Fairytales
Snow White and Rose Red
Casting List
Snow White- Nina Martin
Rose Red- Joy Mercer
Widow- Mara Jaffray
Bear/Prince 1- Fabian Rutter
Prince 2- Jerome Clarke
Dwarf- Eddie Miller
Narrator - Alfie Lewis
Sorceress- Patricia Williamson
Makeup- Amber Millington
Costumes and angel child- Willow Jenks
Director- KT Rush
"So Joy and Nina, Rose Red is the outgoing one while Snow White is the quieter one. We changed the play around, so the Dwarf is the spell caster, the sorceress that is in love with the dwarf does. If the dwarf gets killed, the spell is broken and the witch dies. Alfie, you are going to narrate the whole play, so you'll be on the whole time."
The Play
Alfie: There once was a poor widow who lived in a lonely cottage. In front of the cottage was a garden which had two rose trees, one had red roses and the other white. She had two little girls tat reminded her of the rose trees, so one was named Snow White and the other Rose Red. They were sweet and happy, and busy and cheerful as any other children in the world, only Snow White was quieter and gentler than Rose Red. Rose Red liked to run around the fields and the meadows finding flowers and catching butterflies; while Snow White sat at home with her mother and help her with the housework or read when there was nothing else to do. Rose Red and Snow White loved each other so much that they always held hands when going out together.
Nina: We will not leave each other!
Joy: Never as long as we live!
Mara: What one has they must share with the other.
Alfie: They often went into the woods together and picked berries and no animals did them any harm, but came close trusting them. The little bunnies would eat leaves out of their hands, the gazelles leaping beside them, and the birds sat upon their shoulders singing whatever they knew. No problems frightened them; if they stayed in the woods too late and night came, they simply laid down in the moss and slept till morning came, and their mother knew this and never worried. Once when the slept in the woods and the dawn awoke them, they saw a beautiful little child sitting near their bed. She got up and looked kindly at them, but said nothing and went back into the woods. When they looked around, they saw a ledge quite near, in fact, if they had gone a few more steps over, they would have fallen.
Joy: A young girl visited us this morning, she was so pale but she was so beautiful.
Nina: She was dressed all in white, and then she disappeared in the forest.
Joy: After she disappeared, we went looking for her and found a ledge a few paces away from where we were!
Mara: It must have been an angel watching over you good children.
Alfie: Every night the girls kept the cottage sparkling clean. Every morning two roses were laid on the widow's bed, a rose from each tree. Every evening the snowflakes start to fall so the fireplace is always lit.
Mara: Go, Snow White, go lock the door.
Alfie: One night they were all sitting together when a knock comes from the door.
Mara: Quick, Rose Red, open the door, it must be a traveler seeking shelter.
Alfie: Rose Red went and unlocked the door, thinking it was a poor man, but it was not; it was a bear that stretched his big black head in the door.
Joy: Screams
Alfie: Rose Red springs back, the lamb bleats, the dove flutters, and snow white his behind her mother's bed.
Fabian: Do not be afraid, I will do you no harm! I am half frozen and I only want to warm up by your fireplace.
Mara: Poor Bear. Lie down by the fire; just make sure not to burn your fur. Snow White, Rose Red, come out, the bear will do no harm, he means well.
Alfie: They both came out, and the lamb and dove came nearer, and were not afraid of him.
Fabian: Here, girls could you knock some of the snow off my fur a little.
Alfie: The girls brought over the broom and knock the coat clean. He stretched himself by the fire and growled contently and comfortably. It was not long till they grew quite at home and played games with their guest. They tugged and played with his fur, hopped on his back and rode him around. He took it all in good fun, and only spoke when they got too rough.
Fabian: Leave me alive children, would you want your bear dead?
Narrator: It was soon time for bed, so the widow sent the girls up.
Widow: You may lie here by the fire, so you will be safe from the cold and bad weather.
Narrator: Every evening after the bear came at the same time, laid himself by the fire, and let the children play with him as much as they liked; and they got so used to him that the doors were never locked until their furry friend had come. When spring arrived and everything was green, the bear was about to leave when he turned back.
Bear: Now I must go away and I cannot come back for the whole summer.
Snow White: Where are you going then, dear bear?
Bear: I must go into the forest and guard my treasure from the wicked dwarves and their sorceress. In the winter, when the Earth is frozen, they cannot come and work through the ground, but now, when the sun has thawed the ground, they can work through it and pry and steal. What once they have and hide in the caves, does not easily see daylight again.
Narrator: Snow White was saddened by their friend's departure and as she unlocked the door for him, he was caught against the lock and a piece of his fur was torn off. It seemed to have gold under it, but she was not sure. Before she could look closer, the bear disappeared into the woods. A short time afterwards the mother sent the kids into the woods to get firewood. There they found a big tree which lay fallen on the ground and close by the trunk was something jumping backwards and forwards, but they couldn't see what it was. When they went closer they found it was a dwarf with an old withered face and a snow white beard a yard long. The end of his beard was caught in part of the tree, and the dwarf was jumping around like a dog tied to a rope that didn't know what to do. He glared at the girls with fiery red eyes.
