The History of Easter - TEFL Theater Script

Two months ago, my school put on a short play which taught the history and evolution of Easter. I wrote about it last month but I didn't post the script of it. Here's the script if you would like to read it. Most of the parents and teachers enjoyed it, especially the middle and end scene as they involved small Easter egg hunts.  Our final performance didn't mirror the script 100% as we made some minor changes. Still, the script remained about 95% accurate.

We incorporated some instrumental music into the play, namely:

• Appalachian Spring/Simple Gifts
• Dragon Age by Lindsey Stirling
• Amazing Grace from the soundtrack of the film Memphis Belle

Scene 1 – Pagan Times

The narrator goes on stage.

Narrator: Good evening, everyone. Next month, on April 5th, Christians around the world will celebrate Easter. Easter is a special religious holiday for Christians, but many people who don’t believe in Christ celebrate Easter. One major Easter tradition is the Easter Bunny, few people have seen the Easter Bunny and know who, or what, he is. That is why today we will tell you about the Easter bunny and the tradition of Easter.

The narrator leaves the stage.

Easter Bunny Dad sits at a table and paint eggs. His sons, LB1 and LB2 sit next to him.

LB 1: Father, when I grow up, will I be the Easter Bunny like you?

EB Dad: Of course you will! You’ll go around and give people beautiful Easter eggs.

LB 2: And me!? I want to give eggs and make children happy too!

EB Dad: You too! The both of you can make children around the world happy!

LB 2: Awesome! By the way, Dad, I’ve always wanted to ask you something.

EB Dad: I bet you’re going to ask why we’re called Easter Bunnies?

LB 2: That’s right! How did you know?

LB 1: Why Easter? What does it mean? It’s such a strange word. It looks like a name from some strange place.

EB Dad: Well, my sons. I think it’s time to tell you about our history. Our family started during pre-Christian Germany when people followed pagan gods. During the spring, people worshipped the goddess of spring and fertility and her name was Ostara, or Eostre. *pronounced “YO-ster”*

Children walk out carrying lit candles. Child 1 follows carrying a basket. They walk in a slow circle three times as "Dragon Age" music plays.

All children stop and kneel.

Children: Goddess Ostara... Goddess Ostara...

The tree goddess Ostara slowly emerges from behind a barrier.

Child 1 walks to Ostara with baskets filled with eggs and grass.

Child 1 – Goddess Ostara, we give you these eggs as a symbol of our love and belief. We hope you will be kind to us!

Ostara accepts the basket.

Ostara – Thank you, my dears. For your nice gifts, I shall make sure you have a wonderful spring filled with great harvests!

Ostara and children leave.

Scene 2 – Middle Ages

Narrator enters.

Narrator – The people of England also offered baskets of eggs to Ostara. The Egg is a symbol of new life. Many ancient cultures believed that the world began with a single egg.

Narrator exits.

LB 1: But Daaaaad! Where do the Bunnies come in?

EB Dad: Well, here’s what happened…

Two children and mother enter. Music of "Appalachian Spring" plays.

Mother is sitting at a table and children walk to her.

Child 1: Mom, Easter is near!

Child 2: What will we receive?

Child 1: I want candy!

Child 2: I want toys!

Mother: Children, please, don’t be loud. I’ve got a surprise for you! Now go wash your hands for dinner.

The children leave. Mom looks tired and stressed.

Mother: What shall I do? I have no money for candy and toys. Oh, I know, I’ll send them to the forest to find eggs. To make it better, I’ll paint them with pretty pictures!

The children enter.

Child 1: My hands are washed.

Child 2: And so are mine.

Mother: Very good. Now eat your dinner. And when Easter arrives, go to the forest. There, you must look for rare, painted eggs that no one knows about.

Child 1: Really?

Child 2: Wow!

Mother and children exit.

LB 2: So where do the bunnies come in?

EB Dad: Just wait a second…

Mother and children enter carrying baskets and looking for Easter eggs.

Little Bunny 1 hops past mother and children.

Child 1: Mom, look! A bunny!

