Drama

A Purpose for Writing

Northern Nevada Writing Project 2012

Melissa Bedford

Sierra Vista Elementary

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Rationale

Initially I chose the topic of drama because it’s something I enjoy. I was told by my

Masters Committee chair when conducting a research project its best to choose a topic that

you’re interested in. Little did I know I would discover multiple benefits drama provides in

education, such as building student self-confidence, practice with literacy skills, an opportunity

for activities across the curriculum, high engagement levels, and a purpose for writing.

The goal for teachers is to prepare their students to be “college and career ready.”

However, I began to think of my own students and thought, as much as I want them to, not all

of them will be going to college. In his book, Write Like This, Kelly Gallagher (2011) discusses

how writing is not only a skill students need in school, but a skill they will need to succeed in

the workforce (p. 3). When looking closely at the Common Core State Standards, although they

are meant to help make our students “college and career ready,” they are really more focused

on that “college readiness.” Students begin to see that the purpose for writing is to achieve

academically and get into college. But what about my kids who don’t have college in their

sights? How do I get them to become better writers if they don’t see a purpose for it? That’s

where drama comes in.

Highly engaging, drama can provide students with that purpose for writing. That writing

can take the form of a script, a Chautauqua, an informative letter…drama is adaptable to

incorporate any form of writing. As I conducted my research I found articles that supported the

use of drama in education. I dove further into my inquiry and discovered a practice called

“process drama,” which involves “imaginary, unscripted, and spontaneous scenes” where

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students take on roles based on the topics their studying (Schneider & Jackson, 2000, p. 38).

Teachers can then have their students compose written responses, which can take the form of

the teacher’s choosing. As students take on these different roles they are highly engaged and

when given the writing assignment have more of a “buy-in,” or purpose, for their writing.

Essential Question

Does drama provide students with a purpose for writing?

Related Questions

How can process drama help enhance learning?

What drama activities can teachers use to support writing?

Literature Review

Drama is one of those words that doesn’t always have positive implications when

associated with education. There are people who view it as nothing more than play and don’t

consider it to be serious. When teachers do use drama they try to find other terms to use to

describe their practice, such as “imaginative enquiry,” “experiential learning,” or “expressive

art” (Bowell & Heap, 2010). There are benefits to using drama in the classroom, however,

according to Bowell and Heap (2010), until members of the teaching community are willing to

refer to drama as just that and not try to cover it up with fancy words, drama will not get the

recognition it deserves.

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During my research I found a number of resources supporting the use of drama.

Advocates for drama argue that out of all the different art forms, “…drama involves the

participant the most fully: intellectually, emotionally, physically, verbally, and socially”

(McCaslin, 2000, p. 4). Drama stems from using one’s imagination, something that children do

from a very early age. Moran (2006) discusses how when children participate in drama they

have the opportunity to escape reality and take on different roles. When used in the classroom,

as students take on these different roles they can develop a different perspective on the

subject they’re studying. They learn about the troubles and morals of people other than

themselves (McCaslin, 2000).

Through these different lenses students are given a new reason for and interest in

writing. Writing doesn’t have to be school chore, as many students see it. Through process

drama, for example, students can “write in role” which allows them to think differently about

what they’re going to write and the way they’re going to write it (Schneider & Jackson, 2000).

In her study of process drama in her fifth grade class, Brenda Rosler (2008) found many benefits

of having her students take on different roles, such as interpreting and analyzing multiples texts

associated with the topic they were studying, high levels of student engagement, students

taking on leadership roles, and peer collaboration. When her students were given the

opportunity to be someone else Rosler gave them a new “voice in their learning” and a

different understanding of history (p. 271).

When students are given the chance to participate in drama activities that involve

writing they get to practice the very essence of writing. The writing skills they work with

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include: “…developing fictional characters, setting the scene, generating dialogue, creating

conflict, and developing a theme” (Whitney, 2006, p. 55). Whether adapting a text to a script or

writing an original play, students need to know how to identify, create, and use these different

parts of reading and writing in their own writing. Brian Woolland (2008) says that when

teachers use process drama there’s not a big jump from that to writing dialogue. Writing

dialogue is just giving people words. When educators can make that connection between

process drama and playwriting it becomes more than just an extension activity, but “a way of

exploring relationships between the spoken and the written word” (p.6). Students will have a

deeper connection with writing when they see the relationship between the written and

spoken word.

