Stories in the Stars 1.15 thin

Brian GuehringOmaha Theatre Company at the Rose2001 Farnam St., Omaha, NE 68102

(402) 502-4636 [email protected]

Stories in the Starsa play with music for a very large cast

written by Brian Guehringa collection of Big Dipper star constellation myths from around the world

Draft # 1.07 first draft

At an overnight summer camp, three young campers try to hide so they don’t have to go back home. The kind camp counselors then calm down the campers by telling them stories. They ex-plain the campers how different cultures saw different shapes in the skies. As they tell he Al-gonquin myth of the band of birds (a Chickadee, a Robin, a Jays and two Owls) and their fool hardy hunt of a mother bear, the story comes to life on stage. The counselors next tell the, the Chinese story of K’uei, a shy, intelligent student with a deformed face. When a huge honor at the Emperor’s Palace turns into a moment of great shame, K’uei is taken by a Sea Monster to the Jade Palace in the sky. Finally the counselors tell the Nordic myth of Thor, the God of Thunder, and his visit to the land of Giants where he tries to prove strength is better than smarts. The evening ends with the campers making up their own story about what they see in the stars.

Stories in the Stars was originally developed at the University of Texas as a 20 minute performance piece for young audiences. The play was expanded and produced in the summer of 2012 by the Papillion-La Vista Arts Network summer arts camp pro-duction with music for a cast of 45 students in first through 8th grades. The original production ran approximately 75 minutes. The original production team were:

PRODUCTION TEAM Director: Brian Guehring Producer: Dr. Debbie Kippley Music Director: Jackie Fowler Set Designer: Trish Place Choreographers: Sue Booton Assistant Director: Anna Kippley

Copyright 1997, 2012Brian Guehring

Stories in the Stars 1.15! 1

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.brianguehring.com

http://www.brianguehring.com

Stories in the Starsa play with music for a very large cast

written by Brian Guehringa collection of star constellation myths from around the world

Camp Daziyumbi! COUNSELOR KATI a head counselor and very wise in the ways of six year olds COUNSELOR AMY a very creative, storytelling counselor COUNSELOR LYNNE a very smart, kind storytelling counselor COUNSELOR ASHLEY one of the head counselors COUNSELOR MARI another head counselor DECKER a young camper who wants to stay at camp BETH a shy young camper who wants to stay at camp ARIANA a bold young camper who wants to stay at camp foreverBig Dipper Constellation, Story #1 Alganquin Story: The Bear Hunters DEE a tiny, ravenous chickadee ROB a Patton-like general, a robin MOOSE a lazy trickster, a grey jay SIR BIRD a stuffy English gamesman; a pigeon JAY a loud obnoxious blue jay AL a logical great horned owl SWEETIE Al’s demanding wife, a saw-whet owl URSA a mother bearBig Dipper Constellation, Story #2 Chinese Story: Kuei and the Jade Emperor’s Throne! K’UEI a shy, smart student with a deformed face MEI K’uei’s sister MOTHER their mother who likes to use proverbs MR RED COAT a God who protects students MR GOLD ARMOUR a God who rewards exemplary students EMPEROR a selfish emperor of China ASO A sea monster JADE EMPEROR a God who lives in the Jade Palace EXAMINER school teacher CONSUL The Emperor’s advisor LADIES of the COURT Two rude Ladies in the emperoror’s court SCHOOL CHILDREN 1-5 students taking the test DANCERS The Palace DancersBig Dipper Constellation Story #3 Nordic Story Thor and the Land of the Giants THOR big, red haired God of Thunder SIF his beautiful wife Goddess of Corn MAGNI and THRUD their strong son and daughter LOKI his trickster step-brother MODI and JARSAXA Loki’s intelligent son and daughter UTGARD the giant chief LOGI a hungry giant with a big appetite HUGI a thoughtful, very fast giant ELLIE an old nurse maid giant


Settingsthe campfire gathering at a summer camp

the woods of Northern Canadaa Chinese peasant house, school room, Emperor’s Palace, and Jade Palace

Timeat the end of a summer camp

Music Numbers

Camp Daziyumbi Talent Show! SONG: Dance # for Talent Show SONG: Glee Club # for Talent ShowBig Dipper ConstellationStory #1Alganquin Story The Bear Hunters! Song: BIRDS It’s so Cold (maybe Baby It’s Cold Outside, or It’s a Hard Knock Life) SONG: BIRDS: Hunting Song (A hunting we will go?)Big Dipper Constellation Story #2: Chinese Story of Kuei and the Jade Palace SONG: DREAM BIG by the SCHOOL CHILDREN SONG: Traditional Chinese Dance at the Palace during the Festival of the Golden Rose SONG: CELEBRATION SONG at the JADE PALACE in the sky (ALL CAST)Big Dipper Constellation Story #3 The Nordic Story of Thor in the Land of the Giants SONG: Song at Carnival (off-stage) SONG: We are the Greatest: Thor, Thrud and Magni SONG: We are the Champions: Utgard, Logi, Hugi, Elli (with Logi, Jarsaxa and Modi)Camp Daziyumbi Smores ! SONG: Based on the original story SONG: Ending Camp Song ALL

Copyright 2012 Brian Guehring


Act 1: Camp Daziyumbi End of Summer Talent Show

(Lights come up around a campfire with the night sky filled with bright stars. There are two canoes on the side. The stage is filled with excited summer campers and counselors. SONG #1: Dance group The Dance group at Camp performs at the end of summer talent show

COUNSELOR ASHLEYLet’s give a big hand to our Dancing Stars!

COUNSELOR KATIThey certainly have worked hard this summer.

COUNSELOR MARIWhat a wonderful performance for our talent show!

COUNSELOR ASHLEYLet’s give the dancers one more round of applause!

(CAMPERS applaud. DANCERS exit. COUN-SELOR LYNNE and COUNSELOR AMY approach the head counselors)

COUNSELOR LYNNEHave you seen Decker, Ariana, or Beth?

COUNSELOR ASHLEYWho?

COUNSELOR AMYDecker, Ariana, and Beth. From the Shoshone Cabin. They aren’t here for the talent show.

COUNSELOR MARIThe first graders? Are they back in their cabin?

COUNSELOR ASHLEYOr the food cabin?

COUNSELOR LYNNEI’ll check the Shoshone Cabin.

COUNSELOR AMYI’ll check the Food Cabin.

(COUNSELOR LYNNE and COUNSELOR AMY exit)

COUNSELOR KATIAnd now for the grand finale of the talent show! Our amazing glee club!

(GLEE club performs)COUNSELOR ASHLEY

Let’s give a big hand to our Singing Stars!COUNSELOR MARI

What a delightful performance to end our talent show!COUNSELOR ASHLEY

Let’s give the singers one more round of applause!COUNSELOR KATI

Campers, I know this is an exciting night: the last night of Camp Daziymbi. COUNSELOR MARI

Tomorrow we go back home, after an exciting summer here at camp.COUNSELOR ASHLEY

But before we go, we are going to have the biggest party of the summer!


(CAMPERS all cheer)COUNSELOR KATI

If everyone goes back to the food cabin, there is a huge sundae bar waiting for you!COUNSELOR MARI

There is also the summer games carnival!COUNSELOR ASHLEY

And in two hours we will be right here to make the best smore’s ever!(CAMPERS all cheer and exit. COUNSELOR LYNNE and COUNSELOR AMY approach the head counselors)

COUNSELOR LYNNEDecker, Ariana, or Beth weren’t at their cabin.

COUNSELOR AMYOr at the food cabin.

COUNSELOR KATII think I know where they might be. Ashley and Mari, you go on to the food cabin and make sure the carnival is going well. Can you handle that without me?

COUNSELOR ASHLEYSure.

COUNSELOR MARIGood luck.

