Dolphins and Grolphins and the Keys to Success

“Dolphins and Grolphins and the Keys to Success” is a playful exploration of Social Emotional Learning and the secrets to happiness and success. The Dolphins possess these keys: cooperation, responsibility, respect, personal best, honesty, perseverance, kindness, and good judgment. The Grolphins however are grumpy, growling creatures who attempt to get the keys in several silly, misguided ways.

About the Playwright…

Sarah Froeber has degrees in Psychology and Developmental Psychology and has been working with and for children for over fifty years. She has been a teacher, researcher, daycare center director, artistic director of the award-winning Jelly Educational Theater, actress and radio segment host. She is the author of fifteen stories and fourteen plays for children. Sarah’s Jelly Foundation donates money to non-profits that sweeten the lives of children. Applications for funding from the foundation and descriptions of her creative works can be found on Sarah’s website: www.sarahfroeber.com.

About the Play:

CHARACTERS

4 DOLPHINS: (happy, joyful, positive)
Dolphin 1, Dolphin 2, Dolphin 3, Dolphin 4
(all attired in black and white)

3 GROLPHINS: (grumpy, growing, negative)
Grolphin 1, Grolphin 2, and Grolphin 3
(outrageously dressed, Grolphin 2 has a hat shaped like a shark fin in a pocket)

SETTING AND PROPS
Patches of blue appear around the stage to suggest water. One patch of green is situated off to one side of the stage to suggest land; and another patch of green, in the middle of the stage, represents an island. In addition, there are eight large golden keys on each is written one of the following traits: cooperation, responsibility, respect, personal best, honesty, perseverance, kindness, and good judgment.

(The play begins with the dolphins on one side of the stage: cavorting, playing, and singing or rapping amidst the golden keys.)

DOLPHINS: Fun, fun, fun.
Happy, happy, happy.
Playing in the sun.
Swimming in the sea.

(The grolphins enter dejectedly and slump down on the piece of land. The dolphins watch them.)

GROLPHIN 1:  I have a terrible life! Growl grunt grunt growl.

GROLPHIN 2:  Me too. I have a terrible life. Growl grunt grunt growl.

GROLPHIN 3:  Me three. I have a terrible life. Growl grunt grunt growl.

GROLPHIN 1:  Everything goes wrong for me. Growl grunt grunt growl.

GROLPHIN 2:  Everything goes wrong for me too. Growl grunt grunt growl.

GROLPHIN 3:  Everything goes wrong for me three. Growl grunt grunt growl.

GROLPHIN 1:  I don’t have any friends. Growl grunt grunt growl.

GROLPHIN 2:  I don’t have any friends either. Growl grunt grunt growl.

GROLPHIN 3:  I don’t have any friends either. Growl grunt grunt growl.

GROLPHIN 1:  I’m doing terribly in school. Growl grunt grunt growl.

GROLPHIN 2:  I’m doing terribly in school too. Growl grunt grunt growl.

GROLPHIN 3:  I’m doing terribly in school three. Growl grunt grunt growl.

GROLPHIN 1 (crying and standing up):  I’m so unhappy!

GROLPHIN 2 (crying even louder and standing up):  I’m so unhappy too.

GROLPHIN 3 (crying louder still and standing up):  I’m so unhappy three.

(The grolphins face left and shuffle behind one another as they sing or rap. At the end of each line, they bump into each other, growl and head the other direction.)

GROLPHINS: I’m a grolphin and I’m sad growl grunt grunt growl.
My life is awfully terribly bad growl grunt grunt growl.
I want to succeed, and I don’t know how growl grunt grunt growl.
Maybe if I turned into a cow growl grunt grunt growl.

(At the end of the song/rap, the grolphins, having bumped into each other, fall down in a heap. On the other side of the stage, the dolphins begin to sing or rap.)

DOLPHINS:  We have so much fun.
We’re so very happy.
We frolic and play
in the beautiful sea.

We’ve found the keys to success.
We’ve found the keys to success.
Our lives are the best
with these keys to success.

(The dolphins continue to play but watch the grolphins as they do so.)

GROLPHIN 1: (jumping up) Did you hear that?  Growl grunt grunt growl.

GROLPHIN 2: (jumping up) Yeah! The dolphins have found some keys. Growl grunt grunt
growl.

GROLPHIN 3: (jumping up) What do dolphins need keys for?  They don’t drive cars.

GROLPHIN 2:  Maybe the keys are for their houses.

GROLPHIN 1:  Dolphins don’t live in houses.

(The dolphins begin to sing/rap again, cavorting and playing all the while. The grolphins listen intently, scratching their heads.)

DOLPHINS:  We do well in school.
We live in harmony
with a family of friends
in the beautiful sea.

We’ve found the keys to success.
We’ve found the keys to success.
Our lives are the best
with these keys to success.

(The dolphins continue to cavort and play and make dolphin noises for the remainder of the play. They also watch the grolphins.)

GROLPHIN 1:  They’ve found the keys to success. Growl grunt grunt growl.

GROLPHIN 2:  A dolphin doesn’t wear a dress. Growl grunt grunt growl.

GROLPHIN 3:  Yeah. A dolphin doesn’t wear a dress. Growl grunt grunt growl.

GROLPHIN 1:  They’ve found the keys to success. Everything is going well for them.

(The grolphins fall down on the ground and tantrum.)

GROLPHIN 1:  I want to succeed! Growl grunt grunt growl.

GROLPHIN 2:  I want to succeed too. Growl grunt grunt growl.

GROLPHIN 3:  I want to succeed three. Growl grunt grunt growl.

GROLPHIN 1: (jumping up) We’ve got to get those keys.

GROLPHIN 2: (jumping up) Yeah. The keys to success.

GROLPHIN 3: (jumping up) Then we’ll be happy.

GROLPHIN 1:  And we’ll have friends.

GROLPHIN 2:  And we’ll do well in school.

(The grolphins begin to sing or rap, all the while swinging arms.)

GROLPHINS: We’ll get the keys to success.
We’ll get the keys to success.
Our lives will be best
with the keys to success.

(At the conclusion of the chorus, the grolphins collide and fall down.)