Additionally, drama is an activity that provides the opportunity for students to work

cooperatively. It becomes a “communal art” where “each person is necessary to the whole”

(McCaslin, 2000, p. 4). Learning how to work cooperatively with peers is a beneficial skill for

their success in the real world. In Whitney’s (2006) opinion most of the writing that occurs in

the workplace is a collaborative effort. In the classroom students can both write and perform

together. In their peer groups student leaders will begin to emerge, as Brenda Rosler (2008)

saw in her classroom, developing those leadership skills as well.

If teachers want to introduce students to the art of drama they can begin by using

readers theatre, which still helps in developing literacy skills. In readers theatre it is not

required for participants to memorize their lines, one of the requirements most commonly

associated with the theatre. By taking off that pressure to memorize lines, which can appear to

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be a daunting act, students may be more inclined to participate. Once students begin to feel

more comfortable with drama teachers can start incorporating activities like process drama and

playwriting into their lessons. Ultimately drama is fun and once students feel comfortable

participating in those types of activities in class they will request to do more. I’ve seen firsthand

how engaging drama can be and all I merely did was had students adapt scripts. I plan on

incorporating process drama into my classroom and can only imagine how much more

interactive learning will be.

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Common Core State Standards

6.RL.2 – Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular

details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

6.RL.3 – Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well

as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

6.RIT.7 – Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g. visually,

quantitatively) as well as words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.

6.W.2 – Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts,

and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

6.W.3 – Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective

technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

6.W.4 – Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style

are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

6.W.5 – With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen

writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

6.W.9 – Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and

research.

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6.SL.1 – Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and

teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on

others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

6.SL.6 – Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal

English when indicated or appropriate.

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Supporting Materials

The following is a sample readers theatre lesson plan and script from Nonfiction Readers

Theatre for Beginning Readers by Anthony D. Fredericks. It’s written at a second grade reading

level.

Readers theatre is a good way to introduce students to drama. They are not required to

memorize their lines, which can take the pressure off of having to get up in front of an

audience. There are many resources that provide premade readers theatre scripts. To assign

roles teachers can either ask for volunteers or hold auditions. Auditions would be more

“professional,” if wanting to really use theatre at its best. They also teach students

responsibility and accountability in reading your best and practicing you literacy skills.

This readers theatre script could still be used at higher grade levels to help students

practice readers theatre and get used to its format. Sometimes easier texts can help older

students feel less intimidated by an activity such as drama.

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The following is a teacher example of a Chautauqua based on the life of Mark Twain.

This could be used as a mentor text to inspire your students to write their own Chautauqua on

a historical figure. Chautauquas are a fun way for students to do a research project. Students

would need to access informational text and take out important information to really portray

the life of their figure accurately. Teachers can have their students choose historical figures

based on their social studies standards.

Mark Twain Chautauqua

Hello, my name is Samuel Clemens, but you probably know me better as Mark

Twain. Most people know me as the man who wrote The Adventures of Tom

Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which is now referred to as “the

Great American Novel.” What an honor. Well let’s see, where to begin? First off,

I was born on November 30 in the year 1835 in the small town of Florida,

Missouri. I know I know…you’re probably thinking there’s a town called

Florida? I thought that was a state? Well it’s both. I was the sixth child of John

and Jane Clemens. We didn’t live in Florida (remember the town, not the state)

for too long. When I was 4 my family and I moved to another town in Missouri

called Hannibal. Boy did I love Hannibal. Those two books I told you I wrote,

well…the town of Hannibal inspired the towns for those stories. I had a lot of

fun in Hannibal; watching minstrel shows, visiting the library, and seeing all

the steamboats running on the river. Unfortunately in 1847, my dad died so

my mom became the head of the household. It was hard on her so I decided to

find some work to help support the family. When I was about 12 I was an

apprentice at the Hannibal Courier. I would help print the paper. Then at 15 I

got another job as a printer, since I already had experience doing that, with my

brother Orion’s newspaper called the Hannibal Western Union. Sometimes I’d

even get to write and edit articles for the paper. As much as I loved working

with the paper my dream was always to work on a steamboat. When I was 21 I

finally made that dream come true. I learned how to pilot, that means to drive,

a steamboat and got my license in 1859. I loved piloting those steamboats on

the Mississippi, but unfortunately the war broke out so my service was cut

short. I served for a couple weeks for the Confederate Army, but my unit

disbanded so I was left with nothing to do. I decided I would move out West. I

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climbed on a stagecoach and headed straight to Nevada. That’s right, Nevada!

