The Kite Runner Play Guide - Actors Theatre of Louisville
The Kite Runner Play Guide - Actors Theatre of Louisville The Kite Runner Play Guide - Actors Theatre of Louisville
Writing PortfolioPERSONALThe action of The Kite Runner is centeredon Amir’s need to atone for his betrayal ofHassan. Write a personal narrative about atime you failed or wronged a friend. Whatwere the circumstances? Why did you doit? Did you seek forgiveness? What did youlearn from this experience? Now write fromyour friend’s perspective. Try to imaginethe same situation from their point of view.TRANSACTIVEWrite a review of the performance of TheKite Runner that you saw at Actors Theatreof Louisville. Describe what it was like towatch the play, but be sure to write morethan just the plot of the play. Think abouthow the play tells the story. Make theexperience come alive for the reader. Uselots of sensory details when describing theplay’s elements, like the costumes, lights,props, and music. Also consider how theactors delivered their lines, and how thedirector realized the vision of the play. Letthe reader decide for themselves if the playis worth seeing.LITERARYThe Kite Runner is a work of fiction thatreferences actual historical events, likethe Soviet occupation of Afghanistan andthe rise of the Taliban. Research a majorpolitical upheaval and/or war and write afictional short story that heavily features themain characters and plot pointsDiscussion QuestionsPre-Show Questions1. The Kite Runner is an adaptation of a novel. Can you thinkof other works that have been adapted from a book into a stageor film production? What about movies that have become plays?Why do you think it happens so often? What are the challenges ofadaptation? What other books or movies do you think would makea good play? Which ones do you think would not translate verywell on stage?2. In The Kite Runner, the fact that Amir and Hassan are ofdifferent ethnic and religious backgrounds (Pashtun Sunni andHazara Shia) poses obstacles for their friendship. Can you think ofexample of other places and/or time periods in which societies haveresisted friendships between different ethnicities? Do you think thatsuch resistance exists in the United States today? Why or why not?Post-Show Questions1. Were you surprised by how Afghanistan and Afghans wereportrayed in The Kite Runner? Did the play change your view ofAfghanistan? How? Did you learn something new about thecountry and the people?2. The Kite Runner explores the themes of forgiveness andredemption. Could you relate to Amir? Have you ever neededforgiveness from a friend? How did you go about asking your friendto forgive you? Were you successful? Why or why not?3. The Kite Runner portrays Amir and his father immigrating tothe United States. Is there an immigrant story in your own family?Did your family ever move from one location to another? Whatwere some of the challenges that you or your family faced due tothis move or immigration?12
Bridgeworkbuilding connections between stage and classroomThe following exercises combine creative drama, theatre concepts and core content to connect thetheatre experience with drama activities in your classroom.By exploring drama as a mode of learning, students strengthen skills for creative problem solving, imagination and critical thinking.AT YOUR DESK ActivitiesA kite shop in Northern IndiaFrom Page to StageTake two to three pagesfrom your favorite bookand rewrite them as pagesin the script of a stageadaptation. What arethings that a playwrightmust deal with that wouldnot have concerned thenovelist? Are there thingsin books that are notpossible on stage? Arethere moments in booksthat would be boringin front of an audience,like a narrator tellingus everything insteadof showing it? Was thisprocess easier or harderthan you thought? Why? Be sure to include the technical elementsof theatre in the your stage directions, like what kind of costumethe characters are wearing or what the lighting is like on stage.Telling Your Story Through Kite DesignThe kite fighting depicted in The Kite Runner, like other popularsports including basketball and football, is an activity that engagesthe entire community—everyone watches the competition. Notonly does kite fighting hold importance in the community, but alsowithin the family of Amir and Baba and the friendship betweenAmir and Hassan. Ultimately, it is a way Amir defines his selfworth.Create a rhombus kite divided into 4 sections. Decorate onesection to reflect your community, another for your family, anothersection for your friends, and the final section for yourself.Map of AfghanistanON YOUR FEET ActivitiesScene ImprovThe Kite Runner depicts the Afghan community and includesmany large group scenes, like the kite fighting competition, theflea market, and the wedding. Three students start and improvisea scene in one of these three locations. Then other students in theclass gradually incorporate themselves as characters in this setting,until the entire class is involved with creating this world. Try it oncewith speaking and then pick another location and create the scenesilently. What changed when you couldn’t speak?High FlyingKite fighting is a popular pastime in Kabul. Construct your ownkite using the instructions from bigwindkites.com/20kids andthen fly it. Was it easier or harder than you thought to make andfly the