вівторок, 3 листопада 2015 р.

Little Theatre

A year ago my colleagues and I were working at the fairy-tale play "The Twelve Months". Both students and teachers did their best. It was a huge success.

Today I'd like to share the results of our hard work (the screenplay and some photos).

                                  The Twelve Months 

            ACTORS:
  Author 1
  Author 2 
  Princess
  Professor
  Minister
  Wicked Stepmother
  Her own daughter
  Stepdaughter  
  12 months 
  Boys and Girls
                                             Scene I.   In the palace

(Princess, Professor, Minister)
The palace rooms, a hall for lessons, table, chair, inkwell

 Author 1: It has been 5 years as the king died.
 Author 2: He had a daughter, the Princess.
 Author 1: The professor cared about the princess and taught her.
 Author 2: A young princess was very capricious and careless.

                                 (Professor is on the stage)

 Princess (behind the curtains):
 - Professor, where are you?
  Professor:
 - I'm here baby! It's time to begin our lesson. Let's begin, Your Majesty. Repeat the rules of writing. 
 Princess:
 - Oh, really it's all so boring. Every time the same thing: learn, learn, learn ...
 Professor:
 - Your Majesty, if you want to be a Queen, you must learn!
 Princess:
 -   Learn, learn, learn ... Every time learn and learn... I don’t want to learn! I will make an order now,
     and I will execute everybody!
 Professor:
 - Excuse me, Your Majesty, but why?
  Princess (angrily):
 - Because I am angry again! You teach me all the time, I'm tired. Okay, I'll do one exercise, and then I want to have dinner! Well, what is it? 
 
 Professor (dictates):
 -Ok. Please, take a pen and write: "The grass is green,
The sun is shining,
The bird from the spring
 To us is flying!"
  Princess (angrily):
 - This poem is too long! And it is winter now, not spring. I will not write this!
  Professor:
 - But the poet has written so!
 Princess:
- But I want to write only "The grass is green." I am the Queen, and not a child!!!
   It is winter now and it is snowing! I don’t want winter! I want spring! Yes, let it be spring now!
  Professor:
 - But, Your Majesty, it is impossible! Spring will come, only after the winter!
  Princess:
 - But I want spring! I am the Queen! I can order!

(Princess calls the Minister)
  Princess (says to the Minister):
 - Hey, Minister! Order the winter to go away, and let the spring come! I want to see the green grass. And let the birds sing!
 Minister:
 - But, Your Majesty, I can’t do this. And what about the New Year and Christmas holidays?
 Princess:
 - I don’t want Christmas! I want to have flowers! Now!
 Minister:
- But, the first flowers appear in April ...
  Princess (amazed):  
 - In April? And what kind of flowers?  
 Professor:
 - Snowdrops.
  Princess:
 - Why only in April?  ...
  Professor:
 - It is the law of nature. After December comes January. Then February, March, and April come.
 Princess:
 - And what month is it now?
 Professor:
 - December. And after January…
  Princess:
 - No, no, no… I don’t want to wait for so long! I want flowers! Now! No January begins unless I have snowdrops!

 - Minister! Make a decree now: Flowers in the palace! Who brings flowers to the palace, will have a basket of gold!
 Minister: Yes, your Majesty!
                                                     Scene II.  In the house of the stepmother

                                                            (Stepmother, Daughter, Stepdaughter)

Author 2: In a small village there lived a wicked woman who had a daughter and a stepdaughter.
 Author 1: She loved her daughter, but the stepdaughter could do nothing to please her.
 Author 2: Whatever she did was wrong. 
Author 1: The daughter lay in bed whole day long eating cakes.
 Author 2: Вut the stepdaughter was on her feet from morning till night: 
Author 1: She was fetching water or carrying wood from the forest.
 Author 2: Washing linen in the river, or weeding in the orchard. 

