Secondary Course 04
The Jungle Book

At the end of this page you will find a complete version of the play. It is free to download and for you to produce. Enjoy!
Mowgli and the wolves
Example of set for The Jungle Book
Stage Production of The Jungle Book
Directing Mowgli and monkeys at Parawut Sueksa School, North East Thailand
Description:

Mowgli is raised by a pack of wolves in the Indian jungle. Many animals help him in his battle against Shere Khan, the man eating tiger. Teach your students how to listen and respond to each other – in English. Prepare them to start writing their own scripts. Discuss appearance and personality. Have them sing “The Bare Necessities”. Research India on the internet. Ask them to prepare a recipe with their family. Let them have fun dressing up as animals and rehearsing and performing the play.

Main Objectives:

At the end of the session the students will be able to:
  1. Produce their own ending of the script
  2. Perform a Stage Play production
  3. Perform an Audio Play production

Materials:

Microphone, Audio software on laptop, Audio player, flashcards.

Units:
  1. Objectives
  2. Preparation
  3. More preparation
  4. Song
  5. Research
  6. Stage Play
  7. Audio Play

Rewards:

At the end of the course, please send us the script with your own ending, the video of your stage play, and the audio file of your audio play. If you wish we shall add them to this webpage.
    1. The best production
    2. The best video play performance/li>
    3. The best audio play performance/li>
    4. The best new ending script/li>
    5. The best illustrations to the script/li>
    6. The clearest spoken English by all the actors
Send us the attachments through this link
Unit 1

Objectives

From the start immerse the students in speaking English.
Only if necessary allow them to use a little of their own language.

You have a choice of helping your students to produce:

  • A Stage Play, which your students can enjoy performing with their class and friends and show to their families.
  • An Audio Play, which your students can keep as a record for themselves, their families and friends and which they can review or you can do both
  • This Course also contains conventional English teaching.

Tips for Productions for either Stage or audio production:

  • Perform a stage or an audio play of “The Jungle Book” – or both!

  • Teach them how to lift their voices from a script and/or to learn their parts.
  • Teach them how to listen to and respond to each other.
  • Teach them how to respond to direction.

  • Give the students confidence in acting and speaking English.
  • Write and perform a new ending to these excerpts from “The Jungle Book”
  • Prepare them to start thinking about writing their own script.
  • Help them prepare sound effects
  • Help them prepare music.
  • Have fun!

For the Stage Production

  • Encourage them to create the backdrops for the Stage production

  • Help them to prepare the props.
  • Help them with costumes.

For the Audio Production

  • Teach them how to use a microphone.
  • Help them with recording and post production – see appendix.
For conventional English learning (which will also relate to the play).
Using “What is/are … like?” correctly.

Key vocabulary: exciting, interesting, good, funny, difficult, new, great, noisy, easy, serious, boring, awful, bad, old.

Talk about a person’s appearance and personality.

Talk about an animal’s appearance and characteristics.

Use has/got in talking about a person’s appearance and personality and about an animal’s appearance and characteristics

Name parts of the body

Use have/got + a headache/a cold correctly.

Say how one feels.

Write a description of an imaginary person

 

Unit 2

Preparation

Children run through the Jungle
Filipino children ride a bufalo
Example of a backdrop for The Jungle Book
Distance from the microphone
Chicken Stir Fry

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 skinless boneless chicken breast fillets
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 tablespoon corn flour, plus 1 teaspoon extra
  • 350g fragrant rice<
  • thumb sized knob of root ginger
  • 1 red pepper
  • 1 shallot
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 red chili (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • juice 1 lime
  • handful basil leaves
  • Ask the students to describe the appearance and personality of their best friend, mother, teacher, etc.
  • Ask them to describe the appearance and characteristics of some animals.
  • Find examples in the scripts of ‘The Jungle Book’ below.
  • Review: Use has/have got to talk about possessions, appearance, and family. (See course 3)
  • Review: Use a/an or some
  • Review: Use some/any
  • Review: Use possessive adjectives
  • Review: Use possessive ‘s
  • Review: Use this, that, these, those
  • Review: Use adjectives and nouns together