(COUNSELOR MARI and COUNSELOR ASHLEY exit following the campers. COUNSELOR KATI waits until it is quiet and goes to the canoes. SHE pulls off the tarp. Small hands pull the tarp back over the canoe. COUNSELOR KATI pulls the tarp off again)

COUNSELOR KATII thought I might find you here. Watcha doing?

DECKERIt’s a secret.

COUNSELOR KATIOh. (pause)

ARIANADon’t tell anyone, but we’re hidin.

COUNSELOR KATIWhy are you hidin?

BETHCus we’re not going home tomorrow. We’re staying here with you.

COUNSELOR AMYThat would be nice, but won’t your Moms and Dads be pretty upset?

DECKERMaybe, but if we go home, we’ll be upset.

COUNSELOR LYNNEWhy?

DECKERWe’ll be bored.

ARIANAIt’s so much more fun here.

BETHNobody tells better stories than you.

COUNSELOR LYNNEDon’t your Moms and Dads tell you stories?


DECKERSometimes, but they’re boring.

COUNSELOR KATIThen it seems we have a problem.

ARIANAYep.

COUNSELOR KATIIt seems we need to get you a better storyteller at your home.

BETHAre you going to move in with us?

DECKERI want Counselor Amy!

ARIANAI want Counselor Lynne!

BETHI want Counselor Kati!

COUNSELOR LYNNEThat’s a nice thought, but then our families would be upset and we’d have another problem.

DECKEROh.

COUNSELOR KATIDo you have stars at your house?

ARIANAHow does that help our problem?

COUNSELOR LYNNEJust answer the question. Do you have stars in your sky?

DECKERYeah, but not as many as you do.

BETHYou have like a zillion stars here.

COUNSELOR AMYYes, stars do tend to gather here. It must be because we like listening.

COUNSELOR LYNNEThey certainly like talking.

ARIANATalking stars?

COUNSELOR AMYYep.

DECKERWhat do they say?

COUNSELOR KATIThey tell stories.

BETHAbout what?

COUNSELOR LYNNEStories about everything. There are as many stories up there as there are stars.

DECKERDid you make this up?

COUNSELOR AMYNow, would I make up something like that?

ARIANAYeah.


COUNSELOR AMYOK, I would, but I didn’t make this one up.

COUNSELOR LYNNEPeople have been listening to the stories in the stars for thousands of years.

BETHWow. Tell us one. Please, please!

COUNSELOR KATIYou want to hear a story rather than going to the carnival?

DECKERYES! Now tell us a story!

COUNSELOR AMYWe don’t tell the stories. The stars do.

BETHOh. (ARIANA, BETH, and DECKER strains to hear the stars)

ARIANAHow come I don’t hear anything then?

COUNSELOR KATIBecause they’re all talking at once. You have to learn to chose which one you want to hear.

BETHHow?

COUNSELOR LYNNEWell let’s look through the table of contents. What pictures do you see up there?

DECKERI just see a bunch of stars.

COUNSELOR AMYLook closer.

BETHI see the Big Dipper.

COUNSELOR KATIThat’s a good place to start. Where is it?

BETHRight there in the middle.

(BETH points to the middle of the sky at the big dipper)

COUNSELOR AMYI see it now. And I see a great big animal in the same spot.

DECKERWhere?

COUNSELOR AMYIt’s swallowed up the Big Dipper.

ARIANAI don’t see it.

COUNSELOR KATIIt’s the stars of the Big Dipper plus the six stars below it and the three to the right. Do you see them?

BETHYeah, but how is that an animal?

COUNSELOR LYNNEThe three stars to the right is the head. The ladle of the big dipper is like a saddle on its back and the six stars below it make the legs and paws.

(As COUNSELOR LYNNE explains the constella-tion, the lines connecting the stars and a shadow of


URSA appears. Maybe the background can be backlit like a shadow puppet screen. Possibly the the new constellation with lines comes up in front of the star background)

ARIANAIt’s a bear.

COUNSELOR KATIAre you sure?

ARIANAIt’s a big old mean bear.

COUNSELOR LYNNEMaybe we should listen to its story.

BETHYes please.


Act 1: The Big Dipper Constellation Story #1 The Algonqin Story of the Bear Hunters

COUNSELOR LYNNEWell, this is the story first heard by the the Algonquins.

BETHAlgonquin?

COUNSELOR KATIA Native American tribe that lived in North East Canada.

COUNSELOR LYNNEThis story also includes the handle of the big dipper which are hunters chasing this bear.

(As COUNSELOR LYNNE introduces the hunters, the hunter birds are added in shadow to create an image of the constellation or in a tableaux on stage)

The first hunter is the Robin, because that star has a reddish color. The second hunter is the Chickadee because it is so small. The star next to the Chickadee is the pot she carries to cook the meat in. The third hunter is the Moose Bird. He is a very lazy bird, so his star is father back.

DECKERWhat is a moose bird?

COUNSELOR LYNNEIt is a grey jay.

ARIANAJays don’t look like moose.

COUNSELOR LYNNEBut this grey jay will eat the dead carcasses of other animals. Like moose.

ARIANAOh.

COUNSELOR LYNNEThe next hunter is a dull grey Pigeon, then a bright Bluejay.

DECKERCus those stars are grey and blue!

COUNSELOR AMYExactly.

COUNSELOR LYNNEThe large star is an owl and the seventh reddish star is a Saw-Whet Owl.

DECKERWhy are birds hunting a bear?

COUNSELOR KATIWell, let’s listen to the story the stars tell.

(Bright lights come up on the stage. DEE entes with an empty pot. DEE pecks the ground and bends her beak. BIRDS all enter in and start talk-ing to DEE)

ARIANAWait! I can’t hear anything. (BIRDS freeze)

ARIANAI see the birds and the bear, but I can’t hear anything.

COUNSELOR KATIHearing the stories in the stars takes a lot of practice.


COUNSELOR LYNNEMaybe I could help you hear this time.

DECKERYes. And start from the beginning.

BETHPlease.

COUNSELOR AMYStars are always willing to start their stories again.

(BIRDS speed reverse their actions. DEE enters carrying a pot almost bigger than she is.)

COUNSELOR LYNNEOne time, a long, long time ago, there was a very harsh winter. Most of the animals went south for the winter, but those that stayed had nearly starved to death.

(DEE spots a hole in the ground, places down pot, and slowly stalks the hole. Then DEE frantically pecks at the ground in desperate attempt to get the worm. The solid ground just bends her beak.)

DEESolid. Frozen Solid. The snow melted but the ground is still ice. I am so hungry. I’d do any-thing for food. Just one little worm and I’d be happy. I’d even settle for a single berry or a blade of grass. Anything to fill my pot. Is there anything living to eat around here? Maybe my friends are having better luck.

(ROB, MOOSE, PIDGE, JAY, AL, and SWEETIE. ROB marches, MOOSE slumps behind. PIDGE walks in with her nose in the air. AL and SWEETIE keep turning their heads)

DEEAny luck?

ROBTroops, report back your findings.

MOOSEI like looked for like two whole minutes. Couldn’t find anything.

PIDGEDo you know how hard it is to clean frozen mud?

DEEDid you find any food, though?

PIDGESorry, I got distracted.

SWEETIEI told you Al, we should have gone south. Relaxed on the beach. Enjoyed the sun.

ALWoo! Woo knew? I thought if all the other birds went south, it would leave all the food for us.

JAYGuess we’ll end up being birdcicles!

ROBDee, it seems our reconaisance mission for nourishment was negatory.

SONG #2: It’s so Cold. (Maybe a variation of Baby it’s Cold Outside, or It’s a Hard Knock Life)

ROBTroops, let’s return to our baracks. We’ll reconvene at 0500 to continue this mission.

