Song Samples
Full Song List
1. “The Twelve Days Of Christmas” (abridged)
2. “The Winter Holidays”
3. “Family Time”
4. “Deck The Halls”
5. “Oh Hanukkah”
6. “Thank You For The Christmas Tree”
7. “I Want To Pull Santa's Sleigh”
8. “S'vivon”
9. “Too Many Latkes Again”
10. “We Wish You A Merry Christmas”
11. “A Present For A Skunk"
12. “The Winter Holidays/Traditional Songs" (reprise)
Casting
Flexible casting from 11-40 students.
Use as many beavers, skunks, etc as desired. One student can also play
more than
one role. Note than roles are not gender-specific: with the simple change
of a name,
any part can be played by a girl our a boy; see our comments on page
36 of the Teacher's Guide .
Script
This is the first one-third of the script:
CHARACTERS:
Carolers (either one or two groups)
Wolf
Owl
Goose
Moose
Rabbits
Family #1
Bear
Family #2
Beavers
Skunks
Squirrel
SuperBadgers
Kids
and a Chorus made up of all students who are not playing roles at the
time.
(The CLASS is on stage. A handful of them are dressed as CAROLERS, standing
in a little half-circle facing the audience with caroling books in hand.
The rest of students
stand or sit along the edges. They ALL begin singing:)
Song 1 -
Listen now!
CLASS:
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me
A partridge in a pear tree.
(At this point the WOLF begins creeping, slowly, from the
side of the stage towards the CAROLERS)
On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree.
(WOLF is now quite close)
On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a par...
(music and singing stop as CAROLERS see WOLF)
CAROLER (screaming in fright): Ahh, it's a wolf!
CAROLER: Wolf!
CAROLER: Wolf, run for your lives!
(CAROLERS run off, screaming. The WOLF looks puzzled. OWL and GOOSE
enter quickly as WOLF shouts:)
WOLF (to departing Carolers): Hey, come back!
(OWL, WOLF, and GOOSE run in)
OWL: Wolf, what happened? We heard screaming.
WOLF: Owl, did you see that? I just wanted to join in the caroling.
You know I
love caroling.
OWL: They looked terrified.
GOOSE (looking and then pointing at audience): But these people don’t
look terrified.
They look relieved.
OWL: Of course they’re relieved. They thought they’d have
to listen to all
twelve days of Christmas. Wolf spared them eight days.
WOLF: This just isn’t my winter. I’m cold. I think of those
warm fires inside
the houses in town—makes me wish my side of the family had been
domesticated.
OWL (pointing to GOOSE): You could always make a down comforter out
of
Goose over here.
GOOSE: That’s not funny. Not funny at all. You know I’m
always nervous this time
of year. Thanksgiving to New Years is a troubling time for edible fowl.
.
WOLF: Hey, isn’t that Moose running up the hill?
OWL: Yes it is! I’ve never seen him move so fast.
MOOSE (entering, out of breath): Run for you life! They’ve gone
crazy. Hurry!
OWL: What are you talking about?
MOOSE: The people in the town. They’re doing terrible things!
GOOSE: What is it? Did they try to roast you? I hate that.
MOOSE: No. Worse! I heard this pounding. I looked up on top of a house,
and
there in full view, a guy was nailing twelve reindeer to a roof! Why
didn’t they try to run away?
OWL: Moose, they weren’t real reindeer.
MOOSE: Maybe there were hypnotized.
GOOSE: They weren’t real reindeer, Moose.
MOOSE: What?
WOLF: It’s just part of the holiday celebration.
MOOSE: What’s that mean?
OWL: Oh my gosh! Moose, this is your first winter, isn’t it?
MOOSE: Well, yeah.
GOOSE: Interesting things happen this time of year.
MOOSE: What do you mean?
OWL: (shouting) Forest animals! Come out! Moose needs us!
Song 2 -
Listen now!
ENTIRE CLASS (except MOOSE):
Gotta tell the moose
Gotta introduce
The winter holidays
People down in town
Running all around
Each year the same ol’ craze.
See them up at dawn
Busy on the lawn
Arranging plastic sleighs
Gotta tell the moose
Gotta introduce
The winter holidays.
Gotta tell our mate
How they celebrate
The winter holidays.
