Children Play Theatre

~ Friends not Foes ~

Summary
The play is about a dark era of our cultural history: oppression and discrimination of minorities and people of different religions. A fictitious society is described where minorities are driven away from their homeland and people of a different religion (Jews) are discriminated. A solution of the problem from a child's point of view is offered.

Excerpts:

Friends not Foes

1. Scene

The stage set is divided into three parts. On the left part one can see some dancing children of different races and skin colours, on the central part a field with flowers, trees and butterflies. On the right parts a king’s castle is visible. In front of it stands a throne. 5 narrators sit on the stage.

Narrator 1: Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was a large kingdom.

Narrator 2: The king ruled fairly and wisely and all the inhabitants were very happy with him.

Narrator 3: And therefore they gave him many gifts.

The king comes on stage and sits on the throne. Then some inhabitants appear with gifts which they put down in front of the king, bowing to him. Then everyone apart from the narrators leave the stage.

Narrator 1: All the inhabitants would have been entirely happy if there hadn’t been the awful distorting-glasses-plague.

Narrator 2: This plague could strike the inhabitants in all parts of the kingdom. Often it started in just one place but then it spread inexorably.

Narrator 3: The strange thing about it was, that the inhabitants who were struck by the plague, did not feel sick at all.

Narrator 4: Dear audience, now see, what happened one day in Southland.

2. Scene

The central stage set has been changed. It now shows a village in a primeval forest with aborigine huts. Some inhabitants of the village sit in front of their huts and do different things. E.g. they grind grains to make flour, they cook, etc. A narrator sits in front of the left stage set. A sign reads “In a Village in Southland”.

Villager 1: It will be a nice day today. It won’t rain and we can go into the fields to bring in the harvest.

Villager 2: Yes. The harvest will be good this year.

Villager 3: And so I’m sure that we will celebrate with a nice feast after the harvest.

Villager 4: Definitely!

Now several soldiers and their captain come on stage. They are armed with bows and arrows and swords. They line up in rank and file. The captain stands slightly ahead of them.

Captain: (to the villagers) Hello Villagers. Go and get the mayor for me. I want to tell him something.

....

Characters, scene by scene

	Large role	Medium role	Small role (non-speaking role)
Prologue			king narrator 1, narrator 2 narrator 3, narrator 4
Scene 1	captain		narrator 1 villager 1, villager 2 villager 3, villager 4 villager 5, mayor
Scene 2			narrator 1, narrator 2 some soldiers a drummer, captain mother 1, father 1 child 1, child 2 mother 2, father 2 child 3 , child 4
Scene 3	king councillor 1 councillor 2 wise man 1 wise man 2		narrator 1, narrator 2 narrator 3 , delegate 1 delegate 2 , delegate 3 delegate 4, councillor 3 councillor 4, wise man 3
Epilogue		king	child 1, narrator 1 narrator 2, narrator 3 narrator 4 , some parents, children of different skin and colour

Proposals for sceneries:

Scene 2 – central part
A village in the jungle

....

Scene 1 to 5 – left side Scene 1 + 5 – right side
Dancing children A king’s palace

Photos of a production:

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