( AL, SWEETIE, PIDGE, JAY and MOOSE exit)DEE

I’m STARVING! I’m too hungry to sleep. (DEE sees the sleeping BEAR)


DEEMaybe Ms. Bear has some extra food.

ROBI would strongly recommend against that battle plan, soldier.

(ROB exits, DEE shrugs. DEE picks up pot and walks over to URSA)

DEEMs. Bear do you have any food? (URSA doesn’t move)Ms. Bear?

(DEE gently shakes URSA. URSA does not wake up)

Ms. Bear? (DEE really shakes URSA. URSA doesn’t wake up)MS BEAR!!!!

(DEE shouts in her ear. URSA wakes up, disori-ented and scared)URSA

What? What? What?DEE

Ms. Bear, can you not sleep either? Hmmm.... I was wondering if you had any food? (URSA growls and starts to go back to sleep)C’mon, just a tiny scrap. I don’t eat much. (URSA growls angrily and goes to sleep)Hey, I was talking to you, Ms. Bear!

(DEE pokes URSA with a stick. URSA growls and swings at DEE who is sent flying)

Humph! Some animals seem to be self-centered, greedy, and rude. She has no idea what real hunger is. She has so much fat on her, she could live for years without eating. Look at all the meat she has on her. (DEE looks at URSA)Yeah, look at all the meat on her bones. (DEE moves toward URSA)Nah, I couldn’t. Could I?

(DEE walks up behind URSA and measures their respective sizes)

Nope. I should think of something else. And not even thing about Bear Barbeque. Or Bear Ba-con. Let alone Bear Brisquit or Bear Kabobs.

(DEE pucks up pot and pokes URSA. URSA looks up)

Ms. Bear, please get in my cooking pot! (URSA ignores DEE)Ms. Bear, I am serious. I need food. Get in now! (URSA growls)I didn’t want to have to do this, but you offered me no choice.

(DEE walks over to URSA and tries to push her into the pot. DEE pulls, and strains and grunts and tugs, and uses every last bit of energy, but DEE doesn’t move URSA one inch. Finally URSA flicks DEE away. URSA begins to walk away. DEE rushes and plows into her and bounces right off. URSA moves away and back to sleep)

DEEIf I catch that bear, I’ll have enough food for the rest of my life.


COUNSELOR LYNNENow that little Chickadee called all of her friends to help her hunt that big ole bear.

(DEE exits as lights come up on BIRDS in their nests. ROB is marching, guarding against the en-emy. MOOSE is dreaming. PIDGE is fastidiously cleaning his nest. JAY is searching for food. AL is asleep with SWEETIE)

MOOSE (dreaming)Uh...ooooh....food at last. Yes. Come here. Just a little closer. (MOOSE moves AL’s leg closer to his mouth)Yes, I’ve almost got ya. Now! (MOOSE pounces on AL’s foot)Yes! Banquet. Food. Sustenance. (MOOSE bites on AL’s foot. AL screams)

SWEETIEWhat is going on? This is disturbing my beauty sleep! (AL beats away MOOSE)

ROBIs there a surprise attack?

ALNo, Moose just bit my leg.

MOOSEOh. No wonder it smelled so bad. (MOOSE takes a small nibble off AL’s foot again)

ALStop it!

(DEE enters. ROB turns on her with a bow and arrow)

ROBHalt! Who goes there!

DEEIt’s just me, Rob. Dee. Your neighbor. Your friend.

ROBPassWORD!

DEEBirds are the best?

ROBNo.

DEEYou are the best?

ROBNegatory, soldier.

DEEI have the answer to our food shortage?

ROBClose enough. AT-TEN-HUT! All soldiers report on deck! Company formation!

PIDGEDrat, right in the middle of my cleaning up.

MOOSEI’ll be right there. (MOOSE tries to go back to sleep)

SWEETIEAl! Al! Wake up!


ALWoo! Woo!

SWEETIEThat demanding little bird is yelling at us again, and in the middle of the day! I can’t have my beauty sleep disturbed again! Make him be quiet!

ALYes, dear. Anything you say. (AL goes to ROB as SWEETIE goes to sleep)

ALExcuse me, Rob, but my little delicate flower asks...

ROBHold your question, private.

ALAll right.

ROBSoldiers, listen up! We have a returning reconnaissance report regarding the receding rations. Lieutenant.

DEEI can get us enough food to last the rest of our lives.

MOOSE (waking up)Food? Food for the rest of our lives?

JAYYeah, yeah, yeah. I’ll believe it when I see it. Do you have this abundance of food with ya?

DEENot yet.

JAYSee I told ya.

DEEI can’t get it all myself. I need your help.

MOOSEWhat type of help?

DEEWe need to hunt the big old bear. (ALL react noisily)

SWEETIEWould you guys shut up! It’s the middle of the day. How would you like it if I carried on like this in the middle of the night? Al, can you do nothing right? All I ask is for you to shut them up. Is that too difficult? It shouldn’t be.....What’s going on here?

ALDear, they’re planning a group bear hunt. SONG #3: The Hunting Song

ROBAll right, soldiers, we have heard the call to arms. Are we willing to answer it, or are we a bunch of yellow bellied ostriches?

ALActually none of us are ostriches, but my sweet fragile angel would prefer...

JAYHey! Nobody calls me a coward! I’m not scared of any mammal!

PIDGEOh, a hunt! Like a game. How marvellous?

MOOSEYeah!...but how much work will it be?

ROBThe enemy isn’t nearly as fleet of foot as our forces.


DEEIt’ll be easy.

MOOSEI guess I’m in.

ALExcuse me, I don’t want...

JAY (imitating AL’s voice)...to be left out! (AL looks around)

JAY (in his own voice)Then its unanimous.

ALI guess so.

SWEETIEThis is still the most ridiculous thing I ever heard. Beards don’t eat bears!

MOOSEI have.

SWEETIEYou have no sense of taste. You’ll eat off any dead carcass. Fine. I stand corrected, birds don’t kill bears.

ROBThat’s why we will have to create a sophisticated, organized military battle plan.

SWEETIEWhatever! It’s a ridiculous idea for birds to hunt a bear.

DEENo it isn’t. Look, we’re always looking for food, wondering if we’ll survive the winter. If we catch this bear, we’ll be set for life.

SWEETIEFor life? Wait a minute, if we kill this bear, you won’t be leaving me all the time to go hunting?

ALI suppose not.

SWEETIEFine. We’ll go kill this bear. And let’s make it quick, Al, I need a pedicure soon.

DEEWhat’s the plan?

SWEETIEAl is the smartest one here, we’ll do his plan.

ALOh, well..I suppose we should try logic. Maybe we can have a calm discussion with the bear and reach an adequate compromise that will please both parties.

PIDGEThat seems quite civilized. Good luck, ol’ chap.

MOOSEWe’re 100% behind you. (AL approaches URSA)

ALExcuse me, Ms. Bear. Yes, down here. The seven of us were wondering if you would let us eat you. You see, we’re very famished, so we were hoping you would give up your life for us. (URSA growls)But there are seven of us and only one of you. So your death, while inconvenient for you would be beneficial for us. Therefore it is only logical that you should die for us. (URSA roars)


SWEETIEWell we tried. Al and I are now going back to our nest, where we will sleep all day and Al will hunt mice for me at night. We are not wasting any more time on this impossible dream. Let’s go Al. (AL and SWEETIE leave)

COUNSELOR LYNNEAnd in our night sky, the sixth and seventh stars are no longer visible at the end of the spring.

DECKERBecause the owls stopped the chase.

COUNSELOR LYNNEExactly.

DEEThat’s ok. We didn’t need their help anyway.

MOOSEMore for us.

ROBNow that we have gathered the troops, we should scout out the enemy’s position. Then we must prepare an elaborate plan of attack to maximize our strengths.

