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How To Make A Play
In a play people pretend to be someone or something other than themselves--for
instance, an old man or an old lady, a tough person or a shy person, an
animal such as a dog, or even a butterfly or a flower, or a building or
a spaceship. When you pretend to be another person or another thing, it
helps to have a costume or prop (a cane for an old man, a bone for a dog)
to make you look and feel what you are pretending to be. Costumers and
props can be easily made from everyday materials such as cardboard, paper
and paint and from object that can be found at home. |
What people and things
would you like to pretend to be? Can you think of costumes
and props to make?
The Snowstorm
A painted cardboard house is on the "stage." A man (or woman) comes in, looks up at the sky, and seems very worried. He (or she) goes into the house and closes the door. Then four or five people enter, each holding big pieces of white paper: they are snow. They move around the house and make the paper float up and down as if it were snow. The snow (the white paper) covers the entire house. The house shakes; the (or woman) inside is trying to open the door but the snow is piled up against it. Then the sun (a person holding a large round piece of paper or cardboard painted yellow) enters. The snow melts--the people shrink and tiptoe away. The man (or woman) opens the door to the house, comes out, looks very happy, and waves a "thank you" to the sun.
Here is a simple script for another play.The Class can ve divided into halves, and each half can perform while the other half watches.
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A play is most fun, and most interesting, if it has a good
story- a story with a beginning, a middle and an end. Good
stories can be made up but sometimes the best stories are about
everyday situations and things that happen at home, in your
own family.
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What is the difference between a story and play?
A story is something you write or tell but in a play you act
out the story: You speak and move around, and people -- the
audience --watches you. Some plays have no words, just movement.
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Her is a play without words that can be performed
in the classroom by small groups of children. The house can
be made from a large cardboard carton (that appliances come
in), painted to look like a house, with a door cut out; the
door has to open and close. The other props, and the costumes
for the man or woman can be easily made.
A Spring Day
Cast
FARMER
SEEDS, which become FLOWERS
RAINS
SUN
FROST
RAINBOW (2 children)
Costume and Props
(See notes at the end for instructions.)
A hat for the FARMER
A shovel for the FARMER
Flower heads for the SEEDS
Rain costumes
A sun
Paper for FROST
A rainbow
Setting: A farm, early Spring
FARMER: Well, winter is over. It's time
to plant my seeds.
(The FARMER pretends to dig a hole with his shovel. SEEDS
stand in a row, each hold a flower head. The FARMER takes
a SEED by the hand, leads it to the hole, and presses it
down as if planting. The SEED curls into a little heap on
the floor, completely covering its flower head so that the
flower head cannot be seen. This action is repeated until
all SEEDS have been planted.)
Now what I need is some rain.
(Enter RAINS. Very lightly run or dance around each SEED,
moving the paper rain gently up and down on the heads of
the SEEDS. The SEEDS gradually show more and more of their
flower heads until the entire flower heads showing. The SEEDS
do not stand up.) |
RAINS: Seeds, seeds, here's some water.
SEEDS: That feels good. Very good.
RAINS: Here's more water, lots of water.
SEEDS: That feels good. Very good.
RAINS: Here's more water, lots of water.
SEEDS: That feels good. Very good.
FARMER: Stop! (RAINS stop, look startled. Tiptoe away.) I've had enough rain. Now I need some sun.
(Enter SUN. Stands over each FLOWER, making a pulsating movement with its cardboard cutout.)
SUN: Grow, flowers, grow. Grow, flowers, grow.
SEEDS: (showing their flower heads and getting taller): Getting bigger. Getting bigger.
FARMER: That's enough sun for one day. (Exit SUN.) Boy, oh, boy, my garden is looking great.
FROST: (loudly): Cold chill coming. Brrrr!
FARMER: Oh, no! A spring frost! Just when things looked good. I hope that frost doesn't kill my flowers.
FROST: (holding strips of wax paper at each end and brushing it over the head of each flower): Feel this chill from your head to your roots! First you shiver, then you wither.
FLOWERS: We're freezing!
FARMER: Where's the sun? My flowers will die if they don't get sun!
FROST: HA HA HA!
(SUN leaps in.)
SUN: Here I am! Frost, go away!
FROST: You can't make me.
SUN: Yes, I can. MELT. MELT. MELT.
(FROST shrivels and slinks away.)
FARMER: The sun is here again. (FLOWERS revive) Now if I just had a little rain.
(RAINS come in, running on tiptoe with tiny steps. Touches each FLOWER with the paper and exits. FLOWERS sway happily.)
FARMER: My garden is beautiful. This is a perfect spring day!
(Enter RAINBOW. The cardboard cutout is held as high as possible; a person holds each end. RAINBOW walks across the stage; the cutout is held high above the heads of the FLOWERS. The FARMER and the FLOWERS look up at RAINBOW.)
THE END
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