The Canterville Ghost.

Characters: Lord Canterville, Mr Otis, Mrs Otis, four children, Mrs Ummay and the ghost.
(Outside Canterville castle there is a sign for sale which Lord Canterville is taking down.)
Lord Canterville: Well it looks like we have a deal, Mr Otis, the castle is yours.
Mr Otis: Thank you Lord Canterville. I’m sure my family will be very happy here.
Lord Canterville: (Looks at him hesitantly) Perhaps I should mention that Canterville castle is haunted by a ghost. (Ghost walks in behind them. They don’t see the ghost but the audience does.)
Mr. Otis: I don’t believe in ghosts, Lord Canterville so I’m sure I have nothing to be frightened of. (They exit the stage)
(Mr and Mrs Otis and the four children enter. They are greeted by an old woman dressed in an apron.)
Mrs Umney: Welcome I’m Mrs Umney the housekeeper. Please come in. There is tea in the library. (There is a table and two chairs on the left side of the stage. Mr and Mrs Otis sit on them and Mrs Umney serves them tea.)
Child 1: It is so exciting.
Child 2: I know let’s explore.(The four children run around the stage. They mime opening and closing doors.)
Child 3: Look what’s that?
Child 4: It’s a note.
Child 1: Let me see.
Child 2: If a child enters the secret room and stay until dead of night.
Child 3: Then at last Sir Simon can sleep in his tomb and at Canterville all will be alright.
Child 4: What does that mean?
(Meanwhile in the library Mrs Otis is inspecting the ground carefully.)
Mrs Otis: I’m terrible sorry Mrs Umney. I think I spilled something on your carpet.
Mrs Umney: That’s not tea, it is blood.
Mr Otis: We must get rid of it. (The children all come in and inspect the blood stain on the carpet.)
Mrs Umney: I’m afraid that is impossible. That is the blood of Lady Eleanor Canterville. She was murdered by husband Sir Simon Canterville 500 years ago. Then Sir Simon disappeared and his body has never been found. They say his spirit haunts the house.
Child 1: I’ll get rid of it. (He rubs it.)
Child 2: Look it’s gone.
(Then there is thunder and lightning and Mrs Unmey faints. Lights go out. When the lights come back on. The blood stain is back.)
Mr Otis: Maybe the house is haunted after all.

Scene 2: At Night.
(Mr and Mrs Otis are asleep in bed. There is a strange ratting noise and it was getting louder and louder.Mr Otis gets up and puts on his slippers and dressing gown. He opens the door and there in front is the ghost in chains.)
Mr Otis: Oh, you must be Sir Simon.
Sir Simon: (nods) Yes I am. (He rattles his chains really loudly.)
Mr. Otis: Here take this bottle of oil (he hands the bottle to the ghost) and oil your chains. They are making too much noise. I can’t sleep.
(Sir Simon throws the bottle on the ground and runs away and starts to make haunting noise.)
(The two twins come on stage rubbing their eyes.)
Twin 1: What’s going on?
Twin 2: Who is making all that noise? (They stop and share at the ghost.)
Twin 1: It’s the ghost.
Twin 2: Here throw your pillow at him to scare him (They throw the pillows and run off stage.)
Sir Simon: Well I never I have been scaring people for nearly 500 years and I have never been treated like this. Don’t worry I will get my revenge.

Scene 3: The next morning.
(Family are sitting at the table for breakfast.)
Mrs Otis: Children You mustn’t be frightened of the ghost.
Mr. Otis: Well he didn’t look very scary to me.l (Sir Simon comes out from the other side of the stage and stares at the family.)
Sir Simon: I will exact my revenge on those pesky children.

(The following is all done through mime. The children dress up as ghosts and scare Sir Simon. They hold a piece of string and trip him up. They put oil on the floor and he slipped. They run off laughing. This can be done with music in the background.)

Sir Simon: I’ll stop those children once and for all. I’ll appear as my most terrifying characters Reckless Rupert. Reckless Rupert always scares people. (He tiptoes into the children’s room and a bucket of water is thrown on him. The children laugh and he goes off dejected.)
Child 1: We haven’t seen the ghost for ages.
Child 2: I think may be we scared in off for good.
(They exit the stage.)

