Zeraffa Giraffa Visual Story A visual resource for children and adults with Autism, Asperger s, Sensory Processing Disorder and associated conditions. This resource is intended to help prepare any visitors for a new experience and to help them to become familiar with the show, surroundings and situation.
The show The show lasts for 1 hour with no interval. There are three performers who play different characters in the show. Zeraffa Giraffa is a puppet and sometimes a small toy Giraffe. The performers also act as narrators and they talk directly to the audience when they are explaining the story. The show has live music played on instruments including guitar, violin and accordion and songs. Synopsis Across the plains of Africa where grass grows tall and acacias taste sweet. A young giraffe is sent as a gift from the Pasha of Egypt to the King of France, but Paris is very far away With a boy called Atir to help Zeraffa find her way, the pair sail up the Nile past pyramids, sphinxes and temples and out across the stormy sea to a country where everything is different. No one has seen an animal like Zeraffa before. Can Zeraffa and Atir find a way to make this new place home? Zeraffa Giraffa is an emotionally engaging tale that explores what it is like to be different. Based on the book by award-winning children s author Dianne Hofmeyr, Zeraffa Giraffa is inspired by the astonishing true tale of a real giraffe. This brand new adaptation is told using beautiful hand-made puppets and an original musical score that will bring you along Zeraffa s epic journey across land and sea.
Characters There are lots of characters in this story which are portrayed in different ways. Here are some of the main characters you will meet. Atir is the boy who takes Zeraffa on the journey to France. The Pasha is the King who wants to send a Giraffe to the King of France Zeraffa the Giraffe puppet The Sphynx is projected on to a screen Sara is a lady that Atir meets in France The Priest pops his face through the church door.
Ms Stravaganza is a humanette puppet. The head and hands are the performers and the body is a puppet. The King of France Charles X is a painting and his Granddaughter Louise. The Camel The Giraffe Family of toy Giraffes There are lots of other characters in the show who we meet briefly including sailors, and people passing by.
In this section special alerts are written in blue ink. Play notes When you enter the auditorium the stage is empty and dark apart from some pieces of set. You can hear the sound of crickets chirping. Before the show starts there are some animal sounds and an announcement to remind people to turn off their phones. The lights go down. The puppeteers enter the stage from the back. We meet a family of Giraffes who live in Ethiopia. The baby Giraffe gets lost from the rest of her family. She is scared and calls out for her mother and father. There are some loud bangs as the performers stamp their feet on the wooden boxes. Some hunters are coming. The baby Giraffe screams for her mother and father as the hunters tie her up. One of the hunters whips the rope, which makes a loud noise. The baby Giraffe cries loudly. The baby giraffe is tied to the back of a camel, who feels sorry for the giraffe. There is a gentle song about the camel as they travel to the town. As they reach the town the song becomes louder and faster and you can hear the hustle and bustle of the city. The giraffe is scared of all the noise and shouts No!
There is a drum roll and bash of the tambourine as the Pasha (king) enters. The Hunters sell the baby Giraffe to the Pasha. The Pasha decides that he wants to give the Giraffe to the King of France as a gift and calls Atir to be the person who will be responsible for transporting the Giraffe to Paris. As the Pasha leaves there is a drum roll. When it s time to get on the boat to travel along the Nile Zeraffa is very nervous. Atir guides her on and they set sail. The Sailors sing a song as they set sail. One of the sailors shouts land ahoy as the Pyramids of Giza come into view. There is a loud bubbling noise and the screen at the back of the stage lights up. The Sphinx of Giza appears on the screen. The Sphinx is made with cut out pictures of facial features on a shadow screen. It s face changes and it sometimes looks a bit angry or strange. When the Sphinx isn t talking flashing lights appear on the screen. The Sphinx does not want to let the Giraffe continue on the journey, but when Atir shares some wise words that solve a riddle for the Sphinx they are allowed to continue.
A sailor shouts out the name of the city as they approach the town of Alexandria. As they unload the ship they bang drums and sing. The final note of the song is loud and long! Atir meets the Port Manager who doesn t want to help them to continue their journey. Luckily the Pasha sends a message to command that they are given whatever they need to continue their journey. They set out to sea to make the journey to France. The sailors and other animals on the ship all fall in love with Zeraffa. Sailing on the sea is a very different experience from the Nile especially during stormy times. There is a storm where the boat, sailors and Zeraffa are blown around. There are sounds of thunder and a storm and lights flashing to represent lightning. As the storm settles one of the sailors shouts land ahoy! They land in France in the city of Marseilles at night. It is dark apart from a torch light representing a lighthouse. An accordion player plays French music and the narrator has to shout Marseille loudly to announce where they are. Atir is worried as he cannot speak French. When they first arrive they meet lots of people rushing by who he cannot understand. Finally they meet Sara who is also from Egypt and speaks Arabic. They find out that she is also far away from home, without some of her family. She offers them somewhere to stay and helps them continue their journey.
The next morning they meet Ms Extravaganza, who tries to help them come up with a plan of how to travel the 550 miles across France to get to Paris. In the end they decide that the best way is to walk! They set off in a procession, led by Zeraffa and Atir with cows for milk and horses and carts to carry what they need. The procession travels across France and we see some of the sights that they see hidden in boxes. Each night they have to find somewhere to sleep. They stop at a church. The priest pops his head out of the door and welcomes them in. But sometimes they can t find anywhere to stay. As they knock on the doors of other boxes they are slammed shut.
Atir and Zeraffa settle down under the stars. It is dark except for the moon. Atir is woken by the growling noise of wolves. In the darkness torch lights flash behind a screen to represent the glowing eyes of the wolves. Atir frightens them away by lighting a torch and jumping on Zeraffa s back. They finally reach Paris and are welcomed with a song! Everyone in Paris is very excited to see the Giraffe and they wear clothes covered in Giraffe print, tall hats and long eyelashes to celebrate. They also show off a new Giraffe inspired dance craze!
Zeraffa and Atir finally reach the palace and meet the King of France. The Giraffe is a surprise for his Granddaughter Princess Louise. The King orders that a Rotunda is built to house Zeraffa so that all of the people of Paris can visit and enjoy her. Princess Louise and Atir become friends and she loves Zeraffa. The King announces that he is sending Atir back to Egypt, but Atir does not want to leave Zeraffa as they have become inseparable. Princess Louise tells her Grandfather that if Atir leaves then Zeraffa will be sad and the people will become angry to see a sad Giraffe. The King is worried beacuse the people of France love Zeraffa so much a sad Giraffe might cause a revolution so he agrees to let Atir stay with Zeraffa.
The lights go dark with a backdrop of stars. Atir, Zeraffa and Louise are happy to be together in the Rotunda,. They feel like a family. The lights go out on the stage. The performers come back on stage to take a bow. The audience will clap. You can clap to show them that you enjoyed the show if you want to. The End!