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Play
Description:
This 25 minute musical
play can be done as a complete play, skits, read-aloud,
or you can just sing songs. Astronomy is relevant and fun as a family tours the
planets. No music or drama experience needed. Grades 1-5.
You know our solar system spins, but in our new show it sings and dances too! The sun
is used to being on center stage, and now even the planets get to be stars. And do they
have an attitude. Jupiter boasts of his sixteen moons, Saturn polishes his rings, and
Venus
thinks she so hot (900 degrees!). So cinch up your asteroid belt
and come along!
Vacation on Mars: The Solar System for Young
Explorers is a great complement
to your curriculum resources in elementary school science.
Teacher Reviews:
"The play was a highlight of our year. The
children learned and will remember so much about space. The songs made the facts stick.
The parents got to see their child shine. It's easy for teachers, even those who are
inexperienced in putting on a musical."
---Helen Brekke, Teacher (K-3rd), St. Andrew Lutheran
School, Denver, CO
Read
More Teacher Reviews
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National Education Standards:
Fulfills National Arts
Standard 3 for Dance, 1 and 8 for music, and 2, 3, and 5 for Theater.
Fulfills National
Science Standard D for K-4.
Fulfills National
Science Standard D for 5-8.
Casting:
Flexible casting from 11-40 students.
Use as many Guides, Mechanics, Venettes, etc. as desired. One student
can also play more than one role. Note that roles are not gender-specific;
see our comments on page 34 of the Teacher's Guide.
Read the Script:
This
is the first one-third of the script:
CHARACTERS:
Dad
Mom
Ariel
Josh
Guides
Moons (different phases)
Sun
Mechanics
Mercury
Venus
Venettes
Pluto
Earth
Jupiter
Moons of Jupiter
Rings of Saturn
Neptune Dad
Neptune Mom
Neptune Kid
and a CHORUS made up of all students who are not playing roles at the time.
(Two kids are packing up suitcases without enthusiasm. There is a big dog sitting on
top of one of the suitcases.)
ARIEL: I am NOT looking forward to our vacation this year.
JOSH (petting GUS, the dog): Me neither. Gus always gets car sick.
ARIEL: Something always goes wrong.
JOSH: Remember last year? We got lost in the Everglades.
ARIEL: How could I forget? I didn’t know alligators could move so fast.
JOSH (holding up GUS): Yeah. But I think Gus looks good without a tail, don’t you?
(from off-stage)
DAD: Are you kids ready to go?
JOSH (to ARIEL): Where are we going this year?
ARIEL: Mom said Dad was on the Internet all night looking for something special.
Can you say "disaster"?
(MOM and DAD enter. MUSIC begins.)
MOM (excited): Hi kids! Your dad’s outdone himself this year. You won’t believe
it.
ARIEL: We’re gonna get really really lost, aren’t we?
DAD: Not this time. Come on! We’re going to Mars!
ARIEL and JOSH: What?
Song 1
MOM and DAD :
Mars Mars
We’re going to Mars
Grab Gus
And pack up the car.
Come on
We’re gonna see stars
Mars Mars.
MOM, DAD, and CHORUS:
Mars Mars
We’re going to Mars
Grab Gus
And pack up the car.
Come on
We’re gonna see stars
Mars Mars.
DAD:
There’s riverbeds where we can hike
Volcanoes for your mountain bike.
MOM:
The rusty soil makes things bright red
There’s polar ice-caps—grab your sled.
MOM and DAD and CHORUS:
Mars Mars
We’re going to Mars
Grab Gus
And pack up the car.
Come on
We’re gonna see stars
Mars Mars.
ARIEL:
Well I was hoping "Disneyworld"
To give Tomorrowland a whirl.
JOSH:
But on the bright side now I see
I bet there’s no humidity!
MOM, DAD, KIDS and CHORUS:
Mars Mars
We’re going to Mars
Grab Gus
And pack up the car.
Come on
We’re gonna see stars
Mars Mars.
Come on
We’re gonna see stars
Mars Mars.
(3 TOUR GUIDES enter. TWO of them carry 7 portable teleports that look a lot like
doormats. THEY spread them out on the stage. The third GUIDE carries a little
remote control box with a large spinning dial.)
DAD: Here are the tour guides now.
GUIDE #1: Okeedokee. Here we are. We’re your guides from Betty’s Bargain
Basement Tours. Who’s travelling to Mars today?
MOM: We all are.
JOSH: And Gus.
MOM (to GUIDES, as she pulls food out of a large bag she carries with her at all
times): Would you like a cookie?
(THEY shake their heads)
GUIDE #2: No thank you. The crumbs might mess up the teleports. Everybody step
on up.
(DAD AND MOM DO; KIDS hesitate)
Come on now.
ARIEL: Are you serious?
GUIDE #3: Go on. These teleports are guaranteed. They’re the newest model: E52s!
DAD: Come on, kids. This is gonna be fun! What could go wrong?
(THEY all take places, including GUIDES.)