(Ghost comes in and sits on a chair. He is crying. Virginia walks in.)
Virginia: Why are you crying Sir Simon? (She puts her arm around his shoulder to comfort him.)
Sir Simon: Because your brothers keep playing nasty tricks on me.
Virginia: they would stop if you behaved yourself.
Sir Simon: But I’m a ghost. I have to rattle my chains and moan and groan and walk around at night.
Virginia: You have been wicked. You murdered your wife. It’s wrong to kill people.
Sir Simon: I know but her brother captured me and starved me to death.
Virginia: You poor ghost.
Sir Simon: Please help me. I’m so unhappy and so very tired.
Virginia: Have you not slept?
Sir Simon: I haven’t slept for 500 years.
Virginia: I don’t know how I can help.
Sir Simon: you could. Do you remember the poem you found?
Virginia: (takes it out of her pocket and reads) But I don’t know what it means.
Sir Simon: It means that you must come with me to my chamber and pray for me.
Virginia: That sound easy enough.
Sir Simon: No person has ever entered the chamber and come out alive.
Virginia: I’ll come with you.
(Off they go and disappeared.)
(Mrs Otis and the other children come on stage looking for Virginia.)
Mrs Otis: Where is she?
Mr Otis: I’m getting worried.
(Then they hear a crash and she comes out of the secret chamber.)
Mrs Otis: Where have you been?.
Virginia: I’ve been with the ghost.. He knows he has been wicked and he is very sorry for everything. He gave me these box of jewels.

Final scene: At the graveyard
(There is a grave stone that’s says sir Simon Canterville RIP. The whole family, Mrs. Umney and Lord Canterville all walk in and bow their heads in respect.)
Lord Canterville: Finally he is at peace.
Virginia: He is happy at last.
The End.

This book is a collection of plays that have been adapted from well-known fairy tales. They can be used as performance plays, readers theatre or just used to promote reading in groups. Each play is between five and ten minutes long. The plays can be adapted to suit the various needs of the group. The cast list is very flexible – more characters can be added. Characters can be changed or omitted. In addition, the teacher/group leader can assume the role of the storyteller if the children are unable to read or not at the reading level required. Also included in this book is a variety of drama activities. These activities are designed to be fun and enjoyable as well as promoting concentration, movement, character development and creativity.

The plays in the collection are:
Little Red Riding Hood
Goldilocks
The Three Little Pigs
The Elves and the Shoemaker
The Three Billy Goats Gruff
The Ugly Duckling
The Lazy Cow
The Talking Tree
Humpty Dumpty
The Magic Porridge Pot
The Stone Soup
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
The Little Red Hen
The Gingerbread Man
The Enormous Turnip
Chicken Licken

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The Wizard of Oz

Characters: Dorothy, Uncle Henry, Auntie Em, Toto, Good Witch of the North, Munchkins, Scarecrow, Tinman, Lion, Wicked Witch of the West, Chief of the Flying Monkeys, Flying Monkeys, Emerald City Guard, the Wizard of Oz.

Scene One: Kansas
(Curtains open, Uncle Henry is in the farm yard chopping wood).
Dorothy: (walks on stage) Hello, Uncle Henry. What are you doing?
Uncle Henry: I’m chopping wood for the fire so we can be nice and warm this evening. Where have you being?
Dorothy: We went to the woods for a walk and picked some flowers for Auntie Em and had a paddle in the stream.
Uncle Henry: Who were you with?
Dorothy: Why Toto of course! Toto, Toto come here boy. (A little black dog runs in.)
Uncle Henry: I wish all the animals on the farm loved me as much as that dog loves you.
Dorothy: I love him too.
Uncle Henry: I know you do. (He continues chopping the wood and Dorothy and Toto play with each other.)
(Auntie Em walks on stage.)
Auntie Em: Oh Henry, I hope you have put all the animals away for the night. It looks like a big storm is coming.
(They all look anxiously towards the sky and the light darkens.)
Uncle Henry: Dorothy, come and help me put the animals away and Em, you get us some food and water. We will need it because the storm looks like it might turn in to a cyclone, so it’s a good idea that we spend the night in the cellar.
(They all leave the stage. Lights get dark, sound of wind and thunder.)
(Dorothy, Henry and Toto all come back on the stage.)
Henry: Everything is locked up for the night. The cyclone is coming, so we better join Auntie Em in the cellar. (Henry runs off the stage, but then there is a sudden crash of thunder and Toto gets scared and runs the opposite way. Dorothy runs after him. The cyclone has come and the lights flicker on and off. Dorothy finally finds Toto and they are thrown around the room until eventually Dorothy hits her head and is thrown to the floor. The sound continues on for a while and then there is a crash and everything is in darkness.)
(Curtains close)

