Plays for Young Audiences and Children's Theatre!

ArtReach Children's Theatre Plays
Great Plays for Great Kids!
Plays, Scripts, Musicals for Children, Kids, Teens, Families, Schools & Theatres
.

 
HOME

CATALOGUE
School Plays
Touring Plays
One-Act Plays
Christmas Plays
Halloween Plays
Musical Plays
List of All Plays
Testimonials

ORDERS
School Play Package
Downloads
Purchase Orders
Shipping
Shopping Cart
My Account

FREE STUFF
Directing Tips
Classroom Activities
Behind the Scenes
Creative Drama
News & Reviews

ABOUT US
Contact Us
FAQs
Blog

See our facebook page
.

Free Script Sample, Cast List and CD Sound Cues


 One Act Play for Middle Schools and High Schools - Trail of Tears

One Act Play for Schools! National Endowment for the Arts Winner!


  Trail of Tears and its companion play Young Cherokee may be performed together to make an in-depth two hour production. Both plays have independent stories however, and may be performed alone.


 Plays and Scripts for High Schools and Middle Schools - Trail of Tears

  Producers, this script is lively and moves swiftly, presenting history and human struggle with clever dialogue and quick scenes that build to an exciting end.


Rep of St. Louis - Trail of Tears - Professional School Tour

Simple masks and Indian costumes, a minimal symbolic set and the use of primitive drums, make for an elegant production.


 One Act Play for Middle Schools and High Schools - Trail of Tears

It books easily -- teachers love the tie-in to American Indians and Native American History.


 One Act Play for Middle Schools and High Schools - Trail of Tears

Thoroughly researched and reviewed by leaders of the Cherokee Qualla Reservation in North Carolina. Performed at Talequah Arts Council to Rave Reviews!


 

 

One Act Plays for Middle Schools! Trail of Tears One Act Plays for High Schools!
One Act Play for Young People - School Tours

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Cast List
CD Soundtrack Cues
Script Sample


TRAIL OF TEARS
CAST LIST
Running Time: About 45-50 minutes
Flexible cast of 3, 2 Male, 1 Female
Easily adapted for larger cast (see below)

CHOSEN ONE:  Cherokee brave, young man (M)

WALKING BEAR: Chosen One's father (M)
Also plays WHITE MAN, FRANK, ANDREW JACKSON, and several Government Officials.

SNOW OWL: Chosen One's wife (F)
Also plays WHITE WOMAN, JOE, NARRATOR, DEER, and SUN.

CASTING SUGGESTION:
The use of a small cast helps facilitate a workable touring production. It can also cause the director and company to look for innovative ways of conveying dialogue and action, which can be conceptually challenging and exciting. However, if a larger cast is required, please consider the following breakdown of 11 characters; 5 Male, 3 Female, 3 M/F:

Chosen One: Male
Walking Bear: Male
Snow Owl: Female
Frank: Male
Joe: Male
Government Officials: Male / Female
Andrew Jackson: Male
White woman: Female
Narrator: Male / Female
Deer: Male / Female
Sun: Female


True Story of Native History
Trail of Tears - Repertory Theatre of St. Louis School Tour
Professional Touring Production - Rep of St. Louis - 2011!

"Trail of Tears was a big hit!  The script does an excellent job with a very difficult subject. The script was very well written!"
John Cusumano, Over The Edge Productions, Stroudsburg PA


TRAIL OF TEARS
CD SOUNDTRACK CUES
Cues, sound effects, original background music

The CD Soundtrack contains special sound effects and background music (traditional Native American music and original music written for the play) that may be used to greatly enhance the performance. It does not contain music for the performers to sing along with. Cues have 10 seconds of silence at the end - times shown below include silence.

1.  FLUTE  (1:07)

2.  FLUTE, SUN, (SILENCE), MUSIC BOX  (2:03)

3.  FLUTE  (0:51)

4.  MUSIC BOX  (0:40)

5.  DRUM, CITY SOUNDS  (1:54)

6.  FLUTE  (0:46)

7.  VIOLENT CROWD  (4:01)

8.  MUSIC BOX, TUMULT  (0:52)

9.  HORSES, FLUTE  (2:51) 

10.  CHEERING  (0:52)

Note: Some teachers choose familiar songs, obtain sheet music and insert these songs into the play.  We recognize that each school has a wide variety of educational needs to fulfill and we invite you to be creative in your use of our scripts; including changes or additions that are appropriate for your students. As author/publisher of our own creative works, we do ask that you obtain proper copyright permission for any additions you might make - that responsibility is up to you.

Music & Sound Resources Available on the Internet
( Sheet Music, Song Books, CDs, DVDs, Sing-along, Karaoke, Sound Effects )


 National Endowment for the Arts Winning Play!
ArtReach Plays and Scripts for Schools and Kids!  - Trail of Tears Trail of Tears - National Endowment for the Arts Winning Play!
Imaginary Theatre, St. Louis Repertory Theatre 2011, School Tour!

