T H E D R A M A M A G A Z I N E F O R Y O U N G P E O P L E ar! Play8s0th ye ur rating o Celeb MARCH 2021 UPPER GRADES Incident Before Troy. E. M. Nightingale 2 The End of the Road . Graham DuBois 7 DRAMATIZED CLASSICS (FOR UPPER AND MIDDLE GRADES) The Wolves of Winter (from White Fang, by Jack London) 15 Adapted by Kathy Applebee The Three Questions. Leo Tolstoy 23 Adapted by Craig Sodaro MIDDLE AND LOWER GRADES Are We There Yet?. Craig Sodaro 31 Down on the Farm . Jerry Miller 37 Hornswoggled. .Pamela Love 42 Terms of Use • Vol. 80, No. 5 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. 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All readers. All rights not expressly granted by these paragraphs are reserved by Plays/Sterling Partners, Inc. 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. DIMOND Editor: ELIZABETH PRESTON Editorial Assistant: PAIGE TURNER Customer Service: LINDA HAND Shipping: WOODY PALLET 897 Washington St., #600160, Newton, MA 02460-0002 (617) 630-9100 Fax: (617) 630-9101 E-mail: [email protected] © Sterling Partners, Inc. 2021. 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 Magazine/Sterling Partners 897 Washington St. #600160 Newton, MA 02460 Printed in U.S.A. March 2021 PThe dramla maaysgazine for young people In this issue. Upper and Middle Grades Incident Before Troy, by E. M. Nightingale 6 actors: 3 male, 2 female, 1 male or female; 20 minutes. Two strong- willed goddesses make a deal in this parody of the Trojan War. The End of the Road, by Graham DuBois 7 actors: 4 female, 3 male; 30 minutes. Double agent tricks the British, saving General Washington and his Continental Army at Valley Forge. The Wolves of Winter, from White Fang, by Jack London, adapted by Kathy Applebee 10+ actors: 2 male, 8 male or female, and extras; 25 minutes. A tense, chilling chapter of White Fang comes alive in this virtual play as man, sled dog, and wolf struggle to survive in the frozen wilderness. The Three Questions, by Leo Tolstoy, adapted by Craig Sodaro 11 actors: 3 male, 1 female, and 7 male or female; 25 minutes. The King searches for answers that will help him rule his kingdom—only to find he already knew what to do. Middle and Lower Grades Are We There Yet?, by Craig Sodaro 7 actors: 3 female, 1 male, and 3 male or female; 15 minutes. Perfect for virtual performance: Tourists visit Earth and can’t believe what they see—all from the comfort of their spacecraft. Down on the Farm, by Jerry Miller 14 actors: 6 male, 4 female, and 4 male or female; 15 minutes. Songs and jokes make this a fun, lively play for the whole class to perform. Hornswoggled, by Pamela Love 7 actors: 3 male, 3 female, and 1 male or female; 20 minutes. Cons try to swindle townsfolk in the Old West, and get outsmarted themselves. MARCH 2021 1 Upper & Middle Grades Incident Before Troy 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). Incident Before Troy Two strong-willed goddesses make a deal in this parody of the Trojan War. by E. M. Nightingale Characters be wasting parchment, Agamemnon. That place is full of Colonel Blimps AGAMEMNON who still think we’re fighting the ACHILLES Pelasgians. It’s a ridiculous war, any- way. Imagine all of us coming to this INSKRIBALUS worthless country simply because Paris stole Helen, wife of Menelaus. If ATHENE you ask me, Menelaus doesn’t know HERA when he’s well off. SOLDIER AGAMEMNON: It’s an established gov- ernmental policy to protect the proper- ty of Greek citizens from foreign encroachment. Let Paris get away with TIME: The Trojan War. stealing a wife and he’ll end up steal- ing all of Greece. The question now is, SETTING: Achilles’ hut before Troy, with how do we win this war? a crude table, low stool and bench at center, and a high stool at right. ACHILLES: Well, to begin with, the esprit de corps is poor. Our men need AT RISE: ACHILLES and AGAMEM- an inspiring leader. NON enter left. AGAMEMNON (Rising): Are you insin- AGAMEMNON (Crossing to sit on uating I’m not that? bench): I can’t understand it, Achilles. I’ve been following the field manual to ACHILLES (Diplomatically): Oh, you the letter and all those Trojans do is were fine in your day, but the empha- lick the hide off us. I think I’ll send a sis now is on youth. complaint to the military academy. AGAMEMNON (Beginning to pace): ACHILLES (Sitting on low stool): You’d 2 PLAYS • playsmagazine.com Bah, I can lick any whippersnapper in INSKRIBALUS: True or not, I still need this army! certain background material for my readers. Is it a fact that your forces ACHILLES: There’s a crying need for under General Ajax were severely new blood around here, (Shrugging) mauled last week and forced to retreat and I could make myself available. to the ships? (Smugly) I’ve always been considered the inspirational type. AGAMEMNON: Absolutely not! That was merely a tactical readjustment of AGAMEMNON: Then go peddle your the line. charms in the market place! I yield to no man! ACHILLES: An advance to the rear, so to speak. ACHILLES: How about a woman? INSKRIBALUS (Beginning to write): But AGAMEMNON: The gods forbid! I’m told that everyone in Mycenae Women cause enough trouble without believes the combat effectiveness of our invading the battlefield. men is poor. ACHILLES: True, but last night I had a AGAMEMNON: That’s subversive prop- premonition in my dreams. I kept see- aganda, the work of enemy agents. ing Amazons. (Drawing himself up) There’s no finer fighting man in the world than the AGAMEMNON: That’s no premonition! Greek soldier! Sounds more like a nightmare. (SOL- DIER enters left.) ACHILLES (Enthusiastically): Amen! SOLDIER (To AGAMEMNON): Excuse INSKRIBALUS (Crossing to sit on high me, Your Majesty, but there’s one of stool): And to what do you attribute his those reporters outside. He’d like an outstanding qualities? interview. AGAMEMNON: Proper indoctrination, AGAMEMNON: Another snooper, but I superior training methods, and the guess we’ll have to see him. The armed finest arsenal of weapons of any mod- forces must maintain good public rela- ern nation. tions. INSKRIBALUS: I thereby gather that ACHILLES (Dryly): And keep our image morale is excellent. Why is that? bright. (SOLDIER exits. INSKRIB- ALUS enters left. He has long beard AGAMEMNON: Because our men know and carries writing tablet and stylus.) exactly what they’re fighting for. INSKRIBALUS: I am Inskribalus. I’ve INSKRIBALUS: Which is? been commissioned by the Ionian Chamber of Commerce to write a series AGAMEMNON (Hesitantly): Why, it’s of articles on the progress of military for—I mean—they know we’ve—uh, operations in the theater. that’s a military secret. AGAMEMNON: Then you can go right INSKRIBALUS: Most interesting. Now home, since there’s been no progress! I’d appreciate a list of your weapons. MARCH 2021 3 AGAMEMNON: Well, there are throwing wearing her hair differently. spears, and—uh—long spears, and short swords, and well, let’s see, there’s— ATHENE (Appreciatively): You’re a per- (Quickly) That question must first be ceptive young man. cleared by the Chief of Ordinance. AGAMEMNON (Annoyed): Why—uh— INSKRIBALUS: I understand, but I this is an unexpected pleasure, your believe I’ve sufficient information for goddessness.