Bienvenidos al Teatro de Cuentos de Hadas (Contains the Introduction, an explanation of organization, helpful acting and rehearsal tips and stage terminology)

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Organization .......•...•..•........••.•...•..•..•...••...•.....•••••...•..••••.•..••..••.••...•.•..••..••.••..•.•...• 3 Each play contains the following sections: Notes on the Origins of the Traditional Fairy Tale (in English) EI cuento tradicional (in Spanish) Production Notes (in English) The play (in Spanish) IMPORTANT NOTE: The following stories are not traditional fairy tales translated into Spanish, but fairy tales in script/play format that have been modified, fractured and rejuvenated. NOTA IMPORTANTE: Las siguientes historias no son cuentos de hadas tradicionales traducidos al espano/, sino cuentos de hadas escenificados, alterados y rejuvenecidos.

Un recuerdo de Ricitos de Oro y los tres OS08................................... 7 Rumpelstiltskin .......•..••.••......••..••..••...•.•......••••••.•..••••••.•.•....•.....•.••.•..•..• 33 EI mocito de galleta. •••••••..•••••••••.•••••.•••••••••••••••••••.•••••••.••••.•••.••••••.••••••••• 63

Rapu nzel...............................................

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La Cenicienta y el Polvoton ••••.•.•...•......•.•.•...•.•..•.•••.•••••••..•..•.•.•... .•.••••• 117 La prince8a y el guisante, la albondiga yel platano ••...••.••••..•••.•••.•..149 The Activity Center I. Manipulating Vocabulary........... II. Focusing on Grammar III. Role-Playing IV. Improvising V. Understanding the Plot VI. Learning with Art: Utilizing the iIIustrations VII. Working with the Traditional Story VIII. Playing games with the Glossary

175 177 178 179 181 - 183 184 186

Bibliography ..................•.••.......•..••.•..•..........•............••..•.....•...•...................•.•........•.. 189 Ordering Information ••..•..•..•.•..•..•..••••.••.•.•••.•.........••..••...•.......••.•...•••••....••...••.•••..•..•• 191

CJ3ienvenidosal Cfealro de Cuenlos de 9/adtJs Teatro de Cuentos de Hadas ('Fairy Tale Theater') blends traditional fairy tales with contemporary ideas and characters. The beloved classics all take place in liLa Tierra de Cuentos de Hadas" and are presented in a decidedly skewed fashion, by means of clever dialogue, quirky roles and off-kilter plots. Written at an intermediate to advanced level, these short, hilarious plays are perfect vehicles for blossoming Spanish speakers of all ages to use and enjoy their newfound comprehension, expression and growing fluency of the language. Each of the six fairy tales is led by a different kind of narrator: "Ricitos de Oro" (Goldilocks? is narrated by two bustling busybodies. Through flashbacks, they tell a mysterious visitor (actually a secret fairy tale heroine herself) of the harrowing adventures of the snooty and contentious golden-haired girl whose bear problems stemmed from wanting to quit school to work in a beauty salon. "Rumpelstiltskin" is related by a groveling narrator who is primarily interested in ingratiating himself with the king every chance possible. He occasionally interacts with the characters, whose story follows the travails ofthe miller's feisty, sharp-tongued daughter, the greedy, capricious king and the nameless little man who has to tolerate a constant barrage of insults regarding his diminutive stature. "EImocito de galleta" (The Gingerbread Boy? is handsomely narrated by a four-person Greek Cookie Chorus that always speaks in verse. The plot concerns a mostly deaf little old man, his gentle, lonely wife and a self-absorbed, headstrong gingerbread boy who is upset because he has nice legs but no feet. Before reaching his tragic end, he meets Good Fairy, Pinocchio, a football coach and the "Hansel and Greterwitch. "Rapunzer is narrated by two enthusiastic, bumbling storytellers, Timo and Teo. The tale focuses on a young couple whose lives change irrevocably when introduced to enchanted cauliflower. Rapunzel and the prince fall in love to the tune of Mexican folk songs, despite Mama Verruga (literally "Mama Wart,") the backpack-wearing witch. "La Cenicientayel Polvot6n" (,Cinderella? is recounted by Mixtli, the old palace cat. EI Polvot6n, by the way, is Cinderella's little-known twin brother, and this story mainly belongs to him, as we relive his years of anguish, living with his nasty stepbrothers and dribbling onions and potatoes in the cellar, before finding the road to basketball -stardom. liLa princesa y el guisante, la alb6ndiga y el platano" ('The Princess and the Pea, the Meatball and the Banana') is narrated by the exasperated king on a stormy night, as the audience takes refuge in his castle. They hear his frustrating tale of a palace filled with oddball, rejected princesses, his befuddled queen and a young prince who prefers the stables and horses to marriage with a princess. A lot more could be said about these six hilarious, liberal adaptations of the world's most beloved literature, but reading their descriptions is not half as much fun as acting them out, so, without further ado... on to the theaten

