Sample Activities / Learning Standards

Downloadable Production Guide (.pdf)

In Brief

This lighthearted story is of a sad and lonely prince who wants very much to marry a princess and his overbearing mother, the Queen, who will stop at nothing to keep that from happening. To appease her son, the Queen agrees to interview princesses, but insists they pass a series of tests. Knowing that only a perfect princess will pass her tests, the Queen is certain that no such princess exists. One day, when a fair and pure princess named Velvet enters the castle, the Queen fears her efforts to keep her son a bachelor may prove useless. The Queen's assistant, Mezzatino, is desperate to make the Queen see that tricking the princess is not fair, but the Queen insists. The Queen soon learns, however, that that the honest and true princess is indeed a good match for her son and she embraces the addition to her family. This tale is told in the style of Commedia D’ell Arte, an Italian style of theater popular from the fourteenth to the eighteenth centuries. Commedia D’ell Arte means ‘Comedy of Art’ or ‘Comedy of the Profession’ and consisted

of a troupe of actors who use improvisation to tell a story. The actors would know their roles and the general outline of the story, but each actor was free to embellish their role as they desired. Many of the characters found in these plays were stock characters; they appeared in every show and had certain characteristics which identified them. These characters very often used physical comedy to engage and entertain the audience.

Teacher Comments

From 2004-05's Once Upon A Wolf

“ This play was a great addition to our discussions regarding character education. It gave us something to think about.”
- P. Roy, J.E. Lanigan, Fulton City Schools

“ In our very rural area, few children have an opportunity to see a theatre production with the family. I hope you continue the excellent quality as well as continue visiting our school. This may be old to you, but it's something many children do not experience in modern society with the age of computers and the very poor quality of movies and TV programs lately. Keep it up!”
- P.Danaher, Wellsville Elementary, Wellsville CSD