"What America needs is some
history catchy enough to hum along with."
---George Washington
Hosted by George and Martha Washington, our musical review of early American history
covers the period from before the arrival of the Europeans through the signing of the Bill
of Rights . This is the show that will have your kids eating American History for
breakfast. Maybe even lunch. Everyone seems to show up, from Leif Erickson, the Iroquois,
and Ponce de Leon to Ben Franklin, Sibyl Luddington and The 13 Colony Singers. Keeping all
the characters in line are the History Police, crashing the party whenever it looks like
the shows has started to "mess around with history." CHARACTERS:
FLEXIBLE
CASTING:
From 11-40 students.
Use as many Vikings, Soldiers, Colonists, etc. as desired; one student can also play more
than one role. Note that roles are not gender-specific: George Washington can easily be
played by a girl, for example, and we recommend that the part of the Game Show Host be
played by a girl as well; see our comments on page 32 of the Teacher's Guide. |
George Washington
Martha Washington
Leif Erickson (and Vikings)
Iroquois
Seminole
Ponce de Leon (and Soldiers)
Colonial Boy and Girl
Game Show Host
Contestant (Betsy Smith)
Benjamin Franklin
British Soldiers
Samuel Adams, John Adams, Abigail Adams
Salesman
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Sibyl Ludington
Colonists
James Madison
History Police (A and B)
and a Chorus made up of all students who are not playing
roles at the time.
(GEORGE and MARTHA WASHINGTON enter)
GEORGE WASHINGTON: Hello, my name is George Washington.
MARTHA: And I'm Martha Washington. George and I are here to tell you the marvelous story
of how our country began. It's a story filled with excitement and drama...
GEORGE (interrupts): ...dreams of gold, the clash of nations...
MARTHA: ...and best of all, we get to play the staring roles. Oh George, I never get tired
of this. The bright lights! The photographers! It just makes me want to salute something!
(LEIF ERICKSON enters loudly. He's accompanied by two other Vikings, carrying footballs)
LEIF: I, Leif Erickson, claim this land for me and all the Vikings.
GEORGE: Excuse me, but we're starting a show here.
LEIF: I know. I visited America nearly 1000 years ago. I want some credit for being part
of the thirteen colonies. I was here first.
GEORGE: No you weren't.
LEIF: I wasn't?
MARTHA: Not at all. Native Americans were here hundreds of years before you arrived. Isn't
that right, George?
(GEORGE nods)
LEIF: Oh. Sorry. Come on, men. Back to Minnesota.
(THEY exit)
GEORGE: In fact, let's take a visit to the eastern seaboard in the 16th century and see
what's going on with the local tribes.
(IROQUOIS enter)
MARTHA: Here come some Iroquois-and George, they don't look happy.
IROQUOIS:
Song 1
We've lived on this land
For hundreds of years
There's no place that we haven't been
But something is new
The neighborhood's changed
The Europeans are moving in.
They unload their ships
They back in their vans
They're putting our lives in a spin
We give them some corn
They give us the mumps
The Europeans are moving in.
The isle of Manhattan we sold to the Dutch
And people say it was a steal
But have you all seen what they've done to the place?
We got us a heck of a deal!
They're shaking our hands
And taking our lands
Our patience is now wearing thin
You never can tell
But it doesn't bode well
The Europeans are moving in.
The Spanish are searching the South for some gold
We don't think that they're gonna stop
The French in the North want the timber and furs
The New World's a great place to shop!
IROQUOIS and CHORUS:
We've lived on this land
For hundreds of years
There's no place that we haven't been
But something is new
The neighborhood's changed
The Europeans are moving in.
The Europeans are moving in and in and in and in.
(THEY exit)
GEORGE WASHINGTON: Let's move south to Florida to get a closer look at some of those new
European explorers.
MARTHA: I see a Seminole coming our way. Isn't it exciting?
SEMINOLE (enters through audience with a tray filled with maps slung around his neck.