JAYOur strength is we can fly and the bear can’t. I say we circle the bear, swoop down to poke out its eyes, and then finish her off.

ALNo, we should not rush into battle without thinking.

JAYDon’t think, just do it! There are five of us, only one bear! Just follow my lead and we’ll be fine.

DEEI’m hungry! I’m with Jay.

PIDGEWell, that does not seem very sporting...

JAY (imitating PIDGE’s voice)..but I will join you anyway. (PIDGE looks around)

JAY (in his own voice)Show no fear and the fight will be ours!

ROBSoldiers, as a veteran of many wars...

JAY (imitating ROB’s voice)..I say follow Jay. (ROB looks around)

JAY (in his own voice)You heard the Robin. Follow me!

ROBI didn’t say anything, though.

MOOSEC’mon birds! Let’s go get us some bear! Yeah! Let’s go! Go! GO! GO! KILL THAT BEAR!

(MOOSE rallies the birds as they take off flying quickly)

I’m right behind you. Yep, right behind you. (MOOSE slowly yawns and walks slowly behind them. They approach URSA)

JAYC’mon, you old dumb bear!

(URSA ignores. The BIRDS start surrounding the bear)


JAY (cont’d)You’re just scared of us. I could fight you with one wing tied behind my back. Yeah, I float like a hummingbird and sting like a bee. Let’s go birds.

(JAY dives into the bear who stands on all fours. ROB studies the bear. DEE continually dives into its stomach. PIDGE does nothing. URSA growls and snaps at JAY)

JAYAAAAAAHHHHHH! Retreat! Retreat!

(JAY runs for cover and AL and PIDGE retreat. URSA flicks away DEE. MOOSE walks up)MOOSE

Oooh! It’s not looking good. That bear is still alivePIDGE

That didn’t work.JAY

My plan was going well, until Rob called the retreat.ROB

I didn’t call any retreat.MOOSE

I stopped fighting when I heard Rob call the retreat.JAY (in ROB’s voice)

Retreat! (ROB looks around)

JAYIf you say, so. General. Retreat! (JAY flies off)

MOOSEI don’t think he’s coming back.

PIDGEIt’s no loss if you ask me.

DEEPidge, what were you doing during the attack?

PIDGELook I agreed to go along, but I don’t fight. I’m not getting dirty just for some food.

DEEYou can’t fight without getting dirty.

PIDGEOh, why didn’t anyone tell me. (PIDGE leaves)

COUNSELOR LYNNEAnd in our night sky, the fourth and fifth stars are no longer visible at the end of the summer.

ARIANABecause the Blue Jay and the Pidgeon stopped the chase.

COUNSELOR LYNNEExactly.

DEEThat’s OK, we didn’t need their help anyway.

MOOSEMore food for us.

ROBThis operation doesn’t need any doubters!

DEEYeah, we didn’t need Mr. Know-It-All at all or Mr. Persnickity.


MOOSEOr the smartest bird we have.

ROBSoldiers, this is what happens without a well thought out plan. We must prepare for the next at-tack.

DEEHow are we going to stop her?

ROBArms.

DEEArms? We don’t have arms. We have wings?

ROBWeapons! Hand grenades, bombs, tanks, assault rifles.

DEEWe don’t have any of those.

ROBThose darn budget cuts.

MOOSEWhat weapons do we have?

ROBOld technology. Last year’s model: the simple: bow and arrow! (ROB pulls out a bow and arrow)

DEEThat’s is great! It’ll still kill her.

MOOSEAnd she can’t stop it.

ROBYeah, but it is no fun.

DEELet’s go! I’m still starving!

(ROB and DEE run and get into position. MOOSE slowly trails. ROB shoots an arrow that breezes by URSA. URSA slowly backs away from the birds. ROB shoots another arrow that lands by her front paw. URSA runs off at top speed)

ROBThe chase is on.

MOOSEThat is too much work. (MOOSE exits)

COUNSELOR LYNNENow the bear, being much bigger than the birds had no problem outrunning them.But the Chickadee and the Robin refused to give up. They continually hunted her day and night, day after day , week after week. The bear could safely stay away from their arrows, but the birds were constantly on her tail. Everytime she thought she was far enough ahead and she could rest, the birds would catch up. (URSA lies down for a nap)This lasted until the first day of autum, when the birds hit their target (ROB and DEE enter. ROB hits URSA with an arrow)

ROBAh, ha! Victory!

COUNSELOR LYNNEAnd the wound began to bleed.


(Long red fabric comes from the bear’s leg. URSA stops to pull out the arrow.)

ROBCharge!

(ROB rushes forward and slips on the pool of blood landing on his chest. URSA escapes)

ROBAaarrrgghhh! (ROB tries to shake off blood)

COUNSELOR LYNNEBut try as he might, the Robin could not shake off the blood from his breast and in fact wears the color there to this day.

DECKERWhat happened to the bear? Did she die? (URSA limps along and tries to shake out arrow)

COUNSELOR LYNNENo, but she couldn’t get out the arrow. She tried and tried to shake it out, but to no avail. She didn’t shake it out until several months later. And by that time, the blood she dropped to the earth had turned all the leaves on the trees red and orange. The chase of course wore her out, so she immediately entered into winter hibernation again.

ARIANAWhat happened to the hunter birds?

COUNSELOR LYNNEThey had to survive on berries and insects, but they survived. Of course the owls were much less hungry than the others, since they didn’t waste their time on the chase. But the hunter birds didn’t learn their lesson.

COUNSELOR KATIEvery year, you can see the red robin, the chickadee with its cooking pot, and the moose bird trying to hunt the poor old bear.

(The focus is back on the URSA major constella-tion)

DECKERWow.

COUNSELOR AMYAnd every year, that bear in the stars tells her story and the Algonguins were the first to hear the story hundreds of years ago.


Act 1: The Big Dipper Constellation Story #2 The Chinese Story of K’uei and the Jade Emperor

BETHI still don’t see a bear. I see the stars that are supposed to be birds. But how did they see a bear in those stars.

COUNSELOR KATIThey had to use their imaginations, huh?

COUNSELOR AMYWhat do you think those stars could be?

BETHI don’t know. Maybe a chair.

COUNSELOR LYNNELike a throne?

BETHYes.

COUNSELOR KATIWell the Chinese also saw a throne in those stars. The Emperor’s Throne

DECKERWait, a minute. I thought it was a bear.

COUNSELOR AMYIt is a bear. It is also a Throne.

(As COUNSELOR AMY explains the constella-tion, the lines connecting the stars and a shadow of the THRONE appears. Maybe the background can be backlit like a shadow puppet screen. )

COUNSELOR LYNNEEach group of stars has many different stories.

BETHI see the throne.

ARIANAWho is the Emperor?

COUNSELOR KATIWen-chang, the God of Literature. And the handle of the big dipper are the audience for the Emperor: K-uei, a smart student, Mr. Red Coat: the minister who looks after the Welfare of Students. Mr. Gold Armour, a minister who searches for talent among young people, and Ao, a Sea Monster.

(As COUNSELOR KATI explains the constella-tion, a shadow of the characters appear. Maybe the background can be backlit like a shadow pup-pet screen. )BETH

Why is K’uei at the Emperor’s Palace?COUNSELOR LYNNE

Maybe we should listen to its story.ARIANA

Yes please.COUNSELOR LYNNE

Well, this is the story first heard in the third millenium B. C. COUNSELOR KATI

K’uei was a shy and quiet student, who was also gifted and talented. (K’UEI comes on stage with MOTHER and MEI)

K’UEIMother, I am very nervous about the literary examinations at school today.


MOTHERK’uei, have you read all of the books you were supposed to?

K’UEIYes, mother.

MOTHERHave you studied as hard as you could?

