This Pourquoi of Prejudice [1] is used to promote tolerance in the classroom.
The Plot
A chance meeting of a family of frogs and a family of snakes in the woods one day allows wonderful and fun new friendships to be made. Later, when the siblings tell their parents about their new friends, they are told to never play together again. Find out why in this easy-to-produce play that teaches about the serious topic of prejudice.
Understudies
There is no need for casting to become competitive. The casting can include various understudies who take turns playing lead roles as well as participating in the group roles of trees and flowers. Also, the Narrator can be more than one student.
Costumes
Keep it simple: green T-shirts for frogs, gray T-shirts for snakes, yellow for sun, blue for moon, brown for trees, bright colors for flowers, white for wind and black for the narrator and pourquoi instructor. To add art lessons to the production of this play, have students use poster board to make sun, moon, wind, flower and tree faces.
Props
Father Frog needs a large newspaper with a heading The Daily Fly. Parent animals can be sitting watching television, playing cards or cooking. These activities may be pantomimed, without sets, or you may create simple sets to accompany the play.
Suggested Uses of the Play
Options for Early Grades
This play works for preschool children and other young children if parents or guardians read the lines and the children pantomime. Children also can draw the characters, put them on sticks and perform the play as a puppet show.
Discussion Questions
Write an Alternative Ending
Links:
[1] http://www.tolerance.org/sites/default/files/general/r&r_pourquoiplay.pdf