Shouting): Programs, get your programs here! Charts of hidden treasures! Guides to the
Everglades, right here! Directions to cities built of gold, maps to the houses of the
stars! Programs, get your programs!
(PONCE DE LEON enters with SOLDIERS. THEY ALL carry cups and jugs of water)
PONCE DE LEON (to Chart-seller): Hey, you! Wait! I am Ponce de Leon, famous Spanish
explorer.
SEMINOLE: Welcome. Wanna buy a map to a city paved with diamonds and rubies?
PONCE DE LEON: Do you think I'm some dumb tourist? Get real. (pause)
Though, I was wondering-you don't happen to have any maps to the fountain of youth, do
you?
SEMINOLE: Those are very hard to come by. Let me look.
(rummages through maps)
Ah, you're in luck! I have one left.
PONCE DE LEON: You do?! I'll take it!
SEMINOLE: That'll be a pound of gold.
PONCE DE LEON (to his SOLDIERS):
Well, don't just stand there, pay the man.
(THEY do, as HE unfolds map)
At last! This has been a very difficult journey.
PONCE DE LEON :
Song
2
Some people want adventure
While others look for gold
But me-I want some water
To make me young once more.
(SOLDIER offers him a cup of water)
I drink from every fountain
Though I don't have a thirst
And ev'ry stream and river
I think I'm gonna burst.
(He grabs cup from SOLDIER)
Is that something from a swamp?
I'll try it!
(lifts up cup)
Here's to my new liquid diet!
(takes a drink)
Are my wrinkles disappearing?
Is my grey beard turning black?
Tell me boys, I must know the truth
Am I younger? Am I taller?
Has my bald spot gone away?
Have we found the fountain of youth?
(THEY examine PONCE closely)
PONCE and SOLDIERS:
I drink from every fountain
Though I don't have a thirst
And ev'ry stream and river
I think I'm gonna burst.
(THEY ALL grab cups)
Is that something from a swamp?
I'll try it!
(lift up cups)
Here's to our new liquid diet!
(take a drink)
PONCE, SOLDIERS, and CHORUS:
Are my wrinkles disappearing?
Is my grey beard turning black?
Tell me boys, I must know the truth
Am I younger? Am I taller?
Has my bald spot gone away?
Have we found the fountain of youth
The fountain of youth
The fountain of youth?
(PONCE, SOLDIERS, and GEORGE WASHINGTON exit)
MARTHA WASHINGTON: Good evening, again. My husband George got a splinter from his wooden
dentures and he's having his gums massaged. Isn't that remarkable? Now, where are we? Oh
yes...The 1600s brought the British to America. You know what that means: Jamestown. John
Smith. Pocahontas. You know the story. You've seen the movie. You've bought the product
tie-ins.
(pause)
Life was tough on the first pioneers as they pushed out on the frontiers.
Let's get up-close-and-personal with a young boy and girl.
(BOY and GIRL enter)
Welcome, pioneer boy and girl. Tell me, what's your life like?
(MARTHA sits down and watches them
during their song)
BOY : Song 3
Out of bed but I'm still asleep
Cut potatoes to feed the sheep
Got no shoes but I'm out the door
Bring in wood then I'm gone once more.
Sunrise to sunset
Gotta work all day
Sunrise to sunset
Not much time for play.
GIRL:
Lots to do, there's no time for school
Picking berries and spinning wool.
Feed the hens and learn how to sew
Weed the garden so our veggies grow.
Sunrise to sunset
Gotta work all day
Sunrise to sunset
Not much time for play.
(during musical pause, BOY and GIRL take up new tasks)
BOY:
Gone all day as I tend the herds
I just talk to the trees and birds.
Song List
To hear a Real Audio song sample, click on
the titles that are underlined. To hear the same samples with Windows Media Player, click
on "Windows Media" near the name of the song. Please note that internet song
samples have very low fidelity and rest assured that the CDs we sell sound much better.
