Strega Nona the Musical - New Jersey Performing Arts Center

Photo: Joshua Posamentier 

just imagine 

Passport 

TO CULTURE 

Teacher’s Resource Guide 

Grades K-3 

S C H o o l T i m e P e R f o R m a n C e S e R i e S • S C h O O L Y E a R 2 0 1 0 – 2 0 1 1 

Tomie dePaola’s 

Strega Nona 

the Musical 

Maximum Entertainment 

in association with 

Bay Area Children’s Theatre 

for Young Audiences 

Generous support for 

Schooltime provided, 

in part, by 

NJPAC_Passport_StregaNona.indd 1 9/13/10 11:00 AM

just imagine 

CONTENTS 

On Stage 3 

In the Spotlight 4 

Theater Talk 5 

The Story of Pasta 6 

Before and After Activities 7 

Teaching Science 

Through Theater 

Foundation 

Kid Power! 

Through energy efficiency and 

conservation, kids can help preserve 

our planet’s rich natural resources 

and promote a healthy environment. 

Tip of the Day 

The amount of pasta in Strega nona’s 

magic pot never diminishes. But, that 

is not the case when it comes to the 

earth’s supply of water. We must take 

steps to preserve this limited natural 

resource. Did you know that taking 

a shower uses much less water than 

filling up a bathtub? a shower only 

uses 10 to 25 gallons, while a bath 

takes up to 70 gallons! To save even 

more water, keep your shower under 

five minutes long. Try timing yourself 

with a clock next time you hop in! 

Made possible through the generosity of 

the PSEG Foundation. 

Delving Deeper 8 

7 

arts education and You 

2 Passport to Culture • Tomie dePaola’s Strega Nona the Musical 

The new Jersey Performing arts Center (nJPaC) arts education Department presents the 

14 th season of the Verizon Passport to Culture SchoolTime Performance Series. 

With Passport to Culture, Verizon and nJPaC open up a world of culture to you and 

your students, offering the best in live performance from a wide diversity of traditions 

and disciplines. at nJPaC’s state-of-the-art facility in newark, with support from 

Verizon, the SchoolTime Performance Series enriches the lives of new Jersey’s students 

and teachers by inviting them to see, feel, and hear the joy of artistic expression. The 

exciting roster of productions features outstanding new Jersey companies as well as 

performers of national and international renown. meet-the-artist sessions and nJPaC 

tours are available to expand the arts adventure. 

The Verizon Passport to Culture SchoolTime Performance Series is one of many current 

arts education offerings at nJPaC. others include: 

• Professional Development Workshops that support the use of the arts 

to enhance classroom curriculum 

• arts academy school residency programs in dance, theater and literature, 

and early learning Through the arts—the nJ Wolf Trap Program 

• after-school residencies with United Way agencies 

in association with statewide arts organizations, educational institutions, and generous 

funders, the arts education Department sponsors the following arts training programs: 

• Wachovia Jazz for Teens 

• The all-State Concerts 

• The Star-Ledger Scholarship for the Performing arts 

• The Jeffery Carollo music Scholarship 

• Summer Youth Performance Workshop 

• Young artist institute 

• nJPaC/new Jersey Youth Theater Summer musical Program 

Students have the opportunity to audition for admission to nJPaC’s arts training 

programs during nJPaC’s annual Young artist Talent Search. 

Detailed information on these programs is available online at njpac.org. Click on 

education. The Teacher’s Resource Guide and additional activities and resources for 

each production in the Verizon Passport to Culture SchoolTime Series are also online. 

Click on education, then on Performances. Scroll down to “Download Teacher Guide 

in adobe acrobat PDf format” and select desired guide. 

Permission is granted to copy this Teacher’s Resource Guide for classes attending 

the 2010-2011 Verizon Passport to Culture SchoolTime Performance Series. All 

other rights reserved. 

To Teachers and Parents 

The resource guide accompanying each performance is designed 

• to maximize students’ enjoyment and appreciation of the performing arts; 

• to extend the impact of the performance by providing discussion ideas, 

activities, and further reading that promote learning across the curriculum; 

• to promote arts literacy by expanding students’ knowledge of music, dance, 

and theater; 

• to illustrate that the arts are a legacy reflecting the traditional values, 

customs, beliefs, expressions, and reflections of a culture; 

• to use the arts to teach about the cultures of other people and to celebrate 

students’ own heritage through self-expression; 

• to reinforce the new Jersey Department of education’s Core 

Curriculum Content Standards in the arts. 



