New Victory Arts Break: I Wish

Everyone has wishes or dreams, but how can we bring them into reality? Many famous fairytales begin with a wish or feature famous wish granters, like the character of Effie in I Wish! In these Arts Break activities, inspired by I Wish, we’ll remix a few familiar stories, learn about some beloved wish granters and work on bringing our own wishes to life. Let’s make some magic!

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Some of the videos in these Arts Break activities were filmed at the New Victory Theater. We acknowledge that New Victory resides on the seized homeland of the Lenape people and the intertribal territory of many First Nations. We celebrate and pay deep respect to all Indigenous peoples, past, present and future, and we encourage you to learn more about these vibrant communities.

Before the Show: Fairytale Remix!

I Wish takes three classic fairytales and sprinkles a bit of remixing magic over them. The stories, although familiar, turn out a bit differently from how you might remember! How would you remix a classic tale and make it your own?

Take a look at the short tales below. Read them as they are. Then fill in the blanks labeled remix! with new words to add your very own spin to each story!

Now bring your new tale to life through a dramatic reading! Grab a costume from your closet to help your audience recognize the main character. Then get creative with household items for props and furniture for set pieces!

On the Way: Fairy Godmothers

While you head to the New Victory for I Wish, check out the video below featuring different fairy godmother-type characters—powerful wish granters with styles all their own. What kind of wish granter would you be?

In I Wish, you’ll meet Effie, famous Fairy Godmother—or, as she describes herself, Fairy God-Cool-Big-Sister!

During the show, notice Effie’s camp costumes, colorful catchphrases and marvelous methods of magic-making. Maybe you’ll see some of your fairy godmother ideas brought to life!

After the Show: Bringing a Wish to Life

Making big wishes or dreams a reality can seem challenging. But just like a big task is easier taken one step at a time, it helps to turn the big dream you’re envisioning into something smaller and more tangible! Let’s join New Victory Teaching Artist Alberto Denis at the pondering pond, a place where we can gather ideas visually and think, or ponder, about our wishes before bringing them to life.

Materials: Paper, tape, markers, words and images from magazines or newspapers, post-its, printed photos, paste or glue (optional)

Step One: Tape four sheets of paper together to create one large canvas.

Step Two: Use a marker to draw the outline of your pondering pond. Get creative with the shape of your pond! Are there rocks, trees or little frogs along the shoreline?

Step Three: Identify your wish! Alberto’s wish was to create a dance piece full of color that could bring people together.

Step Four: With your wish identified, gather images or cut out words that illustrate it, and then secure them to your pondering pond with tape, paste or glue.

Step Five: Find a place to display your pondering pond and then ponder what the next step might be for you to achieve your dream. You also don’t have to finish filling your pond all at once—you can add a few items, ponder it for a while and then come back later to add more!

Great work pondering! You are one step closer to bringing your wishes into the world. How exciting!

And Beyond: Express Yourself!

The colorful characters and gender-bending dress-up in I Wish take inspiration from the British tradition of pantomime, or “panto” for short. Check out this “pantoverview” from Britclip to learn more. Drag was another artistic inspiration for I Wish—Le Gateau Chocolat, who co-created the show, is a cabaret artist and drag performer himself! For a kid-first intro to drag, check out this episode of Kids Meet from HiHo Kids.

Finally, keep the musical magic of I Wish alive with Arts Break activities from two tremendous New Victory Teaching Artists:

What do people not know about you? Write a song about your hidden talent with Julia Sirna-Frest!

What’s the name of that song? Learn how to sample a favorite tune with Jono Waldman.