[Please note the copyright at the end of the post. This is a “draft play.” I may decide to publish it in the future.]
Fairy Tale by the Brothers Grimm
Play by C.Thomas
In order not to overwhelm first graders with individual parts, each character is spoken in chorus by 2-4 students. The play is thus easily adaptable for smaller and larger classes. My class has 15 students. I wrote this play for my 1st first grade as it was evident that out of all the fairy tales they heard during the year, this one they liked best. Simple costume/scenery suggestions are given in parenthesis. Music requires a diatonic glockenspiel & pentatonic flute.
Characters:
Narrators & Music (4)
The Sea (2)
The Fish (3)
The Wife (3)
The Fisherman (3)
Narrators:
(Wearing blue jeans, lilac/purple t-shirts and fresh flower crowns.)
By the sea where the waves roll so high,
There lived a fisherman and his wife in an ole pig-stye.
Oh, but Ilsabil who was the wife,
Always wanted to live in strife.
She would be bossy and order him around
But truth be told, not a better husband she could have found.
Every morning the fisherman would rise out of bed,
And go fishing by the ocean so both could be fed.
The Sea:
(Wearing blue jeans, light blue t-shirts and felt head-bands decorated with small seashells.)
(Gently waving a light blue silk/cotton gauze. Increase intensity as the play progresses.)
The sea was blue – so quiet, peaceful and true.
Narrators:
He threw his line in the water below.
And behold! He caught a flounder squirming to and fro.
(The Fish sit on chairs behind a play-stand that is draped with a cloth & decorated with paper fish, seashells, and starfish. In order to “rise out of the sea,” they stand on the chair, thus they are able to be seen. In front of the play-stand are the two children who are The Sea, facing each other & waving the silks.)
But alas! The flounder spoke:
The Fish:
(Wearing blue jeans, yellow t-shirts and blue felt head-bands decorated with a small, yellow felt fish.)
Enchanted I am here in the sea.
Please dear fisherman, let me go free.
Narrators:
Of course the fisherman was kind-hearted so,
Thus back into the sea the flounder he let go.
With empty hands he went home to his wife.
The Wife:
(Wearing blue jeans and red t-shirts. The Wives have a small basket under their chairs and change their costume slightly throughout the play.)
(Wearing a bandana as a simple head-scarf.)
Nothing you have caught? Oh what a miserable life!
The Fisherman:
(Wearing blue jeans, green t-shirts, oversized mud-boots and a simple fish-pole over the shoulder – a stick with a hole drilled into it to attach a cotton string.)
Well, I caught a flounder, but he was magic you see,
So I put him back into the ocean – I let him go free.
The Wife:
Free you let go such a magical fish?
What a fool you are. Surely, you could have made a wish!
This pig-stye smells phunky, it’s such a disgrace.
A cute lil’ cottage with a white picket fence would make a much nicer place.
Go to the fish to make that wish!
Narrators:
The fisherman journeyed to the sea –
Unwillingly he did, a heavy heart had he.
The Fisherman:
It is not right. It is not right.
The Sea:
(Waving a green-yellow silk/cotton gauze)
The sea was green and yellow, no longer so very mellow.
The Fisherman:
Flounder, flounder in the sea
Come I pray thee, here to me,
For my wife good Ilsabil
Wills not as I have her will.
The Fish:
Well, what is her wish?
The Fisherman:
She wants a cottage.
The Fish:
Go then, she has it already.
(Music II)
The Fisherman:
Oh, what a lovely place the flounder has given to us.
Now we can live content without a fuss.
The Wife:
(Bandana removed, wearing a simple silk scarf around the neck.)
We’ll see about that!
(Music I)
The Wife:
Husband, this cottage is small, it’s such a disgrace.
A castle with marble floors would make a much nicer place.
Go to the fish to make that wish!
Narrators:
The fisherman journeyed to the sea –
Unwillingly he did, a heavy heart had he.
The Fisherman:
It is not right. It is not right.
The Sea:
(Waving a purple – blue silk/cotton gauze)
The sea was purple and dark blue, but still quite quiet and true.
The Fisherman:
Flounder, flounder in the sea
Come I pray thee, here to me,
For my wife good Ilsabil
Wills not as I have her will.
The Fish:
Well, what is her wish?
The Fisherman:
She wants a castle.
The Fish:
Go then she has it already.
(Music II)
The Fisherman:
Oh, what a lovely place the flounder has given to us.
Now we can live content without a fuss.