Scene 2: Munchkin Land
(The Munchkins come in from the back of the theatre. They will improvise and interact with the audience. They will tell the audience about the Wicked Witch of the East who treats them like slaves and her sister the Wicked Witch of the West.) (Dorothy wakes up and a bird is singing and the sky is clear and blue.)
Dorothy: Uncle Henry, Auntie Em where are you?
(She gets up slowly and walks out and sees some Munchkins and the Good Witch. They all bow when they see Dorothy, but the Munchkins run away and hide.)
Good Witch: You are most welcome to Munchkin Land. (All the Munchkins start giggling but Dorothy can’t see them.)
Dorothy: Why thank you, everybody; you are most kind.
Good Witch: No, thank you so much for killing the Wicked Witch of the East. Now all the Munchkins are free from her power.
Dorothy: I think there must be some mistake. I didn’t kill anyone.
Good Witch: (She points to the house) Well, your house did.
Dorothy: Oh dear, I didn’t mean to kill her.
Good Witch: You don’t understand; it is a good thing because now the Munchkins are free from her power.
Dorothy: Who are the Munchkins?
Good Witch: They are the people that live in the land of the East. They were the Wicked Witch of the East’s slaves. And now they are free. Munchkins, come out, come out where ever you are and meet your saviour.
(Munchkins come out from where they are hiding and they go and examine the dead witch.)
Munchkin 1: She is well and truly dead.
Munchkin 2: There is nothing left of her, except her ruby slippers.
Munchkin 3: Well done, Dorothy, you are new queen of Munchkin Land.
(They all sing, “Ding dong the witch is dead,” and do a dance.)
Dorothy: But I want to go home to my farm in Kansas. I don’t want to be the queen of this place. (She starts to cry.)
Good Witch: Well Dorothy, you are not in Kansas anymore. (She comforts her.)
Dorothy: But how do I get home to Uncle Henry and Auntie Em and the farm?
Good Witch: You must go to the Emerald City and ask the great and powerful Oz to help you.
Dorothy: Who?
Good Witch: He is a wonderful wizard who knows everything. He will help you.
Dorothy: But how do I get to Oz?
Good Witch: You must walk. It is a very long journey through a land that is sometimes pleasant and friendly but sometimes very dark and terribly scary. But here, take the Wicked Witch’s ruby slippers. They will keep you safe. All you need to do is follow this yellow brick road.
(They all sing, “We are off to see the wizard.” They all leave the stage, and there is darkness. Dorothy walks on stage and there is a scarecrow on the stage. She walks past him but the scarecrow winks at her and she returns and looks at him and then thinks she has just imagined it so she walks on.)

Scene 3: The Yellow Brick Road
Scarecrow: Hello there!
Dorothy: (Stops walking.) Did you speak?
Scarecrow: Yes I did. Can you help get me down from this perch? My arms are very stiff.
(Dorothy helps him get down.)
Scarecrow: That’s much better. Thank you. What’s your name?
Dorothy: Dorothy
Scarecrow: That’s a nice name, Where are going, Dorothy?
Dorothy: I’m going to the Emerald City to ask the wizard how to get home to the farm and to Uncle Henry and Auntie Em.
Scarecrow: Where is the Emerald City?
Dorothy: I don’t know (pauses); I thought you would know.
Scarecrow: I don’t know anything because I don’t have a brain. (Pauses.) I know, if I come to the Emerald City with you, do you think the wizard will give me a brain?
Dorothy: I don’t see why not. Come with me. But we must find the yellow brick road.
Scarecrow: What’s a yellow brick road?
Dorothy: A road made with yellow bricks.
Scarecrow: Look, there it is. (He points to the yellow brick road.)Oh Dorothy, you are so clever.
(They sing, “We are off to see the wizard.” They go off stage. When they come on stage again, there is a tin man.)
Dorothy: I’m so tired, Scarecrow. I must rest.
Scarecrow: We can rest here.
(They both sit down and Dorothy starts to sleep. There is a loud groan and it startles Scarecrow.)
Scarecrow: What’s that? Dorothy, wake up!
(Dorothy wakes up. There is a loud groan again.)
Dorothy: What’s that?

If you want to finish reading the rest of this play click on the picture below.

Classics on Stage is a collection of ten plays adapted from popular and cherished works of children’s literature. This is a unique collection of scripts that will entertain and educate readers. The plays are written with a sense of fun, which will engage and delight children of all ages. The plays in the collection are:
The Wizard of Oz
Alice in Wonderland
How the Leopard Got His Spots
How the Elephant Got His Trunk
The Happy Prince
The Selfish Giant
The Canterville Ghost
Peter Pan
Pinocchio
Around the World in Eighty Days

The book is available on Amazon as an ebook. Click below:

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It is also available in paperback.

