SANDY ASHER

Stella’s Dancing Days

Adapted from my picture book of the same name, this new and tourable script for young audiences, pre-K and up, combines dance, drama, immersive theatre, and puppetry.  For more information and/or a persusal copy of the script, please email me at sandyasher@gmail.com.

To listen to me read the story (with a little help from Gracie and Friday), visit my YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/D5ubSYT1Wco.

CHARACTERS:

STELLA, a cat who loves to dance

TALL ONE, a parent or older sibling

GENTLE ONE, a parent or the middle child

LITTLEST ONE, the baby of the family

FUZZY ONE, the family dog

KITTEN PUPPETS, the “New Ones,” STELLA’S six kittens who all love to dance

TIME:  Now.

PLAYING TIME:  About 30 minutes, depending on length of dances and audience participation.

PLACE: A garden and unspecified areas, as noticed in the script, which is planned for 3/4 round staging (optional).  A small table and chair upstage leave a large playing area.  Nearby is a ladder, representing a tree and decorated with a single branch, bare at first and then hung with seasonal leaves or flowers.

SYNOPSIS:  Through dialogue, music, movement, audience participation, puppetry, and narration in Story Theatre style, a family of three and their dog share the story of STELLA, a kitten who comes to live with them and charms them with her exuberant dancing.  As seasons change and STELLA grows up, audience members join her in playing games at a birthday party for LITTLEST ONE and, after a suspenseful wait, in meeting and rejoicing in the arrival of a new generation of dancers:  STELLA’S kittens.