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1 The Gift Of the Magi About A.C.T. For Youth About A.C.T. For Youth About A.C.

1 The Gift Of the Magi About A.C.T. For Youth About A.C.T. For Youth About A.C.T. For Youth About A.C.T. For Youth Since, 1999 the Atlantic Coast Theatre For Youth has been enlightening audiences across the United States with its entertaining and educational live theatre productions and workshop programs. The Atlantic Coast Theatre For Youth is a professional touring theatre company, based in Orlando, FL. Check out our website to discover more! O. HENRY (1862-1910) William Sydney Porter was born in Greens- boro, NC. His first book was published under the pen name O. Henry in 1904. Although his fame grew, he died in poverty. Since his death, O. Henry’s stories have been read and cherished all over the world. The Gift Of The Magi is one of his most famous and beloved stories. This treasured holiday tale of love, the spirit of giving, and sacrifice has been the subject of many movies, books, television specials, and even cartoons. Perhaps its huge popularity comes from the fact that the story touches the heart of all people– we can all relate in some way to the char- acters. Each of us may celebrate our holidays in different ways and with different traditions, but we can all understand that the greatest ‘gift’ we can give anyone is the love and kindness within ourselves. In A.C.T. For Youth’s production, which is set in New York City in the year 1906, Jim and Della are Irish Immigrants. This means that they traveled from their home in Ireland to build a new life in America. A devastating thing happened in Ireland in1845…the Potato Blight- A fungus that killed most of the crops of potatoes in Ireland and caused starvation and ruin for a great many people who lived there. A huge number of Irish families had no choice but to move from their homeland to find a new life in the United States. Between the years 1820 and 1860, over one-third of all of the immigrants in America were Irish. Life was very hard for the Irish Immigrants when they got to America. Many people had to take low paying jobs and live in poor neighborhoods. Because of the Irish Immigrants’ hard work and influence in our nation– later generations of Irish–Americans were able to do great things—-including becoming President of the United States (John F. Kennedy)! In the play, you will hear the actors use Irish accents. 2 VOCABULARY WORDS HERE ARE A FEW WORDS YOU MIGHT WANT TO BE FAMILIAR WITH Wassail– A heated drink made from apples, spices, and sugar often served in England Financial Prosperity- To become successful with money Head Man- A supervisor of a workplace Adversary- An enemy or foe Splurge- To spend a large amount of money on buying a luxury good Depreciate- To lose value over time Flat- Another term for an apartment WHAT ARE THE ABOVE ITEMS? WHAT ARE THEY USED FOR? GIVE SOME EXAMPLES OF MODERN ITEMS THAT SERVE THE SAME PURPOSE. 3 Before The Show Activities 1. You will be seeing a live play. Discuss the differences between plays and television or movies. How should audience members behave at a play? 2. This play is set at the turn-of-the century in America. How were people’s lives different back then? How did their clothes look compared to our modern clothing today? 3. Our main characters, Jim and Della are Irish Immigrants. Discuss how difficult life was for immigrants who came to America. Explore your own family tree. Where are your ancestors from? 4. As a class compare and contrast your holiday traditions with each other. Talk about gift- giving for holidays, birthdays, and special occasions. Recall times in your own life where you have been excited to give a special present to someone you care about. Do you think it is better to get presents or give them? Why? After The Show Activities 1. Caroling, sometimes called “Wassailing”, is a fun way to celebrate the holidays. Go as a class to other classrooms or to the office, and spread some holiday cheer by singing holiday songs! 2. Jim and Della have had some money problems, but they still try to make the holidays nice. Write about a holiday where you and your family had to make a problem better. 3. Before there was television, radio, video games, and computers, people found other ways to entertain themselves. Jim and Della sing and read to each other. Discuss your favorite stories or books. Actively read the story– like Jim did with The Three Musketeers. Also, think about other activities people could have done for fun at the turn of the century. 