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Movement Story
The Tortoise and the Hare

Resources needed: Clear space and a copy of the story below.
Introduction: Ask the children do they know the story of the tortoise and the hare. Tell them you are going to tell them the story but instead of just sitting and listening they are going to participate in the story. Tell them that they are going to listen out for the following words and they have to do the action associated with that word when they hear it in the story. The teacher should explain any words that the children might not understand such as boastful – boast is telling everyone how good you are at everything. The teacher should go through the different words and their movement. If there are too many words for the age group the teacher can omit some of them. Once the teacher has gone through the words and the actions, she then shouts out words randomly to see if everyone knows the action. The children find their own space in the room so they can move freely and then the story can begin.
Boast/boastful/boasting – stand up straight and puff out chest
Woods – children make themselves into trees.
Animals – each child choose a different animal found in the woods and move like that animal.
Hare – make bunny ears with your hands.
Fast – children move as fast as they can
Run/ran – run on the spot
Tortoise – children bend over as if they have something heavy on their back.
Slow/slowly – children move in slow motion around the room.

Once upon a time there was a very boastful hare who lived in a woods with lots of other animals. He was always boasting about how fast he could run. He boasted “I’m the fastest animal in the woods. No one can run as fast as me.” The other animals were tired of listening to him. One day the tortoise said to the hare “Hare, you are so boastful. I challenge you to race.” Hare laughed and said “Tortoise, you will never beat me. You are too slow and steady.” They decided whoever got to the other side of the woods the fastest was the winner. All the other animals in the woods came to watch the race. The hare ran as fast as he could through the woods. After a while he thought to himself “I’m so fast that slow tortoise will never beat me. I think I will take a quick nap.” Soon, he fell asleep. The tortoise walked slowly through the woods. He passed the sleeping hare. The animals watched the tortoise near the finishing line. The animals cheered loudly. The hare woke up and ran as fast as he could through the woods to the finishing line but it was too late. The slow tortoise had won the race. All the animals in the wood congratulated the tortoise. The hare had to remind himself that he shouldn’t boast about his fast pace because slow and steady won the race.

Closure: Do you think the hare was boastful after the race? Why not? What lesson did we learn from the story? Now I want you to be your chosen animal again. Everyone line up we are going to have a race but you must move in slow motion.

‘Movement Start’ is a collection of movement activities, including games, action poems and stories, suitable for children between the ages of 3 and 8. It can be used in Early Years’ settings or in primary schools. This book is also suitable for people working with children in any venue where movement is used such as community groups, dance groups, drama classes, gymnastic clubs and so on.
The book is accessible and easy to follow. It is divided into two parts Movement Activities and Movement Stories. Each section provides educators/facilitators/leaders with a variety of creative and imaginative ideas for stimulating movement activities in many different settings.

Part One: Movement Activities. There are eight different categories in this section. Each category, for example warm-up games states the main benefit of the activity it features. However, all of the activities in this book have more than one benefit. The games are clearly set out and the appropriate age group and minimum amount of children needed to participate are listed for each one. The other benefits of playing the game are also stated and detailed instructions are provided, with suggested extension for some of the games.

Part Two: Movement stories are an enjoyable way for children to explore different ways of moving. The stories allow the children to physically express themselves with freedom and imagination. In addition, the movement stories in this book promote key skills, such as listening, teamwork, coordination, balance, strength, flexibility and memory. The following movement stories can be used with children as young as three years old. Each story in this section is clearly laid out. There is an introduction and closure activity for each story and the resources needed are listed at the beginning.

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Game: The Dog Show 

Level: Pre Intermediate +

Aim: Questions 

Minimum number of participants: 2

Resources needed: Clear Space

Instructions: This is a communication activity where the students have to use their imagination. There is an opportunity for the students to use mime and provides a chance to use the teacher in role drama technique. Get each student to imagine that they are a dog owner. They must each mime interacting with their dog. Once they have done this and got use to the size of their dog get them to imagine that they are competing in a dog show. The teacher takes on the role as a judge of the show. She/he interviews each of the dog owners individually and ask them the following questions.

What type of dog is it?

Where did you get him from?

What type of personality does he have?

What dog tricks can he do? Can you show us?

Why should you dog win the show?

The Judge/teacher can decide at the end of the activity who wins the show. The winner/winners can take a photo at the end with their dogs. (Still image).

Game: Alibi

Level: Pre intermediate +

Aim: To ask questions and to communicate in a spontaneous manner.

Minimum number of participants: 6

Resources needed: A clear space.

