Where were you born? Hawai’i, born and raised. Where did you go to school? I went to Kanoelani Elementary and I loved it! I loved...
CAST
GERALD
Nathaniel Niemi
PIGGIE
Maki’ilei Ishihara
SQUIRRELLES
Christina Uyeno
Claire Fallon
Susan Hawes
MUSICIAN
Sean-Joseph Choo
CREATIVE TEAM
BASED ON THE Elephant & Piggie BOOKS BY
Mo Williams
SCRIPT AND LYRICS
Mo Williams
MUSIC
Deborah Wicks La Puma
DIRECTOR
Eric Johnson
CHOREOGRAPHER
Ligaya Stice
SCENIC, COSTUME, AND PROPS DESIGN
Joseph Dodd
COSTUME CONSTRUCTION
Iris Kim
LIGHTING DESIGN/STAGE MANAGER
Brian Gilhooly
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Sean-Joseph Choo
SOUND DESIGNER
Matthew Mazzella
STUDY GUIDE BY
Daniel A. Kelin, II
Introduction
Who doesn’t love Mo Willems’ humor, wit and insight into the lives, hopes and dreams of young people. This musical cleverly combines the plots of several of the most popular Elephant and Piggie books and serves it up in an homage to musical theatre itself. We hope you will find this study guide filled with fun activities and ideas you can use in your classroom and hope you will take a moment to introduce your students to the two unique protagonists prior to the performance. We also hope your classroom is filled with laughter, reading, singing and friendship long after you join us in the theatre!
Synopsis
The play is a combination of six Elephant and Piggie books
- I Am Invited to a Party!
- Listen to My Trumpet!
- I Am Going!
- Should I Share My Ice Cream?
- I Love My New Toy!
- We Are in a Book!
An elephant named Gerald and a pig named Piggie are best, best, “bestus” friends. But Gerald worries that something could go wrong that would end their friendship. Piggie is not worried at all. She’s even happier and more excited than usual. That’s because she and Gerald are invited to a party hosted by the Squirrelles, three singing squirrels who love to have a good time. And, so begins a day when anything is possible. Gerald and Piggie will solve problems together, sing and dance, make each other laugh, share their favorite things, get mad and sad with each other, and even teach the audience the “Flippy Floppy Floory” dance!
Standards
Click here to get the HDOE Standards.
Resources
Click here to see all the resources for this play.
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Activities
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Meet the Actor – Nathaniel E & P
Where were you born? I was born in a suburb of Chicago. I quickly moved to Michigan and am very much a midwest boy at...

Pre-Show Discussion
Below are some questions related to the themes and action of the play. Imagination ▪ Who likes to pretend? What do you like to pretend?...

Welcome to Theatre Exploring Characters
Mo Willems has created some lovely characters in his many books. Read one or more of his books and guide your students to imagine themselves...

A Story of Friendship
During a story time, consider guiding your children to create an original friendship story. Prepare them by asking about friends, what friends do together, and...

Welcome to Theatre Costumes and Characters
Prepare boxes of miscellaneous items of clothing and accessories. Assign each box of props a theme such as “a day at the beach” or “first...

New Friend
Who could be Elephant and Piggie’s new friend? Write about the new friend. Elephant and Piggie’s New Friend Elephant and Piggie’s new friend’s name is...

Cardboard Tube Elephant & Piggie!
Create cardboard tube Elephant and Piggie and use them as puppets to act out the books. It’s a great way to make reading even more...
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Partners
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