4. Read O. Henry’s short story, The Gift Of The Magi. The play you saw was an adaptation of the story. The playwright used the story as a foundation to help his imagination create the rest of the play. What things were the same in both the play and the story? What things were different? Try reading some of your favorite stories and writing an adaptation for the stage. 5. When Della gets her hair cut she is very sad, but she is also happy that she will have the money to buy Jim a chain for his pocket watch. Sometimes life is like that. You can be sad and happy at the same time. Write a poem or draw a picture about a time where you were both happy and sad. 6. Jim and Della sell the greatest possessions that they own so that they can buy a gift for each other. What is your most prized possession? Why do you treasure that item so much? Who do you love so dearly that you would give up that special thing for? 7. The actors love to receive letters from the audience– students and teachers. Tell us what you liked! Draw us pictures. How did the play make you feel? You can send your letters and pictures to us at: Atlantic Coast Theatre For Youth 8297 Champions Gate Blvd. #188 Champions Gate, FL 33896 www.atlantic-coast-theatre.com 4 The Gift Of The Magi National Standards: Kindergarten – 4th Grade (By participating in the Study Guide activities, watching the performance, and encouraging classroom discussion of the play, your students can meet aspects of several National Education Standards) NA-T.K-4.6 COMPARING AND CONNECTING ART FORMS BY DESCRIBING THEATRE, DRAMATIC MEDIA, AND OTHER ART FORMS • Students describe visual, aural, oral, and kinetic elements in theatre, dramatic media, dance, music, and visual arts • Students compare how ideas and emotions are expressed in theatre, dramatic media, dance, music, and visual arts NA-T.K-4.7 ANALYZING AND EXPLAINING PERSONAL PREFERENCES AND CONSTRUCTING MEANINGS FROM CLASSROOM DRAMATIZATIONS AND FROM THEATRE, FILM, TELEVISION, AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA PRODUCTIONS • Students explain how the wants and needs of characters are similar to and different from their own • Students articulate emotional responses to and explain personal preferences about the whole as well as the parts of dramatic performances NA-T.K-4.8 UNDERSTANDING CONTEXT BY RECOGNIZING THE ROLE OF THEATRE, FILM, TELE- VISION, AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA IN DAILY LIFE • Students identify and compare similar characters and situations in stories and dramas from and about various cultures, illustrate with classroom dramatizations, and discuss how theatre reflects life • Students identify and compare the various settings and reasons for creating dramas and attending theatre, film, television, and electronic media productions NA-M.K-4.9 UNDERSTANDING MUSIC IN RELATION TO HISTORY AND CULTURE • Students demonstrate audience behavior appropriate for the context and style of music performed NSS-USH.K-4.1 LIVING AND WORKING TOGETHER IN FAMILIES AND COMMUNITITES, NOW AND LONG AGO • Understands family life now and in the past, and family life in various places long ago NSS-USH.K-4.4 THE HISTORY OF PEOPLES OF MANY CULTURES AROUND THE WORLD • Era 7: The Emergence Of Modern America NL-ENG.K-12.2 UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions of human experience 5 The Gift Of The Magi National Standards: 5th – 8th Grades (By participating in the Study Guide activities, watching the performance, and encouraging classroom discussion of the play your students can meet aspects of several National Education Standards) NA-T.5-8.6 COMPARING AND CONNECTING ART FORMS BY DESCRIBING THEATRE, DRAMATIC MEDIA, AND OTHER ART FORMS • Students describe characteristics and compare the presentation of characters, environments, and actions in theatre, musical theatre, dramatic media, dance, and visual arts • Students express and compare personal reactions to several art forms • Students describe and compare the functions and interaction of performing and visual artists and audience members in theatre, dramatic media, musical theatre, dance, music, and visual arts NA-T.5-8.7 ANAYZING AND EXPLAINING PERSONAL PREFERENCES AND CONSTRUCTING MEANINGS FROM CLASSROOM DRAMATIZATIONS AND FROM THEATRE, FILM, TELEVISION, AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA PRODUCTIONS • Students describe and analyze the effect for publicity, study guides, programs, and physical environments on audience response and appreciation of dramatic performances NA-T.5-8.8 UNDERSTANDING CONTEXT BY RECOGNIZING THE ROLE OF THEATRE, FILM, TELEVISION, AND uploads/Management/ gift-of-the-magi-study-guide.pdf