SUR LES PLANCHES
Scripts for Amateur French Theatre
Spectacles de Marionnettes Puppet Theatre
Scripts and audio soundtracks for five different French-language puppet shows based on classic tales and created between 2005 and 2009. Although tailored to elementary school audiences, they can easily and happily be performed and enjoyed by older puppeteers, actors and audiences.
All original soundtracks are free for listening (see individual descriptions) and downloading for use in classroom or amateur performance (see bottom of page).
Genre:
# of characters:
Playing time:
Sets/Props:
Costumes:
West African Folktale
7 ( 5 w / 2 m)*
Approx. 12 minutes
Two backdrops: savannah and jungle. Plastic fruit (water-melon, berries, etc.)
Hand puppets pictured are made from cloth and polyester stuffing, with plastic eyes, pipe cleaner legs, etc. Sewn and glued. But script can also be acted out with animal masks.
* gender easily adaptable to needs; 2 of 7 roles are non- speaking
English Synopsis
The clever spider Anansi, a trickster stock character learns by trial and error that a certain moss- covered rock in the jungle has magical properties: anyone who remarks out loud that it's an odd- looking rock faints dead away for an hour. Anansi figures she can use this to steal other animals' food. She invites first Brother Lion for a walk, and when he falls victim to Anansi's ruse, the spider steals his berries. Then Anansi tricks Sister Hippopotamus out of her watermelon, then Brother Elephant and Sister Giraffe. The equally smart SIster Bush Deer, however, spies on Anansi and thinks its time to teach her a lesson. When Anansi takes her to the rock and tries to trick her into saying what she sees, Sister Bush Deer plays dumb until Anansi, out of frustration, blurts out what she wants Sister Bush Deer to say, only to fall into her own trap. Sister Bush Deer happily keeps her coconuts and runs to tell the other animals that she's outwitted Anansi and they can all get their stolen food back.
Featuring African Drum accompaniment by Christopher Lee
Audio
(MP3)
Puppets by Sandra Persels
Script
(PDF)
VOICES:
Conteuse: Yvonne Kamugisha
Anansi: Emilie Jeckert
Compère Lion: Jeff Persels
Commère Hippopotame: Carla Grimes
Commère Chevrette: Brigitte Guillemin Persels
Compère Lion
Commère Hippopotame
Commère Girafe
Compère Éléphant
Commère Chevrette
Les trois boucs bourrus
Puppets by Sandra Persels
English Synopsis
Peter Christen Asbjørnsen's version of the Scandinanvian folktale pits a band of feisty mountain goats against the mean and hungry troll whose bridge they need to cross to reach summer pastures. The two younger ones, Poilu (Hairy) and Velu (Fuzzy) each barely escape being eaten by telling the greedy troll that the older brother to follow is much fatter and juicier. He lets them pass only to meet his match in the big-horned pugnacious Barbu (Bearded), who charges him repeatedly, head-butting him into a pulp before sending him flying into the stream. All three billy goats gruff then spend a happy summer grazing in the alpine meadows.
Suggested musical accompaniement: Pakita, « Eroll le troll »
(from Viens vite, je t’invite, vol. 3, available via iTunes)
And original soundtrack opened with Edvard Grieg's "Morning Mood" to accompany sunrise
(from Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Opus 46), widely available via iTunes and other online sources)
Scandinavian Folktale
5 ( 1 w / 4 m)*
Approx. 8 minutes
Alpine backdrop. The one shown features a sun rising from behind the alps (pulled up by a string) and a cloth and felt stone bridge )pulled up from below). The firing of a small confetti gun marks the troll's final "splash" into the water.
Hand puppets pictured are made from foam, fake fur and cloth. Sewn and glued. The goats are stick puppets, each with his own colored ribbon and bell. The troll is a hand puppet. Script can also be acted out with animal masks.
* gender of all roles easily adaptable to needs
Genre:
# of characters:
Playing time:
Sets/Props:
Costumes:
VOICES:
Conteuse: Brigitte Guillemin Persels
Poilu: Félix Barbier
Velu: Clémentine Moser
Barbu: Martin Barbier
Le Troll: Jeff Persels
(to download see bottom of page)
Audio
(MP3)
Script
(PDF)
Puppets by Sandra Persels
English Synopsis
Little Red Riding Hood sets off through the woods to take a basket of goodies to her ailing Grandma. En route, she is waylaid by the Big Bad Wolf, who bets he can beat her to Grandma's house. He does, and promptly eats the poor old woman, dons her cap and spectacles and impatiently awaits the arrival of a tenderer morsel. Little Red Riding Hood duly shows up, but her suspicions are aroused by disturbing differences in Grandma's appearance. By the time close interrogation reveals Grandma to be none other than the Big Bad Wolf, it's too late. And true to the Charles Perrault's 17th-century original, there's no stouthearted woodsman to save the day.