K’UEILast night I was so tired I fell asleep before I finished reviewing.

MOTHERA single day of sub-zero temperature is not enough to create three feet of ice.

K’UEIWhat do you mean?

MEIK’uei has been studying all evening for weeks. Falling asleep one night won’t make you forget what you learned.

MOTHERExactly. You will be fine.

K’UEIBut I am so nervous.

MOTHERYou have nothing to be nervous about.

MEIBut if you are nervous, you can pray to Chu-i, Mr. Red Coat, the God who takes care of students.

MOTHERMei.....

MEII was told by Song if you ask for Mr. Red Coat’s help, then he can change a paper right before the examiner’s eyes from a failing score to a passing score.

MOTHERRemember Mei, a Teacher opens the door, but you enter by yourself.

MEIYes, Mother.

MOTHER K’uei, unlike your sister, you don’t need help from Mr. Red Coat. You will be find on your own.

K’UEIIf you say so, Mother.

MEIMaybe you will get the highest score in all of China and you get to go to the Jade Palace and have the Emperor present you a Golden Rose!

K’UEII will never go to the Emperor’s Palace. I am but a poor peasant. I just hope to pass the exam.

MOTHERK’uei, remember Jade must be chiseled before it can be considered a gem.

K’UEIYes, Mother.

MOTHERIt is time for you to hurry to school, or you will be late.

(A school bell rings. EXAMINER, SCHOOL CHIL-DREN, K’UEI and MEI take their seats)

SCHOOL CHILD #1I am going to win the Golden Rose.

SCHOOL CHILD #2I am! I can’t wait to see the Emperor’s Palace.


SCHOOL CHILD #3I hear it is completely made of gold.

SCHOOL CHILD #4The walls, the floor, the ceiling, everything.

SCHOOL CHILD #5I just hope Mr. Red Coat hears my prayer.

EXAMINERClass, settle down. It is time for the exam. Everyone get out their ink and paper.

(SCHOOL CHILDREN begin test as EXAMINER walks around. MR RED COAT and MR GOLD ARMOUR enter. )

MR. GOLD ARMOURAh, Chu-i, Mr. Red Coat. It is good to see you again.

MR. RED COATAnd you Chin-chia, Mr. Gold Armour. Do you think you will be using your golden flag today?

MR. GOLD ARMOURI may. I have my eye on a student who could win literary honors and who can serve the gov-ernment.

MR. RED COATGood for you. Meanwhile, I am expecting to be asked to help several of these students.

EXAMINERWhen you finish with your exam, please place it on my desk.

SCHOOL CHILD #1What do we do when we finish?

EXAMINERYou can go to the fields to play, while I grade your papers.

SCHOOL CHILD #2Yes!

(SEVERAL STUDENTS turn in their paper so they can go out and play. MR GOLD ARMOUR walks around to see the students still working)

SCHOOL CHILD #3Please, Mr. Red Coat. I am not feeling well today, and I need help on this test.

(MR RED COAT nods to this student. EXAMINER starts making a lot of X’s on this test. The Students in the field make a lot of noise and EXAMINER turns head)

EXAMINERStudents, please keep it down on the field. Some of your fellow students are still taking the test.

(MR RED COAT takes away the bad test and re-places it with a new test. EXAMINER is surprised when the test is gone. EXAMINER looks around for the lost test, then shrugs and gives a passing grade. The rest of the students turn in their tests and exit. K’UEI is last)

EXAMINERHow did you do, K’uei?

K’UEII think I passed.

EXAMINERModest as always. I expect top things from you.

MR GOLDEN ARMORAs do I.


(SCHOOL CHILDREN, K’UEI and MEI are all on the playground)

SCHOOL CHILD #4Can you imagine if you won?

SCHOOL CHILD #5The chance to meet the Emperor?

MEITo receive the Golden Rose.

(SONG: School Children sing a song of hope and dreams. At end of Song, Bell rings.)

EXAMINERSchool children, it is time to go home.

(SCHOOL CHILDREN all exit. MR GOLD ARMR waves a golden flag outside of K’UEI’s house. MOTHER stops cleaning when she sees the flash of gold. K’UEI and MEI come home)

MOTHERK’uei and Mei, how did the examination go?

MEIK’uei was the last one to turn in the test. As always.

MOTHERIf one does not plow, there will be no harvest. (EXAMINER comes to the house)

K’UEIWhy is the examiner coming to the house?

MEII failed the test.

K’UEII failed the test.

MOTHERIf you are in a hurry, you will never get there.

MEIWhat?

MOTHERLet’s wait until the Examiner comes, before we worry about bad news. (EXAMINER enters home)

K’UEIWelcome to our home, Examiner.

EXAMINERThank you, K’uei. I have come with good news. You passed your literary examination with fly-ing colors. I will have the honor of presenting you to the Emperor.

MEIThe Emperor of China?

EXAMINERYes. At the Emperor’s Palace, you will receive the coveted reward of the Golden Rose.

MOTHERIf a person has ambition, things will be accomplished.

MEICan I go too?

EXAMINERYes, the whole family is invited to see the honor K’uei has brought you.

MOTHERI have dreamed of this for many years.


MEIYou want to go to the Palace, too Mother?

MOTHEREven the old horse in the stable still yearns to run 1000 miles

EXAMINERCongratulations, K’uei.

K’UEI (downcast)Thank you, Examiner. This is indeed a great honor.

MOTHERWhat is wrong, K’uei?

K’UEII don’t want to go.

MEIWhy not?

K’UEII like it better here in our village.

MEIAre you crazy? There is nothing in this village.

MOTHERWhat are you afraid of, K’uei?

K’UEIWhat will the Emperor say when he sees my face? My deformed face.

EXAMINERHe will say nothing. He will give you the Golden Rose and honor you as the smartest student in the land.

MOTHERIt matters not what you look like, but what is in your heart.

K’UEII don’t want to go. Everyone will laugh at me.

MOTHERFortune does not come twice.

MEIWe’ll be right with you.

EXAMINERThis is a wonderful honor.

K’UEII will go then.

(MEI and MOTHER and EXAMINER cheer. ALL exit. Lights up on another part of the stage where the Chinese EMPEROR sits on an elaborate throne.)

CONSULLet the ceremony of the Golden Rose begin.

(The Palace Dancers perform for the Emperor and his guests a traditional Chinese Dance. Crowd Cheers)

EMPERORMost honored guests, welcome to my great palace. We have come today to honor a student whose scores on the literary examination were higher than any other student in China. (ALL applaud)

CONSULStep forward, K’uei.

(K’UEI steps forward with head bowed and kneels in front of the throne)


EMPERORYoung K’uei, we can expect great things from you. I now present you with the Golden Rose.

(K’UEI looks up, and the EMPEROR gasps in horror. The EMPEROR drops the golden rose which shatters)

EMPERORYour face is hideous.

LADY of COURT #1What an ugly face!

LADY of COURT #2It is so deformed!

(K’UEI runs out in shame) MOTHER

K’uei, wait! Don’t run!EMPEROR

I am sorry. Please come back.LADY of COURT

I would run far away if I were him. (MR GOLD ARMOR swings his sword and LADY of COURT can no longer speak)

LADY of COURT #2My sister. What is wrong? (LADY of COURT gestures to her throat) You are struck dumb?

EXAMINERIt is the doing of Mr. Gold Armour, the protector of talented students.

EMPERORI....I...I was so surprised. I wish I could take back what I said.

CONSULWhen something has been said, a team of four horses cannot overtake it.

EMPERORWe must find K’uei!

(ALL exit in search of K’uei. K’UEI has run away and has ended up on a cliff. K’UEI looks over the edge as rushing water is heard. MR RED COAT and MR GOLD ARMOR arrive)

MR RED COATIt is a far way down off this cliff.