                                                              (A poor village house)
  Stepmother (says to her daughter):
- Today it is Christmas! It is holiday today! I am tired of sitting at home. Lets go and visit somebody ...
 They hear the sound of trumpets and the voice of Herald

Herald:
 - Attention! Attention! Listen, everybody! The Royal Decree: The Princess will give the basket full of gold to a person who brings her a basket full of snowdrops!
 Stepmother (says to her daughter):
- Have you heard? Where is our basket?
                                                                       
                                                     (They start looking for a basket)
Stepmother (about stepdaughter):
-          Where is this lazy girl? We'll send her to the forest!  
                                                       (The stepdaughter comes in)
Stepmother:
 - Where did you go? We are waiting for you the whole hour!
 Daughter:
 -You always go where you want ...
 Stepdaughter:  
 - I was cleaning in the pantry.
  Stepmother and daughter (together):
 - And now you go to the forest for the snowdrops!
  Stepdaughter:
-          What are you talking about? What snowdrops in winter?
 Stepmother:
 - Again, you argue? I’ve said, go to the forest and bring snowdrops!
 Daughter:
 - Go, and don’t come back without the flowers. Here, take the basket! 
                                                             (The stepdaughter goes out)
 Stepmother (tells her daughter):
 - If she brings snowdrops, then we take them to the Princess and we get a lot of money!
 Daughter: Oh, it is great! 
                                                 
                                                         Scene III. Snow-covered forest

 Author 1: The little girl burst into the tears, but she put on a torn shawl and left the house. 
 Author 2: It was very cold.
 Author 1: The wind was very strong and threw snowflakes into her eyes as she walked.
 Author 2: It grew darker and darker, the sky was black, and there was not a single star in                       the sky.
 Author 1: She came to the forest. Now it was quite dark, and she couldn’t even see her
                   hands.    




 Stepdaughter:
 - All day I go through the forest in the snow. It is so cold! But I'm afraid to go home. I would better
    die here ...
 Author 2: The child sat on the log of a tree. She began to freeze to death.
 Author 1: Suddenly she saw a light among the trees. She went to the light.
Stepdaughter:
-Oh! What is that? A Light? I will go there and see!
 Author 1:  She saw 12 men sitting around the fire.

Month December:
 - Who is going there among the trees? Come into the light.
Stepdaughter:
 - Hello. Can I have a little warm at your fire?
 December:
 - Come to the fire, baby. Sit closer.
 January:
 - I often see her here in the forest.
 February:
- I also see her in the forest gathering the brushwood.
March:
- And I always see her working in the garden.
May:
- I often see her working in the field.
June:
- We, summer months, know her very well.
July:
- From morning till night she works in the house.
August:
She cooks and always does the washing.
September:
-          And we, autumn months often see her working all the day too!
October:
-          She picks berries in the forest.
November:
- This girl never rests! She is always as busy as a bee.
April:
- What are you doing in the woods at this time?
Stepdaughter:
-          It’s not my idea. My Stepmother sent me to the forest to bring snowdrops. And she said not to return without the flowers. But where can I find snowdrops in winter?  
                                                             (The girl is crying)
March (asks his brothers):
 - Well my friends, shall we help?
 Brothers (together):
 - Yes! Of course! We can help you.
Months: Let it be spring!   
April:
 - Go on, quickly take your snowdrops. Hurry up! You have only an hour!


 Stepdaughter (happily):
- Thank you, dear brothers-months! You saved me from a cruel death.



 April:
- Well, now go home safely. And one more thing ...
                                                      (April gives Stepdaughter a ring)
April:
 - Here's a magic ring. If you need my help, just drop it, and we will come. But do not tell anyone
   about what you saw and heard near this fire.
  Stepdaughter (happily):
-          Thank you! You are so kind!!
                                                              (Stepdaughter sings a song)   

 Stepdaughter:
- Dear ring, it’s Christmas time and I am so lonely. Show me how people celebrate it all over
   the world.
          (The ring shows children from France, Britain and Ukraine. They tell Stepdaughter
                       how Christmas is celebrated in their countries and sing carols) 




                                        
                                                                                 
                                                Scene IV. In the house of the stepmother

Author 2: The little girl ran home quickly with the full basket of snowdrops. 
 Author 1: There was no wind any more. The Moon showed her the way.
 Author 2: At last she came up to the house and knocked at the door.

Daughter:
 - Someone is knocking at the door. Who is this?
Stepdaughter (exhausted):
 - Here are the snowdrops. Well, I want to rest and to warm myself by the fire. 
 Daughter:
 - Mother, look, she brought the snowdrops! What are we waiting for? Lets run to the palace!

