Sometimes it's fun to have kids create their own stories using characters from a piece of literature while adding a few of their own. It's a great way to extend the fun from a beloved story, gain writing practice, and get creative. Below is a play script I created with two young students (ages 7 and 9), in which we innovated from Midsummer Night's Dream...imagining Oberon, Titania and Puck on a camping trip!
Puck and Friends
Fairy Adventure:
A Midsummer Night’s
Dream Innovation
by Ivy Sandz with
Josiah and Malcolm Knight
Characters
Narrator
Puck (a fairy)
Oberon (king of the fairies)
Titania (queen of the fairies)
Ubee (bug collector)
Harriet (butterfly collector)
Mitt (Puck’s brother)
Ubee’s dad
Ubee’s brother, Martin
Act I: The Fairies Go
Camping
Titania: Oberon, we’re cooped up in this
flower petal palace. I have an
idea! Let’s go camping.
Oberon: Puck, you’re coming too. Prepare.
I might need you to gather wood, marshmallows, chocolate, and
Hershey’s….or possibly a love potion flower.
Puck: (loudly) Yes, sir!
Narrator: And the fairies set off for their
camping adventure.
Narrator Song: Well it’s a sunny day!
I feel brand new.
There’s about a million
things that fairies can do.
Wooah!
Would you like to go
camping too?
Narrator: Meanwhile…Mitt, Puck’s brother,
wanders through the woods where they are going camping. As he flies through the meadow he notices two
humans with nets. He hides behind a
large rock and listens.
Ubee: It’s a nice day today, don’t you
think, Harriet?
Harriet: Why yes, Ubee. A perfect day to catch butterflies.
Ubee: Or insects!
Harriet: I prefer butterflies. Can you help me catch that pink one over
there?
Narrator: The two small entomologists take their
nets, and go about collecting winged creatures.
Mitt: Hmmm…this gives me an
idea. I will play a trick. Puck will never know what happened to him
until it’s too late.
Act II: At the campsite
Oberon: Titania, this is boring.
Titania: Why don’t you eat something?
Oberon: (loudly) Puck, roast me some marshmallows and make
some smores.
Puck: (rolling eyes) Okey dokey.
Narrator: So Puck goes flying to the meadow to
collect some kindling and sticks for the fire.
Mitt: Hi Puck. I had no idea you were here.
Puck: Why yes, my little brother, I am
here serving King Oberon. I am gathering
wood for the fire.
Mitt: Let me help you. I saw the perfect twigs over that hill.
Narrator: While the two fairies flew over the
hill, Oberon was wondering what was taking so long.
Mitt: Oh Puck. I’m feeling a bit
tired. I must have eaten too many wild
nettles. You fly ahead and I’ll catch
up.
Harriet: Look at that strange
butterfly. The wings are like a
rainbow. What is that? It looks like a very small person!
Ubee: Let’s catch it and put it in a
bottle. That way we can identify
it. Maybe it’s never been discovered
before and we can put it in a museum.
Narrator: Puck, looking for twigs, didn’t notice
before it was too late. A large net came
down around the unsuspecting fairy.
Before he knew it, Puck found himself inside a jar. If you did not know this, there is a song
about fairies and butterfly nets.
Narrator Song: If you’re a little fairy and you think monsters
are scary
You should not be scared
of those things.
But a butterfly net
You better bet
Will take your power
away.
Act III: Puck in a Pickle Jar
Ubee: Wow! It’s a weird bug.
Harriet: No, it’s a butterfly!
Ubee: Are you sure, Harriet. Look at it.
It looks like a person with dragonfly wings.
Harriet: Maybe it’s a leprechaun.
Ubee: Leprechauns have green hats and
green suits, and he isn’t carrying a pot of gold with him.
Puck: (voice muffled inside jar) I demand..zzz…by the power of King
Oberon…zzz…that you release me this instant!
Harriet: What is it saying? It sounds like a
bee.
Ubee: I don’t know, but it sure looks
mad.
Mitt: Hee-hee. Hee-hee.
(Mitt flies away into the forest.)
Act IV: Puck Finds a Friend
Narrator: The two children took the pickle jar
with the fairy in it to their house.
Puck’s song: I should never have come along
Maybe I should quit my
job.
That little rascal,
My brother, Mitt
I’m going to feed him to
a dragonfly!
And then, I really am,
going to quit my fairy job.
I’d like to become a
gardener. A very small one at that.
Ubee: Dad, come here. We found a cool watch-ma-call-it.
Dad: (from other room). That’s nice.
I’m working. Go play in your
room.
Harriet: I still think it’s a leprechaun.
Martin: Oooo! What’s that.
Ubee: Our insect.
Harriet: Yes. We’re entomologist and we’ve made a
discovery.
Puck: What! The nerve!
I’m not an insect. I’m an
all-powerful fairy, right-hand fairy of King Oberon himself.
Ubee: He’s buzzing again.
Martin: Can I hold it?
Ubee: No, we’re going to sell it.
Martin: To who?
Harriet: To Mr. Pricely. He loves to dissect insects, and he gives us
a whole dollar.
Martin: Wow. That’s a lot of money.
Act V: Titania Smells a Rat
Titania: I love camping. It’s so peaceful out here in nature.
Oberon: You’re just saying that because Puck
isn’t here to play tricks on you while you do your yoga. Where is he anyway? I’m hungry.
He probably took a quick spin around the world.
Narrator: Mitt, looking backward over his
shoulder, flies right into the campsite of Oberon and Titania, knocking Titania
out of her yoga pose.
Titania: What in the world? Mitt!
What are you doing here?
Oberon: Have you seen Puck?
Mitt: Uh. Uh.
Uh. Hmmm. Uh.
What do you mean?
Titania: (whisper to Oberon). I smell a rat. (to Mitt)
Come here.
Narrator: Titania put Mitt under a spell of
artichokes and orange blossom, a powerful truth potion.
Titania: Have you seen Puck?
Mitt: (fast, eyes wide open with fear) Yes I have.
I played a trick on him. I can’t
stand him. He’s always, “I am the
right-hand man of Oberon, blah, blah, blah.”
Anyway, that’s all done now. He
is in a bottle where he belongs. I’m
sure by tonight he will be dissected.
Mitt’s Song: Well it’s a bad day
I had to confess my
crime
There’s gonna be trouble
now
Oberon: Quiet! Stop your crooning.
Titania: Tie him up, Sunflower.
Sunflower: Yes my lady.
Narrator: So Oberon and Titania fly off to
rescue Puck.
Act VI: Puck’s Rescue
Narrator: Ubee’s brother Martin, stole the jar
with Puck in it. He is planning to
dissect Puck himself.
Puck: How dare you little child! I’ll show you!
Martin: This will be the best specimen in
my collection.
Dad: Martin, time for dinner.
Martin: Oh, crackers! (Martin leaves the jar next to his open
window, and goes downstairs).
Narrator: Titania and Oberon fly into the open
window.
Titania: My goodness. I’ve never seen Puck
so helpless.
Oberon: Well, my little friend. What have you gotten yourself into?
Puck: Get me out of here!
Narrator: So, Titania and Oberon push the jar
off the edge of the window sill, letting it crash into a million pieces on the
ground. The three fairies fly off into
the sunset together.
Oberon: Are we forgetting something?
Puck: No, we’re not missing
anything. Everything is right where it
belongs.
Narrator: Back at the campsite, Mitt is tied to
a sunflower.
Mitt: Help! Help! Help!
The End
Try writing an innovative script with your child. And if you want to take it a step further,
consider getting the neighborhood kids together for a performance!