(K’UEI is startled to see MR RED COAT and MR GOLD ARMOR)K’UEI

I know. MR GOLD ARMOR

There is no reason for you to jump, K’uei.K’UEI

I have brought much dishonor to my family.MR RED COAT

No, you have brought much honor to your family.K’UEI

The Emperor was repulsed by my deformed face. The Emperor is disgusted by me.MR GOLD ARMOR

He does not know you.MR RED COAT

Over a long distance, you learn about the strength of your horse; over a long period of time, you get to know what's in a person's heart.


MR GOLD ARMORWe know what is in your heart, K’uei.

MR RED COATAnd in your mind.

K’UEII can not return. I have no choice but to jump.

MR GOLD ARMORWe can not let you do that.

MR RED COATWe look after the welfare of students.

MR GOLD ARMORTalented Students.

MR RED COATEven if they don’t ask for help.

K’UEIThere is no place for me to go.

MR GOLD ARMORYes there is.

(MR GOLD ARMOR whistles and AO, a huge sea monster comes out of the water to collect K’UEI. MR RED COAT, MR GOLD ARMOR, K’UEI ride AO off the cliff to the JADE PALACE. When AO arrives at the JADE PALACE, the JADE EMPEROR is on his JADE THRONE)

MR RED COATLet the celebration of the wonderful K’uei begin.

(The Jade Palace Dancers perform for the Jade Emperor a traditional Chinese Dance. Crowd Cheers)

JADE EMPERORMost honored guest, welcome to my palace.

K’UEIWhere am I?

JADE EMPERORYou are in the heavens. In the Jade Palace. (K’UEI bows)

K’UEI I am unworthy to be in your presence, great Jade Emperor

JADE EMPERORStand, K’uei. We have brought you here to honor you.

MR RED COATTo honor your intellingence.

MR GOLD ARMORTo honor your diligence.

JADE EMPERORAnd to honor your good heart.

MR RED COATWe have also come to invite you to join us.

MR GOLD ARMORTo become a protector of students.

JADE EMPERORTo inspire all young people who are different.

K’UEITo live here? Forever.


JADE EMPERORK’uei, I hereby appoint you the Minister of Literary Affairs of the World. You will help all schol-ars in their research. Step foreward, K’uei.

(K’UEI steps forward with head bowed and kneels in front of the throne)

JADE EMPERORYoung K’uei, we can expect great things from you. I now present you with the Jade Rose.

(K’UEI looks up, and the EMPEROR smiles. AC-TORs freeze in statue of the Constellation. The fo-cus is back on the URSA major constellation)BETH

So K’uei is up there in the big dipper.COUNSELOR KATI

As K’uei is being presented with a jade rose from the God of Literature on a big throne.COUNSELOR AMY

And Mr. Red Coat, Mr. Gold Armor, and the Sea Monster all bow to young K’uei. (Shadow puppet of this picture is seen over the stars on URSA MAJOR)BETH

I see them.DECKER

I am going to pray to Mr. Red Coat before my next test.ARIANA

I hope to impress Mr. Gold Armor!COUNSELOR LYNNE

And K’uei is up there watching you all, and protecting youCOUNSELOR KATI

The Chinese were the first to hear that story, but every day , K’uei tells his story from the stars to all students who are quiet enough to hear the story.

COUNSELOR AMYNow, are you ready to join the others at the Carnival?

BETHNo.

ARIANAI’d rather stay here and hear more stories.

COUNSELOR LYNNEDon’t you want to get some food?

BETHNo.

DECKERLet’s go to the Carnival, grab food, then come right back and hear more stories. (DECKER runs off excitedly)

COUNSELOR AMYDecker! (COUNSELOR AMY runs after DECKER)

COUNSELOR LYNNEI guess Decker went to the Food Cabin.

ARIANACan we bring back food here?

BETHAnd hear more stories?

COUNSELOR KATISure. We’ll get some tasty food, return to the campfire, and hear more stories from the stars. (All exit to Food Cabin)


Act 2: The Big Dipper Constellation Story #3 The Nordic Myth of Thor in the Land of the Giants

(Lights come up around a campfire with the night sky filled with bright stars. There are two canoes on the side. BETH, ARIANA, and DECKER are eating snacks as COUNSELOR AMY, COUNSELOR LYNNE and COUNSELOR KATI sit next to them. OFF-STAGE the campers could be singing a song)BETH

I’m ready for the next story, Counselor Lynne.COUNSELOR LYNNE

Beth, are you sure you don’t want to join the carnival?COUNSELOR AMY

It sounds like they are having fun, Decker.DECKER

Nope. It is more fun here.COUNSELOR KATI

Alright, then. Now which stories have we heard tonight already?BETH

The story of K’uei from China.ARIANA

The story of the bear hunters from the Indians.DECKER

I want to hear another story about the Big Dipper. Cus I didn’t see a throne or a bear.COUNSELOR AMY

What do you see?DECKER

A weapon. Like a sword. Or an axe.COUNSELOR KATI

Or a hammer?DECKER

A huge hammer.COUNSELOR KATI

Well the Nordic people saw a hammer in that group of stars. Thor’s hammer.DECKER

The superhero! I have that comic book!COUNSELOR AMY

Thousands of years before his story was told in comic books and movies...COUNSELOR LYNNE

The stars told his stories.COUNSELOR KATI

The Nordic people heard this story about Thor, the God of Thunder, thousands of years ago.ARIANA

Nordic?COUNSELOR AMY

The Nordic people lived in northern European countries like Norway, Denmark, Sweden.ARIANA

How is the big dipper a hammer?COUNSELOR KATI

The four stars that make the bowl of the big dipper and the stars above make the head of the hammer. The ladle of the big dipper is the handle

(As COUNSELOR KATI explains the constella-tion, the lines connecting the stars and a shadow of


Thor’s Hammer appears. Maybe the background can be backlit like a shadow puppet screen.)

ARIANAI see it now.

COUNSELOR AMYThor was among the best loved gods of all. (THOR enters and strikes pose)

COUNSELOR LYNNEHe had red hair, a red beard, and controlled lightning and thunder. (sound effect of thunder)

COUNSELOR KATIWhen sheets of lightning flashed across the skies, the farmers knew that Thor was ripening the crops.

DECKERThor is also really strong and could crush things.

COUNSELOR AMYThor tended to act immediately.

DECKERAwesome!

COUNSELOR LYNNEBut sometimes he acted before he thought, and that got him in trouble.

ARIANAJust like Decker.

COUNSELOR LYNNEMaybe we should listen to the story.

BETHYes please.

COUNSELOR AMY A long time ago, Thor was at his home in Asgard with his wife Sif and their daughter Thrud and son Magni. (SIF, MAGNI, and THRUD enters as THOR sits on throne)

COUNSELOR KATIThrud and Magni took after their father: strong and impetuous.

COUNSELOR AMYSif was a beautiful woman who's long hair was made of pure gold and rippled over her shoulders like ripening wheat.

COUNSELOR KATISif was strong and thoughtful.

COUNSELOR LYNNE She was the goddess of cornfields.

THRUDI'm tired of simply lying around in Asgard.

MAGNIThere is nothing to do.

SIFMy children, there is plenty to do. You could continue your studies.

THRUDI want to test my speed!

MAGNII want to test my strength! (LOKI, JARSAXA and MODI enter)

JARSAXAListen to our cousins. All brawn, no brains.


MODIStep-cousins, sister.

THRUDJust because you aren’t as strong as us....

MAGNIIs no reason to be so jealous.

JARSAXAWe are not jealous!

THOR (greeting LOKI)Loki, my brother! What news do you bring?

THRUDIs there an uprising?

MAGNIA battle?

LOKINothing of the sort.

THOR(disappointed)Oh.