Suggested Musical Accompaniment : « Un loup sympa » arranged and performed by Bruno Husar
(from 1, 2, 3 Techno. Songs for Learning French, available via iTunes)
European Folktale
4 ( 3 w / 1 m)*
Approx. 6 minutes
Woodland backdrop (muslin, burlap and felt).
Hand puppets pictured are made from foam and cloth, with various accessories. Sewn and glued. But script can also be acted out with minimal clothing: red hood, wolf ears or mask, glasses, cap.
* gender of narrator easily adaptable
Genre:
# of characters:
Playing time:
Sets/Props:
Costumes:
VOICES:
Conteuse: Brigitte Guillemin Persels
Petit Chaperon rouge: Christen Green
Compère le Loup: Jeff Persels
Mère-Grand: Brigitte Guillemin Persels
(to download see bottom of page)
Audio
(MP3)
Script
(PDF)
Puppets by Sandra Persels
Genre:
# of characters:
Playing time:
Sets/Props:
Costumes:
European Folktale
5 ( 1 w / 4 m)*
Approx. 6 minutes
Woodland or farmland back- drop (cloth). Smaller drop/roll down houses: straw, wood, brick
Hand puppets pictured are made from foam and cloth, with various accessories. Sewn and glued. But script can also be acted out with minimal clothing: pig snouts or masks, wolf ears or mask.
* gender of all characters easily adaptable
English Synopsis
The Big Bad Wolf is at it again, only he has a hankering for pork this time around. Three little pig brothers set up house, each using his building material of preference: straw, wood or brick. When the Wolf easily blows down the straw house, its occupent takes refuge with his brother, only to see the wooden house get blown down with only slightly more effort. All three brothers camp out in the brick house, which happily (for the pigs) proves to be too sturdy for the lupine blowhard. And when the now-breathless Wolf tries to get at them through the chimney, he himself gets blown sky high, much to the vengeful delight of the porcine trio.
Suggested Musical Accompaniement: « Un petit cochon » performed by L. Prado / A. Schneider
(from Comptines à chanter (currently hard to find but many versions of song on YouTube)
Script
(PDF)
Audio
(MP3)
(to download see bottom of page)
VOICES:
Conteuse: Brigitte Guillemin Persels
1er Petit Cochon: Christen Green
2e Petit Cochon: Jeff Persels
3e Petit Cochon: Brigitte Guillemin Persels
Méchant Loup: Jeff Persels
Genre:
# of characters:
Playing time:
Sets/Props:
Costumes:
European Folktale
5 ( 3 w / 2 m)*
Approx. 8 minutes
Woodland or cabine interior backdrop (cloth). Cutouts of bowls (3), chairs (3) and beds (3), as elaborate or as simple as desired.
Hand puppets pictured are made from purchsed teddy bear toys, turned into stick puppets and accessorized as needed. Goldilocks is a simple hand puppet. Script can also be acted out with minimal accessories.
* gender of all characters easily adaptable
English Synopsis
A family of bears goes out for a stroll while waiting for their dinner to cool. The wayward Goldilocks takes advantage of their absence to eat the soup that is neither too hot nor too cold, to relax in (and break) the chair that is neither too high nor too wobbly, and to take a nap in the bed that is neither too hard nor too soft. While she snoozes, the bears return and express outrage at the damage someone has wreaked in their cozy home, especially Baby Bear, who's soup, chair and bed proved most pleasing to the persnickety home invader. His shout upon finding her in his bed awakens her. She screams and breaks out as destructively as she broke in, never to be seen by them again.
Suggested Musical Accompaniement: : « La chanson de l’ours » performed by Charles Trenet
(Available via iTunes, and many versions on YouTube)
Script
(PDF)
Audio
(MP3)
(to download see bottom of page)
VOICES:
Conteuse: Brigitte Guillemin Persels
Boucle d'or: Christen Green
Le Grand Ours: Jeff Persels
Le Moyen Ours: Annie Duménil
Le Petit Ours: Clémentine Moser
All shows originally performed for an annual French Festival at River Springs Elementary in Irmo, SC, conceived and organized by Allen Edens, and subsequently performed at other schools and workshops in South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.