The very state we’re in right now! I thought I’d be able to strike it rich so I tried

my hand at prospecting. You might know it better as mining. I never did have

much luck in finding silver or gold. Out of money I decided to go back to a job I

knew best, writing. I got a job with the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise. That

was the newspaper up in Virginia City. As I was writing I decided I’d start using

a penname for my work. Since I loved steamboats I adopted the name of “Mark

Twain” which meant 12 feet of water in steamboat speak. A lot of people started

reading my writing. They found it friendly, funny, and satirical. That means

funny in a sarcastic sort of way. I enjoyed poking fun at the rich. Finally, in

1865 one of my stories about life in Virginia City was printed in newspapers

and magazines all over the country. It was called Jim Smile and His Jumping

Frog. Seeing my stories success it inspired me to keep writing. Before my most

famous pieces were published I got married to Olivia Langdon in 1870. I called

her Livy. We had 4 children. After we got married we moved back to the East

Coast to Buffalo. Soon after, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn were

published along with The Prince and the Pauper and A Connecticut Yankee

and King Arthur’s Court. I wrote many books, short stories and articles. I died

on April 21, 1910. I’m buried in Elmira, New York next to my beloved Livy. I

was 74 years old.

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The following is a piece of expository text used in a unit on World War I. It focuses on

life in the trenches and the hardships the soldiers of that time faced. This text would be used

when having your students participate in process drama, where the students are taking on a

different role based on the topic they’re studying. For example, in this unit students would

become soldiers fighting in World War I. This text would be used in addition to other resources,

such as the students’ social studies textbook. Teachers are encouraged to pull in other

resources to enhance the students’ knowledge so that they can fully take on their new role.

Life in the Trenches

Life in the trenches during the First World War took many forms,

and varied widely from sector to sector and from front to front.

Undoubtedly, it was entirely unexpected for those eager

thousands who signed up for war in August 1914.

A War of Movement?

Indeed, the Great War - a phrase coined even before it had begun - was expected to be a

relatively short affair and, as with most wars, one of great movement. The First World War was

typified however by its lack of movement, the years of stalemate exemplified on the Western

Front from autumn 1914 until spring 1918.

Not that there wasn't movement at all on the Western Front during 1914-18; the war began

dramatically with sweeping advances by the Germans through Belgium and France en route for

Paris. However stalemate - and trench warfare soon set in - and the expected war of

movement wasn't restored until towards the close of the war, although the line rippled as

successes were achieved at a local level.

So what was life actually like for the men serving tours of duty in the line, be they front line,

support or reserve trenches?

Daily Death in the Trenches

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Death was a constant companion to those serving in the line, even when no raid or attack was

launched or defended against. In busy sectors the constant shellfire directed by the enemy

brought random death, whether their victims were lounging in a trench or lying in a dugout

(many men were buried as a consequence of such large shell-bursts).

Similarly, novices were cautioned against their natural inclination to peer over the parapet of

the trench into “No Man's Land.”

Many men died on their first day in the trenches as a consequence of a precisely aimed sniper's

bullet.

It has been estimated that up to one third of Allied casualties on the Western Front were

actually sustained in the trenches. Aside from enemy injuries, disease wrought a heavy toll.

Rat Infestation

Rats in their millions infested trenches. There were two main types, the brown and the black

rat. Both were despised but the brown rat was especially feared. Gorging themselves on

human remains (grotesquely disfiguring them by eating their eyes and liver) they could grow to

the size of a cat.

Men, exasperated and afraid of these rats (which would even scamper across their faces in the

dark), would attempt to rid the trenches of them by various methods: gunfire, with the

bayonet, and even by clubbing them to death.

It was futile however: a single rat couple could produce up to 900 offspring in a year, spreading

infection and contaminating food. The rat problem remained for the duration of the war

(although many veteran soldiers swore that rats sensed impending heavy enemy shellfire and

consequently disappeared from view).

Frogs, Lice and Worse

Rats were by no means the only source of infection and

nuisance. Lice were a never-ending problem, breeding in the

seams of filthy clothing and causing men to itch unceasingly.

Even when clothing was periodically washed and deloused, lice

eggs invariably remained hidden in the seams; within a few

hours of the clothes being re-worn the body heat generated would cause the eggs to hatch.

