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Stage Start: 20 Plays for Children Kindle Edition

by Julie Meighan (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 43 ratings
See all formats and editions
The plays in the collection are
The Lion and the Mouse
The Little Red Hen
The Gingerbread Man
The Ants and the Grasshopper
The Enormous Turnip
Chicken Licken
The Hare and the Tortoise
The Three Billy Goats Gruff
The Ugly Duckling
The Boy who cried Wolf
Chinese New Year
The Lonely Dragon
How the Zebra got his Stripes
The Selfish Giant
The Land of Trolls and Gargoyles
No Excuse
Caught in the Act
Anne of Green Gables
At Doctor Crowne's
A Winter’s Night
Each play is between five minutes and twenty minutes long. The plays can be adapted to suit the various needs of the class/group. The first eight plays use a lot of repetition so it is very easy for young children to learn their lines. The cast list is flexible – more characters can be added and existing characters can be changed or omitted. Most of the characters can be on stage throughout the play, with children walking to the centre of the stage when it is time to say their lines. In the initial plays the teacher/leader can assume the role of the storyteller if the children can’t read or are not at the reading level required.
The costumes for all the plays are or can be very simple. For example, the children can just wear something in the colour of their animal, wear a mask or use some face paint. A word of advice: if the children wear masks, make sure they don’t cover their mouths as it would make it difficult to hear them speak. The rest of the plays also have a flexible cast list as more characters can be added and existing characters can be added or omitted easily depending on the requirement of the group. All suggestions for stage directions are included in brackets and italics.
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Previous page
  1. Reading age
    3 - 12 years
  2. Print length
    78 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    Kindergarten - 5
  5. Publication date
    December 26, 2012
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Lion and the Mouse
Characters: Three Storytellers, Lion, Mouse, Elephants, Giraffes, Snake/s, Owls. You can have as many elephants, giraffes, snakes and owls as you want.
(Stage Directions: all the animals are in a semi-circle on the stage; they are grouped according to their animal type. Storytellers can be placed on the right or the left of the stage.)
Storyteller 1: One hot day a lion was asleep in a cave. (Lion is sleeping in the centre of the stage.)
Storyteller 2: Suddenly a little mouse ran over his paw.  (Mouse comes scampering out quickly and touches the Lion's paw.)
Storyteller 3: The lion woke up with a loud roar. He grabbed the mouse with his paw and said ... (Lion wakes up and grabs the mouse.)
Lion: I'm going to kill you and eat you up. (Lion roars loudly.)
Mouse: Squeak, Squeak! Please, Mr. Lion, Please don't eat me. Some day I will help you.
Lion: Ha, Ha, Ha! You, help me! Don't make me laugh, but I'm not that hungry so I will let you go. (Lion pushes the mouse away.)
Storyteller 1: The lion laughed and laughed and the mouse ran home.
Storyteller 2: A few days later the lion was out in the jungle.
Lion: I think I will scare my friends. I am very scary because I'm King of the Jungle. (He goes to each group of animals and roars at them. All the animals are scared and move away from him.)
Storyteller 3: Suddenly the lion got caught in a trap and said... (He is in the centre of stage when he falls to his knees.)
Lion: Oh dear, how will I get out of here? (Lion looks around the stage desperately.)
Storyteller 1: After a while he heard some elephants.  (Elephants move from the semi-circle and they circle the lion. They must make sure the audience can see their faces.)
Lion: Elephants, elephants, please help me.
Elephants: Oh No! We will not help you. (Elephants trundle off back to the other animals.)
Storyteller 2: Then a few giraffes passed by. He cried ... (Giraffes leave the semi-circle and move behind the lion.)
Lion: Giraffes, Giraffes, please help me. (Lion looks up at the giraffes.)
Giraffes: Oh no, we will not help you. (Giraffes go back to their place in the semi-circle.)
Storyteller 3: The lion grew cold and hungry (the lion shivers and rubs his stomach) and began to think he would never get home to his nice, warm cave. Then he heard the hissing of snakes.  (Snake(s) moves towards the centre of the stage near the lion.)
Lion: Snakes, snakes, please help me. (The lion looks up at the snakes.)
Snakes: Ssssssssss, oh no we will not help you, sssssssssssssssss. (Snakes go back to the semi-circle.)
Storyteller 1: As night came the lion began to cry.
Lion: Boo hoo, I am stuck in this trap and none of my friends will help me.
Storyteller 2: Then he heard some owls hooting in the trees. (Owls move centre stage, towards the lion.)
Lion: Owls, Owls, please help me. (Lion looks up at the owls.)
Owls: Tu Whit, Tu Whoo, owls, owls, we will not help youuuuuuuuuuu. (Owls go back to the semi-circle.)
Storyteller 3: The lion was very sad. (Lion starts crying.) He didn't know what to do. Then he heard the squeaking of a mouse.
Mouse: Squeak, squeak! Why are you crying Mr. Lion?  (Mouse comes from behind the other animals.)
Lion: I'm stuck in this trap and nobody will help me.
Mouse: I will help you.

