8 THE NUTCRACKER PRINCE AT RISE: The audience is seated in a horseshoe shape around the playing area. Upstage to one side there is the percussion stand. STORYTELLERS will sit or stand on stools, chairs and ladders near this stand and play various percussion instruments to enhance the action throughout the play. The playing area may be set with real chairs or boxes that can be used for sitting and standing. A toy chest is set upstage and must be sturdy enough for actors to stand on. Various props will be to the sides covered in cloth to hide from audience until they are used. (SOUND CUE #1: Tchaikovsky music: The Nutcracker Overture. Pre- show music as audience enters. STORYTELLERS enter, each goes to the perimeter of the playing area to speak to their section of audience. SOUND CUE ENDS.) ANGEL: Welcome, visitors! EVERGREEN: Welcome one and all! HOLLY: It is a very special day here in our little village. ANGEL: All the shops are shining bright with Christmas decorations… EVERGREEN: The silver bell in the steeple is ringing loud and clear! HOLLY: Bong! ANGEL: Bong! (STORYTELLERS lift their arms making an orb/bell over their heads.) STORYTELLERS: Bong! Bong! EVERGREEN: And look how beautiful the snow is! (STORYTELLERS look up and “see” the snow fall. All lift their hands to wiggle their fingers indicating the snow falling. They play in it: some hold out their hands, others stick out their tongues to catch the flakes; some lay down to make snow angles. After their fun, CLARA enters running and out of breath. STORYTELLERS stand up, talk to audience.) CLARA: (Calling over her shoulder.) You can’t get me, you wicked little boy! © Copyright Kathryn Schultz Miller, all rights reserved. This play cannot be performed without written permission from the author and payment of royalty for all performances (including non-paying audiences). 9 HOLLY: Clara and her brother Fritz… (FRITZ enters running with snowball.) FRITZ: Ha-ha! That’s what you say! ANGEL: …Were looking forward to Christmas Eve! (FRITZ throws snowball and hits CLARA in the back…) STORYTELLERS: Boink! (CLARA reacts to hit at her back.) CLARA: Hey! (CLARA gathers snow up and throws back. STORYTELLERS gather up snow and start to throw them too.) Take that you wicked boy! (All are laughing and throwing until FRITZ gets CLARA again. Now she’s mad.) Knock it off! (STORYTELLERS are stopped by this warning.) I’m telling Uncle Drosselmeyer. EVERGREEN: Uh-oh. (STORYTELLERS clap the snow from their hands and move upstage out of the scene, after their lines they sit in their places.) HOLLY: Mr. Drosselmeyer was a famous sight around town… ANGEL: It seemed he whisked about on a gust of wind… (STORYTELLERS blow wind toward DROSSELMEYER as he enters. The wind makes him twirl.) EVERGREEN: Tapping the ground with his cane… (DROSSELMEYER taps and grabs for his hat trying to stay upright in the wind.) © Copyright Kathryn Schultz Miller, all rights reserved. This play cannot be performed without written permission from the author and payment of royalty for all performances (including non-paying audiences). 10 HOLLY: His little top hat bobbing on his head… ANGEL: Carrying a mysterious knapsack on his back. FRITZ: (To Clara.) Aw, Uncle Drosselmeyer wouldn’t hurt a fly. CLARA: But he might decide not to give you your surprise tonight. DROSSELMEYER: (To STORYTELLERS.) Merry Christmas to you, children! (To audience.) Merry Christmas to all of you too! Now what’s all this I hear about a surprise? FRITZ: You’ve been promising surprises for a year! DROSSELMEYER: Have I? Oh Dearie me. (Taps his head.) The old noggin just doesn’t work like it used to. FRITZ: But you can’t forget! CLARA: Silly, he’s just playing with you, Fritz. EVERGREEN: Just then the bell rang again… STORYTELLERS: Bong! Bong! (STORYTELLERS move up toward their stand and out of scene.) DROSSELMEYER: (Checking his pocket watch.) It’s almost time for your parent’s party, children. It’s the event of the year! You don’t want to be late. CLARA: You’re coming too, aren’t you Uncle? DROSSELMEYER: I won’t be long. Run along now. (CLARA and FRITZ start to leave, FRITZ gathers snow and throws at CLARA.) STORYTELLERS: Boink! CLARA: Hey! (FRITZ laughs. They run off, exiting.) DROSSELMEYER: Ah, children on Christmas Eve. (To audience.) Its magic, I tell you. Magic! © Copyright Kathryn Schultz Miller, all rights reserved. This play cannot be performed without written permission from the author and payment of royalty for all performances (including non-paying audiences). 