Just So

by Jan Silverman

Story theatre for 7 or more performers. Unit stage with simple set pieces. 2 songs. 65 minutes . $ 6.50

"I chose the stories that would allow me to use a maximum of Rudyard Kipling's language," says Jan Silverman, author of this lively adaptation of Just-So Stories. So she ended up with two less familiar tales--"The Beginning of Armadillos" and "How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin," as well as the popular "The Elephant's Child" and "The Cat That Walked by Himself." Running through the stories is a choral-speaking arrangement of "The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo" that can be accompanied by the beat of drums.

The casting is flexible. Have you ever had to choose a play without knowing the exact number, gender, or quality of people you have available, or needed to distribute parts to a large group, without any roles overshadowing the others too much? This is when Story Theatre saves the day. Just So has a total of 28 characters--5 or 6 to each story--and they can be individually played, or combined any number of ways.

To meet another challenge, by subtracting one of the tales, you have a shorter piece that fits into the framework of high school festivals and competitions, and showcases a young ensemble to great advantage.