Child 1, Child 2 and Mother follow Little Bunny 1. Little Bunny 1 disappears but eggs are left behind.

Child 2: Eggs!

Child 1: Bunny?

Child 2: Eggs?

Child 1 and Child 2: Bunny's eggs!

Child 1 and Child 2 pick up the eggs and show Mother.

Child 1: Wow, Mom! That was so cool.

Child 2: I’ve got so many beautiful eggs!

Mother: I’m glad you’re happy.

Child 1: To think, I never knew bunnies laid eggs before but these came from a Bunny's nest.

Mother: But bunnies don’t lay eggs.

Child 2: These ones do! Wait until I tell all my friends at school that bunnies lay Easter eggs.

Mother and children exit.

EB Dad: Our tradition of painting eggs for people comes from England. During the Middle Ages, people from noble families gave each other gold-covered eggs as Easter presents.

LB 1: Wouldn’t that be expensive?

EB Dad: It was.

LB 2: So how did it change?

EB Dad: Well, the act of giving eggs became very popular but instead of gold eggs, people gave normal, hard-boiled eggs which had been painted or dyed. We still do this today, and the people of Britain hang eggs with ribbons or strings on trees, just like Christmas.

Scene 3 – Modern Times

LB: Dad, this history is so cool! But it seems that the way we celebrate Easter hasn’t changed TOO much. I mean, we still do Easter egg hunts, we paint Easter eggs and we eat lots of candy!

EB Dad: That’s correct. These days, families do go to church, have a very nice meal and place simple games like the Easter Egg hunt. But for kids, the best part of Easter is the very beginning. When children wake up, the first thing they do is run around the house.

Child 1 and Child 2 run around the theatre hall music of "Amazing Grace" plays.

EB Dad: They start looking for a big basket of candy that their parents hid for them to find.

Child 1 and Child 2 start looking in various spots around the room. They pick up eggs from hidden spots.

EB Dad: Once they find the basket, they eat some of the candy in it, and they save the rest of it for after church.

Child 1 and Child 2 walk to the front of the theatre hall.

Narrator steps out.

Narrator: Thank you for watching our play about Easter. We hoped you enjoyed it. As a small gift of appreciation, please grab a piece of candy or a cookie from the Easter basket.

Everyone stands at the front, bows.

THE END

Remember the 5th of November: A Play About the History of Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night

 

Speaking of plays, I realize I should probably post the script I wrote for Bonfire Night, which was performed this past October. The play went really well and we followed it up with a barbecue. I originally wasn't supposed to be an actor in the play, but one of the students was sick so I had to be an emergency stand-in (you can tell because I'm wearing my Seattle Sounders jersey).

 

At the small bonfire that I might have started, students burned dolls of Guy Fawkes that they had made prior in the year. Burning dolls of Guy Fawkes is a popular English tradition to go with the celebration of Bonfire Night and the survival of the King. The play was written for TEFL students (which is why there are words in ALL CAPS to show the students which words should be emphasized), but I'm sure it can be adjusted for other audiences and students.

 

Bonfire Night Play 

Characters

King James

Guy Fawkes

Thomas Bates

Robert Keyes

Watson/Stranger

Soldier 1

Soldier 2

Commander

Narrator

King James, dressed in royal clothes, talks to the audience from a wooden stage.

King James:

Remember, remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason, why the gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, guy, t'was his intent
To blow up king and parliament.
Three score barrels were laid below
To prove old England's overthrow.

By God's mercy he was catch'd
With a darkened lantern and burning match.
So, holler boys, holler boys, Let the bells ring.
Holler boys, holler boys, God save the king.

And what shall we do with him?

Everyone: BURN HIM!

King James: On this night, you will see what happened many years ago. WHO was the bad man?

Guy Fawkes enters in a black cloak and black hat. King James points at Guy Fawkes.

King James: Guy Fawkes!

The Narrator stands off to the side and speaks to the audience.

Narrator: In the year 1605, there was a Catholic man who was very angry at King James. His name was Guy Fawkes.

Guy Fawkes walks to the centre and looks at the audience.

