The curtain is raised for the final scene which is in the Village School playground where Douglas the Dragon now lives. The children are about to play a game of hide and seek. The dragon has been designated as the ‘seeker’ and is completely covered up with a large sheet. To the edge of the school playground, The Mayor of Marfield, Blacksmith Jones and Granny McNally are saying farewell to Wizard Yaffe who is recommencing his travels.
FRANCES McNALLY: (Picking her nose and flicking bogies at Fred Larkin Junior)
“Take that, you stupid boy! Take that, ‘Junior ’!”
FRED LARKIN JUNIOR: (Angry voice)
“Do that again, Smelly McNally, and… and I’ll bust your fat nose!”
FRANCES McNALLY: (Defiant response)
“Yeh… yeh! You and whose army, ‘junior ’. You couldn’t bust a balloon if you poked it with a pitchfork! Come to think of it, I doubt you could lift a pitchfork, ‘junior,’ you stupid boy!”
FRED LARKIN JUNIOR:
“Open your big mouth again, McNally, and I’ll lift you off your feet and knock you into the middle of next week!”
NANCY WISE THE TEACHER:
“Now then, you two. Stop it! Stop it now before I bang both your heads together! Now play nicely, please. This is a playground, not a war zone.”
“Fred Larkin, let go of Frances McNally’s pigtails, now! And you stop flicking bogies, Frances McNally. Filthy habit!”
FRANCES McNALLY: (Bossy voice)
“Come on, everyone! Let’s play hide and seek. Douglas is on. No peeking now, Douglas.”
(Frances picks her nose and flicks a bogey towards Douglas)
DOUGLAS THE DRAGON: (Voice from beneath the sheet covering him)
“I’ll stop peeking, Frances McNally, when you stop making smells downwind, picking your nose and flicking its contents everywhere! One, two, three, four…”
To the side of the school playground, Wizard Yaffe is preparing to resume his travels and is saying his farewells.
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD: (Eating the remains of an apple pie as he speaks)
“I’m so…s…sorry to see you leave us so soon, Wizard Yaffe. It only seems like yesterday when you arrived. And yet, you’ve done so much in the brief time you’ve been in the village. So much! Who would ever have believed that the gentle creature over there playing hide and seek was once an angry monster bent on destruction?”
GRANNY McNALLY:
“Yes she was! I can vouch for that, along with her poor mother. I’m so glad that our Frances is learning to let go of all the anger which was eating her up. Why, she could almost pass for ‘normal’ now if only she could break herself off that filthy habit of picking her nose and flicking her infernal bogies everywhere!”
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD:
“I was referring to..... Oh never mind. Anyway, Wizard Yaffe, have a safe journey. We’ll never forget you and all you’ve done for Marfield Village. We’ll be forever indebted to you.”
WIZARD YAFFE:
“Thank you, Mr Mayor, but I’ve done so little to command such gratitude, and far less than what you credit me with. It’s your children to whom you owe your thanks and appreciation. It was ‘The Power of their Love’ that saved the day and recycled the dragon’s anger back into love.”
“Never underestimate ‘The Power of Love’, Mr Mayor, or the importance that the young will play in all our futures. Though today, as adults, we may rule the roost; come tomorrow, it will be they who hold the reins of influence. Place your trust in the love of your children and ‘The Power of their Love’ will prove to be ample reward; as it continues to change for the better, every creature and situation they encounter in our world. Bye, Granny McNally. Bye, Mr Mayor. Bye, Blacksmith Jones.”
BLACKSMITH JONES:
“Bye, Wizard Yaffe. May the wind be always at your back and the sun smile kindly on you. Click not your heels and you’ll keep your feet well shod. Farewell, dear friend.”
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD:
“Farewell, Wizard Yaffe. You be sure to call our way again.”
GRANNY McNALLY:
“God speed, wizard. God speed. Heed my advice and make haste to your next cover point before six this evening, before it starts raining heavily.”
WIZARD YAFFE: (Puzzled voice as he looks up at the clear, blue, cloudless sky)
“Rain heavily you say, Granny McNally! Are you sure? The sun’s cracking the flags and there’s no hint of a dark cloud in sight!”
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD:
“Take my humble advice, Wizard Yaffe, and ignore the smiling sky. If you are wise, and I’m sure you are, you’ll pay heed to Granny McNally’s forecast. She’s never been known to be wrong in her weather predictions. If Granny McNally says it will rain by six, you’d do well to stay within arm’s length of a good umbrella!”
WIZARD YAFFE: (Shouts across to the playground)
“Bye, Douglas. Bye, Frances. Bye, everyone.”
All the children, their teacher and Douglas join the rest of the villagers to wave off Wizard Yaffe as they sing ‘Let it All Out’ to end the play. Alternately, the Producer may want to use a different song.