GUIDE #1: Okeedokee. Let me just set the dial here to "Mars" and we’ll be
on our way.
(HE sets the dial on the control box, and there is a loud, ugly or funny NOISE.)
GUIDE #2: Ooh. That didn’t sound good.
GUIDE #3: Is it supposed to do that?
GUIDE #1 (shrugging shoulders): I’ve never seen an E52.
(3 MOONS enter, each representing a different phase of Earth’s moon: Full, New,
and Quarter)
GUIDE #2: Yikes! This doesn’t look like Mars.
MOON #1: Of course I don’t. I’m the moon.
MOON #2: I reflect the light from the sun back to you on earth.
MOON #3: Just look at my different phases.
MOM: You are all very lovely—just like a banana cream pie.
(points to FULL MOON)
Fresh baked…
(points to QUARTER MOON)
…after Dad has had dessert…
(points to NEW MOON)
…and after Gus gets finished licking the plate.
MOON #1: It all depends on how much of my reflection you can see.
Song 2
MOONS :
New moon
There’s not much to see
Real soon
There’s a slice of me
Full moon
Shine bright and round
Real soon real soon
I will shrink back down.
Real soon real soon
I will shrink back down.
New moon
There’s nothing to see
Real soon
There’s a sliver of me
Full moon
I just might burst
Real soon real soon
I’ll go in reverse.
Real soon real soon
I’ll go in reverse.
These are the simple lunar facts
I wax and wane and wane and wax
It takes me almost thirty days
I guess I’m in a lunar phase.
MOONS and CHORUS:
New moon
There’s not much to see
Real soon
There’s a slice of me
Full moon
Shine bright and round
Real soon real soon
I will shrink back down.
Real soon real soon
I will shrink back down.
(MOONS exit)
GUIDE #1: Okeedokee. Wasn’t that fun?
ARIEL: We are supposed to be on Mars.
GUIDE #2: Don’t worry. There’s only a slight extra charge for seeing the moon.
GUIDE #3 (fiddling with control box): Let me just set this thing for Mars. Everybody
on your ports.
(THEY stand on them as before. Same horrible NOISE.)
DAD: What now?
JOSH: Dad, I think we’re on the sun!
GUIDE #1: Wow. I didn’t even know this thing went to the sun.
(SUN enters with very loud hiccups. JOSH sneaks around sun and jumps out at
it trying to scare it.)
JOSH: BOO!
SUN (jumping in fright): Aaach. Don’t do that.
JOSH: Sorry. I was just trying scare the hiccups out of you.
Song 3
SUN: Oh those? Don’t worry.
Pardon me
It will pass
You see I’m filled with gas.
If I burp
Watch your hair
Here comes a solar flare.
I am just an ordinary star
Ninety million miles from where you are
But I’m hot
To the core
I’ve got helium galore
I am just an ordinary star.
All my gas
Makes me bright
I give you heat and light.
Watch out folks
As I spin
I shoot out solar wind.
SUN and CHORUS:
I am just an ordinary star
Ninety million miles from where you are
But I’m hot
To the core
I’ve got helium galore
I am just an ordinary star.
(SUN exits)
GUIDE #1: Okeedokee. Don’t worry, folks. I’ve called in some teleport mechanics.
They’ll have this thing fixed in a jiffy.
GUIDE #2: Here they come now!
(MECHANICS enter. THEY carry various tools.)
MECHANIC #1: So, the ol’ teleport is having problems, huh?
MECHANIC #2: Here, let’s have a look.
MOM (approaching THEM): Would you like a lemon square?
MECHANIC #1: No thanks, ma’am. Might get crumbs in the control box. (grumbles
as THEY look at control box)
Uh huh. Uh huh.
MECHANIC #2: Yep yep yep.
MECHANIC #1: Uh huh.
MECHANIC #2: Yep yep. Yep.
GUIDE #3: What is it?
MECHANIC #1: Happens all the time. This baby is an E52.
MECHANIC #2: Yep yep yep.
GUIDE #1: An E52?
MECHANIC #1: Sure. The E52 can only go through the solar system in the right order.
You gotta start from the sun.
MECHANIC #2: Yep yep.
ARIEL: You mean we have to go through the whole solar system to get to Mars?
MECHANIC #1: Oh it’s not far at all. You’re already on the sun, see? The center
of the solar system.
MECHANIC #2: So now just start with Mercury and head on out!
Song 4
MECHANICS :
Mercury and Venus
Earth and Mars
Flying in their orbit
’Round a star.
Jupiter and Saturn
What a view!
Uranus and Neptune
Pluto too.
Mercury and Venus
Earth and Mars
Flying in their orbit
’Round a star.
Jupiter and Saturn
What a view!
Uranus and Neptune
Pluto too.
Solar solar solar system
9 great planets
I can’t resist ’em.
There are meteors
CHORUS (echoes): Meteors
Comets and asteroids as well…
But I love those planets most—
Can’t you tell? Can’t you tell?