LOKICan’t a step-brother and his children drop by for a visit?

SIFOf course, Loki. You and Modi and Jarsaxa are always welcome to visit. (She hugs them) Al-though, there is usually an ulterior motive for your visits.

LOKIWe just returned from the Land of the Giants.

THRUDGiants!

MAGNIDid you battle them?

JARSAXACousins, you are so barbaric.

MODIStep-cousins.

LOKIAnd while, we were there, we heard Utgard the chief of the giants make fun of you, Thor.

THORWhat?

JARSAXAUtgard said you weren’t very strong.

MODIOr very fast.

LOKIAnd that the Giants could defeat your entire family.

THORUtgard said that!

THRUDLet’s teach those giants a lesson.

MAGNIPut them back in their place.

SIFThor, no.

JARSAXAI think the giants will defeat you.


MODII am sure that none of you could defeat the giants.

THORNever! The Giants are no match for my strength!

THRUDOr my speed!

MAGNIOr my appetite. SONG: We’re the greatest

LOKIYou seem confident.

JARSAXAConfident enough to make a bet?

MODIFor your hammer?

THORMy hammer?

LOKIThe Giants beat you, I get your hammer.

SIFThor, no.

THORAnd when I defeat the Giants?

LOKIWe will be your servants for a year.

THRUDFor a year!

MAGNII look forward to ordering you around.

SIFThor, take a moment and think about this.

THOR (shaking hands with LOKI)Deal! (SIF shakes her head)

LOKIThere is no time like the present.

THORYes!

JARSAXALet’s go!

COUNSELOR KATIThor took his hammer, Thrud and Magni took their belts of power.

DECKERBelt of power?

COUNSELOR AMYThor had some dwarves who had forged the hammer and special belts. Loki and his children were very jealous of these items and kept trying to get their hands on them.

COUNSELOR LYNNEConvinced that if they could get the items, they would rule Asgaard.

COUNSELOR AMYSo Thor, Loki and their families began their long journey to the Land of the Giants. Sif followed to keep an eye on her impetuous family.


(THOR, SIF, THRUD, MAGNI, LOKI, JARSAXA, and MODI enter the Land of the Giants. UTGARD is on his throne, LOGI, HUGI, and ELLI are at the court)

UTGARDLoki and children. It is good to see you again.

LOKIOh, great chief of the Giants, Utgard, I have brought my step-brother with me.

LOGISurely, this puny person could not be the famous Thor?

HUGII thought he’d be bigger. He is as tiny as a mouse!

THORI am no mouse! I am the mighty Thor!

ELLIWelcome, Great God of Thunder to the Land of the Giants.

UTGARDTo what do we owe the pleasure of your company.

THRUDWe heard that you have been bragging about how you Giants could defeat my father!

MAGNIThat you Giants are stronger than us!

THRUDAnd faster than us!

THORAnd we have come to challenge you to a contest of strength!

ELLIThis will be entertaining.

SIFMy children and husband mean no disrespect, Utgard. I am sure this is just a misunderstand-ing.

UTGARDThere is no misunderstanding. I know we can defeat your family, Sif.

THRUDNever!

ELLILet the games begin.

JARSAXAI think we should start with an eating competition.

MAGNII am Magni! I am known throughout Asgard as having a prodigious appetite! I can out eat any giant.

THORMy son can eat three entire oxen in one sitting!

JARSAXAMagni, you will then compete with the Giant Logi.

LOGII have eaten three huge buffets this morning, and I’m just warming up.

JARSAXAYou will both start on opposite ends of the table. Whoever gets to the middle first wins the com-petition.

LOGIBring out the food! (SERVANTS bring out lots of food)


SIFMagni, you can not win this competition! I implore you to bow out.

MAGNII will never back down.

THORThat is my son!

JARSAXALet the competition begin

(LOGI and MAGNI start eating on opposite ends of the table working toward the middle. Music un-derscores the competition. Food (once it is eaten) is thrown upstage. LOGI’s food is cleared, Magni’s side is left with dishes and bones. THEY meet in the middle)MAGNI

A tie! THOR

They both made it to the middle of the table at the same time.JARSAXA

Ah, but while Magni ate all of his food, Logi ate all of the food, the bowls and the bones!LOGI

I am hot!JARSAXA

Magni has lost the contest.UTGARD

Giants are winning.THOR

Let’s start the next competition!MODI

I think we should have a race.THRUD

I am Thurd! I am known throughout Asgard as the fastest ever! I have never lost a race.THOR

My daughter can run the around the world in one minute!MODI

Thrud, you will then compete with the Giant Hugi.HUGI

I think I will win this race easily.MODI

You will both start on opposite ends of the table. Whoever races around the Earth the quickest wins.

THRUDI will win this race easily!

SIFThrud, you can not win this race! I implore you to bow out.

THRUDI will never back down.

THORThat is my daughter!

MODILet the race begin!

(THRUD and HUGI race off in opposite directions)


MAGNIWatch Thrud race.

THORShe is so fast, you can barely see her move!

SIFBut the giant’s strides are so much longer than Thrud’s strides. (HUGI enters from opposite side the winner)

MODIThe giants win another competition. (THRUD enters finally)

LOKIYou give up, Thor?

THORNever. It is my turn.

LOKIHow about a drinking match?

UTGARDBring out the drinking horns. (Servants bring out a huge drinking horn)

ELLIThese drinking horns are filled to the brim.

UTGARDA truly good drinker would be able to finish off this mead in one chug.

LOGIThough of course, many can only manage it in two.

HUGII don’t think anyone I know is as feeble as to need three chugs. (GIANTS laugh)

THORI am Thor! I have the thirst of a god!

THRUDMy father can drink three barrels of mead in one swallow.

LOKIThor, you will then compete with Utgard.

UTGARDThis will be no problem.

LOKIUtgard will go first. And we’ll see how many chugs it takes for him to empty the horn.

THORThat horn is not very big. I will win this competition easily!

SIFThor, you can not win this competition! I implore you to bow out.

THRUDI will never back down.

MAGNIThat’s my dad!

LOKIUtgard first.

(UTGARD drinks his drinking horn in one chug and puts down the empty horn to great cheers from the giants)LOKI

Utgard drained his drinking horn in one chug. It is your turn Thor.


(THOR tries and tries with all his considerable might, taking one great gulp after another. Fi-nally THOR puts down the horn to take a great breath.)LOGI

The mead has dropped just a little.HUGI

I think this competition is too much for the great and powerful Thor.(THOR is angry and picks up the horn to drink more of the mead. After a long drink, THOR puts down the horn)LOKI

So sorry, my step-brother. It appears you are unable to make much change at all to your drink-ing horn.

ELLIThe Giants win another competition.

HUGII think Thor should give up. He is facing an impossible task.

LOGIWhy would you bother to continue trying when obviously you are such a feeble man?

UTGARDThe great Thor! It hardly seems worth your while to attempt any other feat.

LOKIYou give up, Thor?

THORNever. I will try any feat you set before me!

SIFThor, calm down. Control your anger!

THORIf you all think that I am such a feeble weakling why doesn't any of you come and fight me, or are you scared that I'll beat you?

LOKINow, Thor. Calm down. You can’t honestly expect any self respecting giant to fight you.

UTGARDA feeble man.

LOGIIt is too hot for him to handle.

THORYou are feared of the strength of Thor! I demand a wrestling match.

LOKIIf you insist, let’s make this a fair fight. Let’s have Thor and your children try to wrestle the old nurse Elli.

ELLII never stepped away from a fight. (ELLIE slowly walks to the middle of the room)

SIFThor, I implore you to walk away from this fight. She is an old woman.

THORNEVER!

(THOR, THRUD and MAGNI rush forward to wrestle ELLI. ELLI plays with them and then quickly downs them all)

UTGARDStop! This fight is finished, there is no point in continuing this matter further.