TRAIL OF TEARS
SCRIPT SAMPLE

Trail of Tears is a very dramatic play about an important chapter of American History.  But there are many light moments.  Here the stoic Chosen One shows he likes a girl, Snow Owl, who will beome his wife...

(CHOSEN turns upstage, SNOW runs in laughing. SHE carries 2 lacrosse sticks. CHOSEN follows her in, bumping into BEAR, who is on his way out. BEAR takes gun from him and exits.)

SNOW: (laughing) You play like an old woman!

CHOSEN: I play like an honest man!

SNOW: Ha. Anyone can see you cheat!

CHOSEN: Cheat! Me? You caught the ball in your hands!

SNOW: I did not.

CHOSEN: I saw you!

SNOW: You're imagining things.

(SHE starts to cross past HIM)

CHOSEN: Imagining things?! Give me those sticks.

(HE grabs sticks as SHE walks by. However, SHE doesn't let go of them and allows herself to be pulled into CHOSEN. HE is visibly flustered and turns away.)

CHOSEN: Now I understand why girls can't play in the real game. You have no respect for... for the rules!

SNOW: Oh, for heaven's sake. Chosen One, calm down. You look all puffed up like a big turkey. Bac - bac - bac!

(SNOW imitates turkey.)

CHOSEN: Now stop that. Stop!

SNOW: Braach! Bracc! Brach!

CHOSEN: I've had enough of this. I have work to do.

(Starts to go, SNOW gets shoes, speaks over her shoulder.)

SNOW: (singing, sweetly) Oh, Chosen One...

CHOSEN: (halts, hesitates) Yes?

SNOW: I found your shoes outside my house last night.

CHOSEN: My shoes? Huh! They must have belonged to someone else.

SNOW: They were your hunting shoes — the soft ones with the red beads. I'm sure they belong to you.

(SHE holds them up for him to see.)

CHOSEN: Ah, well, yes. I must have dropped them...

(HE goes to grab shoes. SNOW pulls them away and taunts HIM with them.)

CHOSEN: Uh... dropped them by your...

(Again SHE pulls away, laughing. After a few moments of this game CHOSEN is quite agitated. SNOW suddenly drops the game and speaks directly to HIM.)

SNOW: If you want to marry me you must ask me in plain terms. I've learned a thing or two at the White Man's school. You can't just leave your shoes outside a girl's door if you want her to marry you. (gives him shoes) This is old fashioned.

CHOSEN: Old fashioned?

SNOW: An Indian tradition. It's very... backward, Chosen One. When a White Man asks a woman to marry him, he goes down on one knee — like this... (SHE demonstrates.) He takes off his hat, of course. And he takes her hand like so. He says, "My lady, will you marry me?" And he kisses her very lightly on the fingers.

(SHE holds his hand, he is moved, lingers then draws his hand back and moves away.)

CHOSEN: I never heard of anything so... so...

SNOW: Civilized. It's civilized, Chosen One. If any man ever wants to marry me he must ask me in a civilized way. And, also, I expect presents.

CHOSEN: Presents?

SNOW: Very nice presents.

CHOSEN: But you are supposed to give me a deer skin coat and an ear of corn and you are supposed to...

SNOW: I want a gold ring.

CHOSEN: Gold!

SNOW: Yes, and I'm supposed to wear it on this finger — like a lady.

CHOSEN: You are not a white lady, you are a Cherokee woman. We have our own way of doing things! For generations our people have been marrying in the same way. The Cherokee way.

SNOW: Very well, then. (turns away — then back) Don't forget your shoes.

Note: This is a sample from the actual script.  To review the entire play, order the PERUSAL SCRIPT (online instant download).


  TEACHERS!
Looking for large cast plays & musicals for your students to perform?
We have scripts written just for you! Click on any title below...

A Christmas Carol * A Christmas Cinderella * A Christmas Peter Pan
A Christmas Wizard of Oz * A Snow White Christmas * A Thousand Cranes * Aladdin
Alice in Christmas Land * Alice In Wonderland * Beauty and the Beast * Cinderella
 Emperor's New Clothes * Jack and the Beanstalk * Jungle Book * Kid Frankenstein
Legend of Mulan * Legend of Sleepy Hollow * Little Mermaid * Peter Pan * Pinocchio
Princess and the Pea * Reluctant Dragon * Sleeping Beauty * Snow White
Treasure Island * Twas the Night Before Christmas * Velveteen Rabbit
We Are The Dream * Wizard of Oz * El Mago de Oz (Spanish Wizard of Oz)
Children's Christmas Plays & Children's Christmas Musicals

Link to ChildrensTheatrePlays Home Page
      AWARD WINNING PLAYS FOR KIDS!
   4047 Pro Am Ave. E  Bradenton, FL 34203                        941-753-3222

| HOME | ABOUT US | CONTACT US | FAQs |
| CATALOGUE | School Plays | Touring | One-Acts | Christmas | Halloween | Musicals | List of All Plays |
| ORDERS | School Play Package | Downloads | Purchase Orders | Shipping | Shopping Cart | My Account |
© Copyright 2018, ArtReach Children's Theatre Plays, Kathryn Schultz Miller, All Rights Reserved