MECHANICS and CHORUS:
Mercury and Venus
Earth and Mars
Flying in their orbit
’Round a star.
Jupiter and Saturn
What a view!
Uranus and Neptune
Pluto too.
Solar solar solar system
9 great planets
I can’t resist ’em.
There are meteors
CHORUS (echoes): Meteors
Comets and asteroids as well…
But I love those planets most—
Can’t you tell? Can’t you tell?
(THEY do Mechanic Dance)
Uranus and Neptune
Pluto too.
Uranus and Neptune
Pluto too.
Uranus and Neptune
Pluto too.
(MECHANICS exit)
(This concludes the first one-
third of the script.)
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humidity
galore
bulging
starling
debris
Astronomical
Terms
polar ice-caps
Lunar phases:
full
new
quarter
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wax
wane
solar flare
helium
solar wind
meteor
comet
asteroid
planet
Fahrenheit
tides
Great Red Spot
space dust
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methane
black
hole
supernova
Milky Way
meteor shower
asteroid belt
Vocabulary
From Stage Directions
enthusiasm
cringe
dejected
moping |
More Teacher Reviews:
"I loved the music---there were
so many different styles. I was amazed at the facts
that were taught with this play. I had many parents say they were impressed with the
knowledge base the play covered. You do an amazing job!"
---Ann Burk, Teacher (1st grade), Montana City School,
Montana City, MT
"The kids play the CD every
morning when they arrive in the classroom. I thought
they might lose interest after their performances but they can't get enough. We had
so much and learned science concepts included in our curriculum. Friends and
relatives highly praised the performance."
---Sheryl Farnum, Teacher (4th grade), Cascade Brook
School, Farmington, ME
"I loved it, the parents loved
it, my principal loved it, and the children learned so much
from it! They learned both about the solar system and about preparing for and
performing a play"
---Jean Gentry, Teacher (2nd), Westergard School, Reno,
NV
"There was nothing to not like
about it! The music was entertaining while being
educational and the underlying humor throughout the play was great. We got rave
reviews and the compliments were non-stop. Thank you for making my job of
putting on a play so easy!"
---Kerry Santantonio, Teacher (3rd), John Lewis Childs
School, Floral Park, NY
"Parents couldn't believe their
children would get up, sing, memorize and act. The
students enjoyed every aspect of the play, and it sparked further interest and
knowledge of the solar system. It was a great student lesson in cooperation and
creativity."
---Lynn Page, Teacher (3rd), Christ Prince of Peace
School, St Louis, MO
"It was fantastic! This was the
fourth Bad Wolf Press musical we have performed in
four years. All were good but this one was the best. (Every year someone asks me,
'Where did you get that great musical?)"
---Brandi Couse, Teacher (Music) Westside Elementary,
Clewiston, FL
"Very upbeat and fun for the
kids! They enjoyed the songs and the silly humor. The
students learned so many facts about the solar system and had a great time
performing it!"
---Sherry Mancino, Teacher (3rd), Ocean Palms
Elementary, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
"Vaction on Mars is my all time
favorite---so far!"
---Georgia Rhodes, Teacher (2nd/3rd), Sedgwick School,
Blue Hill, ME
Buy The Show
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Are Two of You Planning to Put
the Play on Together?
If you ask us, we always suggest having just one class put on a play. We
think each kid is
more involved, and we think it's easier for you to deal with a smaller number of students.
But lots of teachers disagree with us.
They've been happily doing the
plays together for years.
In fact, Amy Anderson, the teacher who does four musicals a year
(and she talks about this on our home page) thinks two classes
together is the way to go.
Then what do I need to purchase? Think
of a musical play like a library book.
Only one teacher may "check out" (i.e. put on) the play at a time. If another
teacher wants
to produce the music play that you purchased in a separate production and at a
later date,
you may loan out your original plan and student copies.
Your "library" needs two copies of the play for two teachers to
put on the play at the
same time. If a teacher wants her class to put on the play with your class,
she needs
to buy her own copy of the play. For three or more teachers to produce a play together,
purchase three copies for your "library" and Bad Wolf extends a Site License for all the
teachers and classes at your school.
But why can't I just make extra copies
of the play? If copies are made for
a class other than the purchasing teacher's, it's an infringement of U.S.
copyright law.
Yikes! Bad Wolf likes to toe the line where Uncle Sam is concerned, so we offer a
discount on the purchase of multiple copies of the play.
If you are 2 teachers putting on the
play together................................$60
* Includes 2 copies of the book and CD (save
almost $20 off of buying
them separately) so each of you has a CD and
book to work with.
* Free bonus: We'll throw in our famed
"Earthworms on Parade" CD. Y'know,
that's the one with the six goofiest songs
about earthworms ever written
($9.95 value.)
* Includes the right to reproduce the
script for the students in both of
your individual classes.
Questions?
Call or email Ron Fink at (888) 827-8661
or ron@badwolfpress.com
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