SONG: GIANTS We are the Champions

THORLoki and the Giants have made a fool of me. How shall I ever be able to hold my head up amongst the gods?

SIFThor, I told you to think before you act.

LOKISorry, step-brother. But it looks like I win the bet. Hand me the hammer!

SIFYou did not win the bet, Loki.

LOKISif, how can you argue that I did not?

JARSAXADid not Thor and his children lose every competition?

SIFTrue. But the giants did not defeat them.

MODIWhat are you talking about?

SIFNot all is as it appears.

THORExplain yourself.

SIFMagni, you lost the eating competition, but not to a Giant.

MAGNINo?

SIFYour opponent was really Flame, who devours anything that stands in its path.

(SIF takes off disguise to show off flames under LOGI’s costume)LOGI

You saw through my disguise, Sif.SIF

Thrud, you lost the running competition, but not to a Giant.MAGNI

No?SIF

Your opponent was really Thought, which is faster than anything.(SIF takes off disguise to show off THOUGHT un-der HUGI’s costume)HUGI

You are very intelligent, Sif.THOR

And I wasn’t battling a Giant either!(THOR tries to take off UTGARD’s disguise, but UTGARD is a GIANT)

UTGARDHey!

SIFYour opponent was a Giant.

THORSorry.


SIFWhen you were drinking from your drinking horn, you did not realize that at the other end of the horn was the sea, there is no one who can drink the ocean dry.

UTGARD But you are the only one to lower it.

HUGITwice.

(SIF shows inside drinking horn which makes the sound of the waves and ocean)

COUNSELOR AMYAnd to this day, the ocean is lowered twice a day in honor of Thor.

ARIANAThe tide comes in twice a day.

COUNSELOR KATIExactly.

THORBut what of the old woman?

SIFThe old woman is someone no one can or ever will beat, no matter how they try.

(SIF takes off costume of ELLI, and reveals an old woman)

ELLII am Old Age!

(GIANTS laugh as LOKI, JARSAXA and MODI sneak off)

UTGARDThor and his companions have done their best and shall be granted safe passage back to their own lands.

THORI will get my revenge on these Giants for their tricks! (THOR picks up hammer)

SIFYou will do no such thing! You are a guest in the Land of the Giants. No one was harmed. But you could learn the lesson to think before you act. (GIANTS leave)

THORLOKI!

MAGNIMODI!

THRUDJARSAXA!

THORYou are our servants!

SIFActually, they are not because you did not defeat the Giants. Nobody wins the bet. (THOR throws temper tantrum)

SIFRemember, Thor, the cunning shall always defeat the strong.

THORI'd like to see Loki tell that to my hammer. (SIF, THOR, THRUD and MAGNI exit)

COUNSELOR AMYThor’s influence lives on in our weekly calendar.


BETHHow?

COUNSELOR KATIOnce a week we celebrate Thor’s strength.

COUNSELOR LYNNEThursday was derived from Thor’s Day.

DECKERSo the big dipper is Thor’s Hammer.

(Shadow puppet of this picture is seen over the stars on URSA MAJOR)

ARIANAI see the hammer.

DECKERI want my own hammer.

(DECKER starts acting out fighting with a hammer)

COUNSELOR AMYDecker, you may have missed the point of that story.


Act 2: Camp Daziyumbi End of Summer S’mores Campfire

((Lights come up around a campfire with the night sky filled with bright stars. There are two canoes on the side. BETH, ARIANA, and DECKER have finished eating snacks as COUNSELOR AMY, COUNSELOR LYNNE and COUNSELOR KATI sit next to them)

DECKERThat was the best story!

ARIANATell us another story.

COUNSELOR LYNNEIf you listen closely to those stars, you could hear about King Arthur’s chariot.

COUNSELOR KATIThe Greeks heard a story about a nymph who was turned into a bear, and then flung into the night skies to save her from her son who was hunting bears!

COUNSELOR AMYIn Arabia, the stars are footprints of gazelles trying to run away from a hungry lion.

COUNSELOR LYNNEThe Aztec Indians of Central America see a jaguar puppet dancing in the sky.

COUNSELOR KATIThe Basque people see a run away ox.

COUNSELOR AMYThe Eskimos heard a story about a group of bears who could disguise themselves as humans.

BETHThat’s a lot of stories just about those stars.

COUNSELOR AMYAnd look, there are lots of different constellations in the skies.

COUNSELOR LYNNELots of groups of stars.

COUNSELOR KATIEach of stars tells a different group of stories.

BETHThere are millions of stars.

COUNSELOR AMYAnd there are millions of stories.

ARIANAI’m still not sure I could listen and hear all of those stories by myself.

COUNSELOR AMYBut you don’t have to hear those stories....

COUNSELOR KATIIf you listen closely to the stars, they will tell you a new story.

COUNSELOR LYNNEAriana, what do you see in those stars?

ARIANAI see a box.

COUNSELOR LYNNEWhat is in the box?


ARIANAA puppy!

COUNSELOR LYNNEYou see, those stars are trying to tell you a story about a young girl who gets a puppy for her birthday, but then the puppy causes all sorts of problems.

COUNSELOR KATIBeth, what do you see in those stars?

BETHI see a question mark.

COUNSELOR KATIWhat is the question mark doing?

BETHIt was thrown into the sky by a mean teacher who was so mad that all of her students kept ask-ing questions.

COUNSELOR KATII hear that story too. Those stars are telling you a story about what happened to that classroom when there were no questions ever!

BETHAnd the principal then had to get the question mark to come back.

DECKER1

I see a rocket skip! It’s also a tiger trap! COUNSELOR AMY

That tells the story of a tiger who flies into outer space to escape aliens!COUNSELOR KATI

I bet we could even make up a story together. (COUNSELOR AMY, COUNSELOR KATI, COUNSELOR LYNNE, BETH, DECKER and ARI-ANA sing a silly story song about something they see in the stars. Like One Eyed One horned Flying Purple People Eater.)

COUNSELOR AMYThat is an excellent story.

BETHI guess we could go home then tomorrow.

DECKERYeah, we have stars are our house.

ARIANASo we’ll have lots of stories.

COUNSELOR AMYIf you listen closely, you can hear another story every night.

COUNSELOR LYNNEAnd you can be the storyteller and teach your Mom and Dad how to listen to stories from the stars.

BETHAnd next summer, you will tell us some more stories from the stars.

COUNSELOR LYNNEAbsolutely. If you promise to tell us some stories, too.

COUNSELOR AMYDeal?

DECKERDeal!

Stories in the Stars 1.15! 391 We can add lines about what else they see to fit the song.

(COUNSELORS and KIDS hug or shake hands or bump fists)BETH

Thanks for teaching us how to listen to the stars.COUNSELOR AMY

You are welcome. (COUNSELOR ASHELY, COUNSELOR MARI and all the CAMPERS start coming on stage)

COUNSELOR LYNNEIt looks like it is time for the s’mores campfire.

DECKERAwesome!

COUNSELOR ASHLEYDid you work everything out?

ARIANAEverything is great.

COUNSELOR MARIGood to know. (Campers all take their place)

COUNSELOR KATICampers, did you have fun at the Carnivale?

CAMPERSYes!

COUNSELOR MARIWe have had a wonderful evening and a great summer.

COUNSELOR ASHLEYBefore we break out the marshmellows and chocolate bars,

COUNSELOR KATIWe have an important tradition here at CampDaziymbi.

COUNSELOR MARIThat’s right. Its time to sing the official Camp Song.

(CAMPERS and COUNSELORS sing energetic SONG: Something about Summer Fun)


Stories in the Stars 1.15 thin

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Transcript of Stories in the Stars 1.15 thin