Coyote and the Frost Giant Native American folk tale retold and scripted by Ashley Heska Characters: * Coyote * Frost Giant * Fox * Meadowlark * Narrator * "Fatter person" * Spirit of death. Notes: * All characters may be played by males or females. You may want to change the "he's" to "she's" in case of a female player. * "Fatter Person" is a non-speaking character * A single actor may play both "Fatter Person" and another character such as Meadowlark. Props.: * Moccasins * Fur coat * Tipi * Buckskins [white and brown fabric] * Canoe and paddle * Stool [optional] * White pole * Long strings * Bow and arrows [optional] [You'll need to alter a line in the play if you omit the bow and arrows] * Tree [stick and green paper]. Narrator: One day, when Coyote was coming back from one of his long walks, he decided to take a new way to get home.He soon came to a wide river, so wide he could not get across. Then he saw a single tipi on the other side. Coyote: [Walking on stage from right side] Hmm... I wonder who lives there. Narrator: So he called out. Coyote: Hey! Who lives there? Frost Giant: [coming out of tipi] Who lives where? Coyote: [seeing frost giant starts hastily walking away] Frost Giant: Get back here or I'll eat you! Coyote: [cautiously walks back] Frost Giant: [Looks Coyote up and down] Narrator: So Frost giant went back into his tipi and pulled the strings that caused the cold. [Frost Giant pulls strings] Coyote: [starts shivering, then paces back and forth, finally collapses] Narrator: Soon the spirit of death came to warn Coyote of his future. Spirit of death: Boo! I have come to warn you! In time I shall come to take you to another world. Boo! Narrator: Soon Meadowlark came and saw Coyote Meadowlark: [gently kicks Coyote on back of head] Coyote: [partly sits up] Hey!I'm not dead yet! [collapses][rubbing back of head] But I think I soon will be. Medowlark: No duh! Anybody can see that! Narrator: So Meadowlark went to tell Coyote's brother Fox. Fox was the only one who could bring Coyote back to life. When Fox came, he dragged Coyote out of the giants sight. Then he called upon a powerful spirit to help him. [Fox stamps in circles with arms raised] Then he stepped over Coyote three times. [Fox does this too] Coyote: Aaaaagh! I certainly had a nice nap! I want to see Frost Giant! Fox: I know it won't do any good arguing, but be careful! Narrator: So Coyote called upon his magical powers [Coyote stamps in circles with arms up] almost instantly a pair of warm moccasins and a fur coat appeared. Coyote: Now Fox, you see, I'm putting on this coat, so don't bother me, if you please. Fox: [looking up and shaking head] As you wish. Narrator: So Coyote went to the river and called out. Coyote: Hey! Get me across! Frost Giant: [to himself] Sounds like the same one I killed yesterday and could not find this morning. Narrator: So Frost Giant pulled the strings which made the pieces of buckskins move. Almost instantly a cold breeze sprang up. As soon as Coyote felt the cold coming he sat beneath a tree. Frost Giant: I can't wait till I eat that delicious looking coyote! Coyote: [on other side of stage, sitting up partly] What's that?! Frost Giant: What? Coyote: What? Frost Giant: What? Coyote: What? Frost Giant: What? Coyote: What? Frost Giant: What? Coyote: Whatever. Frost Giant: Tell me! Coyote: No! Frost Giant: Yes! Coyote: No! Frost Giant: Yes! Coyote: No! Frost Giant: Tell me! Coyote: Why should I? Frost Giant: 'Cause if you don't - Coyote: [juts out lower jaw and lip, daring Frost Giant] What?!?! Frost Giant: 'Cause if you don't, I'll eat you! Coyote: Ha! You Think I'm scared of that?! That's the same threat you used last time, and you never did it! Frost Giant: That's 'cause you came back when I told you to! Coyote: No! Frost Giant: Yes! Narrator: Here we go again! Coyote: [to Frost Giant] No! Frost Giant: Yes! Narrator: Gentlemen! Coyote: I'm not a man, I'm a coyote you dope! Narrator: Same thing! Coyote: No! Narrator: Yes! Coyote: No! Narrator: Yes! Coyote and Frost Giant: [bellowing] No! [Narrator rolls eyes, sighs and postures like kids do] Coyote: [Patting Frost Giant on shoulder] Thanks old pal! Narrator: [to audience and pointing with thumb] Acting as if they've known each other for years. Frost Giant: [jumping away] Don't touch me! Coyote: Fine. So where were we? Narrator: Where were you. Coyote: Fine, where were we? Narrator: I said already, Where were you! Coyote: Right, "you" plural, as in me and Frost Giant. Frost Giant: Change that to "you" singular. Coyote: Fine, then. Stop talking about the English language. Where was I? Narrator: Hey, we're in the play too! Frost Giant: Yeah! Coyote: Fine. Narrator: So Coyote and Frost Giant had a big argument... Coyote: Hey, that's not part of the play! Narrator: Fine. So in the morning, when Coyote saw Frost Giant coming across, he stretched himself across under the tree so he looked like he was dead. [Coyote does so]When Frost Giant came, Coyote again called upon his magical powers. Coyote: [murmurs] Asanga aminubis. Narrator: Then, another person appeared. ["Fatter person" enters] Frost Giant: Hmm, that person looks fatter, I'll go get him first, then I'll have two people instead of one. Narrator: Seeing Frost Giant going the other way Coyote sprang up and got into the canoe, and paddled away. Frost Giant: [Turns, then seeing Coyote going the other way runs to rivers edge] Get back here! Coyote: Why... [Narrator cuts him off] Narrator: Don't start another argument. Coyote: [Cheerfuly] Okay. [When Narrator stops looking, sticks tongue out at Frost Giant] Narrator: So Frost Giant... Frost Giant: [inaterrupting] What about me? Narrator: Nothing. So Frost Giant sat on a rock to think. [Coyote Goes into tipi] Coyote went into the tipi and saw three things: a bow and arrows, a white pole, and the strings that the Frost Giant pulls to make cold. Coyote: [Pulls strings and sits] It doesn't seem to be any colder. I'll go out and see if it is snowing yet. Narrator: When Coyote stuck his head out it was so cold, he nearly froze. Coyote: I'll stay inside now. [smiles guiltily at audience] Narrator: The next day, when it was warm again Coyote paddled to the other side. [Coyote does so] [Coyote gets down and tickles Frost Giant. Frost Giant laughs] Coyote: [Whispers so audience can hear] Psssssssst! You're supposed to be dead! Narrator: He got down and looked at the Frost Giant. [Coyote does so] Coyote: [stands] That'll teach you never to eat people again! Spirit of death: [comes onstage] [to audience] So, where did that Coyote go? All: [to audience] The End. [curtain] THE END Author: Ashley Heska (based on a Native American folk tale) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 License. In short: 1. You are free to print, copy, read, use, modify, and perform this work without royalty. 2. If you distribute this work in any form (including recordings of performances), with or without modification, you must grant these same royalty-free rights. For legal details, see the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 License at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/ For details about how to share your own plays, including modifications you may have made to this one, go to http://www.freeplays.org