Because of my devoted interest in children's theatre I have chosen a children's piece called Noodle Doodle Box. Down to the simplest terms- it's about friendship and sharing. Deep down it has a lot of other really important concepts but the children aren't demanded to understand them. Below I have copied the characters and synopsis and my proposal so that you can fully understand what I'm about to do. There will be two performances on campus and the rest we will be taking on tour to children's hospitals and schools.
Characters:
Zacharias: the big, strong one, wears a jacket with a wide plaid design, shoulders excessively padded and underneath a striped pullover, pants are too short and too tight, wears laced boots and a bowler hat
Pepper: the little one, pants are too big, pulled up by suspenders, almost to armpits but are still too long, tuxedo jacket on top of it all which is too small, held together in front by a safety pin, sleeves above elbows, always walks around in socks
Drum Major: may be white faced, fantastic uniform with gaudy decorations hanging from it, medals clang on his c hest, cap has colorful windmills which turn as he walks, large marching drum hangs from his neck, cymbal on top of drum, maybe even colored bulbs on shoulders that light up as he marches
Set:
The major set pieces are two large wooden boxes large enough for an adult actor to disappear into, screens or a pair of hinged flats to serve as a backdrop and a variety of different-sized cardboard boxes and cartons. Zacharias’ box is the smaller of the two. It is painted red on two adjoining sides and green on the remaining ones. Pepper’s box, the larger one has two holes on opposite sides large enough to put arms through. Attached to the inside of the box next to each hole are a large cardboard arm on the right and a doll’s arm on the left. Costumes suggest clown types but not played in a broad slapstick manner, rather subtle suggestion of those stock characters. Any songs or music is left to improvisation by actors.
Synopsis:
Zacharias and Pepper are two clowns who live and play in two different-sized boxes. Zacharias calls Pepper a “pig,” “camel,” and “big mouth” because she feels superior to him–she is tall, neat, and clean, and Pepper is short, messy, and loud. She teases him for not being able to read and hits him with a newspaper. She shows how her box is better than his box–it’s red on one side and green on the other–and she won’t let Pepper play in it. Each time that Zacharias hurts Pepper’s feelings, Pepper cries out, “You’re mean....I’m through being your friend.” But Zacharias replies, “You mean to say, I am through being your friend. I don’t want to have as friends people who can’t take a joke and especially people with such a shabby box,” and she spits on it. So Pepper plays alone in his box and discovers it has one big arm and one small arm. Now Zacharias wants to play in Pepper’s box, but he won’t let her until she wipes it clean, because “I don’t find anything funny in spitting.” Pepper decides to control Zacharias the way she did with him, and they end up arguing all over again until a Drum Major (a female actor) grabs their attention by marching in with a very attractive drum.Zacharias and Pepper argue over who has the better box to see who gets to march with the drum in front first. The Drum Major becomes a “relational bully” by pretending to be their friend and telling lies about the other person while each is gone marching with the drum offstage. After Zacharias marches away, the Drum Major tells Pepper that they should teach her a lesson about being nice to people–so they hide Zacharias’s box inside Pepper’s box. While Pepper is gone, Zacharias sees that her box is missing, and the Drum Major tells her they should take Pepper’s box to teach him a lesson. So they push Pepper’s box offstage. When Pepper comes back and finds his box missing, the Drum Major leaves to go “investigate”–but she is really leaving in her truck and stealing both their boxes!
Zacharias and Pepper confess what they did to each other and now understand that everything happened “because we didn’t stick together....It’s our fault.” Then, magically, Zacharias finds an even bigger box–but she still wants to keep the new box all for herself. Pepper feels really upset, so he finally leaves Zacharias to go find another friend. But Zacharias doesn’t like playing all alone with the big box by herself. When Pepper comes back to get his water bottle, Zacharias decides they should share the box because two people can play together better than one. Even when the Drum Major comes back in disguise, they tell her to leave. They’ve learned to share and play nicely together in one big box as real friends.
