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A Nation Of Ordinary People

$20.00

“Pilgrims, Patriots and Pioneers” This play is like a history lesson as each scene takes you to a different time in our nation’s past. The play begins with a town gathering for their annual picnic and the kindly old Daniel begins telling the kids about the ordinary people who helped make our country great. Each following scene is acted out starting with the pilgrims in 1621 and ending with World War 2 in 1945.

All the stories are based on real people and real situations, with a few fictional characters thrown in and some imagined dialogue. Some pilgrim women meet Squanto, the Indian who helped them get through the first winter in Plymouth. Abigail Adams has Martha Washington to tea to discuss the most recent letter from John. A pioneer wagon train on the way to Oregon finds they have seven orphaned children to deal with. Katherine Wright introduces her famous brothers to some friends who want to hear all about that famous first flight. Two soldiers learn to cope in a prisoner of war camp in Germany in 1945.31 female and 29 male roles fill this large cast. Very easy to have your actors play 2 or 3 parts. Great costume piece. About 60-65 mintues.
CAST OF CHARACTERS:

LEAD ROLES: DANIEL MELENCAMP, ABIGAIL ADAMS, KATHERINE WRIGHT, SALLY SHAW, BILLY SHAW, ORVILLE WRIGHT, WILBUR WRIGHT, ROBERT SWARTZ, THOMAS STITZ, WILLIAM BRADFORD, SQUANTO, JOHN SAGER, MARTHA WASHINGTON, REV. MITCHELL, MRS. EADS, ELIZABETH HOPKINS AND THE LETTER READERS.CAST OF PICNIC CHARACTERS:DANIEL MELENCAMP: An older gentleman who acts as a town leader and community spokesperson. Wise and good with kids. This character has the most lines.

CHAD, CYNTHIA, MEGAN, AUTUMN, ANGELA, ABBY, JULIE AND TIFFANY: Young children who gather to learn about freedom.

CAST OF PILGRIM CHARACTERS:

WILLIAM BRADFORD: One of the leaders of the pilgrim colony at Plymouth. A historical figure with lines imagined.

SQUANTO: An Indian who became friends with the pilgrims because of his English and helped them through the first winter. A historical figure with lines imagined.

ELIZABETH HOPKINS: One of the pilgrim women who attended “The First Thanksgiving”.

PRISCILLA MULLINS: 19 year old girl in the village.
DESIRE MINTER: 20 years old and in poor health.
STEPHEN HOPKINS: Elizabeth’s husband.
CONSTANCE HOPKINS: Their 13 year old daughter.
GILES HOPKINS: Their young son.
RICHARD WARREN: A single man in the village.

CAST OF PATRIOT CHARACTERS:

ABIGAIL ADAMS: Wife of future president John Adams. Historical figure with lines imagined. Reads from actual letter written by her husband to her.

MARTHA WASHINGTON: Wife of the head of the army and future first president, George Washington. Historical figure with lines imagined.

HESTER: Fictional colonial woman.
WINIFRED: Fictional colonial woman, wife of a loyalist.
TEMPERANCE: Hester’s daughter.
PRUDENCE: Hester’s daughter.
SERVANT: Could be male or female.

CAST OF PIONEER CHARACTERS: (all real people)

SALLY SHAW: A kindly pioneer woman on the wagon train

BILLY SHAW: Sally’s husband and captain of the wagon train.

JOHN SAGER: A 14 year old orphan who looks and acts 16.

MRS. EADS: A pioneer woman who took care of the Sager baby.

DOCTOR DAGON: A German doctor who speaks broken English. Should have strong German accent.

CATHERINE SAGER: John’s 9 year old sister.
FRANK SAGER: The 12 year old brother.
ELIZABETH SAGER: Around 7 or 8.
MATILDA SAGER: Around 5 or 6.
LOUISA SAGER: Around 4.

CAST OF CHARACTERS FOR PILOTS SCENE:

KATHERINE WRIGHT: The younger sister of the Wright Brothers.

ORVILLE WRIGHT: Historical figure of first powered flight.

WILBUR WRIGHT: Historical figure of first powered flight.

SUSANNE: Fictional character
PAULINE: Fictional character
CHARLES: Fictional character
INVENTORS: 14 walk-on parts with mostly just one line each.

CAST OF PRISONERS OF WAR CHARACTERS:

2ND LT. ROBERT R. SWARTZ: A real prisoner of war at Stalag Luft 1 in Germany during WW2.

THOMAS STITZ: Another prisoner. Lines imagined.

FIRST WOMAN AND SECOND WOMAN: Reading a letter from Swartz taken from his actual writings.

REV. H.A.M. MITCHELL: Tall Presbyterian minister from New Zealand. Taken from his actual sermon notes.

