Aesop's Fables on Stage

By Julie Meighan

This book is a collection of plays that have been adapted from Aesop's most famous fables. They can be used as performance plays, readers theatre or just used to promote reading in groups. Each play is between five and ten minutes long. The plays can be adapted to suit the various needs of the group. The cast list is very flexible – more characters can be added. Characters can be changed or omitted. In addition, the teacher/group leader can assume the role of the storyteller if the children are unable to read or not at the reading level required. Also included in this book is a variety of drama activities. These activities are designed to be fun and enjoyable as well as promoting group cohesion, character development and creativity.

The plays in the collection are:
The Lion and the Mouse
The Ants and the Grasshopper
The Hare and the Tortoise
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse
Belling the Cat
The Miller, his Son and the Donkey
The Fox and the Crow
The Cockerel and the Fox
The Goatherd and the Wild Goats
The North Wind and the Sun
The Fox and the Cat
The Fox that lost his tail
The Cat and the Hen
The Peacock and the Crane
The Dog and the Bone
The Ant and the Dove
The Crow and the Pitcher

• Language: English
• Publisher: Julie Meighan
• Release date: Dec 6, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310544811

Julie Meighan

Julie Meighan is a lecturer in Drama in Education at the Cork Institute of Technology. She has taught Drama to all age groups and levels.

Book preview

Aesop’s Fables

A Collection of Children’s Plays

By

Julie Meighan

Aesop’s Fables

A Collection of Children’s Plays

First published in 2015

Copyright Julie Meighan 2015

Smashwords Edition

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Published by JemBooks at Smashwords.

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About the Author

Julie Meighan is a lecturer in Drama in Education at the Cork Institute of Technology. She has taught Drama to all age groups and levels. She is the author of the Amazon bestselling Drama Start: Drama Activities, Plays and Monologues for Young Children (Ages 3 -8) ISBN 978-0956896605, Drama Start Two: Drama Activities and Plays for Children (Ages 9 -12) ISBN 978-0-9568966-1-2 and Stage Start: 20 Plays for Children (Ages 3-12) ISBN 978-0956896629.

Table of contents:

About the Author

Introduction

About Aesop

About Fables

Write your own fable

Drama activities

Game: Magic Rocks

Game: Octopus

Game: Crossing the circle

Game: If I could be an Animal…

Game: The Lion’s Court

Game: The 10-second machines

Game: Crows and Cranes

Game: Animals, animals where are you?

Game: Sleeping Lions/Tigers/Cows

Game: Alien, Cow and Tiger

Game: Caterpillar

Aesop’s Plays

The Lion and the Mouse

The Ants and the Grasshopper

The Hare and the Tortoise

The Boy Who Cried Wolf

The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse

Belling the Cat

The Miller, his Son and the Donkey

The Fox and the Crow

The Cockerel and the Fox

The Goatherd and the Wild Goats

The Sun and the North Wind

The Fox and the Cat

The Fox who lost his tail

The Cat and the Hen

The Peacock and the Crane

The Dog and the Bone

The Ant and the Dove

The Crow and the Pitcher

An invitation

Introduction:

This book is a collection of plays that have been adapted from Aesop’s most famous fables. They can be used as performance plays, readers theatre or just used to promote reading in groups. Each play is between five and ten minutes long. The plays can be adapted to suit the various needs of the group. The cast list is very flexible – more characters can be added. Characters can be changed or omitted. In addition, the teacher/group leader can assume the role of the storyteller if the children are unable to read or not at the reading level required. Also included in this book is a variety of drama activities. These activities are designed to be fun and enjoyable as well as promoting group cohesion, character development and creativity.

Props/costume/stage directions:

There is a minimal amount of props needed for these plays. Costumes can be very simple. The children can just wear clothes that are the same colour as their animal. They can wear a mask or use some face paint. All suggestions for stage directions are included in brackets and italics.

About Aesop:

Aesop was an ancient Greek storyteller who was is believed to have lived around 500 B.C. He was a Phrygian slave. He was owned by two different masters before gaining his