2014-05-29

Snow White, as a series of Very Short Vignettes

Scene 1 TOC with notes


[Intended to be presented by junior high or high-school level students of English as a foreign language. See here for annotations]

Narrator: Once upon a time, there was a beautiful queen.

Queen: I would like a daughter as beautiful as the white snow.

Narrator: In due time, she had a beautiful daughter.

Queen: Our daughter is as beautiful as the white snow.

King: Let us call her "Snow White".

Snow White: Coooo.

Narrator: But the beautiful queen died.

King: Don't die!

Snow White: Waaaaah!

Queen: Goodbye, my dear family.

Narrator: A very beautiful, but very vain lady lived nearby:

(Soon-to-be) Stepmother: You need a new queen.

King: Snow White needs a new mother.

Narrator: And so the very vain lady became the new queen, and Snow White's stepmother.

Stepmother: You are a very beautiful girl, Snow White.

Snow White: Thank you, Ma'am. You are very beautiful, too.

Narrator: The stepmother had a magic mirror.

Stepmother: Mirror, who is the most beautiful woman in the kingdom?

Mirror: You are, Queen.

Stepmother: You always tell the truth.

Narrator: Snow White grew up to be a very beautiful young woman.

Stepmother: Mirror, who is the most beautiful woman in the kingdom?

Mirror: Please don't ask.

Stepmother: What? Tell me, now!

Mirror: It is Snow White, your stepdaughter.

Stepmother: Snow White? This must not be!

Narrator: The king had to go to war.

King: I don't want to go, but I must.

Snow White: Be careful, Daddy.

Stepmother: Come back soon, Dear.

King: I'll try.

Narrator: The stepmother tried to leave Snow White in the woods.

Snow White: The woods are very pretty, Mummy.

Stepmother: Oh, dear. You are back.

Narrator: Then the stepmother told the royal hunter to take Snow White to the woods and accidentally kill her.

Royal Hunter: Snow White, you must run away. It's not safe here.

Snow White: Where can I go?

Royal Hunter: Some people who live in the woods may be kind.

Narrator: Snow White wandered around the woods for a long time. Then she came to a small cottage.

Snow White: Who lives here? Are they kind?

Narrator: No one was home. But Snow White was very hungry, so she went inside anyway.

Snow White: No one is here. But this place is a mess, so I will clean it up.

Narrator: There was a table with seven plates and seven cups and seven small chairs in one room.

Snow White: Oh, there is food here. I shouldn't eat it, but I am very hungry.

Narrator: So she had a tiny bit from each plate.

Snow White: Now I need a nap.

Narrator: In another room, there were seven small beds. Snow white found one that fit her and lay down for a nap.

Snow White: ZZZzzzzz.

Narrator: While Snow White slept, the seven dwarves who lived in the cottage came home.

Dwarf 1: Someone has been eating from my plate!

Dwarves 2, 3,4, & 5 (in unison): Mine, too!

Narrator: And in the other room, ...

Dwarf 6: Someone has been sleeping in our beds!

Dwarf 7: Here she is!

Dwarf 5: She is beautiful!

Dwarf 4: I don't care. Throw her out!

Snow White (waking up): Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean any harm.

Dwarf 2: Someone has been cleaning up!

Dwarf 4: Oh.

Dwarf 3: What's your name, young lady?

Snow White: My name is Snow White.

Narrator: So the Dwarves let Snow White stay, and she helped clean.

Dwarf 4: But while we are working, you must never let anyone in!

Snow White: Okay.

Narrator: Back at the castle, the Stepmother was worried.

Stepmother: Mirror, ...

Mirror: There are better ways to spend your time than vanity.

Stepmother: Don't stall. Who is the most beautiful now?

Mirror: It won't make you happy to know.

Stepmother: Where is she?

Mirror: Somewhere in the woods.

Narrator: So the wicked stepmother dressed up like an old lady selling lace and went looking for Snow White.

Stepmother: There she is!

Narrator: She knocked on the door.

Snow White: I'm not supposed to let anyone in!

Stepmother: But that's just for bad people. I'm not a bad person!

Narrator: And when Snow White let her in, she showed her a lace bodice.

Stepmother: Here. Try it on.

Narrator: But she tied Snow White's bodice so tight that she couldn't breath.

Snow White: I .. can't .. breath!

Stepmother: I'm sorry, but I can't have anyone more beautiful than I am.

Narrator: When the dwarves returned, Snow White had fainted.

