THE TREE AND THE WOODCUTTER
CHARACTERS:
TREE
GIRL
RABBIT
BIRD
SUN
WOODCUTTER
FLOWER
DOVE
Setting: A forest, in the Spring. The tree is on stage. Very slowly the sun appears. The birds are singing. There´s soft music in the background.
Props: Ax, ball
SCRIPT:
ACT 1
(The Tree is crying in the center of the stage)
GIRL: (enters the stage) Where´s my ball? This is happening to me because I disobeyed my mom. (then she tells the audience): Has anybody seen my ball?. (looking at the tree) What´s wrong with you?. Are you crying?. Who hit you?. (she tells the audience) Did you hurt the tree?.
TREE: Nobody hurt me, don´t worry. You are too young, you don`t understand. What`s your name?.
GIRL: Ana. But, tell me, what wrong with you?.
RABBIT: (enters the stage running) You didn´t get me!. You didn´t get me! (he trips with the girl and both fell to the floor).
GIRL: Ouch!. Watch out!.
RABBIT: Oh, I´m sorry, I´m sorry, but… what´s wrong?. (To the tree) Do you have a cold or are you crying?.
GIRL AND RABBIT: Tell us!.
TREE: A bird told me that a woodcutter is coming to cut me down.
RABBIT: Are they going to cut you down?. (The Dove, the Flower, and the Bird enter the stage) To cut you down?. Where am I going to hide?.
BIRD: Where am I going to do my nest ?.
DOVE: What am I going to eat?.
FLOWER: Who will give me shade?.
SUN: How sad the forest will be!.
RABBIT: I will fight for you with my own hands.
BIRD: There he comes!. There’s the woodcutter!. Let´s get together.
ACT 2
WOODCUTTER: (enters the stage whistling) Which tree should I cut?. I´ll choose one (looks at the tree). I like this one (starts cutting the tree. The Rabbit enters the stage and throws the ax to the floor. The woodcutter seems surprised, looks around, picks up the ax and tries again to cut the tree, but the bird enters the stage and also throws the ax to the floor). But, what´s happening?. Why are these animals bothering me? (starts cutting the tree. The tree screams).
TREE: (crying) Oh, please don`t do that!.
GIRL: (enters the stage) Don´t you listen how he cries?.
WOODCUTTER: Who´s crying?. The tree?. Who cares about the tree?. (tells the audience) Do you all care?.
GIRL: We care. He gives us fruit, he protects us, he cleans our air, and he´s our friend.
WOODCUTTER: I have a family and I need wood to cook and get warm.
GIRL: You can find wood somewhere else. You can find wood in old and dry branches and trees. This tree is our friend and we are going to take care of him (she leaves the stage).
RABBIT: (enters the stage) If you´re brave, come fight with me!. I will fight for you, tree.
WOODCUTTER: (hits the Rabbit) Who do you want to fight with?.
RABBIT: Me?. With nobody!. Who said something about fighting?. (leaves the stage)
GIRL: (enters the stage and hugs the tree) We will not leave you. He will also have to destroy us .
WOODCUTTER: (looks impressed) OK, that`s enough. I´ll look somewhere else, maybe for dry trees. I am not a monster. (tells the audience) Don´t look at me that way. I understand now. Let the trees live (leaves the stage).
GIRL: (jumps happily) We did it!. We did it!.
RABBIT: (enters the stage) Where is he?. Where is he?.
GIRL: He´s gone, he understood. Our friend is sound and safe now.
TREE: I am very happy!. Thank you my friends.
THE END
THE MOUSETRAP
CHARACTERS:
MAN
WOMAN
MOUSE
DOCTOR
CHICKEN
LAMB
COW
Props: Box with a mousetrap; soup dish; thermometer
SCRIPT:
NARRATOR: A mouse is looking through the wall and sees a man and a woman opening a package.
MOUSE: Humm, it looks good. What kind of food can be stored there?.
NARRATOR: He was horrified when he saw that it was a mousetrap. He went outside to tell the others.
MOUSE: There´s a mousetrap in the house. A mousetrap!.
NARRATOR: The chicken who was looking for worms in the ground said.
CHICKEN: Excuse me, Mr. Mouse; I understand that it is a big problem for you, but I don´t care. That doesn´t bother me!.
NARRATOR: The mouse left worried. He went to find the lamb and said.
