Creative Skits for Drama

Behind the scenes

Stage tips
&
glossary

Script
&
Play details

Adapting the script

Advertise
to your needs
& program
& Follow up

Alicia Artusi & Gregory J Manin 2013

 Creative Skit for Drama 1

Title: Headline Neighbors

Preview A couple is having dinner at home when they hear some strange noises. They look
through the window and find out some people bought an old house on the same block. After
a short conversation with their new neighbors the couple finds out a new shop will be
opened on Monday. The new neighbors work hard during the weekend which makes it
difficult for the couple to rest. Since they like the idea of a new shop in the neighborhood,
they put up with the annoying noises of drills and machines. On Monday morning when the
couple is getting ready to go to work, they read the newspaper and discover the truth of
what had really happened during the weekend in their not- so- quiet neighborhood.

Language Level: Starter/ Elementary. Scope of grammar: Simple present, Present Continuous;
Present Continuous as future; Comparative; Simple Past.

Length: 15-30 minutes

Roles: a couple named Jessie and Colin, their son Alan, and the Greenish gang made up of an
engineer, a builder, truck driver, and two/four workers. (10 roles)

Stage props and costumes: a wall or screen with a window to separate the stage in two settings:
the house and the shop/bank; a sign that reads Plants and artificial grass, some flour, a wall
clock showing the time, a newspaper with the headline Robbery at Central Bank, offstage
noises or recorded sound effects.

Alicia Artusi & Gregory J Manin 2013

 Headline Neighbors. Script
Scene 1
[An old house in the center of the city next to a modern house owned by a young couple
(Jessie and Colin) with a teenage boy (Alan). Its Friday evening. The couple is preparing
dinner in the kitchen while talking after a days work. Alan is upstairs.]

Colin: Whats that noise, Jessie?

Jessie: Its Alans jam session with his new music band.
Colin: Not that noise. The noise coming from outside. Can you hear it?
Jessie: Oh, I see. New neighbors are moving to the house next door. Two young
professionals are setting a company. [looking through the window] Look. Theyre putting
a sign right now.
Colin: [Colin puts on his glasses and reads: Plants and artificial grass]. Who are they?
Do you know?
Jessie: Yes, I talked to them this morning. One of them is an engineer and the other is a
builder. They are renovating the old house to sell gardening tools and plants. They are
working hard. Theyre opening on Monday.
Colin: How nice.

Alicia Artusi & Gregory J Manin 2013

 Scene 2
[Its Friday night. Jessie and Colin are in their bed. They look tired, but cant sleep. The noises
coming from the house next door are stronger now. There are workers hitting, hammering, and
shovelling. Outside there are more workers carrying soil out and filling containers. Jessie and Colin
overhear the conversations from their bedroom].

Engineer: How wide is it?

Builder: 70 cm.
Engineer: Good. Do you have a lantern? Its really dark here.

Colin: Poor guys theyre working in the dark. They really want to open their shop this
Monday.
[Jessie and Colin overhear the rest of the conversation.]
Engineer: How deep is it?
Builder: 4 meters.
Engineer: Good. Is the air conditioning working?
Builder: No. Two workers are inside installing the lightening and air conditioning
systems. Im in charge of GPS.
[Jessie looks surprised at the sophistication of the new shop.]
Jessie: Itll be great to have such a nice shop next door. What are the GPS for, dear?
Colin: I dont know. To detect burglars, I think.
Jessie: Cool.

Alicia Artusi & Gregory J Manin 2013

 Scene 3
[The couple finally falls asleep and wakes up on Saturday morning looking tired. Jessie
looks through the window and sees three pick-up trucks with containers. The engineer
and builder are not outside]

Truck driver: Where to?

Engineer: Anywhere far. We need this place clean by Monday morning.
[In the house]
Jessie: Colin, Is our floor moving?
Colin: Yeah. Its vibrating. May be our neighbors are moving plants and heavy
tools inside. [looking through the window] Look. Theyre throwing some powder
on the house. What for?
Jessie: May be they dont have any more money for the paint. Powder is cheap
and makes the house look whiter.
Colin: I dont know.... It looks very strange to me.
[They fall asleep with the background noise of drills and machines]

Alicia Artusi & Gregory J Manin 2013

 Scene 4

[Its Sunday 4 a.m. Jessie and Colin are in the kitchen. They both are yawning and look
awfully tired. Alan enters for a glass of water]

Allan: Hi there. What are doing up so early?