Instructions: Explain what an alibi means. Create a crime scene scenario.
Divide the class into groups of 4 or 5. Get one group to be the suspect send them out of the room to get their story straight. Meanwhile the suspects are getting their story straight. Get the other group to be the investigators to compile a series of questions. After the students are finished preparing invite the suspect back and the interrogation begins. Each group interviews each suspect and then they compare notes and decide whose story didn’t match up and they must come to a consensus who they will officially excuse. 

Different scenarios

Bank robbery

Kidnapping

Shop lifting

Extension: More advanced students could hold a trial in which each group could be assigned different roles.

Game: Greetings
Level: Beginners+
Aim: The main focus of this activity is for the students to learn how to greet people. The extension to the activity promotes imagination and creativity.
Minimum number of participants: 3
Resources needed: Clear space.
Instructions: The students stand up and walk around the room in different directions. They have 30 seconds to shake everyone hands and say “Hello, my name is …. Please to meet you?
Extension: you can make this more difficult for higher levels. When’s hey have greeted everyone in 30 seconds they have to go around the room and greet everyone in different scenarios. The teacher calls out the different scenarios.
Examples of the different scenarios:
Greet someone you haven’t seen for ten years.
Greet someone that owes them money.
Greet everyone as if they have bad breath
Greet everyone as if you are in love with them.
Greet everyone as if you don’t like them.
Greet everyone as if you are suspicious of them.
Greet everyone as if you are frightened of them

Game: Snowballs
Level: Pre intermediate +
Aim: Statements and interrogative questions is the language focus here but this activity helps the students to be observation and be aware of other people’s body language.
Minimum number of participants: 4
Resources needed: Pieces of paper, pens and a clear space.
Instructions: This is a good icebreaker or warm up game for a class that don’t know each other that well. Give each student a piece of paper. Each student writes a statement about themselves on the piece of paper. When everyone has done this they scrunch up the pair and throw it in the circle. They keep picking up and throwing different pieces of paper until the teacher says stop. They pick up a random piece of paper and they must ask each other questions to find out who the piece of paper belongs to. If they group knows each other well get them to write down less obvious statements about themselves.

Game: Roll The Ball
Level: Beginners+
Language focus: This is a very useful game to play at the start of a new class. It helps both the students and teacher learn each other’s name in a fun way.
Minimum number of participants: 4
Resources needed: A clear space and a ball.
Instructions: This is a fun and easy game to play with younger students. It help with coordination skills. You need a ball. All the students sit in a circle with their legs wide open. The say the following rhyme as they roll the ball to on another.
Roll the ball, roll the ball, roll the ball to (name)
(name) has got the ball, roll it back to me.

Game: Data Processing
Level: Elementary+
Aim: The main aim of this activity of this activity is to ask personal questions but it also aids listening skills..
Minimum number of participants: 4
Resources needed: A clear space
Instructions: Get the class to work together and get them to get into a straight line:
• Alphabetically by their first name
• Alphabetically by their surnames
• Alphabetically by their best friend’s name
• Hair length
• Show size
• Birthdays
• How many brothers and sisters you have?

Extension: If the students are advanced get them to do this exercise by not using sound. They can only use body movement and gesture.

The following is a guest post by Samantha Marsden author of ‘How to make a living as a freelance drama teacher.’

I taught drama to 3 – 7 year olds for nine years. During this time I had hundreds of parents tell me how drama had improved their child’s confidence. Here are some tips on how to help students gain more confidence in your drama class.

Performing: Plan your lesson so that students get a chance to perform in front of their classmates. The more they practice performing, the easier it will become for them. Even if a student gets up for only three seconds and shows the class their impression of a cat, this counts as a performance.

Praise: Even when a student mumbles a few inaudible lines, find something to praise them for. Chances are it took a lot of guts for them to get up and do that in front of the class. Try and make the praise specific. It’s ok to include constructive criticism as long as it’s said in a gentle and kind tone. For example, ‘Lily I really liked the way you smiled during your poem but do you think you could make the words a little louder?’

Applaud: Whenever someone performs in front of the class encourage everyone to clap afterwards. Make sure you clap as well and if it was really good throw in a few whoops and cheers!

Comparisons: Always compare a student to themselves not to others. Progress should be measured by how far a student has come, not by what they are like compared to other students.

Respect: Respect your students’ ideas and never belittle an idea even if it is a little crazy! If a child is speaking or performing give them your full attention and make sure the class does too.

No nastiness: Make it a very strict rule that no one is to say anything nasty about anyone during the drama class.

