Acting 1

Commonwealth School
Heros Journey Play
Title:
All enter, walk around in tight space. All stop when 1 speaks, then continue to walk until
another speaks.
Henry (Alex): It was a rainy Tuesday in the Willis Tower.
Jeb (Devon): We worked under our bosses, who worked under their bosses, and so on.
It was a strict chain of command. At the bottom was me.
Ryan (Noah): It was a huge financial corporation, full of, in my humble opinion, a bunch
of jerks.
Penelope (Emma): I wonder if this is legal Eh, it probably is.
Icarus (John): No, you idiot. Buy low, sell high!
Tarang: At ten oclock sharp, there was an unusual announcement.
Alex: Could all employees, repeat, all employees, convene on the seventy-sixth floor.
All begin talking. All scramble for cramped elevator, Henry (Alex) still outside. Just as
doors (Ryan (Noah)) and Penelope (Emma)) are about to close, he pushes his way in.
Kevin (Tarang): Hey, did someone lose their dragon? (picks up dragon)
John: It has a tag on it, it says
All: This dragon is prophesied to be the downfall of the emperor penguin!
All look at each other, as elevator starts shaking.
Penelope (Emma): The elevator suddenly starts shaking!
Jeb (Devon): And it shoots upAll: Faster and faster.
Ryan (Noah): The buttons dont work!
Elevator suddenly stops, and theres a Ding, sound of doors opening. Sound of wind
and echo (Hello! Hello) Elevator door closes behind them, they bang on the door,
then turn back to the desert.
Henry (Alex): We are stranded on a giant cliff.

Ryan (Noah): Miles beneath us, a sea of quicksand that appears to be getting closer.
Jeb (Devon): Were sinking!
All: Earthquake!
Earthquake, everyone panics. The cliff falls apart and all fall off, screaming.
John: 2 hours later.
All still screaming.
Emma: As in all good epics, we are saved by a giant dragon!
Image of dragon.
Kevin (Tarang): While we were flying, it told us about this Emperor PenguinAll: The prophesy!
Kevin (Tarang): -the tyrannical ruler of this weird place we were suddenly in, called
Terra Arena.
All: Sandy Land.
Icarus (John): Apparently the Emperor Penguin and the government have been hiding
the fact that the entire land is sinking into quicksand.
Jeb (Devon): We asked if it knew anything about stuffed dragon.
All: How cute!
All start screaming when Henry (Alex) pulls out the dragon and vibrate at the toy.
Henry (Alex): Now, the story gets absurdly complicated.
All start fighting motions.
We battle (carnivorous ____________).
We meet the friendly inhabitants of Sandy Land. (Action: dance/song) They teach us
things. We help them build a _(school)_. But the land keeps sinking. The oppressive
armIcarus (John): Wing.
Wing, of the tyrant penguin is never far.
Ten years laterWere gonna skip some details.
We find ourselves lost in a maze.
Attacked by goblins.

Henchmen of the Emperor Penguin.

Run!
Penelope (Emma): Duck!
Everyone ducks, except Jeb (Devon) who jumps.
Penelope (Emma): Jump!
Everyone jumps, except Jeb (Devon) who ducks.
Ryan (Noah): They had pointy ears, and pointer claws.
Icarus (John): Theyre going to catch us.
All: Fight!
Kevin (Tarang): No, wait! These guys will take us to the Emperor Penguin right?
Jeb (Devon): Why would we want that?
Kevin (Tarang): Because he has an elevator in his igloo that will take us home! I can
see it I can see the future!
Everyone: Thats crazy! That doesnt make sense! Etc.
Penelope (Emma): No, wait, he really can. Hes not lying.
Henry (Alex): How could you possibly know that?
Penelope (Emma): Well, ever since I got here, Ive been able to tell when people are
telling the truth.
Icarus (John): This does make sense It would appear that when we were transported
to this Terra Arena, we were each given a superpower that in some way complements
our own weaknesses.
Jeb (Devon): So whats your power supposed to be, super intelligence?
Icarus (John): Yup.
Ryan (Noah): That must be what this red mist I keep seeing around everyone since we
got here is. I can see everything Kevin can tell the future because hes impulsive.
Penelope can tell when people are lying because she was always in denial. Icarus was
given the power of intelligence, on the condition that he doesnt let his pride consume
him. And I can see people for who they really are because I was too prejudiced.
Henry (Alex): So whats my power?
Ryan (Noah): Well, you have a fear of failing, so your power is the ability to go back
and fix your mistakes.