11 (DROSSELMEYER twirls around with joy. STORYTELLERS blow wind at him which sends him into more twirls as he exits. They set the stage for the living room putting the covered gingerbread castle on a tall table with a cover over it. They may place wrapped gifts on the floor.) HOLLY: While the children were playing outside… ANGEL: A wonderful thing happened inside… (SOUND CUE #2: Tchaikovsky: The Christmas Tree. STORYTELLERS slowly lift a tall pole with ribbons/cloth strips attached (like a maypole). They take the ribbons and dance around the pole, wafting them up to create a look of a tree rising. They may attach with Velcro or any other means more boughs and more ornaments as when the tree is up. One of the STORYTELLERS climbs the ladder and places the star at the top. STORYTELLERS hit the triangle and chimes as the star is placed. They stand back and admire as MOTHER and FATHER enter and see it. SOUND CUE ENDS.) MOTHER: Oh, won’t the children be delighted? FATHER: It’s beautiful. (FATHER puts arm around MOTHER as SHADOW enters. She is following her nose, sniffs the tree at the bottom and slowly looks up to see how tall and beautiful it is.) SHADOW: Rrrrroowwwwl! (MOTHER and FATHER laugh, admire tree. CLARA and FRITZ enter and see it.) CLARA & FRITZ: Wow! EVERGREEN: And that wasn’t all… HOLLY: Just beyond the tree they spied… (STORYTELLERS place a big thing up on a table. It is covered in a glittery cloth.) CLARA: What is this, Mother? © Copyright Kathryn Schultz Miller, all rights reserved. This play cannot be performed without written permission from the author and payment of royalty for all performances (including non-paying audiences). 12 (MOTHER and FATHER exchange a smiling look. SHADOW timidly goes to tap it with her paw.) MOTHER: Oh, just a little something… FATHER: It was your mother’s idea. (CLARA reaches to poise her hand above the cloth.) CLARA: Now? MOTHER & FATHER: Now. (STORYTELLERS make magical sound with chimes etc. CLARA pulls the cloth from the object. One STORYTELLER clashes the cymbals! Underneath is a large gingerbread castle studded with snowy icing and candies. SHADOW jumps back.) SHADOW: Rrrrrooooowwwww! (SHADOW runs to hide behind CLARA.) FRITZ: It looks good enough to eat! (FRITZ rips off a spire from the castle and starts to put it in his mouth. MOTHER stops him with a stern look.) MOTHER: Ah, ah, ah… (FRITZ puts it back.) ANGEL: When Uncle Drosselmeyer appeared… (STORYTELLERS make blow wind as DROSSELMEYER enters. FRITZ and CLARA run to him and drag him toward gingerbread castle.) FRITZ: Look what we got for Christmas! CLARA: A gingerbread castle! (DROSSELMEYER looks closely in the castle windows as CLARA and FRITZ cling to him.) DROSSELMEYER: Why, it’s much more than that, children. FRITZ: It is? © Copyright Kathryn Schultz Miller, all rights reserved. This play cannot be performed without written permission from the author and payment of royalty for all performances (including non-paying audiences). 13 DROSSELMEYER: It’s a magic castle. With lots of magic people inside. MOTHER: Now there you go filling their heads with sugarplums again. FRITZ: I don’t see any people inside. DROSSELMEYER: Give it time, son. (Winks at MOTHER and FATHER.) Give it time. FATHER: And what have you in your magic pack, old boy? FRITZ: Let me see! (FRITZ goes for knapsack, DROSSELMEYER pretends to take it away. They tussle around until DROSSELMEYER produces a gift. DROSSELMEYER snaps his heels together.) DROSSELMEYER: (Playing soldier, stands at attention with salute.) What-ho, sir! Reporting for Christmas, Captain! Sir! FRITZ: (Playing captain.) Velly good, velly good! (Salutes back.) As you were, Sergeant! (They exchange playful giggle. DROSSELMEYER gives him package. FRITZ tears it apart.) Soldiers! Tin soldiers! Look Mother, there’s a whole battalion of them! And look here Father, they have their own swords! CLARA: You didn’t forget me, did you, Uncle? DROSSELMEYER: Well let me see if I have anything in here. I have been forgetting so many things lately. But look. (Produces gift.) This will have to do. (DROSSELMEYER gives her gift, she opens.) CLARA: Why, what a strange doll! (She drops the wrapping and holds up a Nutcracker doll.) MOTHER: Oh my. FRITZ: He’s an ugly old thing, isn’t he? SHADOW: Yipesssssssss! © Copyright Kathryn Schultz Miller, all rights reserved. This play cannot be performed without written permission from the author and payment of royalty for all performances (including non-paying audiences). 14 (SHADOW scurries and hides behind CLARA.) DROSSELMEYER: Now, Shadow. You mustn’t be so shy. You must learn to be brave like this doll. He may not be handsome… FRITZ: I’ll say. DROSSELMEYER: But he is bold and brave… CLARA: And look how proudly he stands in his grand uniform! DROSSELMEYER: He is a Nutcracker, Clara. He protects houses like this one from dastardly evil spirits. And he cracks nuts, too! CLARA: Thank you, Uncle. I love him. (STORYTELLERS move down into the scene though they are not seen by others.) EVERGREEN: Clara was so delighted by her new gift that she imagined she saw his lips move… HOLLY: And that he was speaking right to her… (ANGEL stands behind CLARA and speaks to her over her shoulder, seeming to be Nutcracker’s voice.) ANGEL: May I have this dance? (SOUND CUE #3: Clara and Nutcracker music – or Drosselmeyer.) CLARA: (To the doll.) Why yes, Nutcracker, you may.