2025 Duffy Theatre - Teacher Resources

Table of Contents

Introduction

Kia ora koutou ngā kaiako,

We’re bringing our 2025 Duffy Theatre show, Duffy and Scruffy’s Pawesome Adventure! to your school to promote the Books In Homes message: “It’s Cool to Read and Cool to Achieve”.

This year we took inspiration from the important relationships so many Duffy kids have with their aunties and uncles and explored how it feels when someone you love moves away. Every year we workshop our ideas in a Duffy school, and this year the kids also told us a lot about their pets and love of animals. Superheroes never seem to go out of style, so we threw one in the mix too…

This year Duffy and his younger sibling, Scruffy, are sad to learn that their favourite aunty/uncle is moving across the ditch to pursue a promotion at the Oh So Yummy Biscuit Company. Now who’s going to make them the best koko alaisa ever?

Duffy and Scruffy take some comfort in exchanging letters with their Aunty Ana / Uncle Ben, who also sends them books, but it’s just not the same. When the letters dry up, they realise Aunty Ana / Uncle Ben is in some kind of trouble and are stunned to learn that their beloved aunty/uncle has a secret identity… They knew Aunty Ana / Uncle Ben was super, but a superhero?

Before they know it, Duffy and Scruffy are part of a mission to save Australia’s kittens and puppies from the dastardly Gran’ma Jo – a lonely villain just looking for company. As always, reading is the hero on the day, and it teaches Gran’ma Jo a thing or two about empathy. When she sees herself reflected in Cruella De Vil, she vows to change her ways. Meanwhile, Aunty Ana / Uncle Ben has escaped to their Cube of Silence to read in peace and found themselves locked in! Luckily, New Zealand Sign Language helps Duffy and Scruffy decode the door, rescue their superhero aunty/uncle, and save the day! It’s a wild ride with the cutest household pets coming to your school!

The Team

This year’s show went into rehearsals in the lead-up to Christmas 2024 to be ready for its national tour to kick off in February 2025. It takes an incredible team of theatre professionals to bring the play to life, then squeeze it into the Duffy trailer twice a day!

Acclaimed director Jeff Szusterman has spent the summer rehearsing the play with two multi-talented casts to create this funny, beautifully crafted show for Duffy kids. We’re grateful to writing intern Janaye Henry for bringing her wonderful sense of humour to the script and for providing the Reo our characters speak. Ngā mihi nui to Reo coach Raymond Bishop for supporting the actors as they learn it.

John Parker (set designer), Elizabeth Whiting (costume designer) and Moana Lamdin (costume assistant) have once more nailed the brief with a set and costumes that will bring the magic of theatre into your school. Huge thanks to the brains behind the operation, Production Manager David Rumney, who oversees all aspects of the show and keeps things moving seamlessly to fulfil the creative vision of our amazing General Manager (and super aunty herself), Linda Vagana.

We love receiving your feedback. Please share what you and your students think about Duffy’s latest adventures by emailing David: david.rumney@booksinhomes.org.nz

Ngā mihi mahana,

Lauren Jackson, Playwright

Learn More about the Creative Team

You can also meet the actors that will be coming to your school.

Team BlueTeam Red

Teachers' Notes

During the show, the performers will interact with the children to encourage them to engage with our message: “It’s Cool to Read and Cool to Succeed.” It’s fine (in fact it helps the actors) if students express themselves during the performance. Our actors welcome this interplay!

These Teachers’ Notes offer some suggestions about how you might prepare your tamariki to participate in this year’s show, and ideas for discussions and activities you can engage in afterwards.

Pre- or Post-Show Activities

  1. Penpals

Ask another school in New Zealand or overseas to be your ‘sister school’, so your students can have penpals just like Duffy and Scruffy. Match every student with a penpal around the same age so they can share and compare their interests and lives (and receive actual mail!). Here’s a helpful website with some tips on how to get going: CLASSROOM PEN PAL IDEAS – Teacher Idea Factory

  1. Learn some New Zealand Sign Language

It was really lucky Duffy and Scruffy knew some New Zealand Sign Language, and Nzsl.org.nz has fantastic resources to help everyone learn – posters, taster classes, and music videos.

Take a taster class designed for kids here: NZSL Taster Class – Kids – New Zealand Sign Language Week

Learn the Six60 song “Pepeha” in NZSL here: Six60’s Pepeha in NZSL – New Zealand Sign Language Week

Download posters for your classroom here: Resources – New Zealand Sign Language Week

  1. Design Your Own Superhero

Create a questionnaire based on the points below, and ask your pupils to work through the prompts to create their own superhero:

  1. Give your superhero a catchy name that hints at their superpowers.
  2. What is your superhero’s main mission in life? What are they fighting for?
  3. Will they have a sidekick, or do they work better alone? If they will have a sidekick, give this character a name too.
  4. Describe your superhero’s main powers and strengths, as well as one fatal weakness.
  5. How did your superhero develop / discover their powers? Did they used to be an ordinary person until something strange happened to them and turned them into a superhero?  Or were they born this way?
  6. Who is your superhero’s enemy? Give them a name too.

Now you are ready to draw a picture of your superhero. Don’t forget to make up a logo or trademark symbol for your hero. Your class can create a superhero gallery!

Once you’ve created your superhero, you could write stories about their adventures or narrate them and act them out.

  1. Become an Amazing Pet Guardian

The SPCA has great resources for children about caring for household pets.

Help Kids Protecting Our Animals | SPCA Kids Education

These include videos on dog care – Dog & Puppy Care – All Videos

And cat care – Cat & Kitten Care – All Videos

Using these resources, the kids could create presentations, drama sketches, or written projects on pet care.

  1. Craft Enrichment Toys for Pets

The SPCA provides some great “how to” guides on making fun and easy toys to enrich your pets’ lives. Knitted mice, knotty spiders, and butterfly toys – you’ll find them all here:

Things To Make Or Do for Our Animal Friends

Discussion Points

Duffy and Scruffy love spending time with their Aunty Ana / Uncle Ben (depending on which cast you saw!). Together they love reading books, playing Mario Kart, and eating yummy food.

  • Do you have an aunty or uncle you are close to? What kinds of things do you enjoy doing together?
  • What makes uncles and aunties special and unique?

Aunty Ana / Uncle Ben loves to travel to new and interesting places all over the world.

  • Would you like to go travelling one day? Why / why not?
  • If so, where would you like to go, and why?

 Duffy and Scruffy are sad when they hear that their aunty / uncle is moving away for work. They keep in touch by writing letters.

  • What are some other ways we can keep in touch, when our loved ones live far away?
  • What is your favourite way to keep in touch? Why?

 At first, Aunty Ana / Uncle Ben doesn’t tell the truth about being a superhero. She tells Duffy and Scruffy she works in “HR” at the Oh So Yummy Biscuit Company.

  • Do you think Aunty Ana / Uncle Ben has a good enough reason for not revealing their true identity?
  • What would happen if everyone found out?

Gran’ma Jo says she is stealing puppies and kittens because she is lonely.

  • Is this a good reason? Why / why not?
  • What do pets need to be happy and healthy?
  • What is “empathy”, and how does this feeling change Gran’ma Jo?