Guy Fawkes: I AM GUY FAWKES. I want to……………… KILL the king!

Guy Fawkes turns and looks at Thomas Bates, Robert Keyes and Watson entering the stage.

Guy Fawkes: FRIENDS! My close friends! Please! JOIN me and let’s kill the KING.

Thomas Bates: WHY do you want to kill the KING?

Robert Keyes: Has he done something BAD?

Guy Fawkes: King James isn’t nice to Catholics. He tells US what to BELIEVE.

Thomas Bates: That’s HORRIBLE!

Robert Keyes: It is! We must DO something. WHAT are you planning?

Narrator: King James wanted all Catholics in England to become Protestant. As a result, Guy Fawkes wanted to kill King James and put a Catholic king on the throne.

Guy Fawkes: I will destroy the government building with a lot of bombs.

Thomas Bates: I HAVE A WHEELBARROW! YOU CAN BORROW IT!

Thomas Bates runs off stage.

Robert Keyes: What would you like US to do?

Narrator: Guy Fawkes told his friends his plan. Robert and Thomas liked the plan but Watson didn’t.

Watson: Are you SURE this is a good idea?

Guy Fawkes: It is.

Watson: I don’t know.

Thomas Bates returns with a wheelbarrow or cart.

Thomas Bates: HERE’S my wheelbarrow.

Guy Fawkes: FANTASTIC! Come here and I will tell you what to do!

Thomas Bates and Robert Keyes huddle with Guy Fawkes. Watson doesn’t join.

Guy Fawkes: We need to put the gunpowder under Parliament.

Robert Keyes: And when do we light the gunpowder?

Guy Fawkes: When the King is in the building!

Thomas Bates: What an EVIL plan!

Guy Fawkes, Thomas Bates and Robert Keyes put the gunpowder into the wheelbarrow. They take the wheelbarrow off stage. Watson watches and leaves in the opposite direction.

Soldier 1 and Soldier 2 enter.

Soldier 1: I wish it was the weekend. I’m very tired.

Soldier 2: I have to work on Saturday AND Sunday. I don’t want to do this.

Soldier 1 pats Soldier 2 on the back.

Soldier 1: It’s okay. After work, you can visit my house for dinner.

Soldier 2 points at a shadowy object that just entered. It is a person wrapped in a black cloak.

Soldier 2: WHAT IS THAT!?

Soldier 1 squints.

Soldier 1: I DON’T KNOW!

Soldier 2 raises his sword.

Soldier 2: STOP in the name of the KING!

Watson enters disguised in dark clothing and walks to the soldiers and holds out a letter.

Watson: I have a special message for the king. PLEASE take it to him.

Soldier 1: WHY should I?

Watson: Because it is a PLOT to KILL the KING!

Soldier 2: Are you SURE?

Watson: YES!

Soldier 1: If you’re lying, we’ll FIND you and you’ll be punished.

Watson: I’m NOT lying!

Stranger leaves.

Narrator: The soldiers didn’t know if the mysterious stranger was telling the truth. But they did take the message to their Commander.

Commander enters.

The soldiers take the letter to Commander who opens it, reads it and holds it above his head.

Commander: WHAT is THIS? WHO wrote this letter?

Soldier 2: It’s a PLAN to kill the king.

Commander: That CANNOT happen. Look EVERYWHERE for these people! Tell me when you find them. They WILL be PUNISHED!

Soldiers: Yes, SIR!

The soldiers leave.

Guy Fawkes, Thomas Bates and Robert Keyes enter pushing the wheelbarrow. They place the explosives under King James’s table.

Guy Fawkes: Now LEAVE while there’s TIME. I’ll light the bomb soon.

Thomas Bates: I wish Watson was here to see this historic moment.

Robert Keyes: But he’s not. Good LUCK, Guy.

Robert Keyes and Thomas Bates exit.

Guy Fawkes walks up and down and looks at his watch. He picks up a torch and is about to light the gunpowder when Soldier 1 and the commander enter. The commander holds his hand out.

Commander: STOP in the name of the KING!