A. The Jungle Run Game

Children are running through the ‘jungle’ and run into many animals, etc. that they need to get away from.
The teacher can give appropriate commands, and the children carry out a suitable action:
  1. Duck under branches 
  2. High knees through quicksand
  3. Run from the tiger

  4. Tip toe past the snake 
  5. Talk to the monkeys (ooh, ooh, aah, aah, jabber, jabber, jabber), etc. 
  6. Ride the buffalob

B. Preparation for the Stage production - get the students to help you. Suggest they involve their families and ask them to help

  • Prepare the backdrops (see script below).
  • Prepare the props (see script below).
  • Prepare the costumes – start by drawing them and then putting them together.

  • Prepare the sound effects (e.g. the tiger’s roar and growl, unless a student vocalises these)
  • Record with the students using audio recording equipment./span>
  • Prepare any music. Again find online or instead of music use sounds of the jungle provided in this course (see audio script).

C. Preparation for the Audio production - get the students to help:

  • Set up a microphone on a stand
  • Connect to recording equipment
  • Tell the students the microphone is their best friend.

  • To speak at normal level get them to stand either side of the microphone at the distance in the picture – or farther away if they speak loudly
  • Make sure they always face the microphone.
  • If you can, record and playback to them.
  • Get practical sound effects ready. For example the howling of wolves.
  • Make sure that each student has a job to do either alone or as part of a team.
  • Get the students to encourage each other

D. Preparation for Conventional Learning

  • Ask the students about their favourite TV programme, city, film, game, songs, etc. Have they seen the Walt Disney film of the Jungle Book? You can find excerpts online or you can buy the DVD.
  • Divide the students into groups. Let them talk about their favourite singer or actress/actor.
  • Can the students name famous buildings or statues in the pictures of Paris, London and New York?

Review using adjectives.

  • Ask the students to describe the appearance and personality of their best friend, mother, teacher, etc.
  • Ask them to describe the appearance and characteristics of some animals.
  • Find examples in the scripts of ‘The Jungle Book’ below.
  • Review: Use has/have got to talk about possessions, appearance, and family. (See course 3)
  • Review: Use a/an or some
  • Review: Use some/any
  • Review: Use possessive adjectives
  • Review: Use possessive ‘s
  • Review: Use this, that, these, those
  • Review: Use adjectives and nouns together

Reading activity: Students read the recipe:

Chicken stir-fry in 4 easy steps

METHOD:

  1. Slice the chicken into bite-size pieces. Beat together the egg white and 1 tbsp. corn flour in a bowl. Tip in the chicken and coat with the mix. Marinate for 15-30 mins (don’t place in the fridge or the mix will harden). Now rinse the rice in a sieve under the cold tap until the water runs clear.
  2. Making perfect rice: Drain the rice, tip into a pan with a lid and pour over 600ml water and a pinch of salt. Bring the water to the boil, then cook the rice uncovered for 10 mins or so until the water has almost boiled away and small craters appear. Cover with a lid, turn the heat down as low as it will go and cook for 10 mins more. Getting the ingredients ready: Strip the ginger skin with a teaspoon and finely chop until you have 1 tablespoon..
  3. Halve the pepper and trim off the stalk, inner pith and seeds. Cut into bite-size pieces. Peel the shallot and garlic clove, then thinly slice. Trim the ends off the chili, if using, removing the seeds if you like it milder, and cut into thin slices. Remove the chicken from the egg marinade and pat dry with kitchen paper.
  4. Foolproof stir-frying: Heat a wok and pour in 1 tbsp oil. Cook the chicken for 7-10 mins, tossing until just cooked. Set aside. Pour in some more oil if you need to. Add the pepper and cook for 1 min, then cook the ginger, shallot and garlic for 1-2 mins more. Combine the fish sauce, lime juice, 50ml water and 1 tsp. corn flour. Tip into the wok, then add the chicken. Cook for 1 min, stir through the basil, and then serve with the rice.

