SPOOKLEY THE SQUARE PUMPKIN TM ACT 1

Transcription

1 1 SPOOKLEY THE SQUARE PUMPKIN TM (Classroom Play T1) by Joe Troiano ACT 1 [SPOOKLEY THE SQUARE PUMPKIN is asleep in the pumpkin patch. He is surrounded by a group of round pumpkins. Included in the group are two pumpkin-bullies, BIG TOM and LITTLE TOM. Also in the group is a female pumpkin named, BOBO. She is the roundest pumpkin in the patch and she never lets anyone forget it.] [The Narrator/Teacher, holding a book on his or her lap, addresses the audience.] Narrator: [Setting the scene] This story takes place in the month of October in the Holiday Hill Farm Pumpkin Patch. [The Narrator/Teacher, shows the audience the Spookley book, opens it and begins to read.] Narrator: One day in the pumpkin patch, the strangest little pumpkin hatched. His name was Spookley. Spookley was odd. Spookley was rare. Spookley wasn t round, he was a...

2 2 All The Round Pumpkins: [Shout] Square! Spookley: [Startled awake] Who s square? Little Tom: You are, Spookley! Spookley: I am? [Spookley checks himself out] All The Round Pumpkins: [In a sing-song teasing cadence] Spookley is a square. Spookley is a square. Spookley: [With stunned wonder] I am square. [To Little Tom] So? Little Tom: So...we don t want any square pumpkins in our round patch. Do we, Big Tom? Big Tom: No way, Little Tom. The only good pumpkins are round pumpkins. Isn t that right, Bobo? Bobo: Round and beautiful [She strikes a pose] like me! All The Round Pumpkins: That s true / Absolutely / That s how it is / I agree / Yup / No squares allowed / Etc.

3 3 Little Tom: Look around Spookley. Look at everyone else. [NOTE: THE SONG SPOOKLEY THE SQUARE PUMPKIN CAN BE PLAYED TO UNDERSCORE THE FOLLOWING ACTION.] [The pumpkins, led by Bobo, show off their collective roundness by parading back and forth in front of Spookley and the audience.] Big Tom: You see, Spookley. You re not like us. You just don t fit in. Why...I bet you can t even roll. Spookley: Can too! Little Tom: Can not! Spookley: Can too! Little Tom: Ok! Then prove it. Everybody...ready...set...roll! [All the round pumpkins begin pretend-rolling by spinning once around slowly in place.]

4 4 All The Round Pumpkins: [As they spin] Rolling is fun / I like rolling / rolling is the best / Etc. [Spookley, with feet firmly planted on the ground, twists at the waist from side to side attempting to spin/roll.] Spookley: [Struggling] I...I...I...can t roll. All The Round Pumpkins: [Chanting] Spookley can t roll. Spookley can t roll. [Spookley is on the verge of tears.] Big Tom: And you know what else, Spookley? Spookley: W...w...what? Big Tom: No one is going to pick you and take you home with them. Spookley: Why not? Bobo: Because children only pick the roundest pumpkins in the patch [Striking another glamorous pose] like me!

5 5 All The Round Pumpkins: Ooooo aaaaah! Little Tom: I m gonna get picked. Big Tom: Me, too. All The Round Pumpkins: Me, three, Me four / Me, five / Me, six / Me, Etc. Bobo: Getting picked is nice, but I m going to get chosen by the farmer to be his special pumpkin the one that gets to sit on his porch for ALL the children to see. So...if you will all excuse me, I need to get my beauty sleep. [Bobo dozes off.] Little Tom: [Yawning] I am a little sleepy. [He dozes off.] Big Tom: Me, too. [He dozes off.] [All the round pumpkins begin yawning. They close their eyes and fall asleep. Spookley is still awake.] Spookley: It s not fair. It s not my fault I m square. If I was round they wouldn t make fun of me.

6 6 If I was round no one would tease me. If I was round...[yawning] If I was round...[yawning] If...I was... [Spookley dozes off.] [NOTE: THE SONG IF I WAS ROUND CAN BE PLAYED HERE AS THE PUMPKINS DRIFT OFF TO SLEEP.] Narrator: Spookley didn t know it, but he was about to find out that it s fine to be round when the weather is fair, but there are times it s better to be a square.