Guy Fawkes: NOOOOOOOOO!

Soldier 1 takes away the torch and puts it back.

Commander: You are UNDER ARREST for TREASON. You and your friends will be punished.

Soldier 2 enters with Thomas Bates and Robert Keyes both handcuffed. Watson also enters and is still disguised.

Guy Fawkes: I don’t understand. HOW did you KNOW?

Watson removes his disguise.

Watson: It was ME! I told them.

Guy Fawkes: But WHY, Watson? I trusted you.

Lights darken. Everyone exits.

Narrator: Guy Fawkes and his friends were then punished for their crimes and sentenced to death.

Narrator exits. Lights go up. King James remains centre stage.

King James: This was the story of Guy Fawkes. Every year, on the Fifth of November, the people of England celebrate and remember this occasion by burning pictures and dolls of Guy Fawkes in bonfires, as well as set off fireworks and enjoy good food.

Flag Day - A Script for EFL Students

Reminder - This script was developed with a cast of 6 students at a school in Russia in mind. Should you wish to use this script for your own class, you are free to edit it as needed for more or fewer students as well as change the language level. Also, there will be a PowerPoint presentation in the background that will show the many flags we will talk about.

CAST

Narrator

George Washington

Bill Ross

Benjamin Franklin

John Paul Jones

Francis Scott Key

British Officer

Lester Pearson

John Matheson

George Stanley

 Teacher

Student 1

Student 2

Student 3

Student 4

Student 5

Student 6

Scene One

Narrator enters.

Narrator: In 1775, the American Revolutionary War with Great Britain started. One year later, on July 4th, America declared independence. But America didn’t have a flag. According to legend, George Washington, general of the American Army and the future first President of the United States, asked Betsy Ross, a seamstress, to make a flag that America could use.

Narrator exits. George and Bill enter.

George: Bill! How are you?

Bill: I’m great, George. How about you? I heard Congress made you the General of the Continental Army.

George: That’s right. I’m honored to have the position but it’s very hard. The British Army is the best in the world.

Bill: Is the war going well?

George: Not at the moment. I need a symbol of hope for my soldiers.

Bill: What do you have in mind?

George: A flag. I know your wife likes to sew. Maybe you could ask her to make a flag?

Bill: Sure. Sure! What would you like?

George: Our current flag has 13 stripes and in the corner, there’s the image of a British flag. Congress wants to turn the British flag into a blue square with 13 six-pointed stars.

Bill: I understand. I’ll talk to my wife.

Bill and George leave to different ends of the stage. Narrator enters.

Narrator: Congress decided the American flag would have 13 red and white stripes and 13 white stars on a blue field to represent the 13 colonies.

Narrator exits. Bill and George enter.

Bill: Hey, George, I have your flag. However, there’s just one minor difference.

George: What’s that?

Bill: My wife made the stars with five points each. She said it’s much easier and quicker to make.

George: I see. Well, it looks good. I’ll take it.

George and Bill leave. Narrator enters.

Narrator: This is the story of how Betsy Ross made the first American flag. However, there’s no evidence that supports or rejects this legend. No one knows who made the first flag, but this story is still popular to tell in America. Betsy Ross was important though. She was the person who decided to make the stars with five points since it was faster to make. The flag was made and it soon meant hope for the young revolution.

PLAY VIDEO CLIP FROM THE PATRIOT (0:13 – 1:10)

Benjamin Franklin enters.

Narrator: Benjamin Franklin, a famous inventor and politician, helped design the flag.

Benjamin: Congress has decided the American flag will have 13 alternating red and white stripes and 13 white stars on a blue square.

Narrator: There was one problem with Congress’ declaration. They gave no picture and the instructions could be confusing, especially for John Paul Jones, an American Naval captain.

Narrator exits. John Paul Jones enters.

John: Ben! I’m in a little trouble. My ship “The Serapis” is stuck in a Dutch port and the British are saying I’m a pirate since I don’t have a flag. Could you describe the new flag for me so that I can make one?