Lice caused Trench Fever, a particularly painful disease that began suddenly with severe pain

followed by high fever. Recovery - away from the trenches - took up to twelve weeks. Lice

were not actually identified as the culprit of Trench Fever until 1918.

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Frogs by the score were found in shell holes covered in water; they were also found in the base

of trenches. Slugs and horned beetles crowded the sides of the trench.

Many men chose to shave their heads entirely to avoid another prevalent scourge: nits.

Trench Foot was another medical condition peculiar to trench life. It was a fungal infection of

the feet caused by cold, wet and unsanitary trench conditions. It could turn gangrenous and

result in amputation. Trench Foot was more of a problem at the start of trench warfare; as

conditions improved in 1915 it rapidly faded, although a trickle of cases continued throughout

the war.

The Trench Cycle

Typically, a battalion would be expected to serve a spell in the front line. This would be

followed by a stint spent in support, and then in reserve lines. A period of rest would follow -

generally short in duration - before the whole cycle of

trench duty would start afresh.

In reality the cycle was determined by the necessities of the

situation. Even while at rest men might find themselves

tasked with duties that placed them in the line of fire.

Others would spend far longer in the front line than usual, usually in the more 'busy' sectors.

As an example - and the numbers varied widely - a man might expect in a year to spend some

70 days in the front line, with another 30 in nearby support trenches. A further 120 might be

spent in reserve. Only 70 days might be spent at rest. The amount of leave varied, with

perhaps two weeks being granted during the year.

Stand To and the Morning Hate

The daily routine of life in the trenches began with the morning 'stand to'. An hour before

dawn everyone was roused from slumber by the company orderly officer and sergeant and

ordered to climb up on the fire step to guard against a dawn raid by the enemy, bayonets fixed.

This policy of stand to was adopted by both sides, and despite

the knowledge that each side prepared itself for raids or attacks

timed at dawn, many were actually carried out at this time.

Accompanying stand to, as the light grew, was the daily ritual

often termed the 'morning hate'.

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Both sides would often relieve the tension of the early hours with machine gun fire, shelling

and small arms fire, directed into the mist to their front: this made doubly sure of safety at

dawn.

Rum, Rifles and the Breakfast Truce

With stand to over, in some areas rum might then be issued to the men. They would then

attend to the cleaning of their rifle equipment, which was followed by its inspection by officers.

Breakfast would next be served. In essentially every area of the line at some time or other each

side would adopt an unofficial truce while breakfast was served and eaten. This truce often

extended to the wagons which delivered such sustenance.

Truces such as these seldom lasted long; invariably a senior officer would hear of its existence

and quickly stamp it out. Nevertheless it persisted throughout the war, and was more

prevalent in quieter sectors of the line.

Inspection and Chores

With breakfast over the men would be inspected by either the company or platoon

commander. Once this had been completed NCOs would assign daily chores to each man

(except those who had been excused duty for a variety of

reasons).

Example - and necessary - daily chores included the refilling of

sandbags, the repair of the duckboards on the floor of the

trench and the draining of trenches.

Particularly following heavy rainfall, trenches could quickly

accumulate muddy water, making life ever more miserable for

its occupants as the walls of the trench rapidly became

misshapen and were prone to collapse.

Pumping equipment was available for the draining of trenches;

men would also be assigned to the repair of the trench itself.

Still others would be assigned to the preparation of latrines.

Daily Boredom

Given that each side's front line was constantly under watch by snipers and look-outs during

daylight, movement was logically restricted until night fell. Thus, once men had concluded their

assigned tasks they were free to attend to more personal matters, such as the reading and

writing of letters home.

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Meals were also prepared. Sleep was snatched wherever possible - although it was seldom that

men were allowed sufficient time to grab more than a few minutes rest before they were

detailed to another task.

Dusk: Stand To, Supply and Maintenance

With the onset of dusk the morning ritual of stand to was repeated, again to guard against a

surprise attack launched as light fell.

This over, the trenches became a hive of activity. Supply and maintenance activities could be

undertaken, although danger invariably accompanied these as the enemy would be alert for

such movement. Men would be sent to the rear lines to fetch rations and water.

Other men would be assigned sentry duty on the fire step. Generally men would be expected

to provide sentry duty for up to two hours. Any longer and there was a real risk of men falling

asleep on duty - for which the penalty was death by firing squad.

