Friday 24 February 2012

Literacy Week - Poor Jack Story

Next week we have the Multi Story Theatre company visiting to do a production of 'Poor Jack'. This is a Romany folk tale, which we are sure the children will thoroughly enjoy.
Although the children have done some prepatory work in school this week, please have a look at the tale yourself. Reading it through with your child will help you to be involved with what they get to see next week. Last time the company visited the children buzzed about it for days and left the school on a real high.

The full version of the story can be found here: http://www.multistorytheatre.co.uk/PoorJack/Jack_and_the_Green_Lady.pdf

In the meantime, here is a synopsis...
Poor Jack - A Synopsis

Jack has a song buzzing in his head, a song about a Lady in Green.

Jack’s mother realises it’s time for Jack to explore the big wide world that he spends his time dreaming about.

After a long goodbye to each other Jack sets off - but is soon back with a tale of meeting a gruff and very grumpy farmer’s wife who makes him work very hard to earn food and lodging. Jack tricks the farmer’s wife in order to get away and continue on his journey towards the castle of grey he has spied through a great grey mist.

Jack’s mother sends him back on his journey - but before long he’s back again, this time with a tale of very posh old lady who tells him that she’s been waiting for him for 20 years. The lady even knows his name. She points Jack in the direction of the grey castle – but instead of going there he runs home to tell his mother. This time his mother tells him not to be afraid but to carry on with his journey - but before too long Jack is back home again. This time he says it only to say goodbye because now he has a wife.

He says goodbye and is about to set off again but Jack’s mother asks him how he met his wife. This is what he tells her:

The castle doors open to reveal a hairy little man, Jack asks for work and the hairy man takes him to meet his master a huge monstrous giant. Jack is made to eat a huge dinner, given a huge comfy bed to sleep in and next morning told to go the Green Room where he must unravel the huge tapestry there which covers all four of its walls.

Jack has only 3 days to complete his task and must stay in the green room until the task is completed. He hears a mysterious voice that tells him to unpick the stitches of the tapestry from the middle and when he follows these instructions the tapestry unravels easily. The monstrous giant comes to see how he’s getting on and wonders if Jack has had help. After the Giant leaves, Jack unlocks a wooden chest and inside is the Green Lady who explains that the castle and people in it are all under an enchantment caused by a war that happened 20 years before. She hides in the chest again and when the giant comes to inspect the unpicked tapestry he gives Jack another task.

This time Jack has to dive to the bottom of the castle moat to find 2 golden rings. With the help of a friendly swan Jack completes this task too and in so doing breaks the enchantment.

The hairy man becomes again the lord of castle, the giant his son, and the lady in green his daughter - who will now become Jack’s wife. Jack, having broken the spell, will now be the new lord of the castle – no longer a castle of grey but now once more a castle of gold.

And now Jack says a final goodbye to his mother.

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