From the Inside Flap

The following are the collection of plays in Stage Start.

The Lion and the Mouse
The Little Red Hen
The Gingerbread Man
The Ants and the Grasshopper
The Enormous Turnip
Chicken Licken
The Hare and the Tortoise
The Three Billy Goats Gruff
The Ugly Duckling
The Boy who cried Wolf
Chinese New Year
The Lonely Dragon
How the Zebra got his Stripes
The Selfish Giant
The Land of Trolls and Gargoyles
No Excuse
Caught in the Act
Anne of Green Gables
At Doctor's Crowne
A Winter's Night

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00ATR2IUO
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ JemBooks (December 26, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 26, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 347 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 78 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 43 ratings

About the author

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Julie Meighan

Julie Meighan

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Julie Meighan is a play therapist, lecturer, author, and blogger based in Cork, Ireland. She is currently a lecturer at Munster Technological University, where she teaches on the Early Years programme. With a deep passion for creativity and the arts, Julie runs a successful educational blog at https://dramastartbooks.com, where she shares her expertise on all aspects of creative arts.

Julie is also a prolific author and has written numerous books on drama, many of which have been translated into several languages. Her books have gained worldwide recognition and have been a valuable resource for teachers, parents, and students alike.

In addition to her work as an author and blogger, Julie has delivered workshops and training to a wide variety of academic and professional organizations worldwide. Her extensive experience in the field of play therapy and creative arts has made her a sought-after speaker and trainer, and her workshops are known for their practical and engaging approach.

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
43 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

B
5.0 out of 5 stars Top Class books
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2017
Verified Purchase
Fantastic books Highly recommend for anyone involved with children's drama
One person found this helpful
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Joan B. Macdonnell
3.0 out of 5 stars Will develop your own creativity
Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2013
Verified Purchase
The play I used: "How the Zebra Got Its Stripes" had some contradictory lines and stage directions. A director will need some experience to feel comfortable.
One person found this helpful
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Ms. Hancock
4.0 out of 5 stars 👌👌
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2022
Verified Purchase
The complexity yet innocence found within a children's book will always amaze me. This read was quick and easy, but utterly powerful at the same time. I love reading to my children, especially when it's something meaningful and worthwhile.
One person found this helpful
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Marilyn S. Madden
5.0 out of 5 stars Plays
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2016
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My granddaughter loved the plays ad had the entire family acting out gingerbread man.
2 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2013
Verified Purchase
Its great for people working with children. The plays within the book are of great variety and full of lessons for the children.
One person found this helpful
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DrJude
5.0 out of 5 stars Super Resource
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2013
This book is a superb resource for anyone working with children. It would also be very beneficial for anyone studying early and primary education as it would give concrete activities which could be included in a child centred curriculum. It's very easy to read and implement and I would highly recommend it .Dr. Judith Butler.
2 people found this helpful
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W. A. Thurston
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Tool
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2013
Verified Purchase
I purchased this book as a guide on how to construct palys for young school children. The plays in the book are well presented and show what level playwrights interested in writing plays for children, should aim at. I'm sure that the plays in the book would be enjoyed by the children who took part in them.

As a learning tool for myself, in the art of writing plays for children, I found the book was quite good.
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Mrs. B. Wolfenden
5.0 out of 5 stars Stage plays for young children
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 16, 2013
Verified Purchase
Lovely little book. Good for those teaching or running drama clubs. Nothing very complex in it. One of the few to cater for the younger age range.
5 people found this helpful
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Readers Reviewer
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 29, 2017
Verified Purchase
Interesting stuff
One person found this helpful
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jam
4.0 out of 5 stars a handy little book for all
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 3, 2013
Verified Purchase
broken down into group size which is very helpful as i teach so many different class sizes. would like a few more for really small class sizes (but thats because I teach in little Irish country schools) but there are still some I can start with.
3 people found this helpful
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Andrew Wallis
5.0 out of 5 stars Education and Inspirational
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 11, 2014
Verified Purchase
A great resource for teaching children how to build characters and narrate stories! This inspires both young and old to stories and fables alike. Great for all ages
4 people found this helpful
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Ans12014
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 18, 2014
Verified Purchase
Looks very good just havent had a chance to use it yet
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