Excerpt:

DR. DAGON
Mrs. Eads, vat are de children doing? Vy do day stay in dat vagon?
MRS. EADS
They are having a family meeting. John is trying so hard to keep them together and he is trying to comfort the younger ones. He is becoming quite the young man. This is making him grow up very fast. What is he, 16?
SALLY SHAW
He’s 13! Oh…maybe he turned 14 recently.
MRS. EADS
Is that all? Oh my! Well, he looks 16 and he acts like he’s 20!
DR. DAGON
But he’s a kid! Dat boy cannot be fodder to dose kids! I say ve take dem to de mission. Maybe de gut doctor dere vill take dem all. He has a vife I hear.
MRS. EADS
I don’t care how good they are… no one will want all seven! I am growing very attached to this little one. I would not mind keeping her. I’m sure that will be a burden lifted off of their shoulders.
SALLY SHAW
Have you said anything to John about that?
MRS. EADS
Right now, John would not agree to that. He thinks they can manage it somehow. But that is just not realistic. I know his mother told him on her death bed that he should keep the children together… but we have to be realistic. This is a new land. Life is different now. We have to make new rules.
BILLY SHAW
And we need to convince them that we have their best interest in mind and help them arrive at the best solutions.
MRS. EADS
Do you think that the Whitman mission is the best place for them? I know many families in our train who are willing to take one of the children.
BILLY SHAW
If the Whitmans will take them… then they can stay together. That would be the best thing. John is determined that they will stay together.
SALLY SHAW
Well… here they come now.
MRS. EADS
I think I need to get little Henrietta to sleep. (Exit)
John, Frank, Catherine (using a stick crutch), Elizabeth, Matilda and Louisa enter.
SALLY SHAW
How are you kids doing?
JOHN SAGER
We are fine. We’ve been talking about our family.
BILLY SHAW
That’s good, John. We want you to know that we are here to help.
JOHN SAGER
Kids…why don’t you all come and gather around Uncle Billy and Aunt Sally and we can talk. Hannah Louise…you can sit on my lap.
CATHERINE SAGER
John thinks he is our papa now.
JOHN SAGER
Mamma said that I have to take care of all of you and keep us all together!
SALLY SHAW
And you are doing a fine job of that, John. Your ma and pa would be so proud.
JOHN SAGER
Uncle Billy…I need to talk to you about the mission. You said that you could take us there.
BILLY SHAW
John, I think that is the best thing. We are still a few weeks away from getting there. We have to cross the Blue Mountains. When we get closer, I will ride on ahead and make sure that they can take you.
JOHN SAGER
It’s only for awhile, till we can get some land and build a house, and then Frank and I will take our sisters and go and live there.
SALLY SHAW
Oh, John. You can’t be by yourselves! That just can’t be the best thing!
JOHN SAGER
We’ve talked about it, Aunt Sally, and that is what we decided.
FRANK SAGER
John and I are both good hunters and we both can shoot.
SALLY SHAW
Those little girls need a mother
CATHERINE SAGER
I will be their mother.
BILLY SHAW
Well, that doesn’t have to be decided now, John. You get to the mission and see how you like it there. The Whitmans will be like parents to you, and that will be something that you need. They are good people. Good God fearin’ folks and you can get raised up good, livin’ with them.
MATILDA SAGER
Aunt Sally? Can’t we just live with you and Uncle Billy?
SALLY SHAW
I wish you could, Matilda.
JOHN SAGER
Mattie… we talked about this!
MATILDA SAGER
I don’t want to go to the mission!
SALLY SHAW
Matilda honey…I think you will like it there. You need to give it a chance. They have a place where you can run and play and you won’t have to ride in a wagon anymore. And there are other children there.
ELIZABETH SAGER
There are other children there?
SALLY SHAW
I believe the Whitmans take care of other children that have come on the trail. Some have lost their parents like you kids, and some are just waiting for their new homes to be built in Oregon.
BILLY SHAW
Besides…your pa told me that he wanted us to take you there if anything happened to him.
ELIZABETH SAGER
He did?
FRANK SAGER
You see? We’re doing the right thing. It’s what pa wanted!
BILLY SHAW
John, we need to talk about your wagon. It’s just going to be too heavy to get across the Snake River and the Blue Mountains.
JOHN SAGER
What do we have to do?
BILLY SHAW
I’m afraid you will have to leave a lot of your folks’ things behind. We’ve all had to do it. In fact, we are going to have to cut your wagon down and make it smaller. More like a cart.
JOHN SAGER
That sounds like a lot of work.
DR. DAGON
Ve vill help you wit dat, John. Don’t you vorry ‘bout it none.
CATHERINE SAGER
Thank you Dr. Dagon. We’re glad for the help even if John doesn’t say it.
ELIZABETH SAGER
We have to leave Momma’s things here?
SALLY SHAW
We’ve all had to leave things, sweetie. It’s the way it is. You probably won’t need those things at the mission anyway.
BILLY SHAW
It’s getting late everybody. We should all be getting to bed.
SALLY SHAW
Would Louisa like to sleep in our wagon tonight?
JOHN SAGER
We’re gonna stay together.
SALLY SHAW
John, I only meant for tonight.
CATHERINE SAGER
She’ll be okay with us. Thanks anyway Aunt Sally.
SALLY SHAW
Well, okay then. Good night, children. Come on Billy. (They exit)

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