THE END
© William Forde (February 2012)
‘An Introduction to Physical Theatre’
What is ‘Physical Theatre’?
Physical theatre is the use of people, their physical actions and gestures, to create, perform or enhance a theatrical experience. In the context of ‘Douglas the Dragon’, many children who have difficulty in taking a more traditional role in a play can become involved in physical theatre. They help interpret the story as a piece of theatre by involving themselves in a variety of ways with the creation of scenery, special effects and interpreting aspects of the plot. Using costumes or ‘props’, or simply their bodies, an individual, or group of individuals, may become a whole dragon, part of a house or the side of a mountain. By working in collaboration, using their actual bodies or props in unison, they can create the physical characteristics or illusion required.
Physical theatre is an excellent means of involving children of all interest, abilities and aptitude, in drama and performance. It is also a very effective method of overcoming the limited means and staging facilities of small schools. The production challenges of
‘Douglas the Dragon’ provide a wide range of opportunities for engagement at all levels of the school community.
Stuart Merry
Former Headmaster of Emley First School
Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
HD8 9RT
Songs to Accompany Douglas the Dragon Play
Song One: ‘Follow Your Heart’
Lyrics & Composition by Stuart Merry.
Produced by William Forde.
Sung by: F. Carville.
Copyright: Stuart Merry: June, 2006.
Song Two: ‘Spiky Cheer Up’
Lyrics & Composition by Stuart Merry.
Produced by William Forde.
Sung by: Edward Bowers
Copyright: Stuart Merry: June, 2006.
Song Three: ‘You On My Mind’
Lyrics & Composition by Stuart Merry.
Produced by William Forde.
Sung by: Kevin Carville.
Copyright: Stuart Merry: June, 2006.
Song Four: ‘Our World’
Lyrics by John Foyle and William Forde.
Composed by John Foyle (Deceased).
Arranged and Produced by William Forde.
Sung by: Kevin Carville and Emley First School Choir.
Copyright: William Forde: June, 2006.
Song Five: ‘Let it All Out’
Lyrics & Composition by Stuart Merry.
Produced by William Forde.
Sung by: Saint Mary’s Catholic College Junior Choir, Hull.
Copyright: Stuart Merry: June, 2006.
‘Follow Your Heart’
When your heartache you can’t hide, When your anger’s deep inside,
Love will find the way. There is a way to heal, Tel
l me the way you feel,
Together we’ll start a new day.
Open your heart
And make a new start,
Take hold your feelings, don’t wear a frown.
Take a new step
And don’t ever let
Your anger and feelings bring you down.
Anger makes the way seem harder
Clouds the brightest sky.
Wipe away your tears of sadness, Hold your head up high.
Open your heart
And make a new start,
Take hold your feelings, don’t wear a frown.
Take a new step
And don’t ever let
Your anger and feelings bring you down.
Sunshine follows every storm cloud, Dries up all the rain.
Love can light the darkest moment, Lighten every pain.
I’ll say it again.
Take a new step
And don’t ever let
Your anger and feelings bring you down.
Sing a new song,
Journey along,
Come with us back to Marfield Town.
Follow your heart, the future’s brighter,
Let love lead you on.
Face your fears,
Make your load lighter,
And you’ll go on and on.
And on, and on, and on.
Take a new step
And don’t ever let
Your anger and feelings bring you down.
Sing a new song,
Journey along,
Come with us back to Marfield Town.
Take a new step
And don’t ever let
Your anger and feelings bring you down.
Sing a new song,
Journey along,
Come with us back to Marfield Town.
(Fading Away)
Take a new step
And don’t ever let
Your anger and feelings bring you down.
Sing a new song,
Journey along,
Come with us back to Marfield Town.
Lyrics & Composition copyright: Stuart Merry: June, 06.
‘Spiky Cheer Up’
In my home we have four dogs and two cats,
A pony and a goose and a rat.
We’re rather too full
But there’s a place here for you,
And a frog, though you’re rather too fat.
Chorus:
So come on now Spiky cheer up,
Move on into our shack.
We’ll make a home here for you,
We’re your fam’ly now, so never look back.
Every day we’ll find us something to do,
Somewhere to sleep and to eat.
But you’d better watch out when our Mum is about,
‘Cos if she sees you she may give me a clout.
You see, we’ve got four dogs and two cats,
A pony and a goose and a rat,
With a frog and you, Spiky, Lummy oh crikey,
She’ll probably tell you to scat.
Chorus:
So come on now Spiky cheer up,
Move on into our shack.
We’ll make a home here for you,
We’re your fam’ly now, so never look back.
No one should live their life all alone;
Everybody needs a place to call home.