Playwright Bio:
Paul Maar
-one of the most important modern German writers for children and young people
-novelist, playwright, translator and illustrator.
-Born December 1937 in Schweinfurt
-studied at the State Academy of Arts in Stuttgart
-worked as a stage designer and stage photographer for the Franconian castle theatre Massbac
-spent ten years as an art teacher
-Since 1976 he has worked as a freelance writer
-lives in Bamberg with his wife and three children.
-written many of the Augsburger Puppenkiste classics
-has been given many awards, among others the German Youth Literature Prize, the Austrian State Prize and the Brothers Grimm Prize
-Maar has created the libretto for an opera and musicals and designed sets for the theatre
- He had great success with his first book, Der tätowierte Hund (The Tattooed Dog, 1968), a tale about bad Hansel and Gretel and the good witch
- most read works are a series of books about Sams, an uppity fantastic creature with blue spots and red hair and a pig’s nose who can grant wishes Eine Woche voller Samstage (A Week Full of Saturdays, 1973), Am Samstag kam das Sams zurück (Sams Returned on Saturday, 1980), and Neue Punkte für das Sams (New Spots for Sams, 1992). In 1996 Maar was awarded the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (German Prize for Children's and Youth Literature) for the entire body of his work
-Two films, called Das Sams and Sams in Gefahr (English name My Magical Friend Sams), have been made of the Sams books
-Two films, called Das Sams and Sams in Gefahr (English name My Magical Friend Sams), have been made of the Sams books
History:
Noodle Doodle Box has been performed around the world to universal acclaim. It was adapted from a German play entitled Kikerikiste. “Kiste” is the German word for “box”and “kikeri” is the noise German children make for a rooster’s crow. After seeing a production in Berlin, the translators thought Kikerikiste would be a great play for American audiences (although they chose to call it Noodle Doodle Box, not the more literally translated “Cock-a-doodle-doo Box”). They were right. Since their adaptation was published, the piece has been produced in theaters across the United States, enchanting audiences of all ages. The Theatre Resource Directory commented that Noodle Doodle Box offers “an engaging lesson in learning to share and live together,” adding that it is “an important children’s work, but more importantly, a delightful, entertaining play.” It has a very silly title, but a very serious message about what it means to be a friend, and reminding us that the differences and disagreements that come between us can ultimately make our friendships even stronger.
Themes: Friendship, Sharing, Bullying, Power Struggle, Personal Space, Communication, Alienation
One Act Proposal
Piece-
Noodle Doodle Box
Written by Paul Maar
Adapted and Translated by Anita and Alex Page
Statement of Purpose-
This lighthearted farce is an impactful and didactic tale of friendship that is also entertaining. I wanted to choose a children’s piece that would be appropriate for adults and children alike. I think that the characters are relatable even though they live in an extreme world of their own. I also think that this play develops a firsthand look at what is important in our friendships and how we can keep them healthy.
Statement of Goals-
To engage young audience members in a didactic experience about friendship values and to entertain all in a humorous sketch about power struggle and manipulation. I would hope my audience would relate to the outlandish farcical characters and be able to see situations in their own life played out on the stage. I will portray the inner workings of a friendship threatened by greed.
Spine-
Human kind manipulates others in order to get what they most desire.
Concept-
The manipulation and exaggeration of things to make them different than we expect.
Super Objective-
Will Zacharias and Pepper keep their friendship even though the Drum Major is turning them against one another?
Production Values-
The set is simple, consisting of two large boxes that the two characters consider their “home.” A drum with straps for wearing is the only essential prop. Some small props including blocks, a slinky, or other children’s toys are also possible. The drum major could have a full flashy band uniform, however it is not necessary. Costume pieces for the other two characters are silly child-like clothing that reflects their personalities.
My goals are basic.
To teach To reach out
To inspire To enjoy
To heal To learn
To entertain To explore and imagine
I just want to have fun and learn from this process. I hope that you can follow me through my journey and perhaps learn from my mistakes or be able to offer advice. I'm very excited about this journey and I can't wait to begin!
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