Stellarphant
Diversity is celebrated in this powerful story of reaching for the stars.
Your students will witness first-hand what perseverance, resourcefulness, determination, resilience and a growth mindset can look like through our highly engaging and interactive adaptation of James Foley’s fantastic book.
PLUS: Every student has the opportunity to play a role in the performance.
Available Term 4 – In-school & online
Key Themes: Goal setting, Growth mindset, Diversity, Determination, Inclusion, Perseverance, Equality
Curriculum Areas: Personal & Social Capability; Health & Physical Education; Critical & Creative Thinking; English; Arts; Earth & Space Sciences; Visual Art
Suitable for: Prep to Grade 6
Teacher resource pack included
Session length: 1 hour including Q&A
Online option available – see the details at the bottom of the page
Testimonials:
“This is a performance that should be recommended to others. Is a great way to give the life learning messages to children. Kinesthetic element supported comprehension” – St Joseph’s PS, Glen lnnes , NSW
“A great ‘response to book’ activity to encourage a lifelong love of books; opportunity to participate; observation of skills of performance to enhance own future performances; appropriate messages delivered (be persistent; dream big; hard work…)” – Holy Cross School, Trinity Park QLD
“[Students] were entertained and they really understood the message behind the story. Enhanced literacy work, compared texts and performances. Very rich and engaging! ” – Mount Macedon PS, VIC
“Students and teachers all LOVED the performance. Everyone had a grin the entire time. It was great that it catered so well for all year levels.” – Alphington PS, VIC
Praise for the book:
‘Foley’s cartoon-like illustrations bring multiple layers of meaning and humour to the story.’ – Buzz Words Magazine
‘A great read aloud, an informative introduction to the idea of space travel as well as promoting inclusivity, Stella is an engaging character who will cheer readers with her positive outlook.’ – ReadPlus
About the show:
Adapted from James Foley’s book Stellarphant, which was shortlisted for the CBCA Picture Book of The Year Award for Book Week 2022.
The show can be used as a great conversation starter and demonstration around growth mindset (Stella) versus fixed mindset (the man/Space Command).
Our award-winning song writing team have crafted our musical lyrics to perfectly straddle the line between education and entertainment, keeping the students bopping along as the performers dance along with them.
Show synopsis:
Heroes come in all shapes, sizes and species. Stella wants to be an astronaut. There is only one problem: Stella is an elephant. Every time she applies to Space Command, they come up with a new reason she can’t join. But where there’s a will, there’s a way, and Stella is determined to reach for the stars. Does she have the right stuff?
What we learn:
Our adaptation of Stellarphant seeks to flesh out the story written by James Foley. We have focused on the themes of being determined, problem solving, not giving up and dreaming big.
We follow Stella’s journey from when she first applies to Space Command. In our adaptation Stella has dreamed of being an astronaut ever since she was a child. At first, she is unperturbed by the obstacles the man at Space Command presents, but as the story develops, she begins to question if she can keep trying to jump through their hoops. Finally, she questions why she is trying so hard to fit in with them at all.
Meanwhile, the octopus character, Otto, is happy to champion Stella in achieving her goals but is frightened of change himself. We see Otto learn from Stella. Stella teaches Otto about himself and challenges him to be better, to shake things up when he is not happy. Both friends encourage each other when things are tough and celebrate each other’s success.
At the show’s climax our protagonist, Stella, realises that she doesn’t need the approval of the men at Space Command, that she already is enough and already has everything inside of her that she needs to be an astronaut. She launches her own aerospace.
Using James’s illustrations as inspiration, we chose to explore the characters of the octopus and the sheep more deeply.
The show is performed by two actors, and they play multiple roles. The performers use a variety of drama techniques such as: naturalistic acting, direct audience address, audience interaction, puppetry, mime and movement, plus original songs, music, and sound effects to support the story, create place and clearly demonstrate what is happening.
We decided that Stella and the sheep would be represented by costumed actors, and that the octopus would be a puppet. As the story is told through Stella’s eyes, using an actor rather a puppet allowed us to hear Stella’s voice, and connect with her. We have endowed the octopus as Stella’s best friend who, unlike Stella, is concerned about stepping outside of their comfort zone. The octopus is puppeteered by the other performer.
Resource pack:
Included in the cost is our teacher resource pack, which includes activities for both before and after the show, enabling teachers to expand on the material presented in the show. This allows students to engage more thoroughly with the themes of Mr Huff over multiple lessons, deepening their understanding of the message.
Q&A:
After the performance we host a structured and informative Q&A session which supports the school’s delivery of the Critical and Creative Thinking curriculum. We discuss the themes raised in the show and support Inquiry Learning by discussing how we made the set, puppets, music, etc.
“Was great how it was run by you and not just the kids asking random questions. (10/10)”
– Bargara State School, Bargara QLD
Online option:
If it’s not possible for you to host a performance we have an online option.
How it works:
The professional recording is available for the whole week so you can watch it whenever, and however often, you like during that week. The link is sharable with individual classes or students so you can watch the show in the way that works best for you.
A pre-recorded Q&A is attached to the performance, along with a Teacher Resource Pack. The Q&A includes questions with the performers and the creative team and we’ll supply it as a separate link so you can refer to it whenever you want.
In-School pricing:
$6.95 (exc. GST) per student.
Please note there is a minimum fee of $799.25 (exc. GST) for up to 115 students
Online pricing:
Pricing is based on a fee of $85 inc. GST per class. This assumes there are approx. 25 students per class so if your school has smaller class sizes let us know and we’ll work out a price with you. When you enquire please indicate the number of students and the number of classes you wish to book for.