Problems hearing the music? Visit our Audio
Help page.
Top of Page
| Vocabulary
Terms from 13 Colonies |
marvelous
eastern seaboard
mumps
bode
the Everglades
dentures
premise
mahogany
enforce
maxim
chat
quiche
adieu
chapeau
soufflé
family tree
crumpet
tyranny
fling
dramatic license
hemisphere
veneer
|
et cetera
nuisance
behalf
resolution
Historical
Terms
Vikings
Manhattan
New
World
Jamestown
John
Smith
Pocahontas
pioneers
religious toleration
Quaker
William Penn
Poor Richard’s Almanac
Franklin stove
postmaster
fur trade
parliament |
“No
taxation without representation.”
Paul Revere
militia
King George
“Common Sense”
Thomas Paine
Valley
Forge
Nathan
Hale
Benedict Arnold
Betsy Ross
Lafayette
Bill of
Rights
amendment
Vocabulary
From Stage Directions
rummages
various
intervals |
Top of Page
Teacher Reviews:
To submit your own review, just e-mail it to ron@badwolfpress.com
Be sure to include your school name and what grade you teach.
"When my class did 13 Colonies this year, we had
more fun that I've ever had with a class during my 22 years of teaching!" ---Kimberly
Fee, Teacher (5th grade) Summit Charter, Porterville, CA
"13 Colonies was a first for me---a
musical, that is. I was hooked after reading the script and listening to the CD. The tunes
are catchy and the humor mature but appropriate. The word play was great and the adults in
the audience never stopped laughing! The instructions and hints in the manual are
terrific. We pulled off a spectacular show in four weeks."
---Diane Smith, Teacher (5th grade), Cascade Brook School, Farmington, ME
"I liked the music, humor, and social
studies standards the play contained. I loved that a musical dummy like me could put it
on. The songs were great---I still sing them all the time. When students actively
participate in a lesson, they are more likely to remember it."
---Amanda Dedmond, Teacher (5th grade), Cynthia Heights Elementary, Evansville, IN
"Lots of history really fast. Got kids
thinking about history in a different way. As the music teacher, I can tie in what I am
teaching with what the students are learning in class. Great stuff. I'm glad I found
you."
---Heather-Lynne Shannon, Teacher (music 1-6th), Montessori School of Florence,
Florence, SC
"The easy-to-follow script, catchy songs,
and added humor make the play production a delight for all (students, teachers, and
parents! Besides using the plays to give my students another avenue to
strengthen/inspire their creativity, the plays work well as supplemental
textbooks/teaching aids. The students love to learn the information in the play
format.
---Lisa Boothe, Teacher, (3rd/5th grade), Carl Hankey School, Mission Viejo, CA
"Easy! Fun! User friendly! It had wonderful humor and catchy lyrics, and
was easy to learn. The benefits was maximum learning; all the students were
engaged."
---Shirley Jacobs, Teacher, (5th grade), Irving Elementary, Bloomington, IL
"I see your display every year at the CAG (California Association for the Gifted and
Talented) conference. Last year I finally bought the 13 Colonies. It took me
until this year to get brave enough to actually try doing it with my class. I was a
nervous wreck. I want to tell you that it turned out better than I ever
imagined. The kids were wonderful and learned so much history by doing this
play. The parents raved about the performance. I'd like to thank you so much
for making my debut as a director a success. You have me hooked!"
---Celeste Bordner, Teacher, (5th grade), Valley Springs, CA
"It was fabulous! Not only was the show
funny and entertaining but my class learned a lot about history. My principal was very
impressed! I hated doing plays before and now I can't wait until next year!"
---Jennifer Baker, Teacher (4th grade), PS 184, New York, NY
"I loved it. It was a huge success."
---Janet Coppess, Teacher (4th/5th grade), Oakbrook Elementary, Lakewood, WA
Top of Page
|
