Alexander, Who's Not Not Not Not Not Not Going to Move

Alexander, Who’s Not Not Not Not Not Not
Going to Move
Book and Lyrics by Judith Viorst
Music by Shelly Markham
Produced by special arrangement with Dramatic Publishing Company
A California Theatre Center Study Guide for Teachers and Students
1
SYNOPSIS
Alexander has just received some really bad news from his parents. His dad has taken a
job in a city a thousand miles away, which means that he and his mom and his dad and
his bossy older siblings, are going to have to move to a whole new city. And even though
his mom says, “Wait, you’ll like it,” Alexander already knows that he’ll hate it. He’ll hate
it because he’ll never have a best friend like Paul again. And he’ll never have a great
sitter like Rachel again. And he’ll never again have his soccer team or his car pool or kids
who know him or…. Anyway, he can’t bear to leave the people and places he loves, and
so he decides that he won’t move. First he tries to live with three different neighbors.
Then he tries to build a tent so he can live by himself. And then he decides he’ll hide so
that when his parents get ready to go they’ll never find him. While Alexander barricades
his bedroom door, his family members find some special ways to make it easier for
Alexander to leave. They also help him to understand that home is “where your family is,
where you’re with the people who love you best of all.” Finally Alexander agrees to
leave, but warns that – Do you hear him? He means it! – he’s not not not not not not
going to move ever again!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR/PLAYWRIGHT
Alexander, Who’s Not Not Not Not Not Not Going to Move was adapted for the stage by
Judith Viorst, who also wrote the book upon which the show is based – Alexander, Who’s
Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move. The author of 16 children’s books, 14
adult books, and several collections of poetry, she is perhaps best known for her
Alexander series, beginning with Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very
Bad Day (which Viorst also adapted into a musical). She took inspiration from her
children and even chose to name Alexander after her now-grown-up youngest son. She
lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband, political writer Milton Viorst.

2
GENERAL DISCUSSION
1. How does Alexander react when he finds out his family is moving? Why does he
feel this way? Think of a time when you had to go through a sudden change or
transition in your life. Were you scared or upset? How did you deal with these
feelings?
2. What does Alexander do when he’s trying to avoid moving? What might you
have done differently if you were in his situation?
3. If you were a friend of Alexander’s, what might you say to him to help him feel
better about moving?
4. Why does Alexander change his mind about moving? How do his parents help
him? Do you think Alexander will be happy in his new home?
CREATIVE WRITING
1. Think about a time when you had to go through a big change – maybe you moved
to a new house, started at a new school, or had a new baby brother or sister. Were
you scared? Excited? Write a letter to Alexander, telling him about the big
change, how it made you feel at the time, and how you feel about it now. You
could give Alexander advice about how best to adjust to his new life.
2. Imagine that you are Alexander and your parents have just told you that you are
going to have to move. What is going through your head? How does this make
you feel? Are you going to try to stop the move from happening? Write a journal
entry about your feelings and then write about what you plan to do in the future.
3. At the end of the play, Alexander finally accepts the fact that he is moving and
begins to get excited about his new home, his new school, and particularly his
new dog! Write a sequel to the play we saw today (you may choose to write it as a
play or as a story), talking about Alexander’s new life and what happens to him
next.
LITERATURE/LANGUAGE ARTS
1. Have the students read Judith Viorst’s Alexander, Who’s Not (Do You Hear Me? I
Mean It!) Going to Move – the book upon which this musical is based. Compare
and contrast the two versions. What is similar? Is there anything in the book that
isn’t in the play? Did the author add anything to the play that isn’t in the book?

3
VISUAL ARTS
1. Pick your favorite scene from the play and draw a picture of it. Feel free to be
creative – the set and costumes don’t have to look the same as the ones that were
used in the production. How can you show what’s happening during this
particular scene using only pictures? Can you show how the characters are feeling
by the expressions on their faces?
2. Draw a picture of what Alexander’s new home might look like. Include
Alexander’s new house, his new friends and, of course, his brand-new dog!
DRAMATIC ARTS
1. What is a play, and how is it different from a book or a movie? You might wish to
discuss the following terms: stage, musical play, actor, character, set, costumes,
props, audience.
2. Alexander, Who’s Not Not Not Not Not Not Going to Move is a musical, which
means that the characters sing and dance during the show. In what ways are song
and dance used to help tell the story? What do these musical numbers add to your
experience of the play?
3. What are the differences between watching a live play and watching a movie?
Why is it important that, as an audience, we are quiet and respectful?
4. Most of the actors onstage play a wide variety of characters, some of them very
different from one another. What changes did the actors make when they switched
from one character to the next? Did they change their voices or the way they
walked or moved? How did the costumes help make the characters different?
5. Take some time to create your own characters. Come up with someone in your
head (or have your teacher assign you a character) and walk around the room,
talking and moving the way you think that character would talk and move. Now
pick a different character. How can you speak and move in a way that makes you
seem like an entirely different person or animal?
6. The play features a wide variety of locations, but the set is fairly simple, often
using a few pieces to create an entirely new setting. What special techniques did
the play use to portray Alexander’s house, the houses of his neighbors, the store,
and the dry cleaner’s? Were they able to make it believable that the characters
were in that location?

4
SCIENCE
1. The characters keep mentioning a time when Alexander accidentally touched
poison ivy. What is poison ivy, and why does it make you so itchy when you
touch it? How is it different from other poisonous plants (poison oak, poison
sumac, etc.) Talk about what poison ivy looks like and how you can avoid it.
2. Alexander makes the mistake of hiding in a big barrel that’s intended for pickle
juice. What are pickles, and how are they made? Talk about the process of turning
a cucumber into a pickle. Is it possible for other kinds of food to go through a
pickling process?
LIFE SKILLS
1. Alexander tries to set up a tent and finds that the job is a lot harder than he
expected! Talk about how tents work and how you set them up. What is the
history of tents? How have tents changed over the years?
READING SUGGESTIONS
1. Alexander, Who’s Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move, by Judith
Viorst, illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser “in the style of Ray Cruz.” Atheneum
Books, 1995.
2. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, by Judith Viorst,
illustrated by Ray Cruz. Atheneum Books, 1972.
3. Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday, by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Ray
Cruz. Atheneum Books, 1977.
4. “If I Were in Charge of the World,” by Judith Viorst. See the poem at the end of
this study guide.
WRITE TO CTC!
After watching the play, write us a letter about it. Tell us what you liked or disliked about
the story, the characters, costumes, set, or anything else you observed. Support your
thoughts with examples and reasons. (Teachers’ comments are also appreciated!)
Mail to:
CTC
P.O. Box 2007
Sunnyvale, CA 94087

5
If I Were in Charge of the World
by Judith Viorst
If I were in charge of the world
I’d cancel oatmeal,
Monday mornings,
Allergy shots, and also Sara Steinberg.
If I were in charge of the world
There’d be brighter nights lights,
Healthier hamsters, and
Basketball baskets forty eight inches lower.
If I were in charge of the world
You wouldn’t have lonely.
You wouldn’t have clean.
You wouldn’t have bedtimes.
Or “Don’t punch your sister.”
You wouldn’t even have sisters.
If I were in charge of the world
A chocolate sundae with whipped cream and nuts would be a vegetable,
All 007 movies would be G,
And a person who sometimes forgot to brush,
And sometimes forgot to flush,
Would still be allowed to be
In charge of the world.