Song Samples
Full Song List
1. Character Matters Too
2. Gratitude
3. I Don't Wanna Be a Bully
4. It Pays to be Polite
5. Never Give Up
6. Take Good Care
7. Helpful Neighbor
8. The Golden Rule
9. Stop! Don't Do It!
10. Character Matters Too (reprise)
Casting
Flexible casting from 11-40 students.
Use as many Rangers, Ducklings, Rates, etc. as desired;
one student can easily play several roles. Note that all roles
can be played by either boys or girls; see our comments on
page 37 of the Teacher's Guide.
Script
This is the first one-third of the script:
CHARACTERS:
Rapunzel
Cinderella
Humpty Dumpty
Snow White
Dwarves (2)
Billy Goats Gruff
Troll
Little Red Riding Hood
Princess (and the pea)
King
Queen
Miller's Daughter
Rumpelstiltskin
Messenger
Prince
Rangers
Witch
Hansel and Gretel
The Boy Who Cried "Duck!"
Ducklings
The Golden Rule Singers
Pied Piper
Rats
and a CHORUS comprised of all students who are not playing roles on stage
at the time.
(Entire CLASS faces the audience and sings:)
Song 1 -
Listen now!
CLASS:
Math and science are important
Reading is good for you
But when it comes to good decisions
Character matters too.
Even folks who live in folktales
Struggle to think things through
Yes even in enchanted kingdoms
Character matters too.
Oh
Pied Piper
Don't get mad like that
Oh
Pied Piper
I think I smell a rat!
Rumpelstiltskin's not behaving
What can an ogre do?
And even for poor Sleeping Beauty
Character matters too.
Snow White's been dissing the Seven Dwarves
Things are not as rosy as they seem
Life has been tough for Three Billy Goats Gruff
The Ugly Duckling needs some self-esteem.
Math and science are important
Reading is good for you
But when it comes to good decisions
Character
Character
Character matters too.
(STUDENTS sit in a large semi-circle around stage, facing
the audience. RAPUNZEL, CINDERELLA, and HUMPTY
DUMPTY walk to front of stage and address the audience.)
RAPUNZEL: Hello. I'm Rapunzel. From the fairy tale.
CINDERELLA: And I'm Cinderella.
HUMPTY DUMPTY: And I'm Humpty Dumpty. We're delighted
you're here for our meeting of the Fairy Tale Advice Council.
RAPUNZEL: Today's meeting is special because this is the
very first time Cinderella and Humpty have been on the Council.
HUMPTY: It's so exciting. We get to give advice to fairy
tale characters who find themselves in a bind.
RAPUNZEL: Even us fairy tale folk don't always know
what's best to say or do in tough situations.
CINDERELLA: Like when it was
midnight at the ball and my
carriage turned back into a yam.
HUMPTY: A yam? I thought it was a pumpkin.
CINDERELLA: No, it was a yam. I should know, I was sitting
on it. It took those mice FOREVER to drag me home.
RAPUNZEL: But it all had a happy ending, which is what we
like to see. Humpty, what's our first case today?
HUMPTY (looking at a list): Ooh, looks like trouble
between old friends. It's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.
(SNOW WHITE and TWO DWARVES appear)
RAPUNZEL: Welcome.
CINDERELLA: Hey, I only see two dwarves. Aren't you short
a few dwarves?
DWARF #1: Is that some sort of comment?
CINDERELLA: Oh no, I'm sorry. I just thought there were
seven of you.
DWARF #2: It's the recession---we've been downsized.
(CINDERELLA starts to say something, but RAPUNZEL
cuts her off)
RAPUNZEL (to CINDERELLA): Don't even go there.
(TO the newcomers)
Now, what seems to be the problem?
SNOW WHITE: My friends are very upset with me, and it's
so, well, upsetting.
DWARF #1: Of course we're upset! After all we did for you.
DWARF #2 (to Council): And she never even stopped to thank
us. Just rode off into the sunset with her prince without a word of
gratitude.
Song 2 -
Listen now!
DWARVES:
We never faltered
We never shirked
We even whistled
While we worked.
But did she thank us
As she now claims?
She never never ever really knew our names.
SNOW WHITE:
That's not true
One was Lumpy
Maybe not
Was it Stumpy?
Was it Bob or Billy...oh poor me!
DWARVES:
See?!
CHORUS:
Gratitude
Gratitude
It's the proper attitude
Take time and don't be rude
It's the proper attitude
Be thankful, show some gratitude.
DWARF #1(spoken): And what about when she ate the poisoned
apple!
DWARVES:
We did the Heimlich
And CPR
And when she woke up
SHE's the star!
She got Prince Charming
She got the fame
She never never ever really knew our names.
SNOW WHITE:
That's not true
One was Lumpy
Maybe not
Was it Stumpy?
Was it Bob or Billy...oh poor me!
DWARVES:
See?!
DWARVES and CHORUS:
Gratitude
Gratitude
It's the proper attitude
Take time and don't be rude
Its the proper attitude
Be thankful, show some gratitude.
Be thankful, show some gratitude.
RAPUNZEL: Snow White...do you have something you'd like
to say to your friends?