On Stage 

Big Anthony’s magic engulfs the town of Calabria in pasta. 

Strega Nona the Musical fuses three of 

Tomie dePaola’s cherished books—Strega 

Nona, Strega Nona: Her Story and 

Big Anthony and the Magic Ring. The 

production is the result of a collaboration 

between two California-based 

companies: maximum entertainment 

Productions and Bay area Children’s 

Theatre. Strega Nona the Musical was 

inspired by Tomie dePaola’s imaginative 

stories and colorful sketches. it tells the 

story of a friendly “grandma witch” who 

is the source of potions, cures, magic, 

and comfort for all the neighbors in her 

small italian town in Calabria. Starting 

to feel the effects of her advancing 

years, Strega nona hires the sturdy, but 

easily distracted, Big anthony to help 

with some of her household chores. 

She carefully explains the tasks he must 

perform and warns him about the one 

thing he must neVeR, eVeR do—mess 

around with her magic. 

intrigued by the everyday miracles he 

witnesses, Big anthony cannot resist 

the temptation to use some of Strega 

nona’s spells to elevate his status 

among the townsfolk. He casts one spell 

to make himself appear more clever, 

another to enhance his appearance. 

each time his efforts backfire; each time 

he promises to lay off the magic; each 

time he succumbs to its lure. 

Big anthony finally learns his lesson 

(presumably) when Strega nona leaves 

town, and he attempts to endear himself 

to the townspeople by treating them all 

to a feast using Strega nona’s magic 

pasta pot. Big anthony gets the pasta 

going all right, but he cannot figure out 

how to make it stop. Disaster seems 

imminent when a tidal wave of pasta 

threatens to engulf the entire town. 

When Strega nona returns, will she be 

able to stop the pasta from flowing 

and save the day? 

The delightful tale of Big anthony’s 

magical mishaps is brought to life 

using music, dance, puppetry, seven 

talented and versatile actors, and 

some extremely inventive stage effects. 

Young viewers will enjoy the spectacle, 

appreciate the insights and experience 

the wonder of watching a story travel 

from page to stage. 

Passport to Culture • Tomie dePaola’s Strega Nona the Musical 

NJPAC_Passport_StregaNona.indd 3 9/13/10 11:00 AM 

3


Photo: Paparazzi by Appointment 

In the Spotlight 

Tomie dePaola is the author of more 

than 100 books and the illustrator of 

more than 200. When he was four years 

old, he told his family that he planned 

to be a writer, and from that moment 

on, he received their unconditional 

support. Besides reading to him daily, 

the family provided him with a work 

space in the attic and an abundant 

4 Passport to culture • Tomie dePaola’s Strega Nona the Musical 

supply of art materials. Young Tomie 

began creating books for his younger 

siblings. as the years went on, he has 

extended his artistic endeavors into 

multiple media ranging from theater 

productions to posters to greeting cards 

and church murals. 

it is widely believed that Strega nona is 

a character from italian folklore. in fact, 

the character is an invention from the 

imagination of Tomie dePaola. for years 

he had been doodling a distinctive profile 

that actually resembled the commedia 

dell’arte character Punchinello. one day, 

he tacked a headscarf onto the profile, 

then an eye and a smiling mouth, then 

a chubby little body complete with long 

skirt and apron. He scribbled the words 

“Strega nona” next to the drawing. 

Strega is italian for witch. Nona is a 

slang spelling for granny in Calabria, a 

region in southern italy and the ancestral 

home of the dePaolas. The character 

had been invented, but a story had not 

materialized. When dePaola’s publishers 

came to him with the idea of re-telling 

a folktale, he decided to re-work a 

German folktale called The Porridge 

Pot for his Strega nona. Since her first 

appearance in 1975, the delightful little 

witch has inspired no less than 10 books 

and has become a superstar in the world 

of children’s literature. 



Theater Talk 

Pasta threatens Bambolona’s life. 

actor - a person who interprets a role 

and performs it in a production. 

adaptation - the act of adjusting and 

changing material, such as fiction, for 

presentation in another medium such as 

dance drama, or film; an adapted work. 

artistic director - the person who 

chooses the material and oversees the 

entire theatrical production. He or she 

coordinates the efforts of many people: 

author, set designer, artisans, musicians, 

actors, and technicians. 

climax - the crucial moment, turning 

point or dramatic high point in the 

action or plot, usually near the end of 

the story or play. 

comedy - a story or play that depicts 

characters and situations in a funny or 

amusing way. 

dialogue - the conversation in a play 

between two or more characters. 

