SCENE I
Room dark, curtain down. The STORYTELLERS emerge from behind the curtain and take up positions in front of it. Lights up on them.
STORYTELLER #1: Once…
STORYTELLER #2: upon…
STORYTELLER #3: a time…
STORYTELLERS (all): In a faraway kingdom, there lived a king with three beautiful daughters…
STORYTELLER #1: Alusair…
STORYTELLER #2: Aurora…
STORYTELLER #3: and Anastasia…
STORYTELLERS (all): Who loved nothing more than to go out dancing all night long.
STORYTELLER #1: Every night the Princesses would return to their room…
STORYTELLER #2: where nothing was heard of them until…
STORYTELLER #3: the next day, when it would be discovered that all of the princesses’ fine dancing shoes had the soles worn quite through.
STORYTELLER #1: No one could figure it out.
STORYTELLER #2: Where were the Princesses going dancing?
STORYTELLER #3: This couldn’t go on much longer!
STORYTELLERS (all): The princesses were forever sleeping the day away and the king was going mad at having to buy so many new…
The curtain opens on the above line on the throne room. There is a large throne center stage, flanked by two knights. The KING is pacing angrily back and forth a pair of worn out dancing shoes in his hands. As he paces he waves them angrily about his head and pantomimes shouting.
STORYTELLER #1: Shoes…
STORYTELLER #2: Shoes…
STORYTELLER #3: Shoes…
At this the King hurls the shoesviolently into the wings and stomps over to sit upon his throne, glaring out at the audience.
STORYTELLERS (all): Every day he had to buy them new dancing shoes!
STORYTELLER #1: The King tried everything.
The rises and begins to pace.
STORYTELLER #2: He locked them in their room.
The King fiddles with a large ornate key.
STORYTELLER #3: He posted guards at their door day and night!
The King walks over and pantomimes shouting orders at one of the Knights in the throne room, preferably not one guarding the throne. The King then resumes pacing.
STORYTELLERS (all): It was all to no avail.
STORYTELLER #1: The Princesses continued dancing…
STORYTELLER #2: Their shoes continued wearing…
STORYTELLER #3: And despite the best efforts of the King and all his noble knights…
STORYTELLERS (all): None could discover the Princesses’ secret.
A Knight approaches the King and whispers something to him. The King looks very angry and hurls his crown across the stage. Then he has an idea (same time as the line below)
STORYTELLER #1: Until one day…
STORYTELLER #2: the king couldn’t stand it anymore…
STORYTELLER #3: and he came up with a plan.
Storytellers exits through curtain. Curtain closes on Court and Storytellers, who have moved back during their story enough to disappear behind the curtain as it closes. The storytellers should be very animated, weaving in and out of one another during their entire narrative.
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