Benjamin: Sure! It has 13 stripes alternating red, white and blue stripes with a small blue square in the top left corner. On the square, there are 13 white stars.

John: Awesome. Thanks, Ben!

John Paul Jones exits, running. He enters a second later with a flag/sheet with a flag on it.

John: I’ve got my flag now. I wasn’t sure which type of stars the flag had so they’re eight-pointed stars. See?

John points at his new flag.

Ben: Um, that’s not our flag.

John: Well, it’s the only flag I have. It HAS to work.

Benjamin and John exit. Narrator enters.

Narrator: Fortunately for John Paul Jones, the flag did work. But Congress’ poor directions meant many unique flags flew in battle during the Revolutionary War. Here are some of them.

Narrator points at screen which shows various US flags used during battles.

Narrator: A popular hobby for some Americans is to dress like soldiers from the war and pretend to fight the battles.

PLAY VIDEO CLIP OF BATTLE REENACTMENT

Scene Two

Narrator: In 1783, the war ended, and in 1789, America finished its Constitution. When America added two more states, the government changed the flag so that it had 15 stripes and 15 stars. This was the flag that flew over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 when Francis Scott Key wrote the poem that would become America’s national anthem.

Narrator exits. Francis enters.

PLAY SOUND OF BATTLE AND CANNONFIRE

Francis: What to do, what to do? I can hear the fire of cannons and the sounds of muskets and men yelling.

British Officer enters.

British Officer: Mr. Key, I’m sorry you’re here at this time but we’re about to start our bombardment of Fort McHenry.

Francis: What!? What happens if we get hit? I’m just a lawyer!

British Officer: I’m sorry, sir, but we can’t let you go at the moment. The bombardment will start in five minutes and we need to join our fleet. We can’t fire on the American Fort from any close than our maximum range.

British Officer exits.

Francis: This is horrible.

Francis walks around. PLAY SOUND OF CANNONFIRE. Narrator enters.

Narrator: Francis Scott Key listened to the British bombing all night. In the morning, the first thing he did was look out the window.

Narrator exits. Francis points at the screen.

Francis: I see it! The flag still flies.

British Officer enters.

British Officer: Sir, the bombardment is over. The British Navy is leaving. You’ll be free to leave as soon as we leave the Baltimore area.

British Officer leaves.

Francis: That is an amazing view – the way the flag still stands over the Fort. How can I remember it? I know. I’ll start writing a poem. I’ll call it “The Defense of Fort McHenry.”

Francis sits at a table and starts writing.

Francis: O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light. What so proudly we hailed, at the twilight’s last gleaming…

PLAY AMERICAN NATIONAL ANTHEM WITH LYRICS

REMAINING MUSIC TEXT:

Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,

O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?

And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;

O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Narrator enters.

Narrator: Francis Scott Key’s poem eventually became so popular that it was used for America’s national anthem.

Francis exits.

Narrator: Over the next 150 years, the flag would change many times as more states joined the country. The government said the flag would have 13 stripes to symbolize the original states while the stars would increase as the number of states increased. The current American flag has been used since 1960. The flag represents American unity, and people see the flag at every major battle, event, government building and major disaster.

PLAY US NATIONAL ANTHEM INSTRUMENTAL VERSION

Scene Three

Narrator: Britain and France had colonies in Canada, causing parts of Canada to use either a French flag or a British flag until all of Canada was ruled by the British. For over 150 years, Canada used the flags of Great Britain and the United Kingdom. In 1921, Canada began to use a flag with the Canadian maple leaf, the French fleur-de-lys and the UK’s Union Jack. Then, in 1964, Canadian Prime Minister Lester Pearson said Canada must have its own flag, causing “The Great Flag Debate.”

Narrator exits. Lester enters.

Lester: Citizens of Canada, I promise to make a flag for our great nation.

John Matheson enters. Lester points at him.

Lester: John, I want to give Canada a flag. I have an idea. Three red maple leaves on a white square with blue rectangles on both ends of the flag.

John: But there’s no mention of our British heritage! There’s no Union Jack!

Lester: It’s time for Canada to make its own heritage. I will make a committee to select the new flag.