Patrolling No Man's Land

Patrols would often be sent out into No Man’s Land. Some men would be tasked with repairing

or adding barbed wire to the front line. Others however would go out to assigned listening

posts, hoping to pick up valuable information from the enemy lines.

Sometimes enemy patrols would meet in No Man's Land. They were then faced with the option

of hurrying on their separate ways or else engaging in hand to hand fighting.

They could not afford to use their handguns while patrolling in No Man's Land, for fear of the

machine gun fire it would inevitably attract, deadly to all members of the patrol.

Relieving Men at the Front

Men were relieved front-line duty at night-time too. Relieving units

would wind their weary way through numerous lines of

communications trenches, weighed down with equipment and trench

stores (such as shovels, picks, corrugated iron, duckboards, etc.). The

process of relieving a line could take several frustrating hours.

...And the Smell

Finally, no overview of trench life can avoid the aspect that instantly struck visitors to the lines:

the appalling reek given off by numerous conflicting sources.

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Rotting carcasses lay around in their thousands. For example, approximately 200,000 men

were killed on the Somme battlefields, many of which lay in shallow graves.

Overflowing latrines would similarly give off a most

offensive stench.

Men who had not been afforded the luxury of a bath in

weeks or months would offer the pervading odor of

dried sweat. The feet were generally accepted to give

off the worst odor.

Trenches would also smell of creosol or chloride of lime, used to stave off the constant threat of

disease and infection.

Add to this the smell of cordite, the lingering odor of poison gas, rotting sandbags, stagnant

mud, cigarette smoke and cooking food... yet men grew used to it, while it thoroughly

overcame first-time visitors to the front.

(Source: http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/trenchlife.htm)

Trench Warfare: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUCaqptNqKM&feature=related

Following reading this text, watching the corresponding YouTube video, and reading the

students’ social studies textbook, students will participate in a hands-on activity where they

simulate life in the trenches. The teacher creates the trenches in his or her class room by

dividing the room using desks and creating a “No Man’s Land.” The students are split into

armies and they battle using crumbled up paper, or “bombs.” After the simulation the students

write a letter home to a loved one they haven’t seen in over a year about life in the trenches.

Encourage the students to go into detail on how difficult life is, pulling information from the

textbook and/or the addition resources.

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Student Samples

The following are two student samples from my sixth grade class during the 2011-2012

school year. Both scripts were adapted from grade level leveled readers from Houghton Mifflin.

The first is an adaptation of The Vaqueros and the second is an adaptation of The Quest for

Medusa’s Head. In The Vaqueros the students made more changes to the original story to

accommodate for the members of the group, such as changing the genders of some of the

characters. In The Quest for Medusa’s Head the students stuck very closely to the original story,

only changing some of the settings to accommodate our performance space.

The handwritten examples were the first drafts of the scripts. The students and I

“shared the pen” while writing the first draft, however there were times I would need to write

more of the play to speed up the writing process. This is something I need to think about

revising to make sure the students do the majority of the writing. Before writing the script the

students had to identify the characters, setting, and plot of the story they were adapting. Once

the characters were identified the students began to brainstorm which character they wanted

to portray and proceeded to write the dialogue. Once the first drafts were complete the

students, as a group, typed up their scripts on the classroom computers. These are the

examples that follow the handwritten drafts. I did not have the students take their scripts

through the writing process as much as I would have liked. This is another aspect of playwriting

I plan on modifying.

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The following is a sample of a script written in the spring of 2011 by my sixth grade

students who participated in our school’s after-school program. The story is based on a

Mexican folktale called La Llorona. La Llorona is about a woman who drowns her children and,

in remorse, walks the banks of the river searching for them, crying out “Mis hijos.” When

adapting stories into scripts students don’t have to have a tangible piece of text. They can adapt

stories they know orally. Many cultures have a history of passing along their stories orally, so by

adapting one of those it’s a great chance for students to share their heritage as well as get that

story on paper.

This script was adapted using a similar process to the previous samples which were

adapted from leveled-reader books. The students had to determine the story structure, plot,

setting, and characters. After they determined the story elements the students began to write

the script. Because it’s a Mexican folktale the students incorporated Spanish into their script,

further representing their heritage. I felt it also helped make the story more accurate. To make

sure the non-Spanish speaking audience members could still understand the storyline the

students wrote the script where many responses in the dialogue translated the Spanish parts.

Once the script was finished, auditions were held and the students rehearsed and performed

their play.

