Talent Show Troubles

CHARACTERS:

(The casting is very flexible. Modify names and genders to suit your cast. Add or subtract characters as needed.)

Kai- A child who wishes they had something special to share for the school talent show.
Teacher- A student or a real teacher can play this role.
Alex- Actor
Cleo- Hand Clapper
Cass- Hand Clapper
Charlie- Cheerleader
Danny- Dancer
Drew- Dancer
Max- Magician
Mel- Magician’s Assistant
Nick (Nicky)- Mental Mathematician
Parker- Puppeteer
Polly (Paul)- Puppeteer
River- Jump Roper
Ryan- Jump Roper
Sal- Singer
Westley- Whistler

At Rise: It’s the day of the big talent show. Kids cross the stage with excitement and anticipation. There can be general adlibs: “This is exciting,” or “I’m nervous,” Etc. All the performers should make at least one appearance before the teacher hurries them off stage, leaving Kai alone on stage with a broom.

Teacher:
Okay, children! It’s almost time. Let’s go! Hurry! Hurry! This way.

Kai:
(Alone on stage. Sweeping.) Today’s the big day! The “all-school talent show.” (Beat) I sure wish I had a talent to share. But I guess some of us just aren’t cut out for the spotlight.

Teacher:
(Enters in a hurry) Where’s the sign Kai?

Kai:
Oh! It’s right here! (Kai sets down the broom and picks up a big, student-designed poster that says, “Talent Show.”)

Teacher:
Perfect! Put it somewhere so everyone can see it. (Exits in a hurry)

Kai:
Sure thing. (Places the sign in a visible spot, steps back, and admires it) Looks pretty good. (Back to sweeping) Like I said, I wish I could tap dance, or play the tuba, or do trampoline tricks, but I don’t really have any special skills.

Teacher:
(Popping back on.) Kai, is the stage all ready to go?

Kai:
I think so. (Pointing to each thing) The sign is right there. The microphone is set. The lights are on. The curtain is ready. I think we can start the show.

Teacher:
Brilliant! (Loudly with enthusiasm) Places everyone!

All Children: (Voices from backstage)
Thank you, places!

Kai:
I guess it’s time. (Quickly exits. We might see Kai peeking from the wings throughout the show.)

Teacher:
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the all-school talent show. Let’s give a big hand for our first performer, Alex, the Actor. (Encourages clapping and then stands to the side.)

Alex:
(Enters in a dramatic way to perform a Shakespearean monologue.)
To be, or not to be? That is the…

(Forgets the words and starts over.)

To be or not to be? That is the…uh…uh… (Trying to remember the lines.)

(enters to save the day by giving Alex a scroll or a script or a notecard with the lines and then quickly exiting.)

To be or not to be? That is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them.
(*Hint: It’s easier to memorize if you put movements to each phrase.)

(Alex takes a big, dramatic bow and exits.)

Teacher:
Wasn’t that amazing acting? Now, let’s welcome Cleo and Cass and their Clapparama.

(Cleo and Cass enter to do their hand-clapping game. Choose a hand-clapping song like Miss Mary Mack, Say Say Oh Playmate, or even the Cups Song. They happily cross to center stage, but when they see the audience, they stand frozen in fear.)

Teacher:
(After a moment) It’s okay, kids. You can begin.

(They are still frozen. Kai enters, crosses to them, and gives them a pep talk.)

Kai:
You can do this. I know you can. I’ve seen you do it at recess a million times.

Cleo:
But there are so many people out there.

Kai:
People who love you.

Cass:
What if we mess up?

Kai:
You’ll laugh and start again. It’s okay. Just have fun.

Cleo:
Have fun?

Kai:
Yep.

Cass:
Okay. We can do this. Thanks Kai.

(Kai exits. Their confidence grows as they do their hand-clapping routine. When they are done, they are very happy and take a bow.)

Teacher:
Wasn’t that some classy clapping? Now, let’s welcome Charlie, the Cheerleader.

(Charlie enters and begins a cheer. Choose any cheer you like. Charlie accidentally throws a pom pom off stage towards Kai in the middle of the cheer, but Kai grabs it and quickly returns it to Charlie so they can finish. Charlie takes a bow and runs off stage.

Here are some cheer options:

Shout it.
Let’s hear it.
Bears show your spirit. (Insert any mascot name)

We are the tigers, the mighty, mighty tigers
Everywhere we go-o, people want to know
Who we are, so we tell them.
We are the tigers, the mighty, mighty tigers… (continue)

S-U-C-C-E-S-S
That’s the way we spell success
We wish you luck and all the rest
With S-U-C-C-E-S-S!

Teacher:
Such challenging cheer! Now, let’s welcome our dancers, Danny and Drew!

(Danny and Drew enter and start their dance, but the sound goes out. They stop, unsure what to do. They look around, nervous. Kai runs on and fixes the sound equipment, so the music starts again. You might be using a phone or speaker for the music. Each act should be short, so only a few measures of dancing are needed. After their dance, they take bows and exit.)

Teacher:
Wasn’t that some dynamite dancing? Now, let’s welcome Max and Mel for a magic show.

Max and Mel enter. Max is the magician, and Mel is the assistant. They begin with a card trick or other simple magic trick. They can say lines based on the trick they perform. Everyone claps. Then, it’s time to pull a rabbit out of a hat, but the trick doesn’t work. They look worried. What happened to the rabbit? They look around, trying to find the rabbit. Kai enters with a stuffed rabbit, and everyone cheers. The magicians take the rabbit, bow, and exit.

Teacher:
That was some marvelous magic! Now it’s time for Nick and his numbers. (Or Nicky and her numbers.)

(Nick enters and looks around confidently.)

Nick:
I am about to astound you with my knowledge of numbers and mental math. Can someone give me a mathematical equation?