MERMAID THEATRE OF NOVA SCOTIA GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU I LOVE MY LITTLE STORYBOOK RELAXED PERFORMANCES SOCIAL STORY
2 I am going to State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick to see a play! The play is called Guess How Much I Love You and I Love My Little Storybook.
3 The play will have two different stories about rabbits. I will see other kinds of animals in the play.
4 All of the animals in the play will be puppets. The puppets are so cute! I will see two people holding the puppets. They will make the puppets hop, stretch, fly, and do other things.
5 I will be going to the show with We will have a lot of fun!
6 I will go to the theater in a car or on a school bus. I will get out of the car or bus in front of the theater. Or I will park nearby and walk to the theater.
7 If I go to the show on a bus, I will wait quietly until it s time to go into the theater.
8 I will go into the theater. I will be in the lobby. A helper called an usher will tell me where to go next. The usher will show me where to sit.
9 There will be a lot of people at the theater. I must stay with my parent or teacher so I don t get lost.
10 There are a lot of seats in the theater! My seat might be downstairs. My seat might be upstairs. Upstairs is called the balcony. I will walk up the stairs if my seat is in the balcony.
11 There are bathrooms downstairs that I can use if I need to. LADIES ROOM MEN S ROOM There are also bathrooms upstairs I can use.
12 If I get scared or things are too loud, I can cover my ears, use my ipad or my headphones, or squeeze a toy. Or I can take a break in a quiet room where I can sit, color, or do something else.
13 I will wait quietly in my seat for the show to start. When the show is ready to start, the lights will get a little darker. But not too dark. When the show starts, I will stay in my seat and watch the show.
14 When the show starts, I will hear music. I will hear a voice say the name of the first story. It is called I Love My Little Storybook. Then I will see two actors holding butterfly puppets on sticks. They look like shadows!
15 Then I will see a little rabbit with a book. He loves his book! The book is about a magic forest. This is what the forest looks like.
16 The rabbit will meet different animals in the forest. a flying rat a bird a frog prince an elephant a friendly lion
17 Then the stage will get a little darker. But not too dark. I will see two little rabbits with wings. Rabbits can t really fly! The little rabbits will lift the big rabbit up in the air.
18 Then I will see the rabbit and other animals swim in a lake. It is not a real lake. Then I will see a giant s foot. I will hear the giant s footsteps. It is a loud sound, but not too loud.
19 Then I will see a unicorn. It looks like a horse with a horn on its head! Then I will see a frog prince kiss a sleeping princess. When he kisses her, she will wake up.
20 Then the princess and the animals will have a party! Then the rabbit will be very tired. He will go to sleep. This is the end of the first story.
21 Then I will hear a voice say the name of the next story. It is called Guess How Much I Love You. The story is about Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare.
22 Little Nutbrown Hare will stretch out his arms. He will say to Big Nutbrown Hare: I love you THIS much! Then Big Nutbrown Hare will stretch out his arms. He will say to Little Nutbrown Hare: I love you THIS much! Big Nutbrown Hare has much longer arms than Little Nutbrown Hare!
23 Little Nutbrown Hare will stretch his arms way up. He will hop as high as he can. Big Nutbrown Hare will stretch up and jump higher.
24 Then Little Nutbrown Hare will tell Big Nutbrown Hare: I love you right up to the moon! Then Little Nutbrown Hare will go to bed and fall asleep.
25 Then Big Nutbrown Hare will whisper: I love you right up to the moon and back! Then I will see the stage get a little darker.
26 The music will stop playing. The lights will get brighter. Then the actors will bow to the audience. I can clap and cheer.
27 Then the actors will show some of the puppets to the audience. They will tell us about the puppets. Then the actors will leave the stage. The show will be over. I will wait quietly until it is time to go. photo: Nancy Swolensky
28 Then I will go home or back to school. Going to the theater is so much fun! photo: Nancy Swolensky
DO & DISCUSS 29 BEFORE THE SHOW Explain to the children that they will be seeing a play, and that the play has two different stories. If you have copies of the books, read them with the children to help them become familiar with the stories and characters. Explain that the characters in the play will be puppets, and that the puppeteers will be visible to the audience. The puppets will not speak. (There is a pre-recorded voice narrating the story as it goes along.) Discuss what it s like to go to the theater: Have you ever gone to a theater to see a play before? If you have, what was it like? What did you see? What was it like to be a member of the audience? What is the difference between watching a show on TV or a tablet and watching a play onstage at a theater? QUESTIONS FOR AFTER THE SHOW What was your favorite part of the show? Who did the rabbit meet in his storybook? What did they do? Do you have a favorite storybook? What is it? If you could, would you like to meet any of the characters in your book? What would you say to them? How did Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare show that they loved each other? What are some ways that you show love to your friends and family? DRAW WHAT YOU SAW After the show, have children decide what part of the show was their favorite. Have them draw a or paint picture of that scene. You can even have them put themselves into the scene, interacting with the characters. How do you behave differently at the performance of a play in a theater? Why? EDUCATION & OUTREACH SUPPORTERS State Theatre New Jersey s Education & Outreach programs are funded in part by Andersen Corporate Foundation, the Frank & Lydia Bergen Foundation, Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, Colgate-Palmolive, E & G Foundation, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, Ingredion Incorporated, Investors Bank, Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, McCrane Foundation, MetLife Foundation, Plymouth Rock Assurance, PNC Foundation, PSEG Foundation, RBC Wealth Management, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Silver Line Building Products, Victory Worldwide Transportation, Wells Fargo, and others. Additional in-kind support is provided by Cream-O-Land Dairy, La Bonbonniere Bake Shoppe, and Miller s Rentals. Their support is gratefully acknowledged. Special thanks to Maria Arnold at Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, advisor for State Theatre New Jersey s Relaxed Performances. Relaxed Performances made possible in part by Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund. The Thomas and Agnes Carvel Foundation with additional support from Unity Bank Eden Autism is pleased to partner with State Theatre New Jersey to make the thrill of live theater accessible for individuals with autism. OFFICIAL HOTEL OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OFFICIAL AIRLINE Relaxed Performances Social Story 2017 State Theatre New Jersey Find us at www.stnj.org Contact: education@stnj.org State Theatre New Jersey creating extraordinary experiences through the power of live performance.