director - the person who conceives of 

an overall concept for a production, 

supervises all its elements and guides the 

actors in their performances. 

monologue - a speech by one actor alone 

on stage which often reveals the inner 

thoughts and feelings of the character 

that he or she is portraying. 

musical theater - a genre of theater 

that uses song and dance in addition to 

dramatic action to tell a story. 

playwright - the person who writes 

the play. 

props - items used on stage to help 

create a sense of place such as 

an envelope, a flag or a map; the 

belongings used by a character on 

stage such as a purse, hand mirror 

or sandwich. 

puppet - an inanimate object controlled 

by wire, hand, body, or other means to 

represent a person, idea or figure. 

scene - a division of a production, 

usually part of an act, in which the 

action is continuous. 

scenery - painted canvas mounted on 

wooden frames, drops, cutouts, etc. 

used in a theater to represent a place or 

environment where the action happens. 

script - the written text detailing what 

happens as well as dialogue spoken 

during a play or performance. 

set - the arrangement of scenery and 

props on a stage. 

Passport to culture • Tomie dePaola’s Strega Nona the Musical 


5


The Story of Pasta 

Strega Nona and the ladies of Calabria. 

The story of pasta is as slippery and 

tangled as a big bowl of linguini in olive 

oil. We know that the Chinese ate a 

noodle-like dish as early as 3000 BCe. 

The ancient Greeks and Romans enjoyed a 

broad, flattened noodle called laganon that 

was not boiled, but roasted on stones. By 

the 5th century Ce, arabs and Jews in the 

middle east were eating boiled noodles 

called itriyah. But the story of pasta, as we 

think of it, begins with its arrival in italy. 

The arab invasions of Sicily in the 8th century brought the specific noodles 

that were most likely the origins of dried 

pasta as we know it today. This product 

was made of durum wheat, the source 

of semolina flour, which is the defining 

ingredient of today’s pasta. How it was 

prepared is not truly known, but many 

Sicilian pasta recipes still include arab 

gastronomic elements such as raisins 

and cinnamon. 

By the 12th century, dried pasta had 

become very popular because of its 

nutritional value and long shelf life. it 

traveled around the globe during the 

great voyages of discovery and by the 

1400s, was being produced commercially. 

at first, commercially produced pasta 

was kneaded by foot. men stomped on 

the dough to make it soft enough to roll 

out. ferdinand, the king of naples, was 

disheartened by the thought of feet in his 

pasta, so he commissioned an engineer to 

devise a machine that would knead and 

cut the rough, grainy dough, and by the 

18th century naples, became italy’s “Pasta 

Center.” 

around this time, young english aristocrats 

on “the grand tour” of europe 

came to naples and left with a passion 

for macaroni. The english interpretation 

of the dish involved boiling the noodles, 

then baking them with cheese and cream. 

Colonists to the new World brought 

this version with them so that macaroni 

and cheese became the first pasta dish to 

become popular in the americas. 

The next big innovation in pasta was 

teaming it with tomatoes which the 

Spanish brought back to europe from 

the new World in the 16 th century. The 

tomato was viewed as poisonous and 

avoided for a very long time, but by 

1839, the first recorded italian recipe 

combining pasta and tomatoes appeared. 

Within 30 years, there were recipes for 

purees, soups and distinctly different 

tomato sauces for chicken, veal and 

other meats as well as pasta. Recipes 

combining tomatoes and pasta increase 

exponentially even to this day. 

6 Passport to Culture • Tomie dePaola’s Strega Nona the Musical 

There are roughly 350 different shapes 

and varieties of dried pasta. The shapes, 

especially the more complex shapes like 

raddiatore or fusilli, are designed for 

grabbing and holding on to sauces. 

Tube pasta, like penne or ziti, often has 

ridges on the surface to hold on to the 

pasta sauce as well. The thinner and 

smaller shapes are often used in soups, 

and the long ribbons and fanciful shapes 

are used in casseroles and pasta salads. 

Some shapes are made to be stuffed and 

baked, while others like ravioli are sold 

already stuffed. Thick strands of pasta 

work well with a heavier sauce, while 

thinner varieties are best with a more 

delicate sauce. 

it is estimated that italians eat about 60 

pounds of pasta per person annually, 

and americans eat about 20 pounds 

per person a year. The worldwide 

demand for pasta is so great that italian 

manufacturers must import the durum 

wheat necessary to produce it from places 

as far away as australia. 

So the next time you sit down to a 

plate of pasta have some respect. Those 

delightful noodles before you have 

traveled over oceans and across time to 

tickle your taste buds and decorate your 

dinner plate. 