                                                          Scene V. In the palace

Author 1: And at this time in the palace. 
 Professor:
- Happy New Year to you, Your Majesty!
  Minister:  
 - And a Merry Christmas!
 Princess:
 - Don’t you understand? I said: no flowers – no New Year and Christmas!
  Professor (nervously):
 - Your Majesty – is it a joke?
  Princess:
  -  No! I'm not joking. So where are the flowers? Bring them to me now!
  Herald: The flowers for the Princes!
  (The stepmother and her daughter come in) 

Minister: Here, Your Majesty. These people brought you the snowdrops!
 Professor:
- What? I must be going mad! Flowers! In winter! Spring - winter? Oh, God!
  Princess (happily):
 - Professor, well, what did I tell you? Give me the flowers! Where did you get them?
 Stepmother:
 - We went to the forest … with my daughter… and all night we looked for the flowers … among snow in the forest … and suddenly found the flowers.   
Princess:
 - What next?
  Stepmother:
 - Well, we … quickly picked … the flowers!
 Daughter:
 - And we saw the bird … sitting on the tree … and calling spring ...
 - Go on!
  Stepmother:
 - Well, spring is calling, well, ... sun, ... blooming! singing ...
 Minister:
 - It cannot be!
 Professor:
- It is impossible!
 Stepmother:
 - Well, We… went to the palace!
 Daughter:
 - Yes! Yes!
 Stepmother:
- To get the gold. Here are the flowers and the basket.  
 Princess:
 - Hey! Minister! Give them a basket of gold!
 Princess (turns to the stepmother and her daughter):
 - And now take us to the forest! I want to see the flowers!
                                       (Stepmother and daughter fall to their knees in fear)
 Stepmother:
- No, no, we cant!
 Daughter:
 - Yes! Yes! We can’t.
 Princess:
- Why not? I order you! Now! 
Stepmother:
- Your Majesty, please. Save us! It is not us who found the flowers.
  Daughter:
 - Yes, yes it's my sister. Ask her!
  Princess:
- Bring her here! No! We will go to find her!

                                                         Scene VI. In the winter forest

Author 2: Princess, Stepmother and all the people went to the stepdaughter.
 Author 1: They saw that she was sitting and admiring the ring.
 Author 2: Stepmother showed her to the Princess.

Princess:
-Hey! What’s this? Show me your ring! And show me where you found snowdrops in winter!
 Stepdaughter:
 - Who are you?
  Princes:
 - I am the Queen! Well, tell me! 
Stepdaughter:
 - But there are no more flowers.
  Princess:
 - And where did you get them? 
Stepdaughter:
 - I cannot say. It's a secret!
  Princess:
 - What? Give me a ring!
  Stepdaughter:
 - Oh, my dear brothers! Come and help me!
 December:
 - Did you call us? Here are we.
  April:
- What has happened?
 Stepmother:
 - And who is this? Perhaps he is a Snowman! 
 Daughter:
 - No, not a snowman!
 Stepmother:
 - Yes!
  Daughter:
 - No!
 Stepmother:
 - Yes!
  Daughter:
 - No!
 Stepmother:
 - You are a snowman!
  Daughter:
 - No!  You are a snowman! 
Stepmother:
 - You!
  Daughter:
 - No! You!
 Stepmother:
 - You!
  Daughter:
 - No! You!
 May:
 - Look! They quarrel like dogs!
  December:
 - Stop to quarrel! Or I will freeze you!
 January:
- Go away. And never return!
 February:
- And who are you?
 Princess (afraid):
 - I am the Queen!
 March:
-Who? The Queen?
 Princess (afraid):
-Yes, the Queen! And I want to see the snowdrops in the forest! Bring me snowdrops!
  And who are you?
 December:
- We are the 12 months of the year! And we can do anything! I can freeze you!
  Professor:
- Please, please! Stop! Don’t be angry! She is only the child! She is so little!
 Princess (hides behind the Professor):
 - Oh! I’m so afraid!
 Professor:
- You better ask for mercy, your Majesty!
 Princess:
- No! I don’t want! I am the Queen!
 January ( to Princess):
 - You better ask for mercy or you will freeze and die!
  Princess (to the months):
Oh! No! Forgive me!
 Stepdaughter:
 - At Christmas - Lord forgives us all!
Professor:
-All is well, that ends well!

                                                Princess sings a song (“Happy New Year”)   

  






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