Don’t put a child on the spot: Please don’t ever randomly pick a child and ask them to answer your question or perform. Children hate looking stupid in front of their peers and if they don’t know the answer to your question they will quickly lose confidence and won’t volunteer themselves to do anything in your class in the future.

Simplicity: Keep the lesson content simple. If you make the lesson too complex, which is easily done with this age group, students will lose confidence as they will feel out of their depth.

Make mistakes: Kid’s love it when you make mistakes. If you get the words of a song wrong,laugh at yourself and say, ‘Silly me.’ Don’t try to hide your mistakes. They’ll love it if you muck up and it will make them feel better about themselves. I’ve been to known to fake a few mistakes so that students feel more at ease.

No forcing: Never force a child to perform or to do anything in your class. They will join in and perform when they are ready, not when you are ready. By forcing them you may ruin their confidence and then they may never perform as they have a terrible memory of the time they were forced to do it. If you don’t force anyone and only positively encourage students I can guarantee you that every student will be volunteering to perform by week 5 or 6.

Thumbs up: If a child is particularly terrified whilst performing stick your thumbs up at them as they perform and encourage other members of the class to do so as well.. You’ll often see a smile spread across the terrified child’s face when you show them support.

Friend:  Buddy children up and help them to make friends with each other. They’ll have a lot more confidence if they know they have a friend routing for them.

Stickers: Give out stickers and be specific about why you’re giving them. The children will be more proud of their achievement if they know exactly what the sticker is for, for example: ‘Well done Caleb I really liked your lion face in that song.’

Certificates: Give out certificates. Each week have a ‘performer of the week,’ or two, or even three depending on the size of your class. Keep a list of who gets the certificate each week and make sure everyone gets it at least once during the term.

Student praise: After a performance, ask the class what they liked about it. Try and get about three positive comments from the class per performance – any more and you won’t have enough time. You’ll be amazed at what lovely things they have to say about each other.

Written by Sam Marsden, author of ‘How to make a living as a freelance drama teacher.’

Whether you’re an experienced drama teacher or straight out of college, my new book Teach Drama: How to Make a Living as a Freelance Drama Teacher will help you get work as freelance drama teacher.
https://www.dramafountain.com