Brava pasta! 

Papa Bambo engulfed in pasta. 


Photo: Joshua Posamentier

In the Classroom 

Before the Performance Teaching Science Through Theater (K-8) 

1. Strega Nona the Musical includes elements 

from three of the Strega nona books—Strega Nona, 

Strega Nona: Her Story and Big Anthony and the 

Magic Ring. Read the three stories with your class. 

after discussion, ask each student to draw a picture 

of his or her favorite part from one of the books. 

Then, have the youngsters create their very own 

Strega nona story by arranging (and re-arranging) 

all their drawings into a sequence. Hang the picture 

sequence on a wall and have the students “picture 

talk” through their story. ( 1.3, 1.4)* 

2. These are some common italian words that are 

used in the play. introduce these words to your 

students so they can listen for them (1.2) 

ciao! – hello or goodbye 

buon giorno – good day 

un momento! – just a minute! 

si – yes 

grazie – thank you 

basta! – enough! 

bene! – good! 

piccolo – little 

ragazzo – boy 

scusi – excuse me 

prego – you are welcome 

presto – fast 

tutti – all 

delizioso – delicious 

Signor/Signora – mr./mrs. 

After the Performance 

1. in a musical adaptation of a book, the characters 

burst into song when they are feeling a very strong 

emotion, when they are trying to figure something 

out or when they are trying to explain something. 

as a class, discuss some of the songs in Strega Nona 

the Musical. Then have the students decide what 

they would sing about in their lives. The students can 

select a familiar melody or choose to rap a simple 

rhyme or an original poem. ask them to develop 

a unique presentation by creating dialogue and 

casting themselves or using puppets to represent the 

characters. They can even present themselves as a 

singing group or an ensemble of singers, dancers and 

instrumentalists. (1.1, 1.3) 

2. “fairy Tales around the World” is an arts 

integrated resource of Verizon’s Thinkfinity.org. in 

this lesson from eDSiTement, students will learn the 

special characteristics of fairy tales, what makes them 

unique and why they are such a prevalent form of 

storytelling throughout the world. www.edsitement. 

neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=387 (1.2) 

* number(s) indicate the nJ Core Curriculum 

Content Standard(s) supported by the activity. 

By Sharon J. Sherman, ed.D. 

encouraging the growth of theatrical creativity in children is an excellent way 

to deepen their understanding of the subjects they study in school. Guiding 

them in the script writing process is a way to bring the curriculum to life 

and make it more meaningful and engaging. learning about the environment 

through theater can deepen their understanding of their world. 

Reuse, recycling and reducing waste help us preserve our precious natural 

resources. each day, children come to school with lunches packed at home. 

at the end of the lunch period, waste containers in schools everywhere abound 

with items such as paper and plastic bags, Styrofoam, empty juice cartons, 

plastic utensils, and more. You can use theater to encourage your students to 

think about bringing environmentally friendly packed lunches to school. 

Begin the creative writing process by asking your students to write short 

plays about a class that will lead a school-wide campaign to reduce waste in 

the lunchroom. You can divide the class into teams of four to six students 

who will work together. in order to convince their schoolmates of the 

importance of reuse, recycling and waste reduction, teams should begin 

their work by doing research on the topic. How many trees are cut down 

each year from the use of non-recycled paper? How many plastic bottles 

are discarded each day? What happens to a juice box after it is put in the 

trash? Students will enhance their information literacy skills as they do their 

research. They will also deepen their understanding of the topic. 

once the research phase is completed, the groups can begin to write their 

plays. ask them to select the main characters and define their characteristics. 

after that, they should select the secondary characters and define their roles. 

Then, it is time to set the scene for the play. Beginning with the first act, 

have your students visualize what is going to happen. Which characters 

will speak and what will they say to each other to get the message across? 

Continue developing the story line until the first draft is written. once the 

drafts are done, have the groups rehearse their plays. Then, it is time for 

presenting their productions. ask the class to critique each performance in a 

constructive manner. 

Sharon J. Sherman, Ed.D. is Dean of the School of Education and Professor 

of Teacher Education at Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ. 

The Teaching Science Through the arts content of this guide is made possible 

through the generous support of Roche. 

Additional Before and After activities can be 

found online at njpac.org. Click on Education, then 

on Performances, then on Curriculum Materials. 

Scroll down to “Download Teacher Guide in 

Adobe Acrobat PDF format” and select 

desired guide. 