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La Llorona

Written By: The 6th Grade Students at Sierra Vista

Scene 1 – Gardening Carmen: ¡Que deliciosas los tomates! Norelia: ¡Que ricas los cebollos! Carlos: Muy Buena comida. Norelia: We should make these vegetables into a soup para cena a noche. Carmen: Bien idea. Family dinner. Jose: Good idea. Let’s go find the kids. They can help. Carlos: ¿Donde estan los hijos? Scene 2 – Kids playing hacky sack. Chavo is talking about camping & roasting marshmallows. Rosa – Let’s go find mami and papi. Chavo – Yes. Vamanos. Scene 3 Lupita – Mami, papi, Chavo had an idea about going camping. Marisol – Si, Si. Please please. ¡Por favor! Jose – I don’t think it’s a good idea. Lupita - ¿Por que? Norelia – Have you heard of La Llorona? Marisol – No. Chavo – ¿Quien es La Llorona? Carlos – We will tell you about La Leyend Sobre La Llorona.

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Carmen – Maria was a very beautiful girl… Scene 4 – In Mexico (Maria is walking down the street. Pablo walks up to Maria.) Pablo - ¡Hola! ¿Como estas? Maria – Estoy muy bien. Pablo – Tu es muy bonita. Maria – Gracias. Pablo - ¿Estas qasada? Maria – No, I am not married. Pablo - ¿Quieres hacer mi novia? Maria – No, I don’t want to be your girlfriend. Por que no tienes pesos. (Pablo leaves) (Juan walks up to Maria) Juan – Hola. My name es Juan. ¿Como te llamas? Maria – Me llamo Maria. Juan – Maria. What a beautiful name. ¿Quieres ira comer? Maria - ¿Donde? Juan – We could go to mi casa. I have fresh mangos. Maria - ¿Mangos? ¡Estas locos! You’re so poor! And fat! Juan – Lo siento Maria. Would you like to buy some mangos? (Maria walks away) (Pedro approaches Maria)

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Pedro - ¡Hola! Maria – Hola. Pedro – When I grow up, quieres hacer mi novia? Maria – (she laughs) Only if you’re rich. (Maria walks away) Scene 5 (Manuel comes to town riding a donkey) (Maria sees Manuel) Maria - ¿Quien es ese chico bonito? (Maria begins to flirt. He ignores her so she faints.) (Manuel goes over to Maria) Manuel - ¿Estas bien? Maria – Oh si. Esta muy caliente outside. Manuel – Si, it is. Me llamo Manuel. What is your name? Maria – My name is Maria. Manuel – Could I get you something to drink? ¿Agua? Maria – Si, I would love some agua. (Manuel takes Maria to get something to drink) Scene 6 Carlos – One year later… (Manuel and Maria are out to dinner) Manuel – It’s such a beautiful night under the moon and the stars.

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Maria – Si, it is. Manuel – Maria, I have una pregunta para ti. Maria - ¿Que es tu pregunta? (Manuel gets on his knee. He puts a handkerchief down.) Manuel – Will you marry me? Maria – ¡Si! ¡Si! ¡Me voy a casar contigo! (They hug) Scene 7 Norelia – Many years go by and Manuel and Maria have two children…Natalia y Pancho. Jose – Maria has grown older and bossier. Maria – Did you feed the kids? Did you make dinner? Manuel – I thought you were going to do that. Maria - ¡Aye dios mio! I do it all the time! Manuel – I work hard everyday. All I ask is for you to take care of the children. Maria – If you don’t like it, leave! Manuel – Si, I’m leaving esta casa. Maria – No, por favor. Don’t leave! Manuel – Que mal. I’m already tired of you. (Manuel leaves) Scene 8 Carmen – Two years later Manuel goes to visit his children. Manuel - ¡Hola mis hijos! I missed you very much. ¿Como estas?

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(Maria sees Manuel and starts twirling her hair) Maria – Hola Manuel. ¿Como estas? (Manuel rolls his eyes and continues to talk to his children. Maria gets jealous) Maria – Why won’t you talk to me? (Manuel still ignores her. Maria throws a plate) Scene 9 Carlos – Maria is angry that Manuel pays more attention to the kids than her. Jose – She decides to take matters into her own hands… Maria – Vamos a rio. We’ll have a picnic by the water. Chico – Yay! Chica – Si! Scene 10 Maria – Mis hijos, go play by the river. Chico – OK mama. (Maria walks up behind her kids and whispers…) Maria – Te vas a morir. (She pushes her children in the river) Scene 11 Norelia – Maria runs home. She is very nervous. Carmen – Feeling guilty she goes back to the river that night to try and find her children. Carlos – She walks by the river crying… Maria – Mis hijos. Mis hijos.

