THE DRAMA MAGAZINE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE MAY 2019 UPPER AND MIDDLE GRADES PAnnie Lonldondaerry Spinsya Tale s . Christina Hamlett 2 Penelope, Pride of the Pickle Factory . Betty Tracy Huff 11 DRAMATIZED CLASSIC (F OR UPPER AND MIDDLE GRADES ) The Miser. Molière 20 Adapted by Carol D. Wise MIDDLE AND LOWER GRADES Mother’s Daze. Linell Wohlers 35 The Flower Garden . Alice Very 41 Odon the Giant . Rowena N. Rantanen 45 Terms of Use • Vol. 78, No. 7 Subscribers . Persons and entities with subscriptions in force at the time of the performance may produce the plays in any issue of this magazine royalty-free, provided the performance is part of a regular school or dramatic club activity. Such persons and entities may also reproduce copies of the individual play being produced for members of the cast, and may videotape or record rehearsals or performances of the play, for use by such members in connection with preparation for a performance of the play. 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If you have a question about the rights granted herein, or would like to request permission to per - form, distribute, transmit, display or copy any of the literary or dra - matic works in this magazine, please contact PLAYS, The Drama Magazine for Young People, 897 Washington St., #600160, Newton, MA 02460. Publisher : PETER A. D IMOND Editor : ELIZABETH PRESTON Editorial Assistant : PAIGE TURNER Customer Service : LINDA HAND Shipping : WOODY PALLET Cover Illustration : CHRIS DEMAREST 897 Washington St., #600160, Newton, MA 02460-0002 (617) 630-9100 Fax: (617) 630-9101 E-mail: [email protected] © Sterling Partners, Inc. 2019. Title registered as trademark. PLAYS, The Drama Magazine for Young People (ISSN 0032-1540, USPS 473-810) is published seven times a year, monthly except June, July, August, and September, and bimonthly January/February, by STERLING PARTNERS, INC., 897 Washington St., #600160, Newton, MA 02460. Subscription rates: 1 year, $59.00; 2 years, $109.00. Canadian: Add $12 per year to cover postage. All other for - eign: Add $25 per year to cover postage. Canadian & other foreign sub - scriptions must be paid in U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank (or if in U.S. funds drawn on foreign bank, add $4 U.S.). Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA, and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Plays/Sterling Partners 897 Washington St. #600160 Newton, MA 02460 Printed in U.S.A. May 2019 PThe draml a maaysgazine for young people In this issue. Upper and Middle Grades Annie Londonderry Spins a Tale , by Christina Hamlett 10+ actors: 5 female, 5 male, and 4-6 male/female extras; 30 minutes. True tale: In 1894, spirited Bostonian pushes the boundaries of a “woman’s place,” becoming the first woman to bicycle around the world. Penelope, Pride of the Pickle Factory , by Betty Tracy Huff 12 actors: 7 female, 5 male; 35 minutes. A fun melodrama: Good, kind, fair, and loyal Penelope saves the factory, finds true love, and forgives evil, moustache-twirling Jasper Grimwold. The Miser (L’Avare) , by Moli ère , adapted by Carol D. Wise 9 actors: 6 male, 3 female; 40 minutes. The classic tale of a 17th- century family headed by a stingy father who gets his comeup - pance, and whose children find true love and happiness. Middle and Lower Grades Mother’s Daze, by Linell Wohlers 13 actors: 8 female, 5 male; 20 minutes. With a nod to characters in favorite nursery rhymes, the family that lives in a shoe does its best to make Mother’s Day an extra special holiday. The Flower Garden , by Alice Very 14 male and female actors; 15 minutes. A rhyming play: Different types of flowers learn to work together and appreciate each other — and enjoy the sunshine that helps them grow! Odon the Giant , by Rowena N. Rantanen 15 male and female actors; 15 minutes. Filipino folk tale proves that the smallest creatures can defeat the largest giant when they have courage and use their wits. MAY 2019 1 Upper & Middle Grades Annie Londonderry Spins a Tale is protected by U.S. copyright law. It is unlawful to use this play in any way unless you are a current subscriber to PLAYS Magazine (www.playsmagazine.com). Annie Londonderry Spins a Tale Spirited Bostonian pushes the boundaries of a “woman’s place,” becoming the first woman to bicycle around the