7

Delving Deeper acknowledgments 

as of 8/6/10 

Books for Students 

DePaola, Tomie. Strega Nona. 

aladdin, 1979. 

____. Strega Nona: Her Story. Putman 

Juvenile, 2000. 

____. Big Anthony and the Magic Ring. 

Sandpiper, 1979. 

____. Strega Nona’s Magic Lessons. 

Sandpiper, 1984. 

Books for Teachers 

elleman, Barbara. Tomie de Paola, 

His Art and His Stories. Putnam 

Juvenile, 1999. 

Deangelis, laurie, and Rebecca Calla. 

Teaching with Favorite Tomie dePaola 

Books. Teaching Resources, 2004. 

William J. Marino.……............................…………………………………………………………………….Chairman 

Lawrence P. Goldman …....……..................…………………………………..President & Chief executive officer 

Sandra Bowie………….……….....................……………………………………..Vice President of arts education 

Sanaz Hojreh.……………..................….……………………………..assistant Vice President of arts education 

Uday Joshi.……………....................….………………………Director of Partnerships and Community Programs 

Verushka Spirito……........................…………………………………………...associate Director for Performances 

Caitlin Evans Jones…………..........................………………………………….…Director of in-School Programs 

Jeff Griglak......………......................……………….………………………………..……..Director of arts Training 

Natasha Dyer…….….........................administrative assistant/office manager for VP & aVP of arts education 

Laura Ingoglia…………........................………………………....…………....editor of Teacher’s Resource Guides 

8 

Websites 

readingrockets.org/books/interviews/ 

depaola - interview with Tomie dePaola 

who talks about what it is like being an 

artist and how to encourage young 

artists and readers. 

pocanticohills.org/italy/italy.htm - 

Kid-friendly information about italy. 

Music CDs 

Mandolins from Italy. arc music, 

2002. Traditional and contemporary 

italian tunes. 

Italian Opera Choruses. naxos, 1997. 

additional resources can be found online 

at njpac.org. Click on education, then 

on Performances, then on Curriculum 

materials. Scroll down to “Download 

Teacher Guide in adobe acrobat PDf 

format” and select desired guide. 

nJPaC arts education programs are made 

possible by the generosity of: Bank of america, 

The arts education endowment fund in Honor 

of Raymond G. Chambers, leon & Toby 

Cooperman, The Horizon foundation for new 

Jersey, amy C. liss, mcCrane foundation, 

merck Company foundation, albert & 

Katharine merck, The Prudential foundation, 

The PSeG foundation, David & marian 

Rocker, The Sagner family foundation, 

The Star-ledger/Samuel i. newhouse 

foundation, Surdna foundation, Verizon, 

Victoria foundation, Wachovia and The 

Women’s association of nJPaC. 

additional support is provided by: C.R. Bard 

foundation, Becton, Dickinson & Company, 

The frank and lydia Bergen foundation, 

allen & Joan Bildner & The Bildner family 

foundation, Bloomberg, Chase, Veronica 

Goldberg foundation, meg & Howard Jacobs, 

Johnson & Johnson, marianthi foundation, 

The mCJ amelior foundation, The new Jersey 

State Council on the arts, The George a. ohl, 

Jr. foundation, Panasonic Corporation of north 

america,nPechter foundation, PnC foundation 

on behalf of the PnC Grow Up Great program, 

The Provident Bank foundation, e. 

franklin Robbins Charitable Trust, Roche, TD 

Charitable foundation, Target, The Turrell 

fund, lucy and eleanor S. Upton Charitable 

foundation, Walmart foundation and The 

Blanche m. & George l. Watts mountainside 

Community foundation. 

For even more arts integration resources, 

please go to Thinkfinity.org, the Verizon 

Foundation’s signature digital learning platform, 

designed to improve educational and 

literacy achievement. 


One Center Street 

Newark, New Jersey 07102 

Administration: 973 642-8989 

Arts Education Hotline: 973 353-8009 

artseducation@njpac.org 

NJPAC wishes to thank the Brad Simon 

Organization, Inc. for assistance in 

preparing this guide. 

Writer: Judith Wiener 

Editor: laura ingoglia 

Design: Pierre Sardain, 

66 Creative, inc. 

66Creative.com 

NJPAC Guest Reader: 

Caitlin evans Jones 

NJPAC Teacher’s Resource Guide 

Review Committee: 

Judith israel 

mary lou Johnston 

amy Tenzer 

Copyright © 2010 

new Jersey Performing arts Center 

all Rights Reserved

Strega Nona the Musical - New Jersey Performing Arts Center

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