John: It’s June! Parliament will go on vacation next week!

Lester: Too bad. No vacation for Parliament. We must have a flag. Canada must have a flag.

Narrator enters.

Narrator: Lester Pearson canceled vacation for Parliament. Parliament worked all summer, autumn and winter on the Flag.

Narrator exits.

John: Prime Minister, we have three finalists. One includes your design and one is a single red maple leaf with red squares at both ends with a Union Jack and a Fleur-de-lys.

Lester: And the third?

John: The third is designed by George Stanley, a local historian. I invited him to explain how he came up with his design.

George enters.

George: Good afternoon, Prime Minister.

Lester: Hello. Please, explain your design.

George: I was standing outside the Royal Military College of Canada when I saw its flag. It had two red squares and the school symbol. I told John, “There’s your flag!” It is important that the new flag of Canada be unique. It can’t have British or French heritage on it if we want to be our own people. Therefore, we use the maple leaf with two red squares.

Lester: Your idea is a good one, but it must come to a vote.

Lester looks out to the audience.

Lester: All those in favor of the Blue flag?

Silence.

Lester: No one. All those in favor of the flag with the British Union Jack and the Fleur-de-lys?

Silence.

Lester: No one again. All those in favor of George’s flag?

Everyone offstage shouts “Aye!”

Lester: Your flag has been selected.

John shakes George’s hand.

John: Congratulations. I believe your flag is an excellent design and it will serve Canada well.

PLAY “O CANADA”

Everyone exits.

Scene Four

Teacher enters.

Teacher: The Flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland is commonly known as the Union Jack. While the Union Jack does have a lot of history, its history is not nearly as dramatic. The flag represents the union between the countries of England, Scotland and Ireland. If you look closely, you’ll see the flag consists of the countries’ individual flags – the St. George’s Cross of England (a red cross on a white background), the St. Andrew’s Cross of Scotland (a white X on a blue background) and the St. Patrick’s Cross of Ireland (a red X on a white background). The Union Jack became necessary when the Queen of England, Elizabeth I, died without a son or daughter. The English crown then became her cousin’s, James VI of Scotland.

King James enters and kneels, followed by his knight. A church bishop places a crown on his head.

Teacher: James wanted a new flag to show the union of the crowns so he combined the flags of England and Scotland.

King James stands and points at the Union Jack and nods his head in approval.

This served as the flag of Great Britain until 1801, when the current flag was made after Ireland merged with Great Britain. As a representation of the UK’s historical reach, today you can see many flags from around the world with the Union Jack.

PLAY UK NATIONAL ANTHEM

Scene Five

Teacher: And finally, if we’re talking about flags for Flag Day, we should talk about the history of the Russian flag.

PLAY RUSSIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM QUIETLY

Student 1: Our current flag with red, blue and white stripes has been used since at least 1696 and its design was based on the Dutch flag. Since 1712, the Russian Navy has used St. Andrew’s Flag, a blue X on a white background.

Student 2: The only time when the Navy didn’t use the St. Andrew’s Flag was from 1917 to 1991, when the Navy used the Soviet Union flag.

Student 3: When the Soviet Union created its flag, it used the hammer and sickle to represent the union of workers and peasants. The symbol has since become the symbol of Marxism.

Student 4: The red field symbolised the blood of workers and farmers who fought for independence.

Student 5: After the fall of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation returned to using the old tricolor flag, which Russia has used to this day.

Student 6: There is no official meaning for the colors of the Russian flag but the most idea is white means generosity, blue means loyalty and red means courage.

Developing a Theatrical Performance about Flag Day

As promised, here’s a slightly more substantive blog post about next month’s theatrical performance to end the school year.

If you remember, I’ve mentioned that in late October, we organized a play about Guy Fawkes’ Day, which is on the 5th of November and was made famous in America for its relevance in the film “V for Vendetta.” Then in December, there was the Nativity Story for Christmas and in March, we presented the history and evolution of celebrating Easter.