kite?CROSS-CURRICULARCONNECTIONsHistoryIn recent decades, many Afghans have immigrated to othercountries due to war and political unrest. Research Afghanemigration and create a table with the information that you find.GeographyTake the information you found out about the Afghan emigrationand represent it visually on a world map by drawing arrows fromAfghanistan to the other countries, writing the number abovethe arrow. Write a paragraph about what trends you observe frommapping it out. Which regions have the most Afghan immigrants?Why do you think that is?LiteratureIn the play, Amir reads to Hassan passages from The Shahnameh,a Persian epic poem about the kings of ancient Persia and the warsthey fought. Hassan loved the epic poem so much that he namedhis son, Sohrab, after one of the main characters. The Kite Runneritself contains epic elements by spanning nearly 30 years, andlocales as distant as Pakistan and San José, Calif., and by exploringthemes of betrayal and redemption. Research some conventions ofepic poetry and write one short chapter in an epic poem about yourdaily life in school. Topics can be as diverse as trying to open ajammed locker to the terror that comes with a pop quiz!13
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Bridgeworkbuilding connections between stage and classroom<strong>The</strong> following exercises combine creative drama, theatre concepts and core content to connect thetheatre experience with drama activities in your classroom.By exploring drama as a mode <strong>of</strong> learning, students strengthen skills for creative problem solving, imagination and critical thinking.AT YOUR DESK ActivitiesA kite shop in Northern IndiaFrom Page to StageTake two to three pagesfrom your favorite bookand rewrite them as pagesin the script <strong>of</strong> a stageadaptation. What arethings that a playwrightmust deal with that wouldnot have concerned thenovelist? Are there thingsin books that are notpossible on stage? Arethere moments in booksthat would be boringin front <strong>of</strong> an audience,like a narrator tellingus everything instead<strong>of</strong> showing it? Was thisprocess easier or harderthan you thought? Why? Be sure to include the technical elements<strong>of</strong> theatre in the your stage directions, like what kind <strong>of</strong> costumethe characters are wearing or what the lighting is like on stage.Telling Your Story Through <strong>Kite</strong> Design<strong>The</strong> kite fighting depicted in <strong>The</strong> <strong>Kite</strong> <strong>Runner</strong>, like other popularsports including basketball and football, is an activity that engagesthe entire community—everyone watches the competition. Notonly does kite fighting hold importance in the community, but alsowithin the family <strong>of</strong> Amir and Baba and the friendship betweenAmir and Hassan. Ultimately, it is a way Amir defines his selfworth.Create a rhombus kite divided into 4 sections. Decorate onesection to reflect your community, another for your family, anothersection for your friends, and the final section for yourself.Map <strong>of</strong> AfghanistanON YOUR FEET ActivitiesScene Improv<strong>The</strong> <strong>Kite</strong> <strong>Runner</strong> depicts the Afghan community and includesmany large group scenes, like the kite fighting competition, theflea market, and the wedding. Three students start and improvisea scene in one <strong>of</strong> these three locations. <strong>The</strong>n other students in theclass gradually incorporate themselves as characters in this setting,until the entire class is involved with creating this world. Try it oncewith speaking and then pick another location and create the scenesilently. What changed when you couldn’t speak?High Flying<strong>Kite</strong> fighting is a popular pastime in Kabul. Construct your ownkite using the instructions from bigwindkites.com/20kids andthen fly it. Was it easier or harder than you thought to make andfly the kite?CROSS-CURRICULARCONNECTIONsHistoryIn recent decades, many Afghans have immigrated to othercountries due to war and political unrest. Research Afghanemigration and create a table with the information that you find.GeographyTake the information you found out about the Afghan emigrationand represent it visually on a world map by drawing arrows fromAfghanistan to the other countries, writing the number abovethe arrow. Write a paragraph about what trends you observe frommapping it out. Which regions have the most Afghan immigrants?Why do you think that is?LiteratureIn the play, Amir reads to Hassan passages from <strong>The</strong> Shahnameh,a Persian epic poem about the kings <strong>of</strong> ancient Persia and the warsthey fought. Hassan loved the epic poem so much that he namedhis son, Sohrab, after one <strong>of</strong> the main characters. <strong>The</strong> <strong>Kite</strong> <strong>Runner</strong>itself contains epic elements by spanning nearly 30 years, andlocales as distant as Pakistan and San José, Calif., and by exploringthemes <strong>of</strong> betrayal and redemption. Research some conventions <strong>of</strong>epic poetry and write one short chapter in an epic poem about yourdaily life in school. Topics can be as diverse as trying to open ajammed locker to the terror that comes with a pop quiz!13
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