world. by Christina Hamlett Characters TIME : 1894-1895. ANNIE KOPCHOVSKY, young wife SETTING : Minimalist set design com - and mother prised of a shade tree and bench down PEAR STONE left; a freestanding doorway up center; her friends SUSIE WYZANSKI an elevated platform up right with a railing emulating a ship’s deck, and a FEMALE BICYCLIST (nonspeaking freestanding doorway down right. role ) Isolated lighting and soft spotlights illu - COLONEL POPE, bicycle manufac - minate areas of the stage where scenes are played out; the rest of the time, the turer stage is in darkness. Theatre’s center ERNIE, Colonel Pope’s bookkeeper aisle is also used for spotlight scenes . MAX KOPCHOVSKY, Annie’s hus - AT RISE : As the houselights dim, the fol - band lowing offstage voices are heard: MRS. TUBBS, head of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union CRYING BABY : Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! MAN WITH NEWSPAPER SMALL CHILD #1 : Mollie broke my doll! CAPTAIN STODDARD, ship’s captain EXTRAS, reporters and townspeople SMALL CHILD #2 : Did not. Libbie’s a liar! OFFSTAGE AMPLIFIED VOICES : CRYING BABY SMALL CHILD #1 : Am not! TWO SMALL CHILDREN CRYING BABY : Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! IRISHWOMAN LANDLORD SMALL CHILD #2 : I’m hungry! 2 PLAYS • playsmagazine.com SMALL CHILD #1 : Mollie ate my apple! And children. SMALL CHILD #2 : Did not! PEAR : Susie’s right. It’s the American dream! IRISHWOMAN : It’s not that I mind watchin’ the wee ones when you’re off, ANNIE : And what if I have dreams of Mrs. Kopchovsky, but I’ve only two my own? Watch out, world! Here comes hands. Annie Kopchovsky! MAX : Annie! I can’t find my left boot! PEAR : That doesn’t sound like the name of someone famous. LANDLORD : The rent’s a week past due. I’m not running a charity, Mrs. ANNIE : It’s a perfectly fine name. Kopchovsky. ( As curtain slowly goes up, the voices get louder and run together. SUSIE : You don’t think it sounds too. They suddenly stop as lights go up foreign? down left to illuminate ANNIE and PEAR sitting on the bench, eating sand - ANNIE : And you’re saying Susie wiches, as SUSIE sits on the ground Wyzanski is any better? doing some sewing .) SUSIE : No. But I’m not the one who ANNIE : So that was my day. How was wants to be famous. Just married with yours? a houseful of babies. ( FEMALE BICY - CLIST crosses from down left to right PEAR : They do say a woman’s work is on a silver bicycle. The three friends never done. watch in amazement .) SUSIE : It would at least be nice now and ANNIE : I’d fancy having one of those! again to catch up a little. PEAR : A bicycle? Silly girl! You don’t ANNIE : Which is why we come to the even know how to ride! Public Garden to catch our breaths. ANNIE : How hard could it be? You use PEAR : Maybe we could ride a swan boat two feet to pedal and two hands to steer after lunch? it. SUSIE : That’s silly, Pear. We’re not SUSIE : And where do you suppose you’d Boston millionaires. Not even close. go? ANNIE : But maybe someday. ANNIE : Anywhere the road takes me. A woman on a bicycle doesn’t have to rely SUSIE : Always the dreamer, that’s what on her husband if she wants to go some - you are, Annie. Have you and Max where. Why, just last week, Elizabeth found a pot of gold you haven’t told us Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony about? declared it’s the era of the new woman. That woman could be me! Should I real - ANNIE : Max can’t even find his boots if ly have to spend the rest of my life with I don’t help him. another baby under my apron every year? ( Her friends laugh and shake SUSIE : At least you have a husband. their heads as the lights go down. A MAY 2019 3 spotlight comes up in the center aisle ANNIE : I must have gotten distracted where an eager ERNIE is showing by my reading. ( He grabs the book COLONEL POPE some sales receipts. ) away. ) ERNIE : Twenty-five more bicycle sales MAX : And what’s so fascinating you this week, Colonel Pope! couldn’t remember to cook? ( She tries to grab it back .) COLONEL POPE : Excellent, Ernie. We seem to be on the cutting edge of female ANNIE : Just a book. Nothing special. empowerment. MAX : “The League of American Wheel- ERNIE : Huh? men Tour Book For Bicyclists”? ( Tosses it on table ) You don’t even have a bicy - POPE : We’ve captured the imagination cle.