Dwarf: Why are you just standing there? Can you help me over here?
Rose Red: What are you up to, little man?
Dwarf: You stupid, prying goose! I was splitting this tree for firewood. I had just gotten the wedge in and everything was working fine; but the cursed wedge was too smooth and suddenly came out, and the tree closed so quickly that I couldn't pull out my beautiful white beard; so now it is tight and I cannot get away and the silly, sleek, milk-faced things laugh! Ugh! How repulsive you are!
Narrator: The girls tried to very hard, but could not pull the beard out, it had caught too fast.
Rose Red: I will run and find help.
Dwarf: You senseless goose! Why should you find someone? You are already two too many for me; can you not think of anything better?
Snow White- Don't be impatient. I will help you.
Narrator: Snow White pulled her scissors out of her pocket and cut off the end of his beard. As soon as he was free, he grabbed a bag which lay among the roots of the tree, and which was full of gold, and lifted it up, grumbling to himself: 'Uncouth people, to cut off a piece of my fine beard. Bad luck to you!' and then he swung the bag upon his back, and went off without even once looking at the children. Some time afterwards Snow-white and Rose-red went to catch a dish of fish. As they came near the brook they saw something like a large grasshopper jumping towards the water, as if it were going to leap in. They ran to it and found it was the dwarf.
Rose Red: Where are you going? You surely don't want to go into the water?
Dwarf: I am not such a fool. Don't you see that the accursed fish wants to pull me in?
Narrator: The Dwarf had been sitting there fishing, and unluckily the wind had tangled up his beard with the fishing-line; a moment later a big fish made a bite and the feeble creature had not strength to pull it out; the fish kept the upper hand and pulled the dwarf towards him. He held on to all the reeds and rushes, but it was of little good, for he was forced to follow the movements of the fish, and was in urgent danger of being dragged into the water. The girls came just in time; they held him fast and tried to free his beard from the line, but all in vain, beard and line were entangled fast together. There was nothing to do but to bring out the scissors and cut the beard, whereby a small part of it was lost. When the dwarf saw that he screamed.
Dwarf: Is that civil, you toadstool, to disfigure a man's face? Was it not enough to clip off the end of my beard? Now you have cut off the best part of it. I cannot let myself be seen by my people. I wish you had been made to run the soles off your shoes!
Narrator: Then he took out a sack of pearls which lay in the rushes, and without another word he dragged it away and disappeared behind a stone. It happened that soon afterwards the mother sent the two children to the town to buy needles and thread, and laces and ribbons. The road led them across a heath upon which huge pieces of rock lay strewn about. There they noticed a large bird hovering in the air, flying slowly round and round above them; it sank lower and lower, and at last settled near a rock not far away. Immediately they heard a loud, piteous cry. They ran up and saw with horror that the eagle had seized their old acquaintance the dwarf, and was going to carry him off. The children, full of pity, at once took tight hold of the little man, and pulled against the eagle so long that at last he let his booty go. Soon the dwarf had recovered from his first fright.
Dwarf: Could you not have done it more carefully! You dragged at my brown coat so that it is all torn and full of holes, you clumsy creatures!
Narrator: He took up a sack full of precious stones and slipped away again under the rock into his hole. The girls, who by this time were used to his ingratitude, went on their way and did their business in town. As they crossed the heath again on their way home they surprised the dwarf, who had emptied out his bag of precious stones in a clean spot, and had not thought that anyone would come there so late. The evening sun shone upon the brilliant stones; they glittered and sparkled with all colors so beautifully that the children stood still and stared at them.
Dwarf: Why do you stand gaping there?
Narrator: his ashen- grey face became copper-red with rage. He was still cursing when a loud growling was heard, and a black bear came trotting towards them out of the forest. The dwarf sprang up in a fright, but he could not reach his cave, for the bear was already close.
Dwarf: Dear Mr. Bear, spare me, I will give you all my treasures; look, the beautiful jewels lying there! Grant me my life; what do you want with such a slender little fellow as I? You would not feel me between your teeth. Come, take these two wicked girls, they are tender morsels for you, fat as young quails; for mercy's sake eat them!
Narrator: The bear took no heed of his words, but gave the wicked creature a single blow with his paw, for the Dwarf had transformed into a tall woman. She cackled and smoke surrounded her. For she had disappeared into the smoke cloud.
Bear- Snow-White and Rose-Red do not be afraid; wait, I will come with you.
Narrator: They recognized his voice and waited, and when he came up to them suddenly his bearskin fell off, and he stood there a handsome man, clothed all in gold.
Bear/Prince- I am a king's son, and I was bewitched by that wicked sorceress, who had stolen my treasures; I have had to run about the forest as a savage bear until I was freed by his death. Now he has got his well-deserved punishment.
Narrator: Snow-white was married to him, and Rose-red to his brother, and they divided between them the great treasure which the dwarf had gathered together in his cave. The old mother lived peacefully and happily with her children for many years. She took the two rose-trees with her, and they stood before her window, and every year bore the most beautiful roses, white and red.