Jessie: Did you hear the noises from the house next door?
Allan: Not really.
Colin: You didnt? You sleep like a log, son!
Allan: I was wearing my headset, listening to a new music band, actually. Then,
I looked out the window and I saw something kind of strange.
Jessie and Colin: What was that?
Alan: Two guys left the bank on the corner dressed in nice suits and carrying
big black suitcases.
Jessie: Maybe they were catching up on work.
Alan: On Saturday at midnight?
Colin: Hmm. That IS kind of strange.

Alicia Artusi & Gregory J Manin 2013

 Scene 5
[Its Monday morning. Colin gets up early in the morning to get breakfast ready for the
family. He opens the front door, takes the newspaper and goes to the kitchen]

Colin: (shouting loudly): Jessie!!!!!!

Jessie: Whats up?
Colin: Read the news.
Jessie: You scared me to death, Colin. I can read the news later.
Colin: Read this big headline.
Jessie: [reading aloud the newspaper headline] ROBBERY AT CENTRAL BANK.
70 million US dollars stolen through a tunnel.
Jessie: Oh No!. Thats the bank on the corner!
Colin: Go on reading, darling.
Jessie: The criminals called The Greenish Gang rented an old house at Barn Street
and dug a tunnel to the bank. The tunnel had lights and air conditioning. They
even had GPS. The police couldnt find any fingerprints. The criminals covered
the house with powder to hide the fingerprints. The police are now
investigating....
Oh God!! Our neighbors next door. They were.....
Alan: Bank robbers! Now I understand what the suitcases were for!
 Creative Skits for Drama
Behind the scenes. Glossary
Here are some useful words to use during rehearsals or for your
programs.

Cast and crew

Rehearsal
Dress rehearsal
Backstage
On stage
Offtage
Sound effects and lights
Prompt book/prompter
Props and costumes
Costumes
Make -up

Alicia Artusi & Gregory J Manin 2013

 Creative Skits for Drama
Behind the scenes. Stage Tips
Read the scrip aloud several times. Make sure the pronunciation is correct.
Memorize the script well so you can concentrate on the acting as a next stage.
Speak loud and clear.
Face the audience.
Act out your lines. Gestures help the audience understand whats going on even if
they dont know the English language.
Appoint someone as prompter. He/She will hold the script during the performance
and be responsible for assisting any of the performers who may forget his/her
lines.
If you forget a line, dont panic, the prompter will be ready to help you.
Get some students to memorize the leading roles. Someone may need to say
somebodys part the day of the performance.
Do a dress rehearsal with lights, sound, props and timing.
Arrive one hour earlier the day of the performance to have the stage and props
ready, put on the costumes, check the sound, etc.
Get someone at the entrance to welcome the guests and give out the programs.
Enjoy!

Alicia Artusi & Gregory J Manin 2013

 Creative Skits for Drama
Advertise & program design

Advertise the performance in the schools staff room and notice boards. E-mail
information about the event to parents. The following is just a model you can improve.

(7th grade)
Presents
Headline Neighbors
What you see is not always what you get
Opening day: _______
Time:__________
Venue:__________

Make a program. Include:

Name of skit
Directed by___
Summary of plot (included in the preview)
Cast and crew (actors, music by, costumes by, etc)
Photos of rehearsals, actors can be added.

Alicia Artusi & Gregory J Manin 2013

 Creative Skits for Drama
Adapting the script to your needs

POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS FOR STUDENTS TO DEVELOP

One or two of the robbers / workers from next door (Scene two)

A surprised pizza boy delivering at the shop/bank (Scene 2)

Truck drivers companion/helper (Scene three)

Allans friend/neighbor (Scene 3)

A postal carrier or traffic warden (Scene 3)

T.V journalists (Scene 4)

Alicia Artusi & Gregory J Manin 2013

 Creative Skits for Drama
Follow up ideas

Your skit has been a success. You need to write Part II now. Read some of the ideas and
choose one to amaze your audience one more time.

Can you prove you are a good detective and make a good questionnaire to ask
the suspects of the bank robbery? You can also question the witnesses:
neighbors, and other characters.

Can you face danger and adventure, work undercover with the gang, and
arrest them while they were working in the old house? Make the script and
prevent the crime.

Alicia Artusi & Gregory J Manin 2013