Our fourth and final play will be about Flag Day and the history of the flags of the US, the UK, Canada and Russia. I know Flag Day is a fairly obscure holiday that doesn’t garner much attention, but the only options for a spring holiday play (after Easter but before Independence Day) were Flag Day, Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day. Out of those three, Flag Day was the easiest to write a short playscript. The remaining two were fairly challenging when I had to think of how I might portray and present their histories.

The bonus of recognizing Flag Day is that we could make it multinational and speak about different nations. I didn’t know much about the histories of flags aside from the United States until I did some basic research before writing the playscript (which I’ll include in a separate post).

The sequencing of the play proceeds as follows:

1. George Washington asks Betsy Ross to sew a flag for the Continental Army. 
2. Francis Scott Key writes the Star-Spangled Banner after the bombardment at Fort McHenry. 
3. Canadian Prime Minister Lester Pearson pushes Parliament to create a Canadian national flag. 
4. The creation of the Union Jack after the unification of English and Scottish thrones following the death of Queen Elizabeth I. 
5. A short presentation about the history of the Russian flag and what the colors symbolize. 

There were some difficult decisions that I made while writing the script. First and foremost was the inclusion of the Betsy Ross legend, which most of us learn about while in elementary school. The problem with including the legend is that Betsy Ross is a woman and this is a play at a boys-only boarding school. Although a student might be willing to volunteer and dress as a female in a dress, it’s always safer to write in a fictional character. In this case, I resolved this minor problem by creating a fictional husband named “Bill Ross,” who George Washington asks if Betsy can sew a flag. I would have used her real husband, but he was slain during the early stages of the war. Betsy was a widow at the time she allegedly sewed the flag.

Writing a short scene about Francis Scott Key penning the future American national anthem was easy. The only part that might turn out to be awkward is the actual playing of the national anthem due to the current tensions between Russia and America.

What was difficult about concluding the section on the American flag was how much information to include. There will be plenty of images of different flags that were used over the years, such as the Serapis Flag, but many others will also be omitted. The biggest omission is probably the Confederate Flag. To discuss the controversy surrounding the Confederate flag from its usage in the Civil War to today requires a greater awareness of cultural and historical tensions that my students can’t comprehend due to their language and cultural barriers.

According to the Common European Framework of languages, most of my students would probably fall in the category of B1 or lower. There are some at B2 and maybe even C1, but most aren’t. On top of it all, US history isn't a major topic in the national Russian education curriculum, so a three-minute theatrical excerpt won't do much except likely confuse them.

But moving on.

Canada was also fairly easy due to the relative youth of the current Canadian flag, which has only been in use since 1965. However, the “Great Flag Debate” had to be simplified a lot since I only have six students who will be performing the play and each one will have several different roles.

Which brings us to England's history. I'll be narrating the entire section on the UK because of the shortage of students. I can be slightly more detailed as I present the background while the students act out my description of the events that lead to James I's inheritance of the English throne.

And finally, the Russia's section of the play is even shorter than England's because there just hasn't been many changes in the Russian flag. The Russian Federation uses the same flag design as the one used by the Romanovs. The only time the current Russian flag wasn't used was under the Soviet Union, which used the iconic Hammer & Sickle. It's actually a story that is similar to Germany's as the current German flag is the same as the one used during the Weimar Republic before Hitler's rise to power.

The play itself will rely heavily on multimedia elements. I've got some videos I've found on YouTube such as a short clip from Mel Gibson's The Patriot and another clip of a waving Russian flag. There's also plenty of music and sound from national anthems to cannon-fire. Working with lights will be minimal as well as costumes, but I hope I can find just enough costume elements in our wardrobe that I can create a starker contrast between eras and nations. The sad thing is that I won't have any flags aside from the Russian flag for the performance. Alas...

Following the performance, my current plans are to run a simple barbecue with grilled sausages and some cookies. It's not a lot but it's something to treat both the performers and the audience. While I will definitely grill the sausages, I regret to say I won't be returning to my Phi Tau roots by baking homemade cookies. I, unfortunately, won't have that much time. Undoubtedly, the final hours before our final performance will be chaotic enough that I'll barely have a chance to have the barbecue supplies set up for after the show.

