The Fisherman and His Wife

This poetic adaptation of The Fisherman and His Wife is perfect for young children. Flexible casting and rhyming make it playful and easy to memorize and perform. This familiar tale teaches us that material objects do not equal happiness.

About the playwright:

Corinna Rezzelle is thrilled to be a playwright on Drama Notebook! Corinna has been an active actor, director, and stage manager since childhood and a theatre teacher for almost eight years. Holding an M.A. in Educational Theatre and a teaching credential, Corinna's goal is to create engaging theatrical scripts that all students will enjoy performing. You can download her other fantastic scripts, Pecos Bill and the Rip-Roaring Tornado and Peter's Big Adventure, in Drama Notebook's Script Library!

Excerpt from the play:

CHARACTERS
Narrator 1-15
Fisherman 1-4
Wife 1-4
Fish Prince

NOTES ON CASTING:
This show has flexible casting and can be altered as needed. It would also make an excellent puppet show or reader's theater script. The Fisherman, the Fish Prince, and the Fisherman's Wife are played by multiple children with a simple switch of a hat or multiple costume pieces that look alike. If you have a smaller group, lines can be combined. Appropriate for students ages 6 and up.

SCENE 1

(The play is set in a classic medieval village; however, you can make it whatever period that works for your group. The Fish Prince can be played by a student or even a puppet! Have fun with the production elements.)

Narrator 1:
A long time ago,

Narrator 2:
There lived a farmer and his wife.

Narrator 3:
They were very poor and lived in a hut on the top of a hill.

Wife 1:
Goodbye, husband! I hope that you catch a lot of fish today!

Fisherman 1:
I'll try my best.

Wife 1:
You better!

Narrator 4:
The wife was very greedy and pushy.

Narrator 5:
But the fisherman loved her all the same.

Fisherman 1:
Down the mountain I shall go,
In the sea, my net I'll throw.
Who knows what I'll catch today?
I'll try my best, just as I say.

Narrator 6:
The fisherman walked down to the ocean's edge and got into his rowboat.

Narrator 7:
He rowed out past the waves and into the calm ocean.

Narrator 8:
He waited and waited, the whole day long, but no fish came.

Narrator 9:
Then with a great tug, his boat lurched forward!

Fisherman 1:
I caught one, I caught one!

Narrator 10:
He reeled a great, glittering flounder into his boat.

Fish Prince:
Please throw me back, fisherman friend.
If you will, I'll make amends.
For I am not merely a fish,
For I am a prince, who made a poor wish.

Fisherman 1:
Oh, talking fish, of course I'll throw you back.
Because you're speaking so plainly, I know the truth you don't lack

Fish Prince:
(flops back in the water) Thank you, Fisherman!

Fisherman 1:
You're welcome, fish prince!