Jeb (Devon): What about me?

Ryan (Noah): Um I dont think you want to know.
Jeb (Devon): (angrily, aggressive) Hey, cmon, tell me!
Penelope (Emma): Hey, were in the middle of a fight!
Kevin (Tarang): Were going to lose. Henry, use your power!
Jeb (Devon): There was a flash of light! And
Icarus (John): We are back in time to the moment before the fight. We canAll: Surrender!
Jeb (Devon): Just as we thought, the goblins brought us right to the Emperor Penguin.
Someone (John?) should step out as the Emperor Penguin.
EP: So youre the strange creatures that have been spreading this silly notion that my
government is trying to hide the fact that the whole land is sinking into the sand! How
preposterous.
Penelope (Emma): Youre lying! Youre lying to us and youre lying to all of your people!
Ryan (Noah): Thats right! You just want to get rid of everyone else so that you can
have all the resources to yourself.
Kevin (Tarang): This is no way a government should be run.
EP: Silence! Guards!
Henry (Alex): A bunch of goblins rushed in, more than wed ever seen before!
Jeb (Devon): Ryan, just tell me what my power is! Maybe it will help.
Ryan (Noah): Im telling you, you really dont want to know
Penelope (Emma): Suddenly, a goblin grabbed Ryan and knocked him to the ground!
Kevin (Tarang): It was starting to look like we werent going to make it.
EP: (stepping on Ryan (Noah) and hurting him) Now are you all going to come quietly,
or am I going to have to teach you a lesson?
Jeb (Devon): (with quiet anger) Dont hurt my friends
EP: What was that?
Jeb (Devon): I said, dont hurt my friends! AUGH!
Kevin (Tarang): Seeing all of his new friends like this triggered Jebs power. His anger
turned into heat, and the igloo started to melt!

EP: My home! My beautiful home! You are gonna pay for this, boy.
Jeb (Devon): Bring it on!
Jeb (Devon) and EP fight.
Kevin (Tarang): Wait, the dragon! Who has the dragon?
Henry (Alex): Its right here.
Henry (Alex) gives Kevin (Tarang) the dragon, who pulls out a pencil. He throws it at the
EPs crown, which starts to deflate like a balloon.
Kevin (Tarang): Aha! I knew it. Youre not even a real Emperor, that was an inflatable
crown!
Penelope (Emma): In an instant, all of the goblins stopped fighting. They stared at the
Emperor Penguin.
EP: Now, hold on a secondPenelope (Emma): But before he could continue, the goblins all turned on him and
dragged him away!
Ryan (Noah): Hey, look, its the elevator Kevin was talking about! Jebs power must
have melted the ice around it. We can go home!
Henry (Alex): But will the people of Sandy Land really be ok? They dont have any form
of government anymore.
Pause.
Kevin (Tarang): Eh, Im sure theyll be fine. Lets go!
Everyone: Yeah, ok, etc.
All step into the crowded elevator.
Jeb (Devon): So Im guessing that since my weakness is anger, my power turned
that anger into physical heat?
Ryan (Noah): Yup, thats right.
Jeb (Devon): (getting upset) Thats such bull.
Everyone: Ow! Hot! Etc.
Jeb (Devon): (calming down) Sorry! Sorry.
Penelope (Emma): Just like we thought, the elevator started moving, and carried us
down and down and down, until we were finally back in the Willis Tower, back home. On
the way back, we realized wed learned a lot during our time in Sandy Land.

Kevin (Tarang): I learned that being too impulsive can be dangerous, sometimes its
better to think ahead.
Henry (Alex): I learned that my fear of failure shouldnt stop me from doing what I want,
and that I can always go back and fix my mistakes.
Penelope (Emma): I learned that although youd think itd be convenient to be able to
tell whether someone is telling the truth, its actually nice toAll: Stop!
Icarus (John): Our characters are not sufficiently developed to warrant this
transformation.
The elevator opens.
Back to work everyone!
Alex: It was a rainy Tuesday in the Willis Tower.
All exit the elevator. Just before he leaves, Henry (Alex) turns around and places the
dragon back in the elevator.
The end.