Classic plays performed by elementary school students: recommended works roundup

Snow White

English Play Presentation on Dec 13, 2017 – Class 2-2: Snow White

Snow White, one of the famous Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

I’m sure you all know the story in which the prince saves Snow White after she eats a poisoned apple and loses her life due to the queen’s scheme.

The highlight of this play is the appearance of the seven dwarfs, which allows for seven roles to be cast.

With so many characters, you can solve the dilemma of “which child should play which part,” while giving each student a chance to shine.

And if you take that idea further, you don’t have to stick to the number seven—you can even adapt it to match the number of students in your class.

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Araki Jakkan

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Urashima Taro

Senior Class Urashima Taro Play My Movie.wmv

Old folktales are back in the spotlight thanks to AU’s commercials, and one of the most iconic among them is surely Urashima Taro.

Everyone knows the plot: Urashima Taro rescues a turtle, is taken by it to the Dragon Palace where he enjoys a delightful time, and when he returns to his world, many years have passed and no one he knows remains.

He opens the forbidden treasure box and instantly turns into an old man.

Still, a play that blends fantasy with a moral is enjoyable no matter how many times you see it.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Town Musicians of Bremen

Operetta “The Town Musicians of Bremen”

The Town Musicians of Bremen, one of the famous Grimm’s fairy tales, is also perfect to showcase at a school festival! Not only is the story widely known, but making and wearing animal costumes will definitely create lasting memories.

And if you also practice instruments and perform the music yourselves, the production will be even more polished and memorable!

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Hane Keisuke

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The Rolling Rice Ball

The Rolling Rice Ball

It’s a famous folktale also known as “The Rice Cake-Pounding Mice” and “Mouse Pure Land.” “Pure Land”? That sounds like a tricky word, doesn’t it? There’s a well-known song that repeats the words from Omusubi Kororin, so it might be fun to arrange it like a musical centered around that song.

In the biggest highlight—the scene where you choose either the big chest or the small chest—you can use a spotlight to create a sense of excitement! You can have as many mice as you like, so it’s a great recommendation for a school performance with lots of students.

The story is simple, so it might even be suitable for children around preschool age!

Rapunzel on the Tower

The Disney animated adaptation of the Grimm fairy tale Rapunzel.

It’s a classic, easy-to-follow Disney princess story, so I think it’s a good, approachable choice.

The setting—like the tower—makes the situations easy to grasp, and creating stage props is sure to be fun.

The Three Little Pigs

120201 Asahi Kindergarten, Sakura Class (Junior), Play: “The Three Little Pigs”

It was an old piece of folklore, but it became famous after Disney used it as the subject of an animated film in 1933.

You can also read the lesson: “If you’re going to make something, it’s better to build it well rather than make a flimsy version.” Since there aren’t many characters, try increasing the number of wolves or villains to balance out the cast.

It’s fine to adapt the straw house into something like a cardboard house, too.

Because it’s a short story, you can insert a scene that shows the three siblings getting along well.

As long as you can highlight how cute the little pig roles are, it should be perfectly doable even for first graders!

The Ant and the Grasshopper

FY2018 Minami Nursery School Performance Festival, Dandelion Class (4-year-olds), Play (The Ant and the Grasshopper)

This famous story “The Ant and the Grasshopper” was originally “The Ant and the Cicada.” In other sources, it even appears as “The Ant and the Beetle.” The longer a tale’s history, the more anecdotes it accumulates, doesn’t it? Since the motif of “the importance of hard work” is solid, I think it’s easy for children to perform.

If you cast about 20 Ants and 20 Grasshoppers, the stage will likely be lively.

Portray the Ants’ working scenes as enjoying their labor and the Grasshoppers as reveling in life; if you stage each in a musical style, the performers can showcase both acting and singing.

It’s a recommended piece that I believe even first graders can handle.