Red - lights Green - props Blue - curtains Italics - acting
Auditorium lights down, Foot light on, spots on
Rock covered / two trees out / savannah picture down
Ms. Barbara class would like to welcome you to our Winter Village Play.
The name of this year's play is: Early Humans.
N1: According to the Out of Africa Theory, 35 million years ago Africa went through a change. The Great Rift Valley was forming on the Eastern coast. The resulting mountains caused the rain forests East of the new mountains to become savannas. All life has the ability to make small changes and sometimes these changes help life to survive. Some apes had the ability to stand more upright. These were our ancestors.
Curtain open
N1: This map shows the rift valley of Africa.
Curtain closed
N2: Australopithecines spent their time at the edge of the forest, but they walked on two legs. They had longer arms than humans do now and their toes and fingers were longer and slightly curled. This indicates that they still climbed trees. Mammals were huge and vicious. The humans needed to be careful as they did not have the natural weapons that other mammals had. They could not speak, but probably grunted and gestured to one another. They probably lived in groups for protection and had to live near fresh water. Unfortunately other mammals came to drink at the water hole too and some waited there to hunt for easy prey.
Curtain open
Mural 1: a savannah with a lake
Act I 3 Australopithecines and a saber tooth tiger
They walk across stage slowly gesturing and grunting to each other. They go to the mural and get a drink. Then they move towards a bush with berries and eat them. Be sure to sniff the air for danger and look around while enjoying the berries.
The saber tooth tiger sneaks out and hides behind a bush, looking for prey.
The tiger sneaks up on the humans and then growls and leaps to grabs one of the humans. The tiger happily eats while the other two scream and run away in terror.
Curtain closed
Berry tree away, rabbit out, rocks
N 3: Life was very hard. They may have used rocks to protect themselves or used sticks to dig with, but their brains were small and they had a very hard life.
N 4: Wow! That was not a very good life. Well, by 2 million years ago, a new human called Homo habilis had arrived on the scene. They had developed some simple tools. They still could not talk, but they could life a slightly better life than the Australopihecines.
Act II
Two Homo habilis are sitting. They grab some rocks and throw them at a rabbit. They jump up and grab their meal and return to where they were sitting. They use rocks to remove the skin. They share the meat, grunting happily at each other.
A hyena approaches, sniffing. The humans see it. They hide behind a small hill and throw rocks at it. The hyena runs away. They are safe this time.
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Curtain closed
Tree away, rocks and sticks around stage, fire stick out, fire mural down
N 5: It is now 1 ½ million years ago. Home Erectus walks the land of Africa. Home Erectus discovered how to tie a sharp rock to their spears and have learned how to sharpen both sides of their rocks to act as an ax. They know how to chop down trees to make simple houses that protect them from danger. They can hunt well as they now have a simple language. They eat a lot of meat so they have much more energy than their ancestors and so not have to spend most of their time eating.
Spots down half way
Curtain open
Act III
Homo Erectus stands and watches a fire. She runs towards the fire several times and finally grabs a burning stick. She carefully brings it back to her family.
Her family adds sticks to the burning branch and put rocks around it. They then sit and laugh, gesture and talk to each other in a simple language. One of them drops some meat in the fire by mistake. They quickly pull it out and then eat it. They act surprised and throw more on. It is good! They go to sleep happily.
Lights down, count to 10 - lights up
It is daylight. The family wakes up and sits around playing and laughing. One of the older children stands up and gestures to away. His family grabs she/him and tries to make him stay, but in the end she/he walks away. They watch her/him longingly, but no one follows.
Curtain closed
Rock and sticks away, large rocks out, ice mural with cave down
N6: Homo Erectus was the first human to leave Africa. Think of the first person to wander away wondering what was in the distance. Think of the adventures he/she had. When he/she reached the ocean, think of the amazement. Salt was a very important element in their diet. He/she must have hurried back bringing a present like a shell to her/his family. Then many more would have gone and never returned. They traveled to Asia and Australia. They had time to dream and the hunting ability to get food wherever they went. Unfortunately, there was another ice age and the Homo Erectus species disappeared along with all the rest.
N7: One of their kind survived. These were the Homo Neanderthals. They were a hardy people with a language of their own. They had huge noses to warm the icy air. They took care of their sick and buried those who died in ceremonies.
Curtain open
Act IV
Neanderthals are up on a ledge. They nhave two large rocks ready to push. Some are below hiding behind rocks with spears. (Students can sharpen their own spears by putting sand into the cracks of a cement sidewalk. They then rub the end of the spear in the sand.)
Mammoths are walking toward them. The humans gesture to each other. They roll rocks on them and as the mammoth falls, the others run up and stick their spears into it. The mammoth tries to fight, but eventually dies. The other mammoths trumpet and run. The humans cut the mammoth up and carry the meat singing and yelling and hitting each other. They return to their cave.
They give some of their meat to an injured friend and some to their family. They retell their adventure in a simple language and with gestures. Suddenly their friend dies. They all gather around and then dig a hole and put their dead friend him in the hole with some special plants and his belongings.
Curtain closed
Rocks away, spears away
N 8: Other humans have been trapped in Africa. As the Ice Age ends, they begin to wander into Europe and Asia again. They are Homan sapiens - our ancestors. Their brain is larger and they have good tools. The Neanderthals slowly disappear. No one knows why, but 35,000 years ago our species was the only one left. By 10,000 years ago humans were ready to form the first small towns, but several important things had to occur first.
Curtain open
Act V
A human is in a cave painting an animal.
Curtain closed
Wheat jar out,
N 9: People needed to share their experiences. First they wrote on caves and made simple sculptures and jewelry. This need to share later exploded into writing.
N 10: People lived together with their families. They had learned to gather food, like wheat berries, for the winter. When game or plants were less, they moved to places where there was plenty. The food was stored in pots to prevent starvation in the winter.
Lights half down
Curtain open
Pg 6
Act VI
N11: A child is in bed. He is very hungry. His stomach will not be still. He knows he shouldn't eat, but his stomach is so hungry. Oh well, he thinks perhaps just a few bites won't matter. He sneaks out and grabs a handful of the wheat berries put away for winter and and munches away. Then he goes back to bed peacefully. (This is acted out while the narrator reads)
He does this several times. One night it is rainy.
Rainstick falls.
N 11: He does not want to go out, but finally after tossing and turning, he does. He slips and the berries are thrown to the ground. He quickly covers them with mud and runs back to bed. Four weeks later there is wheat growing outside the tent. (Again this is acted out while the narrator reads.)
Chief: What is this?? How can there be wheat here. (The child returns and explains by gesturing what happened.) You dropped wheat here? In the rain? Then it grew?
Remove vase
Curtain closed
N12: So now people had learned how to grow their own crops. At the same time they learned how to raise their own meat. Now people could stay in villages and not have to move. It was easier to have enough food to eat so people started to have their own jobs. Early humans had come a long way.
N13: We would like to thank all those who led to our lives. Everything we have is because of them.
Everyone comes to stage and bows.
Lights, curtain, props come to front and bow
Authors come to front and bow.