The following is a play adapted from Roald Dahl’s classic “The Twits.”
Characters: Mr Twit, Mrs Twit, three narrators, four little boys, Roly Poly Bird, monkeys and birds – you can have as many monkeys and birds as you want.
Narrator 1: Mr and Mrs Twit were truly awful people. They were awful in every way. They were awful on the inside and awful on the outside. They never realised that if you are ugly on the inside, you’ll be ugly on the outside too.
Narrator 2: Everybody knows that if you’re beautiful on the inside, you’ll be beautiful on the outside, even if your feet are too big and your ears are too small and you have a wonky nose. When you think beautiful thoughts they shine out of your face like sunbeams. Mr and Mrs Twit never, ever thought beautiful thoughts, so you can imagine how awful they were to look at.
Narrator 3: They hated everything and everyone, and even hated each other. They only thing they loved doing was playing nasty tricks, and they were always trying to see which one of them could be the nastiest.
Mrs Twit: Hmmmmm, what kind of trick can I play on Mr. Twit today? I know! I’ll put some worms in his spaghetti. He’ll never know because I’ll put lots of sauce and cheese on it.
Mr Twit: Where is my dinner?
Mrs Twit: Here it is, dear.
Mr Twit: Hey, my spaghetti is moving!
Mrs Twit: It’s a new kind called squiggly spaghetti. I think it’s delicious.
Narrator 1: Of course, there were no worms in Mrs Twit spaghetti.
Mr Twit: I don’t like it. It is too squishy and bitter.
Mrs Twit: Stop complaining and finish your dinner. I didn’t slave over a hot stove for nothing.
Mr Twit: Okay, okay. (Continues to eat, making faces the whole time, then finishes and wipes his mouth on his sleeve.)
Mrs Twit: Do you want to know why your spaghetti was squishy and bitter?
Mr Twit: Why?
Mrs Twit: Because their were worms in it! Ha, ha, ha!
Mr Twit: (running away with his hand in his mouth) I’ll pay you back for this!
Narrator 2: That very night ……
Mr Twit: Hmmmm, what can I do to get Mrs Twit back for putting worms in my spaghetti? I know since she hates frogs so much, I’ll catch one and put it in her bed before she goes to sleep!
(Mr and Mrs Twit go to bed)
Background noise: Ribbit, Ribbit!
Mr Twit: Good night. (Giggles to himself.)
Mrs Twit: Hey, there’s something in my bed.
Mr Twit: What? Something squishy and slimy.
Mrs Twit: Yes, how did you know?
Mr Twit: Oh, I was wondering…
Mrs Twit: Wondering what?
Mr Twit: If It could be a ….
Mrs Twit: A what?
Mr Twit: A frog!
Mrs Twit: Ewww!
Mr. Twit: What’s wrong?
Mrs Twit: There is one in my bed. (Kicks and kicks and kicks and kicks.)
Mr. Twit: Are you okay?
Mrs Twit: Ohhhh …(faints)
Mr. Twit: Hee, hee, hee!
Narrator 3: If you think that’s bad, see how they are to their people.
First little boy: Hey, let’s climb that tree!
Second little boy: But it’s in Mr and Mrs Twit’s yard.
Third little boy: Never mind, we can be quick.
Fourth little boy: Okay, let’s go.
Narrator 1: What the boys didn’t know was Mr. Twit had spread sticky stuff on the branches of the tree, so that he and Mrs Twit could have tasty things for supper, like bugs and birds and small children. As they climb the tree, the first little boy notice something was wrong.
First little boy: Hey, we are stuck.
Second little boy: What do you mean?
Third little boy: Try to get up?
Fourth little boy: Ahh! I can’t.
First little boy: Take your pants off!
Other little boys: Huh?
Narrator 2: The first little boy who was the smartest, knew that it was just their pants that stuck to the tree, and if they took them off, they would be able to get away.
First Little boy: We’re free, we’re free!
Other little boys: We’re free! We’re free.
Narrator 3: All this time, Mr and Mrs Twit had kept some monkey in a cage not far from the tree. They had been caught in the same way that the Twits had try to catch the little boys. When the birds would come and try to roost on the Twits’s tree the monkeys would shout:
Monkeys: There is sticky stuff all over the tree.
If you land on the branches, you will never be free.
So fly away! Fly away! Stay up high!
Or you’ll finish up tomorrow in a hot bird pie.
Narrator 1: The Roly Poly Bird, who watches over all birds, animals and insects decided that enough is enough and that he’d better get involved.
Roly Poly Bird: What is going on here?
Little boys, monkeys and birds: The Twits are awful, they won’t leave us alone.
Roly Poly Bird: Well, let’s see what we can do. Since the Twits have turned your life upside down, maybe we can return the favour and show them what it is like.
Narrator 2: So, all the monkeys, the birds and the little boys set to turn the Twits house upside down. One day, when the Twits were out, they glued all the furniture in the house to the ceiling! Imagine the Twit’s surprise when they came back that day.
Mr Twit: (opening the door) Whoa!
Mrs Twit: What?
Mr Twit: Everything’s upside down!
Mrs Twit: I know! We’ll stand on heads and everything will be right side up.
Mr. Twit: Good idea!
Narrator 3: Just then, one of the birds that had helped to the glue the Twit’s furniture flew in and dripped some glue on the Twits’ heads, but they were far too excited to notice. This was the last and most important part of the Roly Poly Bird’s plan.
Mrs Twit: Ready?
Mr. Twit: Okay!
(The Twits stand on their heads.)
Twits: Oh no! We’re stuck!
Narrator 1: The Twits were indeed stuck. They stayed stuck, no matter how hard they tried to get away and eventually they shrank and shrank until there was nothing left of them but two stinky piles of old clothes.
Everyone: Hooray!
The End

If you enjoyed this play and would like to see more children’s plays please click on my Amazon page.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Julie+Meighan

‘Panchatantra on Stage’ consists of eighteen plays that are based on the old Indian book the Panchatantra. Each play is between five and ten minutes long. The plays can be used for performance, readers’ theatre or to promote reading in groups. The plays are simple so it is very easy for young children to memorise their lines. The cast list is flexible – more characters can be added and existing characters can be changed or omitted depending on the size and requirements of the group. Most of the characters can be on stage throughout the play, with children walking to the centre of the stage when it is time to say their lines. The teacher/leader can assume the role of the storyteller/s if the children can’t read or are not at the reading level required.

The book is available on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

Adventure in Space

Resources needed: Clear space, balloons, flags, and objects for the moon (optional).
Introduction: Tell the children that they are going to become astronauts. Explain what an astronaut is or show them pictures of an astronaut in space. An astronaut is a person who is trained to travel in space. Discuss some interesting facts about astronauts with the children.