7 7 ACT 2 Narrator: [Setting the scene] It is the next morning in the pumpkin patch. The pumpkins are still asleep. [The Narrator begins reading from the book.]

8 8 Narrator: Halloween was just a day away when a mighty storm blew across the bay. It tossed the round pumpkins to and fro. It snapped their vines, then off they d go. [The round pumpkins wake up and begin to wiggle in place as if the wind was blowing them around.] All The Round Pumpkins: Help! Help! Somebody help us! Narrator: [Opening the classroom door, or revealing another opening] Suddenly, the fence gave way and a pumpkin rolled out and into the bay. Blowing Round Pumpkin: [Silly walking out the door, or other opening.] Oh no! Oh no! Narrator: Spookley knew what must be done. It was up to him. He was the one! Spookley: [Awkwardly SHUFFLING toward the open door] I m not round and I can t roll, but I know I can block that hole!

9 9 [Spookley stops directly in front of the open door, or other opening, and spreads his arms out to fill the open space.] Spookley: [Proudly] I did it! I did it! Narrator: All the pumpkins shouted... All The Round Pumpkins: Hooray! Spookley the Square Pumpkin has saved the day! Narrator: Then the wind blew a pumpkin toward the bay. [Little Tom silly walks toward Spookley.] Narrator: Spookley caught him before he could blow away. [Little Tom stops and stands in front of Spookley, then turns and face the audience.] Narrator: Then another round pumpkin rolled towards the bay. Brave little Spookley kept blocking the way.

10 10 [Bobo silly walks over to Spookley, stops in front of him and lines up next to Little Tom.] Spookley: [Struggling] I m not round and I can t roll, but I won t let any of you blow out this hole! [The rest of the pumpkins, led by Big Tom, silly walk over and line up on either side of Bobo and Little Tom. Spookley crouches down behind the line of pumpkins so he is out of sight of the audience.] Narrator: Spookley blocked that hole all day and not one pumpkin blew into the bay. He blocked that hole all night too, he kept them all safe as the storm blew and blew. ACT 3 Narrator: [Setting the scene] It is the next morning in the pumpkin patch.

11 11 Narrator: [Reading from the book] The next morning when the storm had stopped, Farmer Hill came and checked his crop. [FARMER HILL enters and begins moving the pumpkins away from Spookley. As each pumpkin is removed they say Thank you to Spookley.] Narrator: And when the last was moved away, Farmer Hill could see that Spookley the Square Pumpkin had saved the day. Farmer Hill: Of all the seeds I ve ever sown. Yours are the most special that have ever grown. And as a reward for being so brave and true, the special pumpkin I pick to sit on my porch...is you. Little Tom: Three cheers for Spookley! All The Round Pumpkins: Hip! Hip! Hooray! Hip! Hip! Hooray! Hip! Hip! Hooray! [Spookley smiles proudly.] ACT 4

12 12 Narrator: [Setting the scene] It is one year later on Holiday Hill Farm. [All the pumpkins are sitting/growing on the floor. Each one stands up as they deliver their line.] Narrator: And the next year when it was time to sow, Farmer Hill sowed those seeds in every row. And oh...that morning about mid-june, when the pumpkin patch began to bloom, there were tiny pumpkins everywhere hundreds and hundreds, most of them... Spookley: Square! Narrator: But... Pumpkin #1: I m a circle. Pumpkin #2: I m a rectangle. Pumpkin #3: I m an oval. Pumpkin #4: I m a triangle. Pumpkin #6(or #1): I m red.

13 13 Pumpkin 7:(or #2): I m yellow. Pumpkin 8:(or #3): I m purple. Pumpkin #9:(or #4): I m blue. All The Pumpkins: [To the audience.] We re all different sizes, and colors, and shapes...like you! Narrator: Now you know the story of how Spookley grew. Maybe someday, if you tell someone too... All The Pumpkins: They ll go tell someone, who ll go tell another. And maybe someday we all will discover. Narrator: [Holding up the book] You can t judge a book... Spookley: or a pumpkin... All The Pumpkins: by its cover. Narrator: The End. [The cast takes several well deserved bows.]