Dwarf 5: Snow White! What happened?

Dwarf 4: It's too tight! She can't breath.

Narrator: So they loosened the bodice and Snow White gradually woke up.

Dwarf 1: Oh, we're so glad you are okay!

Snow White: Thank you, everyone.

Dwarf 4: Remember, you mustn't let anyone in, not even nice old ladies!

Narrator: Back at the castle, ...

Stepmother: So, Mirror, is Snow White still the most beautiful?

Mirror: Why, yes. It seems she has completely recovered.

Stepmother: Oh, no!

Mirror: And jealousy is bad for your complexion. Leave it alone and you will be more beautiful than you are now.

Stepmother: But I must be the most beautiful of all!

Narrator: This time, the wicked stepmother dressed up as an old hag selling apples.

Stepmother: Little girl, like a nice apple?

Narrator: But the reddest half of the apple was poisoned.

Snow White: Well, you don't even look like a nice old lady.

Stepmother: But my apples are sweet.

Snow White: And the apple looks only half-ripe. Please go away, old lady.

Stepmother: See, I'll eat the green side. Then you can have the red side.

Show White: Well, in that case, ...

Narrator: But the poison was very quick-acting, so Snow White fainted without swallowing it.

Stepmother: You poor thing. I'm afraid I didn't teach you not to trust strangers, did I? Oh, no, what have I done?

Narrator: When she was back at the castle, the stepmother went to the mirror.

Mirror: She is more beautiful in death than you are alive.

Stepmother: What!?

Mirror: I warned you. Vanity and jealousy only make you ugly.

Narrator: Now it was the stepmother's turn to swoon.

Stepmother: Ooooohhhh!

Royal Hunter: The queen has fainted dead away!

Narrator: Out on the battlefield, the king was fighting the enemy's prince.

King: Why are we fighting against each other?

Prince: I don't know. Should we quit?

King: I think so.

Narrator: So the war ended, and everyone made friends and went home.

King, Prince, and Soldiers: Take care! Goodbye!

Narrator: The dwarves were very sad that Snow White was dead.

Dwarf 2: I suppose we have to have a funeral.

Dwarf 3: I don't want to say goodbye to her.

Dwarf 4: Her body doesn't change. I wonder if she's really dead.

Dwarf 7: Let's put her on a bed here in the cottage.

Narrator: When the king returned, he thought he had lost everything, and he was very sad.

King: Oh! Woe is me!

Royal Hunter: I think I know where Snow White is.

Stepmother: But I have killed her. I am evil, kill me!

Narrator: The prince passed the dwarves' cottage when it was dark.

Prince: May we spend the night here?

Dwarf 5: Okay. But please don't disturb Snow White.

Prince: She's beautiful. Is she asleep?

Dwarf 6: We can't wake her up.

Prince: May I try?

Narrator: So the prince tried artificial respiration.

Prince: First we have to clear the mouth of foreign matter. Oh, there's a piece of apple. Let's wash her mouth with water.

Narrator: The prince was an Eagle Scout, so he knew how to do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Snow White: Oh! My. Your lips are soft!.

Prince: Sorry. I thought I could wake you up.

Snow White: I guess you did. Thank you.

Narrator: Just then, the king and the stepmother and the Royal Hunter and many servants arrived at the Dwarves' cottage.

King: Hello! is anyone home?

Dwarves: Oh, dear, it's the king! We're in trouble!

Prince: Don't worry. He's my friend.

Snow White: Father! I'm okay! But I think Mummy needs help.

King: Oh, it's you, Prince!

Prince: You have a beautiful daughter. And she's awake now.

King: We checked the poison the queen used, and it was just a very strong soporific.

Stepmother: I'm sorry everyone.

Snow White: Oh, I was sure you didn't really want to kill me.

Narrator: So the stepmother talked with the royal psychologist every day for a full year, until she was sure that she could quit being jealous of other beautiful people.

Mirror: So, who's the most beautiful woman of all?

Stepmother: Everyone is beautiful to someone.

Snow White: That's right, Mummy.

King: The Prince is coming to visit.

Snow White: I'm looking forward to seeing him again. Do you like him, Mummy and Daddy?

King and Stepmother: Of course!

Stepmother: Oooh. Oh, dear. I think it's time to call the doctor.

King: I'm on my way.

Snow White: I hope I'll have a little brother.

Narrator: And that's how the new queen learned to be kind.


with notes TOC Scene 1

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