The Frog Prince Play Script

The Frog Prince is an adaptation of the well-known Brothers Grimm fairy-tale. A princess loses her golden ball in nearby spring and she vows to give everything she owns to get it back. When a frog overhears her, he promises to get it back for her in exchange for something else: she must love him, let him live with her, eat from her golden plate, and sleep upon her bed. The princess humors him and agrees. He returns her ball but she leaves before fulfilling her part of the bargain. She returns to the castle and all is well until there’s a knock at the door. Could it be her true love or will this suitor make her want to croak? This classic tale teaches about the benefits of honoring promises. This classic tale is the perfect addition to a performance of Grimm’s Fairy Tales!

Janea Dahl is the creator and author of Drama Notebook. She has a BA in theatre and spent twelve years working in professional theatre. She was the founder of The Young Players, the largest drama outreach program in her state. For nearly a decade, The Young Players served over a hundred schools, and employed over thirty teaching artists each year. Thousands of public school children and teens participated in her award-winning workshops. In 2012, Janea sold Young Players to Northwest Children’s Theatre and School to serve teachers full-time on Drama Notebook. Janea originally created the material in Drama Notebook to support The Young Players teaching artists. She was aware that most drama teachers could easily teach children’s theater workshops without any additional curriculum, but that having access to a vast amount of new material could greatly improve the quality of the classes while keeping things exciting and fresh for her teachers. Janea also develops custom curriculum for Kaplan Early Learning and for Destination Imagination.

Excerpt from the play:

CAST OF CHARACTERS

NARRATOR ONE
NARRATOR TWO
PRINCESS
FROG
KING
FAITHFUL HENRY

NARRATOR ONE
Once upon a time, when wishes still came true, there lived a king who had a beautiful daughter. One day, she took a walk in the woods and stopped to rest at the edge of a cool spring of water.

NARRATOR TWO
She had a golden ball in her hand, which was her favorite plaything. She was always tossing it up in the air and catching it again as it fell. After a time, she threw it up so high that she missed catching it and it fell into the spring.

NARRATOR ONE
The spring was very deep, and she couldn’t see her ball.

PRINCESS
Alas! If I could only get my ball again, I would give all of my fine clothes and jewels and everything I have in the world.

NARRATOR TWO
As she was speaking, a frog came up out of the water.

FROG
Princess, why do you weep so bitterly?

PRINCESS
What can you do for me, you nasty frog? My golden ball has fallen into the spring.

FROG
I don’t want your pearls, jewels and fine clothes, but if you will love me and let me live with you and eat from your golden plate and sleep upon your bed, I will bring you your ball again.

NARRATOR ONE
The princess thought to herself…

PRINCESS
(To the audience.) What nonsense. This silly frog is talking! He can never even get out of the spring to visit me. But he may be able to get my ball for me, so I will him that I will do what he asks.

NARRATOR TWO
So she said to the frog…

PRINCESS
(To the frog.) Oh, thank you. I’ll give you anything you want, as long as you get that ball back for me.

NARRATOR ONE
So the frog went under the water and when he came back up again, he had the ball in his mouth. He tossed it onto the edge of the spring.

NARRATOR TWO
The princess was overjoyed to have it in her home again. She never thought of the frog, but ran home with it as fast as she could.

FROG
Stay, princess! Take me home with you as you said you would!

NARRATOR ONE
But she did not stop to hear a word.

NARRATOR TWO
The next evening, as she sat down to dinner with her father, the king, she heard a strange noise. Tap, tap, plash, plash—as if something was coming up the marble stairs to the castle. Next, there was a gently knock on the door.

FROG
Open the door, princess my dear. Open the door to your true love here. And mind the words that you said by the fountain cool in the greenwood shade.

NARRATOR ONE
The princess ran to the door and opened it and there she saw the frog. She was frightened. She shut the door and ran as fast as she could back to her seat.

KING
My child, what are you so afraid of? Is there a giant at the door who wants to carry you away?