MOUSE: Mr. Lamb, there´s a mousetrap in the house!.
LAMB: I think that it is not for me. Excuse me, Mr. Mouse, but there´s nothing I can do. I can only pray. Stay calm, you are in my prayers!.
NARRATOR: Then the mouse went to see the cow.
MOUSE: There`s a mousetrap in the house, Mrs. Cow!.
COW: That won´t hurt me. Am I in danger?. I don´t think so.
NARRATOR: Then the mouse went back home looking sad and defeated. That same night when everything was quiet, a loud noise was heard. The noise was that of a mousetrap getting a victim. The woman ran to see the mousetrap. But it was so dark that she didn´t see that the mousetrap got the tail of a deadly snake. Then the snake bit the woman.
WOMAN: Oh, I got bit by a snake!.
NARRATOR: The woman fainted. The man called the doctor. The doctor came and took her temperature, and recommended a chicken soup. Everybody knows that chicken soup is good for people with a fever. The man went out to look for the main ingredient: The chicken. So he ran after the chicken.
MAN: Come here little chicken, I am going to make a soup.
CHICKEN: Oh no, my days are over. I will be the soup!.
NARRATOR: The man showed up with a chicken soup. Since the woman was still sick, her friends and neighbors came to see her. To feed them all, the man decided to cook lamb.
MAN: Come her little lamb. I am going to cook a delicious dish.
LAMB: Oh my, I’m next. I have to run and save my life!.
NARRATOR: Then the man started chasing the lamb. When the woman got better they wanted to celebrate by giving a big party. They decided to cook the cow to feed everybody. So The man chase the cow.
MAN: Come here, little cow, I am going to cook.
COW: Who, me?. No, I wasn´t invited to the party.
MAN: Yes you were!. You are the main dish.
NARRATOR: Finally, the mouse decided to get out.
MOUSE: Next time, when you hear that someone is having problems, remember that there´s a mousetrap in the house, so the whole farm is in danger!. Did you see who got saved?. We need to help those who need us. We never know when we will be in the same situation.
THE END
THE SUNFLOWER
CHARACTERS:
NARRATOR
YELLOW FLOWER
SUN
SCRIPT:
NARRATOR: When plants started to grow on earth, many flowers also appeared. There were roses, dahlias, tulips, and a small yellow flower. One day all the flowers decided that the red rose would be the queen of all flowers because of her beauty and because she could grant wishes. They made a big party to crown their queen and each flower made a wish. Some asked to smell pretty; others wanted to have brilliant colors, and the small yellow flower asked to be the biggest of all the flowers.The red flower granted all the wishes, and that´s how the yellow flower grew, and grew, and grew. She grew so much that she couldn´t stand straight. The yellow flower then understood that she had to live bending on herself. She was so sad and decided to ask the sun for help. One day when the sun was shining up in the sky, he listened to someone call him from the earth.
YELLOW FLOWER: Mr. Sun, can you help me straighten up?.
SUN: Why? You can´t keep yourself straight?.
YELLOW FLOWER: Once when the red rose granted wishes, I asked to be the biggest flower of all. I never thought that I wasn´t going to be able to stand straight like the other flowers.
SUN: I think you learned your lesson. Sometimes we ask for wishes without thinking of the consequences. The only thing that I can do, is make you strong when I shine high in the sky. My sunshine will keep you straight.
YELLOW FLOWER: Thank you Mr. Sun! I will always follow you. Wherever you go, I will go.
NARRATOR: From that day the yellow flower always follows the sun. She turns herself to receive his sunshine. For that reason the other flowers decided to call her ¨Sunflower¨.
THE END
“ Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom”.
Thomas Jefferson
– When we say the truth, we are being honest.
– We are being honest when we think and act the same way.
– Honesty is not to make promises that we are not planning to keep.
– An honest person is somebody whom we trust because he or she doesn´t lie.
– We are being honest when we comply with rules.
– We are honest when we pay what is fair and don´t steal somebody elses´s money.
– We need courage to be honest.
– We are honest when we tell the truth, even if other people don´t agree.
– Being honest is to keep our promises to our friends, our parents, and ourselves.
– We are honest when we help our friends to change what they did wrong even if they don´t feel good.
– We are honest when we do our own job. When we copy in a test we are being dishonest.
– We are honest when we do our teamwork.
– We are honest when we promise a friend to play with him or her during recess and we keep that promise.