Ten interesting facts about astronauts:
• Yuri Gagarin was the first man to travel in space in 1961. He was Russian. His space shuttle was called “Vostok 1.”
• John Glenn was the first American to travel in space in 1962. His space shuttle was called “Friendship 7.”
• Laika, a stray dog trained by the Russians, was the first living thing to go into space. Unfortunately he died a few hours after launch. Ham, the chimp, was the first animal taken into space by an American astronaut. He arrived safely back to earth after 16 hours in space.
• In space you float because there is no gravity. The inner ear doesn’t need to keep you balanced. When astronauts come back from space they are very clumsy.
• In space, there is no gravity to weigh you down so your spine stretches and relaxes, and the astronaut can grow up to 5cm. or 2 inches.
• In space the sun rises every 90 minutes.
• Astronauts in space can see other planets without a telescope.
• In space it is not possible to breathe air normally. The space suits have oxygen attached to them to help astronauts breathe when they are outside the space shuttle.
• The longest time an astronaut has spent in space is 2 years and 73 days.
• Astronauts have to sleep in buckled bunk beds. If they are not strapped to the bed they will float when they are asleep, as there isn’t any gravity.

The teacher discusses with the children that they are going to go on a special mission to space. Ask for suggestions for the name of their space shuttle. Ask them how they will move in space as there is no gravity. They must move in slow motion with their space suits. Get the children to practice moving around the room very slowly. Get them to jump up and down in slow motion. Once they are used to the slow movements, the story can begin. The teacher will be the pilot.

Pilot: Astronauts, this is space shuttle (name of the space shuttle). My name is (pilot’s name). I am your pilot for this important top-secret space mission. (All the astronauts walk on to the shuttle and take their positions on the floor.) Welcome on board the (name of the space shuttle). Our flight time will be (time) and we will be flying at an altitude of (altitude), at a speed of (speed). At this time all electronic devices must be switched off or set to space shuttle mode. (All the astronauts take out their devices and mime switching them off.) Please take your seat and fasten your seat belt. (The astronauts lie on the floor with their feet in the air.) Astronauts, please prepare for blast off. Everybody count down 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, BLAST OFF. (Everybody count from 10 to 1 and creates a loud explosive sound.) Keep your seat belts on as there is a lot of turbulence. (Astronauts are shaking from side to side while fastening their seats.) We have reached a height of (height). The seat belt sign has been switched off. (The astronauts take off their seat belts, and because there is no gravity they start moving in slow motion and imagine that they are floating. They go forwards and backwards, up and down, side to side as they look out of the windows.) Astronauts, due to a technical problem with the space shuttle we have to make an emergency landing on the moon. Everyone, please take your seats as quickly as possible. (The astronauts sit back in their seats and put their seat belts on.) Everyone hold on tight. (They make an emergency stop and they all go forward and backward.) We are going to be stuck on the moon until we manage to fix the technical problem with the space shuttle. If you would like, you can put on your space suit and go for a walk on the moon. (The astronauts put on their space suits.) Remember to use your oxygen masks. (Everyone puts on their oxygen mask.) You have to move slowly on the moon because you don’t want your space suits to burst open. (They all get off the rocket carefully.) Everyone take your time going down the space shuttle steps. Hold on tight. Now that we are on the moon we should put our country’s flag on the moon. We should all take something from the moon as a souvenir. (Astronauts move around the room carefully and slowly and they mime picking up something and putting it in their space suit pocket.) Oh, look, it is a meteorite. (Teacher throws a balloon in the air which represents a meteorite.) Astronauts, we must make sure that the meteorite doesn’t hit the moon as it will cause a crater. (The astronauts try to keep the balloon from hitting the floor. They work together. The teacher can keep adding meteorites or balloons until they start to drop on the floor and cause craters.) It has turned into a meteorite shower and it is getting worse, and we have to run to the rocket to take cover. (They run as fast as they can in the space suits. Remember they can burst them if they run too fast. They all climb the stairs and get back into the rocket.) Welcome abroad. Please take your seats and fasten your seatbelts. (They lie on the backs with the feet up.) Count down begins 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, lift off. (They count down and make the sound of the engine taking off. They slowly begin to sit up as the rocket levels off and is floating through space.) The seatbelt sign has been switched off. Everyone look out the window. Remember what you see so you can tell everybody on Earth. (The children take off their seatbelts and look out the window.) Astronauts, it is time to return to Earth. Everyone fasten your seatbelts. I hope you enjoyed this space flight and will join us again in the future. (They land safely and everyone alights from the space shuttle.)

Closure: The children sit in a circle. One by one they take out their souvenir from the moon and explain what it is, what it looks like, or what it feels like? Each child says what they saw or experienced in space.

This story is from the book “Movement Start: Over 100 Activities and Stories for Children”.