And when I look in your eyes, hear your dragon’s sighs,
I’ll never leave you all on your own.
Chorus:
So come on now Spiky cheer up,
Move on into our shack.
We’ll make a home here for you,
We’re your fam’ly now, so never look back.
Everyone needs a pal of their own,
Everybody needs someone to love.
So sit yourself down and lose that frown,
Praise the Lord in Heav’n above.
Chorus:
So come on now Spiky cheer up,
Move on into our shack.
We’ll make a home here for you,
We’re your fam’ly now, so never look back.
Lyrics & Composition copyright: Stuart Merry: June, 06.
‘You On My Mind’
When I felt I was alone,
When there was no place called home,
When I needed someone
Just to call my own.
You took time to listen
To anger’s deep despair,
But the mountain took you
You’re no longer there.
You on my mind,
Sharing the moments that we found.
You on my mind,
You on my mind.
Days in the sun,
When we would run,
Things were new.
We found the joy sharing our lives.
Things were so diff..er..ent then,
Times I could live for again.
You in my heart, now we’re apart,
Where could I go.
What lies ahead, I should have said
Things I’d been meaning to say,
Words I put off one more day;
Words I’d been meaning and feeling
And longing to say.
You in my soul, making me new,
Making me whole.
I’ll never find
Someone like you.
You on my mind, yes you on my mind,
You on my mind
In... my... heart.
Lyrics & Composition copyright: Stuart Merry: June, 06.
‘Our World’
We don’t have to fly
To other planets in the sky,
We have all we need.
Nurture all we sow
And soon a living thing will grow
From a tiny seed.
Changes must be faced
Due to carelessness and waste,
Let’s go green again.
Given half a chance
We can make this planet dance,
Be a team again.
Chorus:
Never surrender all the wonder
And the splendour
Of our world.
This is God’s garden,
A beautiful garden,
Will we ever learn?
What are we doing to our world?
What are we saying to our children?
If we don’t rearrange our world,
They’ll be no future for our children.
We need actions more than words
In the wetlands we enjoy.
Save the disappearing birds,
Find a nest but don’t destroy.
If we could plant 10,000 trees
And see them grow,
And fill the ocean with
A cleaner river flow,
And make the air we breathe
As pure as driven snow,
We’d all be better off on our world.
Pure organic land where
Poisoned chemicals are banned,
There’s a need for it.
Nothing else to spoil
And no pollution of the soil,
Let’s all go for it.
Making fancy things
From crocodile and leopard skins,
We all wonder why.
Ivory sought for gain,
The reason elephants are slain,
What a way to die.
Chorus:
Never surrender all the wonder
And the splendour
Of our world.
This is God’s garden,
A beautiful garden,
Will we ever learn?
What are we doing to our world?
What are we saying to our children?
If we don’t rearrange our world,
They’ll be no future for our children.
We experiment and kill
In our own cosmetic den.
We cause pain aga
inst their will
To please the vanity of man.
Within a perfect world
They’d be no acid rain,
We’d save our planet
If only we used our brain,
With common sense
We’d build the ozone layer again,
We’d all be better off in our world.
What are we doing to our world?
What are we doing to our world?
This……is……our…… world.
Lyrics by John Foyle & William Forde.
Composed by John Foyle (Deceased).
Produced and Arranged by William Forde.
Copyright: William Forde: June, 2006.
‘Let It All Out’
Don’t hold on to anger, Let it all out.
Just be like a dragon,
Give a mighty loud shout.
I will never hear you
If you don’t ever speak.
And bellowing like a dragon
That don’t make you a freak.
Chorus:
Bellow, whisper or blow,
Tell me all the things
You really want to let go.
Words will hurt us longer
When the feeling’s left in.
So let it all out
‘Co…s I’m Listenin’.
Say the things you want to,
Say what’s it’s about.
I’ll be close beside you
When you let it all out.
Come on do some talkin’
I’m just ready to hear.
I’ll sit here close beside you
With a listenin’ ear.
Chorus:
Bellow, whisper or blow,
Tell me all the things
You really want to let go.
Words will hurt us longer
When the feeling’s left in.
So let it all out
‘Co…s I’m Listenin’.
Don’t let hurt destroy you,
When you’re bursting to shout.
You must face your dragons
‘fore you let it all out.
Get some love inside you,
Put your anger out.
Learn to love yourself,
That’s what it’s a.....about.
Chorus:
Bellow, whisper or blow,
Tell me all the things
You really want to let go.
Words will hurt us longer
When the feeling’s left in.
So let it all out
‘Co…s I’m listenin’.
So let it all out
‘Co…s I’m listenin’.
Lyrics & Composition copyright: Stuart Merry: June, 06.