SCHOOL THETRE
PERFORMING YOUR OWN DRAMA
Drama is not only fun to watch, but also to perform. Here is a play that you
and your friends can act out.
It is the story of “Anansi Rides Tiger.” You might have read this story in the first
book of this series. Now we are going to present it as a play, so that you can act it out.
One of the fun things about acting out “Anansi Rides Tiger” is that you can pretend to
be different kinds of animals.
The set is another word for the scenery, and shows you where a play takes place. The words
of a play are called the script. In a script, you don’t say the words that are printed
between parentheses and in italics (like this). They tell you where to move and are
called stage directions. You do say the other words that are printed below or after your
character’s name. They are called your lines. Here is the script for Anansi Rides
Tiger:
NOTE TO PARENTS AND TEACHERS: One of the reasons we
chose this play is so those in it can have the fun of playing animals. Most of the animals
do not have any lines, except as a kind of chorus, so the play can be done with as few as
three or four people, or as many as you’d like. You can easily make the roles of the
chorus animals larger, simply by having them react in their different ways to what’s
going on between Anansi and Tiger, etc.
You can do the play as simply or as elaborately as you’d like. You can simply read it
out loud, or act it out in class or your living room. Or you can mount an actual
production (we’ve given stage directions), with a set, costumes, etc.
| CAST
OF CHARACTERS
ER TIGER: Tiger is very fierce and strong. When he’s angry, he’s very angry and opens his mouth very wide and shows his teeth. He likes to threaten other animals by growling. ANANSI: Anansi is a spider. He should move as if he’s afraid of being eaten, always looking about to see where the tiger and other animals are. But he’s also very clever and sly. LINDA: Linda may be an elegant and beautiful girl, but she’s also very stuck-up. THE NARRATOR: The narrator must speak very clearly. THE ANIMALS: Snake, Bear, Elephant, Owl or any animals you want to be. SETTING: A jungle. On one side of the stage, or brought on later, is Anansi’s hut. |
(
Curtain opens on set of jungle forest. Narrator comes out on stage, and addresses audience)NARRATOR: Hello. Tonight we are going to perform for you the story of “Anansi Rides Tiger.” This story takes place in the deep forest. The forest is filled with many animals. There is Snake, ...
(SNAKE comes onto stage, slithering as he walks)
NARRATOR: Owl, ...
(OWL flies onto stage, lands, wipes his eyes as if just, waking up)
NARRATOR: Elephant, ...
(ELEPHANT comes onstage; NARRATOR names other animals [if wanted] that come onstage as she names them)
NARRATOR: _____, _____, and Bear.
(BEAR lumbers onto stage last)
NARRATOR: Now bears, as you’ve probably heard, are pretty fierce.
(Other ANIMALS make way for BEAR)
NARRATOR: But the fiercest animal of the whole forest was Brer Tiger.
(Big roar from TIGER offstage. All the ANIMALS jump and move away from roar)
NARRATOR: All the animals were afraid of Tiger. But the one who was most afraid of him ...
(There is another roar from offstage, and ANANSI runs onstage, afraid)
NARRATOR: ... was Anansi, the spider. Anansi thought the world of himself, ...
(ANANSI looks out at audience, smiles and takes a bow. There is another growl, and ANANSI cowers and hides behind the other animals)
NARRATOR: ...but he was just a puny spider after all.
(BRER TIGER growls and comes onto stage. Other ANIMALS shy away from him in fear. He turns and growls and raises his paw at them, and they back away even further. TIGER struts around, very proud. ANANSI comes out, and struts like TIGER, making fun of him, without TIGER seeing him. All the ANIMALS laugh. TIGER looks around, and ANANSI hides behind ANIMALS. TIGER struts away again. ANANSI whispers something to other ANIMALS and they all laugh. TIGER comes toward them and they all run offstage in fear)
NARRATOR: Yes, all the animals in the forest were afraid of Tiger. But there was one creature that even Tiger bowed down to. That was ...
(LINDA comes out onstage, she has a mirror, and admires herself in mirror, etc.)
NARRATOR: ... Linda, the most beautiful girl in the forest.
(TIGER bows to her, and his growl turns into a meow)
NARRATOR: Tiger loved Linda and wanted to marry her. But here’s the thing.
(NARRATOR whispers to audience)
So did Anansi, the spider.
(Normal voice)
NARRATOR: Now Tiger was especially fierce, because this was the day that Tiger was going to ask Linda to . . .
(TIGER takes out ring, clears throat)
TIGER: Marry me.
LINDA: (Laughs) Marry you? Why should I marry you?
TIGER: But, why not?
LINDA: Anansi, that puny spider, says you’re not so fierce. He says you’re his riding horse, and he’s your master. You’re not a fierce tiger, at all.
TIGER: What? His riding horse? I’m his riding horse?
(All the ANIMALS laugh)
That puny . . . I’m not his riding horse.
LINDA: Oh, really? (Fixes her hair) Prove it.
TIGER: (Lets out a roar. ANIMALS cower. Lets out another roar as he runs offstage) Anansi!
NARRATOR: Tiger was off to find Anansi, whom he never much liked anyway.
(We hear TIGER calling out, “ANANSI,” and growling, offstage. ANANSI creeps onto stage, and slips under the covers of his bed. TIGER bounds onto stage. Stands outside hut area)
TIGER: (Growling) Anansi, come out here. Anansi!
ANANSI: (Pulls the covers down, just below his eyes. Very sickly:) This is Anansi.
TIGER: Come out here!
ANANSI: Tiger, I have a fever. I’m too weak to move. I’m near death.
TIGER: (Bounds into hut) That’s the truth. Linda thinks I’m your riding horse.
ANANSI: Where did she get that idea?
TIGER: From you. You have to tell her I’m not your riding horse.
ANANSI: Can’t she see that for herself? Oh, please, I feel so faint. Please let me die in peace.
TIGER: Not until you tell her about me.
ANANSI: I’d like to – but I feel so faint. Maybe you could carry me.
TIGER: Oh, very well. Get on.
ANANSI: And I’ll need a fly swatter so those jungle bugs don’t eat me alive. I’m so frail.
TIGER: Oh, very well. (Exits, brings back a branch) Here. Now get on.
ANANSI: Maybe you should give me the ring you got for Linda. You might lose it.
TIGER: Yes, good idea. (Gives him ring) Now, get on.
(ANANSI gets on, piggyback style, holding fly swatter. They exit. Other ANIMALS enter onto stage)
NARRATOR: And so it was that when Linda and the animals caught sight of them . . .
BEAR: Look! Look!
(BEAR and other ANIMALS look and laugh, cackle, etc. ANANSI and TIGER enter, ANANSI riding TIGER)
NARRATOR: They saw Anansi riding Tiger, just as he’d said.
ANANSI: See, Linda, what did I tell you? I can ride Tiger anytime.
LINDA: It does look that way.
TIGER: What?
ANANSI: Tiger gave me his ring. Please accept this as a token of my regard.
LINDA: I am honored.
TIGER: But, Linda . . . I . . . (Turns his head toward ANANSI, who’s riding him) You! (Roars and growls)
ANANSI: (Slaps him with tree branch) Giddy up, Tiger! Giddy up!
(TIGER tries to buck him off, but can’t. TIGER runs off embarrassed, with ANANSI riding him, as ANIMALS laugh, cackle, hoot, etc.)
NARRATOR: Poor Tiger was so embarrassed he hid deep in the jungle forest, never to see Linda again. And that is how Anansi rode Tiger.
(Lights out. Curtain.)