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Jose – She begins to run, but trips on a rock and hits her head. She dies. Scene 12 Norelia – Back in the village… Uriel – Have you seen Maria? Adriana – No. ¿Donde esta? Alejandro – No se. Have you seen sus hijos? Uriel – No, esta muy rado. Adriana – Si, it is weird. Scene 13 Carlos – Maria reaches the gates of heaven but hey won’t let her in. St. Peter – Lo siento Maria. I can not let you in to heaven. Maria – Buy why? St. Peter – You murdered your own children. Maria – I’m sorry. Era un accidente. Please let me in. (She cries) St. Peter – You get una mas chansa. You must find your children. Jose – St. Peter sends Maria back to the river to find her children. Scene 14 Carmen – Maria walks along the banks of the river trying to find her children. Norelia – The villagers begin to hear a sound in the wind. Alejandro – Did you hear that found Maria’s body by the river? Adriana – Si, es muy terrible. Uriel – And they never found her children.

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(It begins to get windy) Adriana – Have you noticed una diferencia en the wind? Alejandro – Si, it sounds like someone is crying. Uriel – It sound like Maria. Adriana – It does? Uriel – Si. Listen… Maria – (whispers) Mis hijos… Jose – The villagers hear the crying every night and give Maria the name “La Llorona.” Scene 15 – Back in today’s time Carlos – That’s why you can’t go camping. Rosa – Well, can we go if you come with us? Jose – Are you bromeando? Carmen – Were you not listening to le leyend? Lupita – Just come with us. ¡Por favor! Norelia – No. Carmen – Lo siento. (Parents walk away) Chavo – Esta bien. We will just go without them. Scene 16 – Kids are out camping Rosa – It’s dark out. Chavo – Don’t worry. Rosa – I want to go to mi casa, por que estoy asustada.

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Lupita – Don’t be scared. Chavo – Come on! Don’t be una gallina. Rosa – Fine. I’ll stay. Scene 17 – In the village Carlos – ¿Donde estan los ninos? Carmen – No se. Jose – Do you think they went camping? Carlos – I think you’re right. Carmen – They are in big trouble. Norelia – A que ir a asustar a los ninos to learn a lesson? Jose - ¿Como? Norelia – Let’s scare them with La Llorona. Carlos – Si. Esta un gran idea. Norelia – You should start screaming, “¡Aye no llorona!” Jose – Y tu Norelia should say, “¡Aye mis hijos!,” to scare los ninos. Carmen – Si. Vamanos. Scene 18 – At camp Chavo – Are you still scared Rosa? Rosa – Kind of… (Parents are sneaking up behind the children) Jose - Oh, there they are. Lupita – Do you think La Llorona is real?

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Chavo – No. She can’t be. Carmen – (starts whispering while the kids talk) Mis hijos… Rosa – Sshhh… Did you hear that? Lupita – What? Chavo – What was that? Rosa – Let’s hide! (Kids run into the tent and hide in their sleeping bags) Scene 19 (All the parents start laughing) Jose – That will teach them a lesson. Carlos – Great idea Norelia. Carmen – Si Norelia. Bien hecho. Norelia – Gracias. (Back in the tent) Rosa – Wait… I know that laugh. It’s my mami y papis. Lupita – It is! Chavo – Let’s get back at them. (The kids come out and see the parents laughing. They sneak up behind the parents and scare them) (Everyone laughs and begins to roast marshmallows) Chavo – You should have seen your faces. Carlos – Tu tambien.

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Carmen – Los siento we had to scare you. Lupita – It’s ok mami. Rosa – Si papi. At least it was a joke. Chavo – Papi, is La llorona really real? Jose – Well mi hijo… (It begins to get windy and everyone begins to listen. They all hear something) Norelia – Do you hear that? Carmen – ¿Escuchar lo que? La Llorona – Mis hijos… Mis hijos… Carlos – I think it’s time to go home. Jose - ¡Si! ¡Vamanos! Rosa – No puede ser La Llorona. Chavo – No esta verdad… (Everyone runs away leaving behind their camping gear) (La Llorona walks on stage) La Llorona – Si, es verdad. Black out

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