sold.
Business Any action performed on stage.
Character The role played by an actor as she or he
assumes another’s identity.
Choreography The art of creating and arranging
dances onstage.
Conflict The problem or incident that creates the
action and is resolved by the end of the play.
Costume The carefully selected or specially designed
clothing worn by the actors.
Cross The actor’s movement from one stage location
to another.
Cue The last words or action of an actor immediately
preceding the lines or business of another actor.
Dialogue The stage conversation between characters.
Diction The clarity with which words are pronounced.
Director The person who oversees the entire process
of staging a theatrical production.
Downstage The part of the stage closest to the
audience. At one time stages were raked, or
sloped, with the lower (“down”) part closest to
the audience, and the higher (“up”) part further
Actors in South Coast Repertory’s
2013 Theatre for Young Audiences
production of Ivy+Bean
away.
Ensemble A cast of actors working together
effectively to present a theatrical performance.
Flats Canvas or wood-covered frames that are used
for the walls of a stage setting.
Green Room A room near the stage where actors
await entrance cues and receive guests. The
room’s name comes from Elizabethan times,
when actors waited on a real “green” (or patch of
grass).
Improvisation The spontaneous use of movement
and speech, made up by an actor to create a
character.
Lobby The public waiting area outside the theatre
space.
Mezzanine Lower level seating area beneath the
balcony overhang.
Monologue A solo speech during which the
character reveals personal thoughts.
Narrator A character who tells the story of the play
directly to the audience.
Orchestra Lower level seating area immediately in
front of the stage.
“Places” Direction given by the Stage Manager for
actors to be in position before each act begins
Plot The “what happens” in a story: beginning (the
setting, characters, and problem); middle (how
the characters work to solve the problem); and
the ending (resolution of the problem).
Project To speak loudly so the entire audience can
hear you.
Props All the stage furnishings, including furniture,
that are physically used by the actors.
Proscenium Stage A traditional theatre with the
audience seated in front of a proscenium arch
framing the stage. SCR’s Argyros Stage is a
proscenium stage.
Run Length of time the play will be presented (i.e
two weeks, two months, two years).
Script The text of the play, including dialogue and
stage directions, all written by the playwright.
Set All of the scenery that makes up the physical
environment of the world of the play.
Stagecraft The knowledge and skills required to
create the physical aspects of a production; i.e.,
scenery, lighting, costumes, props and recorded
sound and music.
Stage Left That part of the stage to the actor’s left
when the actor faces the audience.
Stage Manager The person who supervises the
physical production of a play and who is in
charge of the stage during the performance.
Stage Right That part of the stage to the actor’s right
when the actor faces the audience.
Strike Dismantling the set, costumes and props at
the end of the run of a show.
Theme The central thought, idea, or significance of
the action of a play.
Upstage The area of the stage farthest way from the
audience and nearest to the back wall.
OZ 2.5 • South Coast Repertory • 17
Part V: Resources
More information on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
A short documentary about the inspiration behind The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and the 1939 film adaptation:
http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/videos/the-origins-of-oz/20458
The full text online: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/55/55-h/55-h.htm
More about Author L. Frank Baum
Biography.com: http://www.biography.com/people/frank-baum-9202328
Other complete texts by L. Frank Baum: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/42
“Frank Baum, the Man Behind the Curtain” from Smithsonian.com:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/frank-baum-the-man-behind-the-curtain-32476330/?no-ist=&page=1
More about Online Safety
National Cyber Security Alliance: https://www.staysafeonline.org/
Internet Safety Tips for Kids and Teens: http://www.nationalcac.org/prevention/internet-safety-kids.html
More about the Linnaean System
An overview of the Linnaean classification system:
http://www.ck12.org/biology/Linnaean-Classification/lesson/Linnaean-Classification/?referrer=concept_details
A quick overview of classification:
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/categorizing-mother-nature-the-linnaean-taxonomic-.html
18 • South Coast Repertory • OZ 2.5