The Narrator
The Narrator of the play is a 200-year-old version of one of the play’s central characters, Wizard Yaffe. As he informs the audience about essential elements of the unfolding plot, linking one scene to the next, he is mostly positioned in front of curtain as scene changes are taking place backstage. Occasionally, however, The Narrator (ostensibly invisible to the actors on stage), is required to deliver his speech from the side of the stage. As the longest speech parts belong to The Narrator, his word prompt can be disguised in his Book of Magic Spells that he is always holding. Some schools performing this play may elect to use an adult in this role.
Frances McNally, Mother McNally and Granny McNally
The characters of Frances McNally, Mother McNally and Granny McNally are used in assembly-line fashion to reflect the link between past and present, along with the continuity of life. Therefore, as one Granny McNally dies, there is always a Mother McNally in the wings waiting to take her place, with a Frances McNally becoming a Mother McNally and a new Frances McNally being born. Mother McNally is always pregnant with another daughter, who is always called Frances.
‘Douglas the Dragon’
Act One: Scene One
The play commences with The Narrator (an old, bearded wizard carrying a book of spells and a wand tucked inside his belt), standing in front of curtain to address the audience.
THE NARRATOR:
“Our story begins long, long ago, when dragons roamed the world and wizards were the masters of all they surveyed. This was a time when the forces of ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’ were in constant struggle; a time when war was waged between the human emotions of ‘Fear, Anger and Love.’”
“The prize at stake was the greatest prize of all: control of the heart, mind and actions of every man, woman and child.”
“One mile beyond the edge of Marfield Village, the hero of our story (a baby dragon), was being born through a slit in its mother’s stomach. For those of you unacquainted with the intricacies of birth, such entry into the world is called a ‘Caesarean birth.’”
“One hour before the baby dragon’s birth, its mother had been killed by a wicked wizard.... (Pause)..... Ah yes; I’m afraid that there’s good and bad in all of us!”
“The wicked wizard believed that if he drank the warm blood of a dragon he’d killed with his own hands, he’d live forever. So he pursued a female dragon, slit open her stomach, drank her warm blood and then went off after other dragon prey; not knowing that inside his victim’s stomach was a baby dragon waiting to be born.”
“Our hero was born into this world as an orphan, and even though the baby dragon couldn’t see for the first few hours of its existence, it could smell the stench of death close by and the aroma of life in the near distance.”
“So choosing the smell of life over that of death, it followed its nose towards the nearby Village of Marfield as it crawled through the long grass.”
The curtain is raised, revealing a scene of a Village Square filled with children at play, adults, Mayor, shopkeepers and the local blacksmith. However, all characters on stage are totally silent and motionless; as though part way through some action they’d been frozen in time, like statues. The Mayor and blacksmith are stood side-by-side.
THE NARRATOR: (Looking directly at the audience from the side of the stage)
“Meanwhile, back in the Village Square, life continued as it had always done.”
As The Narrator turns towards the cast on stage, he sees that there is no sign of movement or sound, so he takes his magic wand from his belt and repeats his last words as he waves it over the actors.
THE NARRATOR:
“Meanwhile, back in the Village Square, life continued as it had always done.”
All the actors on stage instantly break out into speech and movement once more and complete what they had been previously doing, thereby signifying the power of the wizard’s magic to the audience.
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD: (The Mayor is eating an apple pie as he speaks to Blacksmith Jones: in fact, he is always eating something throughout the day or night whenever anyone sees him!)
“Good mor…morning, blacksmith. It looks like fine weather again.”
BLACKSMITH JONES:
“Aye, Mr Mayor, a fine day it is! Granny McNally says it will stay rain-free for the next seven days and she’s never been known to be wrong in her forecasts. I don’t know how she does it. It’s uncanny if you ask me!”
THE MAYOR OF MARFIELD:
“That settles it th…then, blacksmith. If Granny McNally says it will be fine, then fine it will be! Oh what I wouldn’t give for just a fragment of her 90-years’ wisdom. Do you know, blacksmith, church records show that Marfield Village hasn’t been without a Granny McNally for nigh on 300 years?”