SNOW WHITE (to DWARVES): I'm terribly sorry. You were so
kind and helpful. I just got caught up in that fairy-tale ending and
forgot.
Thank you. Thank all of you very much.
DWARF #1: Oh, that's okay.
DWARF #2: And our names ARE kind of hard to remember.
(THEY hug)
HUMPTY: That's so nice to see. It's always good to be
thankful. You know, I can never remember the names of all
seven dwarves myself. What are they?
DWARF #1: Sorry, we can't say them aloud.
DWARF #2: They're copyrighted. Every time we call each
other we owe Disney 10 bucks.
(DWARFS and SNOW WHITE EXIT)
RAPUNZEL: Well, that worked out nicely. Humpty, who's next?
HUMPTY (looking at list): Our next appointment is with...
(HUMPTY is interrupted by the loud entrance of THREE
BILLY GOATS GRUFF and TROLL)
BILLY GOAT GRUFF #1: This has GOT to stop. I can't take
it anymore.
TROLL: But I've changed my ways.
BILLY GOAT GRUFF #2: Oh sure. The last time you told me
that you tried to EAT me.
TROLL: It was just a nibble.
BILLY GOAT GRUFF #3: All that was sticking out of your
mouth was a foot.
TROLL: Okay, it was a BIG nibble. But I don't DO that
kind of thing anymore.
HUMPTY: Wait a minute, wait a minute. Who ARE you?
BILLY GOATS GRUFF: We're the Billy Goats Gruff.
BILLY GOAT GRUFF #1: And this is a Troll.
HUMPTY: I'm sorry, but you're not on the list. You'll
have to wait.
BILLY GOAT GRUFF #2: But we CAN'T wait! He's gonna
EAT us!
CINDERELLA: Is that true?
TROLL: NO! I want to be their friend.
BILLY GOAT GRUFF #3: Every time we get to his bridge, he
tries to swallow us.
TROLL: That was before! I USED to be a big bully. I
thought it was cool eating people on the bridge. But it WASN¹T
cool. I know that now. Being a bully is never cool.
Song 3 -
Listen now!
TROLL:
Yeah I'm a troll it's true
I guard a bridge or two
I eat folks like you if you attempt to pass
I'm tired of this work
'Cause all I do is lurk
When tales need a jerk that's how I am cast.
TROLL and CHORUS:
But I don't want to be a bully anymore
I don't wanna be the villain I have been before
I will be an ogre folks adore
I don't want to be a bully anymore.
TROLL:
Yeah when it's said and done
We bullies have no fun
Always on the run, nobody cares for me
I wanna walk the street
With friends that I don't eat
Billy goats I meet I'll invite to tea.
TROLL, GOATS, and CHORUS (TROLL
and GOATS put arms around each other):
But I don't want to be a bully anymore
I don't wanna be the villain I have been before
I will be an ogre folks adore
I don't want to be a bully anymore.
I don't want to be a bully anymore.
(ALL exit. LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD enters holding an
envelope.)
LITTLE RED:
Hi there. I'm Little Red Riding Hood, and this is the part
of the meeting where I introduce this month's winner of the
Good Manners award. You may remember what a polite child I
am. When I saw the wolf in my grandmother's bed, I said things
like "Grandmother, what big eyes you have." And, "Grandmother,
what big teeth you have." But I was just being polite. What I
was thinking was, "Grandmother, what happened to you? Were
you in some horrible accident?" My politeness paid off, though,
giving the Hunter time to save all of us. And now, this month's
Good Manners award goes to...
(SHE opens envelope)
The Princess from The Princess and the Pea.
(CHORUS applauds. PRINCESS, KING, and QUEEN enter.
LITTLE RED exits.)
PRINCESS: Thank you, thank you. I'm so honored. I'd like
to thank my agent for getting me the gig, and especially the King and
Queen
here for deciding to test me.
KING: It was our pleasure.
(to audience)
We had to make sure she was a very polite princess if she
was to marry our son.
QUEEN: So we came up with a whole slew of tests to see how
she would respond. The pea under the mattress was just one small part
of the evening's examination.
(This concludes the first one-third of the script.)
Additional Comments and Reviews:
"A smash hit -- over the top, fabulous! And, of course, so much
fun. I LOVED this musical; the kids LOVED the musical. The gal who did
Miller's Daughter literally begged me to do the part. She glowed as she
sang. And the princess. A quiet girl I didn't know even had a voice just
opened up one day and sang tunefully, beautiful. All of the characters
were amazing. So thanks. You guys are the best. And I'm buying more musicals
for next year."
---Betty Carlson, Teacher (5th grade), Westview Elementary, Champaign, IL
"I have done many of your plays but I have to say this one is my
favorite.
The humor, music and script made it a show everyone enjoyed. Love it,
love it, love it! It was great!"
---Melissa Deck, Teacher (2nd grade), St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School,
Kenner, LA
"We performed our play today and it was a big hit! The adults really
enjoyed the humor and everyone just loved the characters and the music!
Thanks for producing such a wonderful play!
"I also wanted to let you know that one of the best things about the
play was that we were able to have our special education students be
a part of it. The parents really appreciated that."