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Organization ,

Each of the six fairy tales leatro de Cuentos de Hadas contains the follOwing sections:

el cuento tracJlclonal The traditional story in Spanish is told in prose. The author has consistently selected the most well-known version to translate into Spanish, choosing from the many versions that have been passed down and altered over centuries, and molded to the folklore and beliefs of many cultures. Be aware: do not expect the Disney version here! Most traditional fairy tales are surprisingly cruel, gruesome and blatantly politically incorrect for today's sensibUities. An interesting extension activity or project for students would be to compare and contrast the traditional tale with the leatro de Cuentos de Hadas play.

Notes on the Origins of_ This brief compilation of notes explains how and why the traditional tales came to be. It examines the ancient folklore, superstitions, beliefs and customs that initially created and subsequently molded the various characters, plots and resolutions into their well-known identities. The study of fairy tales and folklore is a fascinating look into the history of mankind and at the basic needs that shaped humanity and society in early rural cultures, and still continue to guide our lives today.

Proc/uctlon Notes These are the preparation notes for producing a classroom play. A projected performance time is estimated, the cast is named and described briefly, necessary props are listed, and the set(s) and optional costumes are suggested. Sets, props and costumes are optional. The props, costumes and sets will obviously be more elaborate if a class is performing on stage for a large group of people. If the students are giving a classroom performance for each other, the sets will probably be minimal or even entirely nonexistent. Suggestions are given for shortening the play, generally involving the omitting of a character or scene in case the play is too long or complicated for the allotted performance time. .

The Play Each play is written completely in Spanish, including stage directions. This teaches students not only story comprehension, but also reinforces descriptive, expressive and directional vocabulary. All tenses are used in the dialogues, including the subjunctive. The focus of the tales is on the plot and humor, rather than conforming to grammatical restrictions. Therefore, the plays are directed toward students speaking at an intermediate to advanced level of Spanish.

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The plays and activities (explained below) are also excellent resources for Spanish immersion and bilingual language arts classes, as well as for speech and drama students of all ages. Each play features seven to twelve characters. All roles are humorous and many are quite slapstick and silly. Dialogue is always crisp and fast-moving. No roles require high drama or previous theatrical experience! The plays vary from 25 - 40 minutes in length. As noted previously, a particular narrator keeps the plot moving in each story.

Voca&ularlo Each fairy tale is followed by a Spanish-English glossary. Some words are purposely repeated from glossary to glossary. This will enable the teacher to reproduce the targeted play with only the glossary of words and phrases applicable to that specific play. Phrases, slang, exclamations and colloquialisms are printed in italics.

