Recently, during a time I had extra prep hours, I used my energies to create a couple of new scripts for our school. We sometimes have drama programs in which the kids, rather than having academic classes focus on putting on a play in only a week. The scripts we have are mostly fairy tales which isn't very interesting for the boy students. Anytime Korean students are allowed to create their own stories, it usually includes zombies, so I felt that writing a zombie script would help encourage the students to be more excited about the drama. As most of you know, I LOVE THEATER. Not just because it happens to be how I met the love of my life, and my best friends, but theater is a creative outlet like no other. It not only allows, but encourages larger than life personalities. It inspires the spring of soul to run freely. And to be honest, I really miss having it in my life. Writing and directing plays has been a completely new and exciting outlet for my creative sparks. Frustrating would also be an adjective I would use, considering I am directing students who often don't understand but 10%-20% of the words that are coming out of my mouth. I have to be even more expressive than in my usual classes, using completely ridiculous and over the top faces and movements to get my point across. And directing dances! Dear LORD! Korean students love their k-pop and they love dancing to them, but directing them is another story.
This play, I directed with another Korean teacher, and he made a few changes such as placing my THRILLER dance in a different location, but the thing that irritated me the most, was at the end of the story the girl was supposed to save the guys life from the zombies, but the Korean teacher, without my knowledge changed it so that OF COURSE the guy saved the girl. I was attempting to make a point with the girl being the strong, courageous one, but I guess I was moving too fast for Korea's feminist movement. I've included the script down below for anyone who might be interested. Mostly I am including the script for other teachers who might find it useful to their students and classes.
Zombie Attack at English Village
14+ Characters:
Bella
Sparky (dog)
Ryan
Kyle
Vanessa
Sylvia
Teacher 1
Teacher 2
Monster Zombie
Mom
Dad
Sister
Doctor
Nurse
Extra students
Extra zombies
Scene 1 (At home)
Mom: Are you ready to go to English camp?
Sparky: Woof!
Bella: Sparky is ready!
(Everyone laughs at the dog)
Dad: Do you have your suitcase?
Bella: Yes dad, I have everything. Don’t worry so much.
Dad: I’m sorry, I just want you to have fun and of course learn English.
Bella: Dad! I will.
Sister: I want to go to English camp too.
Mom: In a few years when you are older.
(Sister makes a pouting face)
Sister: But I want to go now!
Dad: You can come with us to drop Bella off.
Mom: Ok, let’s go.
Sparky: Woof, woof!
Scene 2 (At school in the classroom)
Teacher: Hello students. My name is teacher ________. We are going to play a get to know you game.
Ryan: I like games!
Kyle: Yeah!
Teacher: Everyone write on their paper their name and hobby.
Sylvia; Okay, finished
Teacher: crumple your paper.
Vanessa: like this?
Teacher: yes. Now paper fight
(everyone starts throwing paper at each other for at least thirty seconds)
Teacher: Ok, stop. Pick up a paper.
Ryan: I have Bella’s paper.
Teacher: Good, now introduce Bella.
Ryan: This is Bella. She is 14 years old. Her hobby is basketball.
(Sparky runs into the classroom)
Bella: Sparky, what are you doing here?
Sparky: Woof
Sylvia: Does she have a bite on her back?
Ryan: That looks like it hurt.
Vanessa: Are you okay girl?
(Sparky rolls over and kicks her legs in the air. Everyone laughs)
Teacher: Alright, break time. Bella, please take Sparky back to her room.
Bella: Yes teacher
Scene 3(Outside walking the dog home)
(Bella, Sylvia and Ryan are walking together, Sparky stops and growls at something)
Bella: Sparky, why are you growling?
Sylvia: There is nothing there you silly dog!
Ryan: Dogs can sense things that humans can’t.
Teacher 2: Where are you guys going? Shouldn’t you be in class?
Sylvia: Our teacher gave us break time.
(Howl from off stage (Monster Zombie))
Teacher 2: Alright but be careful guys. There is something strange living in those mountains.
Sparky: (Howls back and shivers before running off.)
Bella: Wait Sparky! Come back.
Scene 4(Later in the evening. )( Students are sitting on the floor during their break time. Teachers are standing in the background talking to themselves)
Bella: Sparky is acting really weird
Ryan: How so?
Bella: Her eyes are red, and her hair color is changing. She is panting a lot.
Ryan: Look here she is.
(Sparky enters walking straight-legged and wobbling)
Bella: Sparky what’s wrong.
(Sparky sees Kyle and runs at him and bites him)
Kyle: Ouch, why did she bite me?