---Seema Raufr, Teacher (3rd grade), Mill Creek Towne Elementary School,
Gaithersburg, MD
"This was very simple to direct and produce. My students performed
it seven times in front of nearly a thousand people. We ALL thoroughly
enjoyed it!"
---Nance Contreras, Teacher (5th grade) Lincrest Elementary, Yuba City,
CA
"We loved the songs, the funny lines in the script and the CD. "
---Elain Smith, Teacher (2nd grade) Darlington Lower School, Rome, GA
"So easy to put on -- catchy tunes."
---Betty Dunn, Teacher (4th grade), Valley Elementary, Beaver Creek, OH
"Great play -- great characters."
---Paige Sorbo, Teacher (3rd grade), Gateway School, Ridgecrest, CA
"Packed with great lines from start to finish."
---Betty Carlson, Teacher (5th grade), Westview Elementary, Champaign,
IL
"The kids and parents enjoyed the performance. We definitely got
rave reviews!"
---Jaime Ruhl, Teacher (4th and 5th grades), Buckner Elementary, Buckner,
KS
"This is a great play. It's straightforward and the kids loved
both watching and
participating in it."
---Susan Irving, Teacher (3rd-5th grades), Redlands First United Methodist
Church, Redlands, CA
"I LOVE the music!!"
---Rich Howell, Founder, EnRiching Education, Nevada City, CA
Frequently Asked Questions About Bad Wolf Products and Licensing
How does your pricing and licensing work?
A: In short: each teacher/director using the play should have a copy of it. That's it! Your purchase gives you the right to use the play with as many classes as you wish, to photocopy the script for your actors, and to put on as many performances as you wish. This one-time purchase gives you a lifetime license. See below for more information on site licenses (for 3+ teachers or whole schools).
Q: What comes in the package?
A: Every musical play comes with the script and a 12-page Teacher's Guide that provides lots of tips and advice for using the play from start to finish. It also includes the audio recording for the play, which has all the songs both WITH and WITHOUT vocals. Sheet music is NOT included with the basic package, but it is available for $12. Extra/replacement CDs are also available for $12.
Every non-musical play comes with the script and the 12-page Teacher's Guide.
Q: I'm just one teacher putting on a play. If I use the play with multiple classes, do I have to purchase multiple licenses?
A: No! Your purchase gives you a lifetime license to be used with as many actors and classes as you wish. If other teachers/directors wish to use the play as well, they will need to purchase their own licenses.
Q: Do I need to purchase scripts for students?
A: No! Your purchase includes permission to photocopy the script for your actors.
Q: What is a "site license"? How do I know if I need one?
A site license is the economical choice when a whole school or grade level wants to put on the same play. Instead of each teacher/director having to purchase a script, the school/site can purchase
a site license. This comes with three copies of the play (or one digital download) and permission to make copies for any additional participating teachers, as well as all the actors. You do NOT need to purchase both a site license and individual copies of the play; just buy one or the other.
Q: I understand that I can get two or more scripts for $35 each. Do they have to be the same play?
Nope! The discount applies whether you are purchasing multiple copies of the same show or single copies of multiple shows.
Q: What is the difference between the printed and digital versions? Which one should I get?
There is no difference in terms of content. The printed version of a musical play comes with an audio CD in a plastic sleeve in the back of the book. The digital version comes with two downloadable files: the script (PDF format) and the songs (individual MP3 files compressed in ZIP format). The advantage of the digital version is that you will not pay shipping and you can start using it instantly. Please read the question following this one about the technical requirements for digital files.
Non-musical plays are available in the form of a printed book or a PDF file.
Q: What are the technical requirements for the digital version?
- You will need to have Adobe Reader (free) or another software application that can open PDF files.
- You will need to be able to open ZIP files. The vast majority of computers should be able to do this without difficulty. If you wish to download the music directly to your phone or tablet, you will need to download an app that will open ZIP files. Many free ones are available.
- You will need to have some kind of audio player (such as iTunes or Windows Media Player) that will play MP3 files.
Advanced technical knowledge is not required; but please note that we do not have the ability to offer technical support for issues related to digital files. If you are unsure, it is probably best to stick with the printed version.
Q: What is your return/exchange policy?
A: Bad Wolf proudly offers a 100% guarantee. You can always exchange a product for another or get a full refund. No time limits, no questions.
Q: Is it OK if I edit the script?
A: Yes! Consider the play to be a jumping-off point. You are always welcome to change or omit anything that doesn't work for your class, administration, or parents. You are welcome to rewrite
lyrics, lines, or jokes -- or add your own! (The kids love doing this, by the way.)
Q: How long does shipping take?
A: We say that you should allow for one week within the U.S., but most orders are shipped the same day and arrive 1-3 days later. International orders usually take around two weeks to arrive.
Q: Do I need to pay any performance royalties?
A: As long as your admission price is less than $5 per ticket, you never need to pay performance royalties with a Bad Wolf show. If you decide to charge more than $5 a ticket, or if you are using one of our plays for a PAID workshop, camp, assembly, etc., pay only a low 1-2% royalty on gross revenues. See our royalty page to view the rates and pay.