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Performing Arts - School Plays
from Linnaea School Plays
Package in the development stage.
The exact origin of A Thousand and One Nights, which westerners more often refer to as The Arabian Nights, is unknown and widely disputed among literary experts. It is generally believed the stories originated and were passed on through oral storytelling tradition before being written down in Persia during the 9th century. It seems likely, given the breadth of cultures included in the tales, that they were passed on through merchants who traveled the Silk Road, extending from northern China to the Middle East and Egypt. The tales predate Islam by several centuries and are secular, not religious, in origin. However, the later variations of the tales contain much of Islamic culture and we have chosen to include some parts of these in our goal to promote awareness and tolerance, in our students and our audience, for Islam.
The tales are considered to be among the classics of world literature. The plot centres around the efforts of Scherazade to keep her husband, the Sultan Shahrayar, from killing her by entertaining him with a tale a night for 1,001 nights. Each tale she tells is an interweaving of many tales designed never to finish. Captivated by the storyline, the Sultan chooses to keep her alive, ‘for one more night’ to hear what happens next. Unlike many western interpretations of The Arabian Nights, the tales of Scherazade and her Sultan were intended as allegory; teaching ‘lessons for life’. Taken in cultural context they extol the virtues of wisdom, courage and compassion. To quote an ancient Persian storyteller, “People need stories more than bread itself. They tell us how to live- and why.”
It was an extraordinary challenge to chose, condense, and westernize the stories enough for the children to understand and appreciate while still retaining much of the Middle Eastern flavour and viewpoint. Altogether Donna Bracewell, our script writer, read approximately 60 tales of the 1001, and for the ones she chose, she read an average of 7 or 8 versions, each about 5 times as long and more complex than what is presented in our production. Six tales were chosen for this play, in addition to the central drama of the Sultan and Scherazade. Each one could stand alone as a short performance or be presented in full as we have done.
We invite you to sit back, open your minds and hearts to a culture far away and long ago and allow Scherazade to weave her tales of wonder as she tries to lead her Sultan from the depths of madness towards the light.
For more information about our plays, look at:
www.cortesisland.com/tideline/show170b/Linnaea_School_Plays
The exact origin of A Thousand and One Nights, which westerners more often refer to as The Arabian Nights, is unknown and widely disputed among literary experts. It is generally believed the stories originated and were passed on through oral storytelling tradition before being written down in Persia during the 9th century. It seems likely, given the breadth of cultures included in the tales, that they were passed on through merchants who traveled the Silk Road, extending from northern China to the Middle East and Egypt. The tales predate Islam by several centuries and are secular, not religious, in origin. However, the later variations of the tales contain much of Islamic culture and we have chosen to include some parts of these in our goal to promote awareness and tolerance, in our students and our audience, for Islam.
The tales are considered to be among the classics of world literature. The plot centres around the efforts of Scherazade to keep her husband, the Sultan Shahrayar, from killing her by entertaining him with a tale a night for 1,001 nights. Each tale she tells is an interweaving of many tales designed never to finish. Captivated by the storyline, the Sultan chooses to keep her alive, ‘for one more night’ to hear what happens next. Unlike many western interpretations of The Arabian Nights, the tales of Scherazade and her Sultan were intended as allegory; teaching ‘lessons for life’. Taken in cultural context they extol the virtues of wisdom, courage and compassion. To quote an ancient Persian storyteller, “People need stories more than bread itself. They tell us how to live- and why.”
It was an extraordinary challenge to chose, condense, and westernize the stories enough for the children to understand and appreciate while still retaining much of the Middle Eastern flavour and viewpoint. Altogether Donna Bracewell, our script writer, read approximately 60 tales of the 1001, and for the ones she chose, she read an average of 7 or 8 versions, each about 5 times as long and more complex than what is presented in our production. Six tales were chosen for this play, in addition to the central drama of the Sultan and Scherazade. Each one could stand alone as a short performance or be presented in full as we have done.
We invite you to sit back, open your minds and hearts to a culture far away and long ago and allow Scherazade to weave her tales of wonder as she tries to lead her Sultan from the depths of madness towards the light.
For more information about our plays, look at:
www.cortesisland.com/tideline/show170b/Linnaea_School_Plays