Running out to shop
Cooking ’til they drop
They’re in a manic phase
Latkes to prepare
Potatoes everywhere
Grating ’til their eyes glaze
Gotta tell the moose
Gotta introduce
The winter holidays.
Thanksgiving and Hanukkah bring out the cheer
Christmas and Kwanzaa and happy New Year!
See them up at dawn
Busy on the lawn
Arranging plastic sleighs
Gotta tell the moose
Gotta introduce
The winter holidays.
The winter holidays.
(CLASS exits; OWL, WOLF, GOOSE, and MOOSE begin walking)
OWL: Come on, Moose. Let’s go down to town and see what the people
are doing.
GOOSE: Are you sure that’s a good idea? What if they’re
hungry? Maybe we should
take some chocolates for them just in case.
(RABBIT #1 hops in)
WOLF: Oh, hello, Rabbit.
RABBIT #1: Hello.
OWL: We’re off to teach Moose about holidays.
WOLF (to RABBIT #2, entering with huge carrot): Hello, Rabbit.
RABBIT #2: I’m trying to defrost this carrot. You don’t
have a microwave, do you?
OWL: Do I look like I have a microwave?
MOOSE: There are so many people in town these days. Where do they all
come from?
OWL: It’s the holidays. Friends and family gather together.
WOLF (to RABBIT #3, entering): Hello, Rabbit.
RABBIT #3: You’re telling me about family gatherings. You wouldn’t
believe our
place this time of year.
MOOSE: There sure are a lot of you Rabbits around today.
RABBIT #4 (hopping in): There sure are. Big family reunion!
Song 3 -
Listen now!
RABBITS:
Thirty five uncles
Forty two aunts
All want to kiss me
All want to dance.
Seventeen siblings
Nephews galore
Usually by New Years
There’s two dozen more.
Woh woh woh woh woh woh
Woh woh woh woh woh woh
Family time
Family time
I love that family time.
Fifty four cousins
At each other’s throat
All watching TV
With just one remote.
Time for some soccer
There’s more than we need
Got enough family
To form a whole league.
RABBIT #1 (shouts): Hey, let’s do our Family Dance!
(RABBITS do lovely hopping dance during instrumental)
RABBITS and CHORUS:
Woh woh woh woh woh woh
Woh woh woh woh woh woh
Family time
Family time
I love that family time.
(RABBITS exit)
OWL: Come on, Moose. Let’s go peak inside a house—I want
you to see the
Christmas decorations.
MOOSE: Decorations?
GOOSE: You know. Trees and stuff.
MOOSE: They put trees inside their houses?
WOLF: I think it’s so the dogs don’t have to go out in the
cold.
OWL: Here, just look through this window—the people are fixing
things up.
(FAMILY #1 with Christmas decorations appears and sings:)
Song 4
FAMILY #1:
Deck the halls with boughs of holly
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
’Tis the season to be jolly
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Don we now our gay apparel.
Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la
Troll the ancient Yuletide carol.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
FAMILY and CHORUS:
See the blazing Yule before us.
ONE MEMBER OF FAMILY:
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
FAMILY and CHORUS:
Strike the harp and join the chorus.
ONE MEMBER OF FAMILY:
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
FAMILY and CHORUS:
Follow me in merry measure.
Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la
While I tell of Yuletide treasure.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.
(FAMILY exits)
MOOSE: That looks like great fun. I’ve never decked a hall with
anything. I didn’t
even know you could deck a hall.
GOOSE: Me either.
WOLF: I decked an obnoxious hedgehog once.
(BEAR enters)
OWL: That’s not the same.
(Seeing BEAR)
Bear! What are YOU doing up? Aren’t you supposed to be hibernating?
BEAR: Not yet—not until I get some latkes.
MOOSE: Latkes?
GOOSE: Potato pancakes--folks eat them for the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
And they’re meat free!
BEAR (getting excited): Lovely shredded potatoes. Savory onions. A dash
of salt
and pepper. A little flour to compose a masterpiece.
OWL: Calm down, Bear. You always overdo it with the latkes.
BEAR (lost in salivation): Fried up golden brown, crispy yet tender,
in hot oil.
Wait! Did you hear that?
WOLF: What?
BEAR: Listen.
(THEY listen. Nothing.)
They’re calling me.
MOOSE: Who?
BEAR: The latkes. “Bear,” they’re saying, “we’re
waiting. Bear, come get us while
we’re still really hot.” I’ve gotta go.