The Wife:
(Silk scarf removed, wearing a brooch.)
We’ll see about that!
(Music I)
The Wife:
Husband, this castle is small, it’s such a disgrace.
A palace where I can be king would be a much nicer place.
Go to the fish to make that wish!
Narrators:
The fisherman journeyed to the sea –
Unwillingly he did, a heavy heart had he.
The Fisherman:
It is not right. It is not right.
The Sea:
(Waving a dark - grey silk)
The sea was putrid and grey, and there was quite a bit of a sway.
The Fisherman:
Flounder, flounder in the sea
Come I pray thee, here to me,
For my wife good Ilsabil
Wills not as I have her will.
The Fish:
Well, what is her wish?
The Fisherman:
She wants to be king in a palace.
The Fish:
Go then she has it already.
(Music II)
The Fisherman:
Oh, what a lovely place the flounder has given to us.
Now we can live content without a fuss.
The Wife:
(Wearing brooch and simple crown.)
We’ll see about that!
(Music I)
The Wife:
Being king of a castle is boring and lame.
I want to be a much more sophisticated dame.
Emperor I want to be with a great golden crown…
Oh, husband stop that frown!
Go to the fish to make that wish!
Narrators:
The fisherman journeyed to the sea –
Unwillingly he did, a heavy heart had he.
The Fisherman:
It is not right. It is not right.
The Sea:
(Waving a black silk/cotton gauze)
The wind was blowing here and there.
The water was thick and black everywhere.
The Fisherman:
Flounder, flounder in the sea
Come I pray thee, here to me,
For my wife good Ilsabil
Wills not as I have her will.
The Fish:
Well, what is her wish?
The Fisherman:
She wants to be emperor over all the land.
The Fish:
Go then, she has it already.
(Music II)
The Fisherman:
Oh, what a lovely place the flounder has given to us.
Now we can live content without a fuss.
The Wife:
(Wearing brooch, simple crown & wooden sword in hand)
We’ll see about that!
(Music I)
The Wife:
Being emperor of the land is boring and lame.
I want to be a much more sophisticated dame.
Pope I want to be, wear the Catholic crown…
Oh, husband stop that frown!
Go to the fish to make that wish!
Narrators:
The fisherman journeyed to the sea –
Unwillingly he did, a heavy heart had he.
The Fisherman:
It is not right. It is not right.
The Sea:
A high wind blew over the land, leaves began to fall.
A tiny speck of blue remained in the sky – that’s all.
The water rose and roared, splashing upon the shore.
If you could have seen it – It was quite a horror.
The Fisherman:
Flounder, flounder in the sea
Come I pray thee, here to me,
For my wife good Ilsabil
Wills not as I have her will.
The Fish:
Well, what is her wish?
The Fisherman:
She wants to be pope, wear the Catholic crown.
The Fish:
Go then she has it already.
(Music II)
The Fisherman:
Oh, what a lovely place the flounder has given to us.
Now we can live content without a fuss.
The Wife:
(Wearing brooch, simple crown, sword in one hand & golden stick in other hand.)
We’ll see about that!
(Music I)
The Wife:
Being pope is boring and lame
I want to be a much more sophisticated dame.
I want to order the sun and moon to rise, you see.
Like God in the heavens I want to be!
Go to the fish to make that wish!
Narrators:
The fisherman journeyed to the sea –
Unwillingly he did, a heavy heart had he.
The Fisherman:
It is not right. It is not right.
The Sea:
(Vigorously waving black silk/cotton gauze)
The fisherman could scarcely keep his feet on the ground.
A great storm raged making a most horrific sound!
The sea was pitch black, the waves as high as the sky.
Mountains trembled, and trees were flying by.
The Fisherman:
Flounder, flounder in the sea
Come I pray thee, here to me,
For my wife good Ilsabil
Wills not as I have her will.
The Fish:
Well, what is her wish?
The Fisherman:
She wants to be like God.
The Fish:
‘Go then,’ I say with a sigh.
She’s back in the phunky ole pig-stye.
(The Wives put the bandana head-scarves back on.)
All:
‘Happily ever after’ may not be the right thing to say.
Nevertheless that is where they are still living to this day.
~ The End ~
January 2009
© by C. Thomas.
All rights reserved.
You may not publish this play without the express written permission of the author. Do not copy & paste & publish online. You may link to this post.
cadi.lily@yahoo.com
Cover Pages
By the sea where the waves roll so high... 
The fisherman went to the sea and caught a fish.
The wife wanted to be emperor over all the land.
