5.1: Getting Started - The Known
The first thing I ask students when devising a piece of theatre from scratch is: “What are our knowns?” “What solid information do we have right now?”
- We know that this play will be our children’s theatre play for next year.
- We know we are telling the origin story of the character, Scarecrow, from the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz .
- We know that the only information about the origins of the Scarecrow come from a few paragraphs found in the chapter, Road Through the Forest , found in the book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz .
- We know that the play will be performed in front an audience of children ranging in grades from Kindergarten to 8th.
- We know that the play can only run from 45 minutes to an hour in length.
- We know that we will have two performances a day every Tuesday and Thursday one at 10:00am and the second at 12:30pm.
- We know that we will have three Saturday matinee performances.
Below is an expert from the chapter, Road Through the Forest , from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum
The Scarecrow looked at her reproachfully, and answered:
"My life has been so short that I really know nothing whatever. I was only made day before yesterday. What happened in the world before that time is all unknown to me. Luckily, when the farmer made my head, one of the first things he did was to paint my ears, so that I heard what was going on. There was another Munchkin with him, and the first thing I heard was the farmer saying, 'How do you like those ears?'
"'They aren't straight,'" answered the other.
"'Never mind,'" said the farmer. "'They are ears just the same,'" which was true enough. "'Now I'll make the eyes,'" said the farmer. So he painted my right eye, and as soon as it was finished I found myself looking at him and at everything around me with a great deal of curiosity, for this was my first glimpse of the world.
"'That's a rather pretty eye,'" remarked the Munchkin who was watching the farmer. "'Blue paint is just the color for eyes.'
"'I think I'll make the other a little bigger,'" said the farmer. And when the second eye was done I could see much better than before. Then he made my nose and my mouth. But I did not speak, because at that time I didn't know what a mouth was for. I had the fun of watching them make my body and my arms and legs; and when they fastened on my head, at last, I felt very proud, for I thought I was just as good a man as anyone.
"'This fellow will scare the crows fast enough,' said the farmer. 'He looks just like a man.'
"'Why, he is a man,' said the other, and I quite agreed with him. The farmer carried me under his arm to the cornfield, and set me up on a tall stick, where you found me. He and his friend soon after walked away and left me alone.
"I did not like to be deserted this way. So I tried to walk after them. But my feet would not touch the ground, and I was forced to stay on that pole. It was a lonely life to lead, for I had nothing to think of, having been made such a little while before. Many crows and other birds flew into the cornfield, but as soon as they saw me they flew away again, thinking I was a Munchkin; and this pleased me and made me feel that I was quite an important person. By and by an old crow flew near me, and after looking at me carefully he perched upon my shoulder and said:
"'I wonder if that farmer thought to fool me in this clumsy manner. Any crow of sense could see that you are only stuffed with straw.' Then he hopped down at my feet and ate all the corn he wanted. The other birds, seeing he was not harmed by me, came to eat the corn too, so in a short time there was a great flock of them about me.
"I felt sad at this, for it showed I was not such a good Scarecrow after all; but the old crow comforted me, saying, 'If you only had brains in your head you would be as good a man as any of them, and a better man than some of them. Brains are the only things worth having in this world, no matter whether one is a crow or a man.'
"After the crows had gone I thought this over, and decided I would try hard to get some brains. By good luck you came along and pulled me off the stake, and from what you say I am sure the Great Oz will give me brains as soon as we get to the Emerald City."
"I hope so," said Dorothy earnestly, "since you seem anxious to have them."
"Oh, yes; I am anxious," returned the Scarecrow. "It is such an uncomfortable feeling to know one is a fool."
"Well," said the girl, "let us go." And she handed the basket to the Scarecrow.
It is through the use of this text and other excerpts from other “Oz” books that we will create the foundation of our play.
Once our students received a copy of the book, we go through it with a fine-toothed comb looking for clues within the text that will ultimately inform the structure of our story. This happens again by asking the question what are the knowns in regards to the origin of the Scarecrow found in the text? As we go through the text this “known” information is written down.
Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): The use of a white board is very helpful as place to take notes as the ensemble discussions and debates information.
We know:
- The play takes place in the land of Oz, more specifically Munchkin Country.
- The action takes place on a corn farm.
- A farmer builds the Scarecrow.
- The Farmer is a Munchkin.
- The Farmer grows corn.
- The Farmer does not like crows. He sees them as pests.
- The Farmer thinks this new Scarecrow will scare away crows.
- An unknown Munchkin comments on the building of the Scarecrow.
- The Scarecrow knows that he is being built as he is being built.
- The Scarecrow is only a day and a half old.
- Crows are not scared of the Scarecrow.
- The Scarecrow is afraid of fire.
- The Scarecrow’s clothes are colored blue, the favorite color of the Munchkins.
- The Scarecrow is never hungry.
- The Scarecrow never sleeps.
- The Scarecrow can see in the dark.
- At first, the Scarecrow did not know what a mouth is used for.
- The Scarecrow is nice, lonely and naive.
- The Scarecrow thinks that he is a fool.
- The Scarecrow is hung a post.
- The Farmer disappears
- The unknown Munchkin disappears.
- The Farmer wears blue clothes.
- The Scarecrow has a pointed hat.
- The Scarecrow does not walk very well. He stumbles a lot.
- There is an Old Crow that is antagonistic towards the Scarecrow.
- The Old Crow is wise but insulting.
All of this information was found within the few paragraphs from the chapter, Road Through the Forest. This list may seem long but it is incomplete for the sake of this article. You would be amazed at how much information you can pull out of a piece of text when you dig deep enough. Fill