– We are honest when we return things that a friend borrowed us.
– We shouldn´t feel bad if people think that being honest is foolish.
– We should always be honest even if people don´t recognize it.
– To be honest we should report people who did something wrong.
– We should always tell the truth and not tell stories that could harm other people.
– We should accept our mistakes and correct them.
– We shouldn´t take anything that doesn´t belong to us.
Honesty is a principle of human beings. If we learn to be honest since we are kids, we can be upright citizens, able to transform the world so that everybody can have a better life.
Live everyday with honesty, you will be happier and you will make happy everybody around you.
“ Honesty prospers in every condition of life”
Friedrich Schiller
“ Each time you are honest and conduct yourself with honesty, a success force will drive you toward greater success. Each time you lie, even with a little white lie, there are strong forces pushing you toward failure”.
Joseph Sugarman
“Honesty is the best image”.
Tom Wilson
THE BLACK PLATE
CHARACTERS:
NARRATOR
MERCHANT 1
MERCHANT 2
GIRL
GRANDMA
SCRIPT:
NARRATOR: Once upon a time in India, there were two merchants who sold plates, pots, pans, brooms, mops, soap, jewelry, and clothes. Each day, they took turns to sell.
MERCHANT 1: Everybody come here!. Come see our jewelry for sale, pots, pans. We have everything you need!.
GIRL: Grandma, look at that beautiful bracelet!.
GRANDMA: How much is it?.
MERCHANT 1: More than what you can pay, old lady.
GRANDMA: At home we have an old black metal plate. Do you want it for the bracelet?.
MERCHANT 1: I have to see it first.
GRANDMA: Let´s go home so you can see it.
MERCHANT 1: Fine, you lead the way, old lady.
NARRATOR: When they arrived to the old lady´s house, she showed the plate to the merchant.
GRANDMA: Take a look at the plate.
MERCHANT 1: Mmmm, let´s see.
NARRATOR: When the merchant saw the plate, it was truly black, but when he scratched it a little, he could see that it was a silver plate.
MERCHANT 1: This plate is worthless, old lady. If you want to, I can take the plate with me and give you a broom.
GRANDMA: Thank you, but we prefer to keep our plate.
MERCHANT 1: It´s your decision. I have wasted my time.
NARRATOR: But the merchant was thinking about going back the next day to try to convince her to give him the plate. Next day, merchant 2 was selling in the street.
MERCHANT 2: Pot, pans, brooms, clothes, I have everything you need!. Just come and get it!.
GIRL: Grandma, look, I still want that beautiful bracelet!.
GRANDMA: How much is it?.
MERCHANT 2: More than what you can pay, old lady.
GRANDMA: At home we have an old black metal plate. Do you want it for the bracelet?.
MERCHANT 2: I have to see it first.
GRANDMA: Let´s go home so you can see it.
MERCHANT 2: I will follow you.
NARRATOR: When they arrived to her house, she showed him the plate.
GRANDMA: Take a look at the plate.
MERCHANT 2: Mmmm, this is a silver plate. It´s all black because it is dirty. The things I have to sell are not enough to pay you.
GRANDMA: Oh, we didn´t know. But we don´t have anything in this house!. We don´t have any furniture, we are very poor. Can you give us the bracelet and something else?.
MERCHANT 2: I will give you everything I have.
GRANDMA: Oh thank you, you’re so kind.
NARRATOR: When the merchant left the home, he went to see his friend.
MERCHANT 2: Take a look at this. It´s a silver plate I got it from an old woman. I gave her everything I had for this plate. What do you think?.
MERCHANT 1: What?. I saw that plate yesterday! I lost an opportunity to have it without giving her anything in return.
NARRATOR: Then he stopped to think for a while.
MERCHANT 1: I have thought about it. If we join your honesty and the beautiful things that I still have, we can do great businesses. Can we work together from now on?.
MERCHANT 2: Sure!.
NARRATOR: Both men cleaned the silver plate until it was sparkling. And both became very successful merchants.
THE END
Author: Buddhist Legend
Moral Value: Honesty
– When we say the truth, we are being honest.
– We are being honest when we think and act the same way.
– Honesty is not to make promises that we are not planning to keep.
– An honest person is somebody whom we trust because he or she doesn´t lie.
– Honesty means not to take what we didn´t achieve or that belongs to others.