Teacher 2: What is going on here?
Kyle: This dog just bit me.
(Teacher grabs the dog, Sparky bites the teacher)
Teacher 2: This dog needs to leave. She is biting everyone.
Bella: Something is wrong with her. She never bites.
Teacher 2: Did she go into the woods today?
Bella: yes she did.
Teacher 1: You must go see the doctor, NOW!
Scene 5 (In the doctors office)
Doctor: Please explain again. What happened?
Teacher 1: We believe the dog has been bitten by (looks around anxiously and whispers) the monster.
Doctor: (makes a lot of ridiculous noises) he ho hump hogwash. The monster is only a story.
Nurse: Not so doctor, I saw him once.
Kyle: We heard him earlier outside.
Bella: Sparky went into the woods and came back a completely different dog.
Doctor: There is a logical explanation for this.
(Screams from outside)
Nurse: What’s that?
Doctor: Crazy students. They drive me nuts.
Vanessa: Teacher, come quick!
Teacher 1: What’s wrong Vanessa?
Vanessa: There’s something outside.
Teacher: What is it?
Vanessa: I think it’s a monster.
(Everyone runs offstage, lights go off and back on. The monster zombie and Sparky are running after screaming children. Everyone is running circles around the stage. Ryan then tackles the monster)
Scene 6 (In an office with the monster zombie)
Doctor: Who are you?
Monster zombie: (makes lots of noises)
Doctor: Speak when I am talking to you.
Monster zombie: (moves his mouth like he is speaking but no words come out)ma ma ma ma ma ma.
Nurse: Oh my goodness. Is that you Roger?
Monster zombie: (makes a positive noise) uh-hu!
Doctor: My goodness, you are right. What happened to you?
Monster zombie: (bites his own arm and puts out his arm to show that he is now a zombie)
Nurse: Someone bit you and now you’re a zombie:
Monster zombie: (nods his head and begins to cry) boo hooo hoo hoo.
Nurse: poor zombie (patting his head) Can you help him doctor?
Doctor: I don’t know, but I will try.
Scene 7 (Outside students are lying on the ground. Vanessa, Kyle, Teacher2, and Sparky are all there)
Ryan: Oh no, I found Kyle.
Bella: Sylvia is that you?
Ryan: And I think that is Vanessa over there.
Bella: Everyone is a zombie.
(all zombies sit up at the same time when Bella says “Everyone is a zombie”, with their arms outstretched)
Bella: Ryan, what’s happening?
Ryan: Kyle, it’s me, your friend.
Kyle: Hungry (They are all walking towards Ryan and Bella)
Sylvia: Eat people.
Vanessa: Yum yum.
Teacher: Yummy students
Ryan: RUN BELLA RUN!
(They run off screaming)
Scene 8 (In the doctors office)
Doctor: We need to kill all of the zombies
Nurse: There has to be another way.
Teacher 1: What would their parents say.
Bella: You can’t kill our friends.
Ryan: But they want to eat us Bella.
Nurse: There has to be another way.
(There is pounding and stomping all over off stage)
Teacher: They are going to break down the door.
(The zombies break in and run on the stage from all different directions)
Doctor: Fight!
(A fight breaks out. )
Ryan: Help me, help me! (Three zombies are surrounding Ryan)
Bella: I’ll save you! (Bella fights them off)
Ryan: You’re the greatest!
(The nurse accidently hits the radio and THRILLER starts to play. The zombies begin to dance kind of like robots.)
Nurse: Look, they are dancing.
Doctor: It’s a cure. Music is the cure.
(Everyone starts to dance, even the doctor who is a very bad dancer)
Sparky: Woof
Bella: Thank goodness you are better.
Sylvia: Thank you for making us humans again.
Teacher 1: Being a zombie was no fun. I was hungry all of the time.
Ryan: Bella, will you be my girlfriend?
Bella: Of course I will Ryan. (They kiss)
Scene 9 (Parents are coming to pick up Bella from school)
Mom: Bella!
Dad: We missed you!
Sister: We ate ice cream every night for dinner. So there!
Mom: Did you have fun?
Bella: We had lots of fun.
Dad: Did you learn a lot of English?
Sister: What did you do?
Sparky: Woof!
Mom: Sparky learned English!
Bella: I can’t wait to come back next year.
(Howling from the mountain)
Sister: What’s that.
Bella; Oh that, that’s just the zombie monster.
Dad: Stop trying to scare your sister.
Sparky: Woof! Woof!
(Everyone laughs and walks off stage, you hear the howl again, lights out)
