Room in the Forest

Room in the Forest by Carlos Perez is the tale of a little girl named Christina who learns a lesson about living in harmony with the animals in the forest. With the help of wise old owl and a few other animal friends, she learns that there is room for both humans and animals in the forest and that it’s essential for their harmony and survival on planet Earth. This play works well as an educational tool when paired with studies of nature. It’s especially powerful when learning about the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone Park in which the entire eco-system of the park changed for the better.

About the Playwright:
Carlos Perez has a M.A. in English from the University of Missouri—Kansas City, and a B.F.A. in Speech and Theatre from Avila University. He was a tenured college Professor for thirteen years, teaching English composition, creative writing, playwriting, screenwriting, public speaking, and various literature and theatre courses. His published stage plays include The Terry Stinger Show, published by Next Stage Press, In Hyding published by Off the Wall Plays, Caught Between Two Worlds, published by Dramatic Publishing, Folktales for Fun, and Native American Folktales for Fun, both published by Pioneer Drama Service, Inc., The Adventures of Christina and Viperina, Misadventures of a Frog Girl, and How the Beetle Got Her Colors, all three licensed and published by Drama Notebook. His stage plays Two Good Reasons and Cleansing Acts have both won awards at the William Faulkner Literary Awards. He’s also a successful screenwriter with 10 produced writer-for-hire screenplays to his credit, along with his original screenplay short, Jeremy’s World.

Excerpt from the play:

CHARACTERS

Six Storytellers
Christina
Butterfly
Owl
Wolf
Snake
Hunter
Bear

This play is designed for the storytellers to take on the other roles. However, it is simple to modify allowing for six to 13 performers.

Characters can be any gender.

Set: Bare stage or can be designed as a forest.

Props:
5 Masks (or you can use makeup)
Hunter’s hat
Sword or Long Stick
Wolf Puppet
Large Pillow
Butterfly Net

(At Rise: The six STORYTELLERS enter and address the audience.)

STORYTELLER 1
Storytelling is an art handed down from the caveman to today.

STORYTELLER 2
Why even those on their way to Canterbury told stories along the way.

STORYTELLER 3
The tale we are about to unfold…

STORYTELLER 4
…is one that we hope will often be retold.

STORYTELLER 5
The story’s theme is universal you’ll see…

STORYTELLER 6
…for it centers on the future of you and me.

STORYTELLER 1
We will each assume the shape of different characters throughout this play.

STORYTELLER 2
But before each new character is introduced, this is what we want you to say.

STORYTELLER 3
How many of you know the rhyme patty cake, patty cake, Baker’s man, bake me a cake as fast as you can? Good we knew you would. Well, the tune is the same, but the rhyme has changed. This is the new rhyme.

ALL STORYTELLERS
Storytellers, Storytellers from days of old, change your costumes as fast as your told. Stitch them and fit them and wear them with glee and make more new characters for us to see.

STORYTELLER 4
Now, when any of us shake our musical tambourine, that’s what we want you to sing.

STORYTELLER 5
Now let’s begin our play. First, we must transform from storytellers to characters in our play. Are you ready to see our first characters for today? Very well! Let’s sing our new song.

(Storyteller shakes tambourine and leads the audience in singing the storyteller song while Storytellers 1 and 2 change costumes into new characters)

STORYTELLER 6
Storytellers, storytellers from days of old, change your costumes as fast as your told. Stitch them and fit them and wear them with glee and make more new characters for us to see.

(Storyteller 1 has changed into a little girl and Storyteller 2 has changed into a butterfly.)

STORYTELLER 3
Here we have a little girl and a beautiful butterfly, perhaps as our tale continues, we will find out why.

(Storyteller 3 exits and we see Christina, holding a butterfly net and searching, and when she sees the Butterfly flying about, she begins to chase it.)

CHRISTINA
There you are! Come back here you bothersome buggy butterfly!

BUTTERFLY
Help me! Please stay away. Oh, I wish you could understand me. I am very delicate and if you touch my precious wings, you might hurt me.

CHRISTINA
I’ve been searching all over the forest for you. I’m going to capture you.

BUTTERFLY
But why? I never did anything to you.

CHRISTINA
Come back here! (Christina trips and falls.)

BUTTERFLY
If you just wanted to be friends then perhaps, we could play but I’m not about to play with you until you put that awful box away.

STORYTELLER 5

(Enters) Oh, what can we do? We must help the little butterfly. Let’s add a new character and see if this new character can help. Let’s sing our special song together.

(Shakes tambourine.)

STORYTELLER 5
Storytellers, Storytellers from days of old, change your costumes as fast as your told. Stitch them and fit them and wear them with glee and make more new characters for us to see.

(While the song is going Storyteller 3 changes into an Owl as Christina chases the Butterfly.)

CHRISTINA
(Closing in on the Butterfly) Ah, now I’ll get you!

OWL
Stop it! Stop right this moment!
(Christina stops and looks at the Owl)

CHRISTINA
Who said that?

OWL
“Who, who” indeed!

CHRISTINA
Did you speak to me?

OWL
“Who, who” else? Yes, I did. I have broken a cardinal rule of the animal kingdom. I have spoken to a human.

BUTTERFLY
Thank you for saving me old wise one.

CHRISTINA
Hey! Now I can hear you too.

OWL
Once the spoken barrier has been broken there is no turning back. From here on you will be able to understand all the creatures of the forest.

CHRISTINA
What’s the difference?

BUTTERFLY
Understanding and hearing are not the same things.

OWL
Well said little monarch.

CHRISTINA
What do you mean? What’s the difference between hearing you and understanding you?

OWL
Hearing comes naturally to many because it takes only your ears. However, understanding requires that you listen with your heart and your mind.

CHRISTINA
I have a mind and heart.

BUTTERFLY
Not all minds and hearts are the same.

OWL
That is true, some hearts are as gentle as a summer’s breeze, while others are as hard as a human’s knees.

(Christina taps her knee with her knuckled fist)

BUTTERFLY
And some minds are as open as the clear blue sea, while others are as closed as the letter “D”.

CHRISTINA
Now I am confused. (To the Butterfly) All I wanted to do was to capture you.

OWL
What is your name little one?

CHRISTINA
I am called Christina.

OWL
Well Christina, I am Whobert the owl.

BUTTERFLY
And I’m Buttercup, the Monarch butterfly.

OWL
Christina, how would you like to be imprisoned in a small black box?

CHRISTINA
I think I would rather have the chicken pox.

OWL
(To audience) Would you like to live forever in a dark black box? (Audience response) They would not like it either.

BUTTERFLY
Then why should I? (To audience) Wouldn’t I be more beautiful floating through the forest from flower to flower than lying at the bottom of a cold dark box? (To Christina) I help to pollinate the flowers, which helps them grow. I serve a useful purpose, you know.

OWL
Christina, what do you think would happen to you if you were placed in there?

CHRISTINA
Why, it would not be long before I ran out of air.

OWL
Do you not think the same thing would happen to little Buttercup if you put her in there?

CHRISTINA
But there are plenty of butterflies.

OWL
And there are plenty of little girls.

CHRISTINA
But we’re different, we’re more important.