As a last note, if you read the playscript and have any suggestions for future edits that I might make, please feel free to suggest. Also, here's a picture of me from about 2 weeks about with my coworker who arrived from Donetsk in January. We were assisting an event called "Intellectual Marathon" which consisted of inviting different students from around the school to compete in a series of activities based on subject. We ran the English table. At times, it was pretty chaotic evaluating students' submissions while handing out additional tasks for them to do.

Rainy Day Musings

Yes, I live next to a castle. It was bright and sunny a couple days ago when this picture was taken. But right now, I'm sitting in a Starbucks, drinking a chai tea latte and writing this blog post. I'm not even sure what I might write about because there's a lot that's been happening. And despite everything that's been happening, I just wish it were warm and sunny again instead of pouring cats and dogs.

But yes, I do live next to a castle.

It's known as BIP Castle. It was renovated several years ago and now functions as a hotel. It's really popular for weddings and other similar events, but weddings are the main thing based on what I've witnessed. The wedding couple actually has the ability to rent out the entire castle, which is pretty impressive. I've seen pictures of all the rooms and not a single one is unique. If it weren't so big, I wish I could live there. What's holding me back is the amount of chores that would be involved in maintaining the castle's nice, interior appearance. Also, it's impossible to enjoy the uniqueness of all the rooms when you're just a single person who doesn't require much space. Still, one can imagine...

Life itself has been good and I'm really looking forward to relaxing this summer. I've already got tickets to visit the United States for about 16 days, and I've made a list of items that I plan on buying and bringing back with me to Russia. These items are difficult-to-find items here such as mozzarella cheese, provolone cheese, Reese's peanut butter cups and a few more select items. Essentially, I'm limited to what I can pack in my carry-on. As for what I'll do in the US, it will mostly be spent visiting with family in Washington State and a couple friends in New York City for Independence Day.

As for my school, we still have about six weeks left of classes as school ends on June 12th, coincidentally Flag Day in the United States. But right now, it's May holidays. I'm not quite sure the reason for May holidays but it's essentially a period when people get consecutive 3-4 day weekends. It's almost like our labor or memorial day but having them be on back-to-back weeks. It feels good to have a long weekend that doesn't have much work. It also gives my scratches and bruises from swimming and soccer games a chance to heal before everything starts again on Monday.

Additionally, 9th grade has national exams later this month, which means they'll be completely busy for an entire week and I won't have any lessons with them. At least, that's what the schedule says for the moment.

This past Wednesday, our school hosted an "Intellectual Marathon" for 9th graders, which is a short 2.5 hour competition where students complete tasks differentiated by subject and difficulty. Our students competed as well as students from some schools in the surrounding area. In total, I think about 40 competed. My small English Department developed exercises that evaluated a student's ability to read a table of numbers and draw conclusions, organize jumbled sentences into a cohesive story, explain a simple grammar rule in English and more. Most of our students performed well but our school came in third. In two weeks' time, we'll have a second Intellectual Marathon for our 6th graders and next year's incoming class of 5th graders.

That reminds me, in a week, it will be the 70th anniversary of V-E Day, or when the European theatre of WWII was declared over. From what I've gathered, St. Petersburg has some big plans for celebrating the anniversary but I don't know if I'll have a chance to watch it. Our school is going to Lake Ladoga for its own small celebration and remembrance the night before and I don't know if we'll be back in time. For a WWII/military history geek like me, this could be a pretty fun and fascinating experience. I just hope it is and that I understand it.

By this upcoming weekend, I really do hope to post a short article on how it was for me to teaching public speaking in English. It mostly depends on how busy I become over the course of the week and whether I feel the energy to write something that might take more thought than just musings of a rainy day.

I've also been thinking about life choices for when I eventually leave my current position. I've done some research about future possibilities both in the TEFL industry as well as possible Masters programs in either linguistics or education. The one problem with pursuing a Masters in Linguistics is that I have minimal Linguistics training beyond teaching English and studying Russian.