Travelling Light and Polka Theatre present

by OIiver Jeffers

have a go
in the classroom

Ideas for Activities

Compiled by Travelling Light Theatre Company

have a go
This production of Oliver Jeffers awardwinning book Lost and Found has been
created by Travelling Light Theatre Company
and Polka Theatre.
It is the first time the two organisations have
worked together on making a play, but it isnt
the first time either of us have adapted books
for the stage. To find out examples of other
literary translations we have made, visit either
of our websites.
www.travellinglighttheatre.org.uk

www.polkatheatre.com

We have created some simple exercises that you can use for follow
up work in the classroom inspired by the play. We hope you like
them let us know how you get on!
There is also room on each page for you to make notes.

have a go
Lost and Found is about many things.
Like many Travelling Light shows it is about play and exploration
The actors, director, designer and composer have worked very hard to bring out themes
that are so important to all of us, especially very young people:

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Friendship
Companionship
Home
Belonging
Loneliness

Oliver Jeffers (centre) with Tom Power as The Boy and Derek Elwood as The Penguin

have a gostorytelling
There is very little dialogue in the play, reflecting the simple, narrative language used in the book.The boy
talks to both the audience and the penguin, who only talks in honks!
The following is a useful prompt for either: drama, creative writing or oral storytelling.You
can adapt it too to suit your class, extending the questions to reflect the journey they go on
Imagine theres a knock at the door
Who is there?
Where are you going to go?
How are you going to get there?

Its time to play!

Where can you play in this place?
What games can you play?
Is there anyone else to play with?

You need some help along the way

Where do you go to find some help?
Who will you ask for help?
What help do they give to you?

Its time to go home

How do you get there?
What is the journey like?
Who do you meet along the way?
What stories do they tell you?

Now you are on your journey

How do you get there?
What is the journey like?
Who do you meet along the way?
What stories do they tell you?
And you arrive
What does it look like?
What does it feel like?
Is it hot or cold? Dry or wet? Windy or calm?
What does your travelling companion think?

notes

You arrive home

How does it feel to be home?
Who do you see when you get there?
What do you do when you get there?
The End
Where does your travelling companion go?
What do you say to them?
How do you feel at the end of your journey?

have a goobject theatre

Like a lot of our shows, the play uses everyday objects for a variety of theatrical devices.The ball is a
football but it becomes the top of a tree and the head of the man at the Lost and Found office. Masking
tape, a tape measure and some paintbrushes all become different objects
Try out some games and exercises that use objects in different ways:
Play hide and seek with a penguin or an umbrella. Hide them around the classroom and give
your pupils clues as to where they are.
Set up two trays of identical things and take
one object away. Can your pupils use their memories to remember what was there and what is
missing?
Take a football and think about what different
things it can become. Try it out with other objects
like a bowl, a book or a tea towel.

notes

have a go

puppets

Like many of our shows, Lost and Found uses puppets to help tell the story. The boy and the penguin
travel across the ocean, they talk to the birds, and we meet the man at the Lost and Found office
through puppetry.
You could make your own puppets to use in your storytelling or journey exploration. You
could make your own puppets of the boy or the penguin, or everyone could make a puppet
version of themselves. We have made some great tips on making different types of puppet.
These can be downloaded separately from our website.
When you have made them take a picture of them and email them to us. Well then put them
on our website.
MAKE A QUICK BIRD!
The boy and the penguin both meet a bird a few
times in the play. This is how the bird was made.
Its really simple!

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notes

Take a square of paper

Fold it in half into a triangle
Fold it in half again
Place your index finger along the middle, with the sides as
an upwards V
Hey presto!

have a go
counting & playing
At the start of the play, the boy begins playing. He sees that there are four different sized cylinders.
He explores the logic of the sizes and the shapes, and tries to build a tower with the largest at the
bottom and the smallest at the top.
He also discovers a small football which he plays with and which he lets the penguin play with.
Throughout the play the cylinders become different locations including: a tree to talk to the birds, a
bath tub and, with the aid of the ball, the Lost and Found office.
Play with shapes. Order things according to size. Compare things of different shapes. Try to
make as tall a tower as possible. You could use household items such as tins of beans, toilet
rolls and fizzy drink cans.

notes

have a go

geography

The boy and the penguin go all over the World! Together they go to the Lost and Found office, they
meet some birds in the forest, they travel across the sea, and they go to the South Pole.
You could talk about where they go and how they get there. Perhaps research into
these different locations.
Try some drama role-play by creating these places in your classroom, allowing your pupils to
explore what it is like. How can you use musical instruments in your classroom to
make these places come to life, and to put different feelings or emphasis on the journeys
themselves? Imagine what it is like sailing on the sea in an umbrella!
Build a Lost and Found office in the corner
of the room.
Create the sea out of bodies or blue material.
Carve the South Pole from polystyrene.
These simple making ideas are perfect for art
and design work too.

notes

have a go

animals

Of course one of the main characters is a penguin! The boy and his feathered friend also meet a bird, a
seagull, a fish and a whale.When he decides to take the penguin home, the boy does some research:
Where do penguins come from?
Research into the different animals that the characters meet. We dont meet them for very
long, so perhaps you could do some role-play to imagine: what did the animals think of the boy
and the penguin? What did they do when the boy and the penguin left?

notes

have a go

review

The following people have already said this about Lost and Found.
...penguin perfect
The Stage
Childrens theatre at its strongest ****
Whatsonstage.com
...few words, lots of action...and huge scope for
imagination. What could be more perfect? *****
The Public Reviews
Finally saw Lost and Found in Ipswich Thanks so
much for a lovely experience. I am so glad we made
the effort!
Audience Member

Wed love to hear from you too.

Write a review of the play in class.
Make your own production and film it, draw
your own pictures, take photographs of penguins
you have met in the zoo

Send pictures or copies of your work to us via email or post and we will put it
on our website: www.travellinglighttheatre.org.uk
Travelling Light Theatre Company
Barton Hill Settlement
4143 Ducie Road
Bristol
BS5 0AX
info@travellinglighttheatre.org.uk

Travelling Light and Polka Theatre present

Lost and Found Credits

The Boy
The Penguin
Director
Designer
Composer &
Musical Director
Stage Manager

Tom Power
Derek Elwood
Sally Cookson
Katie Sykes
Benji Bower
Andy Shewan

For Travelling Light

Artistic Producer
General Manager
Production Manager
Participation Director
Finance & Administration
Youth Theatre Director

Jude Merrill
Cath Greig
Jo Woodcock
Nick White
Joanne Gore
Jen Camillin

Illustration: Oliver Jeffers from Lost and Found published by HarperCollins Limited Publishers Oliver Jeffers
Photos by Bob Workman