Cfbe 9!clivily Cenler Following the six plays is an extensive activity ancillary section that every teacher will want to explore. It features approximately twenty innovative activities, which are explained through step-by-step procedures and are accompanied by templates and examples as necessary. All activities are creative and highly enjoyable for students, and many lend themselves to improving basic language arts skills. All activities are generic: they may be used to enhance and extend the adaptations in Teatro de Cuentos de Hadas, or they may be applied to other plays and literary works. Activities are grouped into the following categories: 1. Manipulating vocabulary 2. Focusing on grammar 3. Role-playing 4. Improvising 5. Understanding the plot 6. Learning with art 7. Working with the traditional fairy tale 8. Playing games with the glossary

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[Sra. Bustamante esta sentada en una mecedora en su porche. Una tetera y dos tazas estan en una mesita ai/ado de ella.. Su amiga, Sra. Apodaca entra.) Sra. BUSTAMANTE: Sra. Apodaca, iBuenos diasl Sra. APODACA: iBuenos dias, Sra. Bustamante! l.C6mo esta hoy? Sra. BUSTAMANTE: Bien, bien. l.Ad6nde va? Sra. APODACA: Voy al centro para comprar leche y huevos. Sra. BUSTAMANTE: Pues, espere. Vamos a platicar un rato. l. Tomamos un te? Sra APODACA: Muy bien. (Sra. APODACA se sienta, Sra. BUSTAMENTE sirve e/ ta) Sra. BUSTAMANTE: Es una manana muy quieta para Pueblo Cuento de Hadas, l.no cree usted, Sra. Apodaca? Sra. APODACA: Si, es cierto. l.D6nde esian sus vecinos ruidosos hoy? 13

Sra. BUSTAMANTE:

Pues, los tres cerdos estan en Puerto Fabula.

Sra. APODACA: l.,Que hacen alia? Sra. BUSTAMANTE:

Estan trabajando.

Creo que es otro trabajo de construcci6n.

Sra. APODACA: Les encanta construir casas, l.,verdad? tambien. Y la Sra. Lima, l.,d6nde esta ella?

Y se estan haclendo muy famosos

Sra. BUSTAMANTE: Pues, ella esta en casa, pero no esta muy contenta. Juan se fue. iElia estaba tan enojada que tir6 una cazuela entera de frijoles al jardln! Sra. APODACA: (Haciendo muecas) Esos dos necesitan ayuda psicol6gica. Juan casi va a

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cumplir diecisiete anos, l.,no? Yo digo que es hora de dejar de sonar .. iY la Sra. Lima necesita ser mas estricta con ese muchacho!

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Sra. BUSTAMANTE: Si, y pues, usted sabe que tienen muchas dificultades con el dinero. Son muy pobres. De todos modos, Juan se fue y la Sra. Lima no sabe d6nde esta. Sra. APODACA (Mirando hacia Is cssa de Juan): iMira! l.,Que es esa cosa enorme en el jardfn? Sra. BUSTAMANTE: Es algun tipo de hierba mala. Ese perezoso de Juan jamas mantiene el jardin. Pero l.,sabe que, amiga? Esa hierba mala es muy extrana. Creci6 muy rapido, casi en una sola noche.

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Sra. APODACA: Parece ser un arbol de frijol, pero es grandisimo. iEn realidad no veo la punta! (Fijandose hacia la distancia) Alguien viene. Es una desconocida. lEntra MUCHACHA MISTERIOSA] Sra. BUSTAMANTE (Grits): jNinal iVen acal No eres de aquf. l.,De d6nde eres? MUCHACHA MISTERIOSA (Se aceres): Yo soy deSra. BUSTAMANTE (Interrumpiendo cada respuesta): l.,C6mote llamas? MUCHACHA MISTERIOSA: Me lIamo Sra. BUSTAMANTE: l.,D6nde estan tus papas? l.,Saben que aqui estas paseando solita en el Pueblo Cuento de Hadas? MUCHACHA MISTERIOSA: Sf, mi mama me mand6 para Sra. BUSTAMANTE: l.,Porque no estas en la escuela? Todos los j6venes tienen clases hoy. MUCHACHA MISTERIOSA: No estoy en la escuela porque -

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