(BEAR exits)
MOOSE: Bear said something about Hanukkah. Who’ s that?
WOLF: It’s another holiday. Here, look in that window.
MOOSE (HE sees a menorah without candles): Ooh! They’ve got a
really tiny tree
with eight curving branches.
OWL: That’s not a tree. That’s a menorah. It’s for
Hanukkah. Take a look.
MOOSE (looking more closely): It must be hard to drink out of all those
little cups.
GOOSE: Those aren’t for water, silly. They’re for candles.
WOLF: They light one candle the first night of Hanukkah, then two on
the second,
until on the eighth night all of them are lit.
OWL: Listen, they’re singing the Hanukkah Song.
(FAMILY #2 appears, singing)
Song 5
FAMILY #2:
Oh Hanukkah, oh Hanukkah, come light the Menorah,
Let’s have a party, we’ll all dance the hora.
Gather round the table, we’ll give you a treat.
Dreidles to play with, latkes to eat.
Gather round the table, we’ll give you a treat.
Dreidles to play with, latkes to eat.
FAMILY# 2 and CHORUS:
And while we are playing,
The candles are burning low.
One for each night, they shed a sweet light,
To remind us of days long ago;
One for each night, they shed a sweet light,
To remind us of days long ago.
(This concludes the first one-third of the script.)
"I have been using your plays for 7 years. I have done various shows with my students, but each year without fail, my class does
The Winter Holiday Show. This experience does more for my students then anything else I could teach them in the classroom. Through reader's theater
and performances, I have watched my students blossom and grow as fluent, expressive readers. I have watched their self-confidence soar through the sky.
Most importantly, I have given them a love for learning and reading through the plays. It should be mandatory for all classes to do plays.
The students are gaining invaluable life skills through this experience. I teach first grade, and my students come back to visit me and ALWAYS bring up how much
they loved being in my class because of the plays! Students that love school will be successful, hard-working, life-long learners, and how much more
prepared for 'college and careers' can you get than that? I am so thankful for Bad Wolf Press and my school for supporting what I do!"
---Jennifer Swenson, Teacher (1st grade), Bear Lake Elementary, Apopka, FL
"Had to let you know what a successful Winter Holiday Show my second graders
just performed! Every parent attended. Many compliments given for a funny,
wonderful program. Parents and students loved the catchy tunes. I transformed
baseball caps into characters. This was my first big production after 19
years of teaching. I plan to do more! This was a life-transforming event
for my special needs students. I am so glad to stumble across you on the
internet. Again, thank you for writing a teacher- and student-friendly script."
---Nancy Elder, Teacher (2nd grade), Paloma School, Temecula, CA
"The Winter Holiday Show is my personal favorite. It's very teacher friendly.
I love doing
plays. It's a form of art. It's good for students to perform and step
out a little. Students
learn to work together as a team."
---Nina Christie, Teacher (5th/6th grade), Stoneridge School, Roseville,
CA
"Everyone wanted to learn all the songs---we're still singing the
Beavers' song in
May! I liked the ease with which we could add songs and characters like
Las
Posades. It's hard to find something that 10-15 teachers all like---our
school has
done almost all of your plays."
---Cindy Ursprung, Teacher (K-5th grade), 93rd Street Elementary, Los
Angeles, CA
"The show was fantastic! We did it for our whole school (gr. 1-3)
and for the
parents. We had many positive comments and great feedback. I love the
music!"
---Michele Cooper, Teacher (3rd grade), Port Colden School, Washington,
NJ
"Please sing (to the tune of 'Thank You for the Christmas Tree,' of course):
Thank you for The Holiday Show
Thank you for your wit
The kids were lovely on the stage
Thank you, thank you for the musical,
Thank you for the musical.
The third graders beamed, the parents beamed, the teachers beamed.
We all beamed at Westview Elementary."
---Betty Carlson, Teacher (3rd grade), Westview Elementary, Champaign,
IL
We did The Winter Holiday Show as a readers theater and the script lent itself well to this.
The kids especially loved the music and wanted it played even after the play was over.
I liked that it gave the children a brief idea of how different people celebrate the holidays. The children really enjoyed it and learned a lot from it."
---Joan Fontaine, Sequoyah Elementary, Shawnee, OK
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.