Reading activity: Students read the recipe:

Ask:
Are the instructions difficult? Do you think it’s a good recipe? etc.
Writing activity:
What’s your idea about happiness? Let the students make a list of ingredients and write a “Happiness recipe”.
Pair work:
Ask each pair to describe each other’s appearance and personality.
Writing and speaking:
Think of a well-known person and write a short description.
Ask some students to come in front of the class and read their description.
Let the students tell you the story of “The Jungle Book” in their own words.
Then get them to write – if possible for homework – a synopsis in their own words of the stage or audio script.

Unit 3

More Preparation

Have fun making drama
Production at Parawun Sueksa School, North East Thailand
Shere Khan
Rudyard Kipling
Jon Favreau director of the Disney film
Regent's International School Bangkok staging: Balou and Mowgli
Green Gables International School, Hyderabad, India: the wolves discover Mowgli
Audio Drama

A. The Play

  • The Teacher explains that in this course they will have fun making drama.
  • Through drama they will learn English without effort.
  • Also they will absorb a feeling for how to tell a story.
  • The students will act.
  • They will work as a team.<
  • There are 10 speaking parts (plus at least 10 non speaking parts / stage hands) in the stage version and 12 speaking parts in the audio version of The Jungle Book.
  • Discuss which parts they would like to play.
  • Some of the characters in the stage version, especially the non-speaking parts can double as stage hands.
  • Some students might like to create the music.
  • Or pick sections from the Music and Jungle sounds provided.
  • Others might like to create the sound effects.
  • Read both the stage version and the audio version with them.
  • Ask them which version they would like to produce and perform.
  • Explain what is involved.
  • Explain that their family and friends will be able to come to the production (stage) or read and hear (Audio) what you have done
  • Later they can write some new endings to the play.

B. Grammar in Action

  • Get the students to write at least three adjectives about a film, a place, a book
  • Get the students to write at least three adjectives about Mowgli, Shere Khan, Kaa, the monkeys.
  • Get the students to come in pairs in front of the class asking questions about the above, for example:
  • What is Shere Khan like? Let the answers contain adjectives.
  • Call some students to say at least three things about a friend or about her/himself.
  • Pair work: Students ask and answer questions about how they feel.
  • Ask some students to make conversations in front of the class.
  • For general learning play the song – “The bare necessities” – to them several times. Then split them into groups and let the groups compete to see which can write the words down correctly.
  • Ask questions of the different groups about the drama and find out which group can answer most questions about “The Jungle Book”, for example,
  • “Where does the play start?”
  • “Who is the first to enter where the wolves are living?”

  • “Where do Banda and Varnid live?”
  • “Who wrote the original story of The Jungle Book?”
  • “How did Mowgli get up in the trees?”
  • “To whom does Chil take the message?”
  • “What kind of animal is Bagheera?”
  • “Who is Mowgli’s teacher of the Law of the Jungle?”
  • “Who is the leader of the wolves?”

C. Stage Play

  • For Stage help and encourage the students to paint and design backdrops or construct scenery for the cave and jungle with branches to swing on.
  • Help and encourage them to find the props.
  • Suggest they ask their families to help.
  • Get the actors/stage hands to practice moving the props.
  • Help them to prepare the music and the sounds of the jungle.
  • Let them practice playing the music and sounds of the jungle in and fading it out.
  • Help and encourage them to design and create costumes.
  • While they are doing the above they can learn and practice their lines.
  • Tell them to think about where the audience will be and always to face the audience as much as they can – and how to project.

D. Audio Play

  • For Audio the teacher demonstrates how to use a microphone.
  • It may be a real microphone – if you have technical assistance you can record and play back to the children.
  • Stand a long way from the microphone and call ‘Hello. My name is …..’
  • Then move much closer to the microphone and say much more softly ‘Hello. My name is …’
  • Get each student to repeat.
  • When they are close to the microphone, in order not to ‘pop’ the microphone teach them to speak sideways or to but one finger in front of their mouths to deflect their breath from going into the microphone.
  • If you have recorded playback to students.

E. Production

  • Rehearse the play.
  • Perform the stage and/or audio play.
  • If you have the equipment and technicians and the extra time involved, audio record the play.
  • And/or Video the stage rehearsal and performance.
  • It will be very important for the students to see and hear what they have achieved.
  • Praise them but also help and encourage them to do even better next time. (See at the bottom other plays they can perform.)
  • Tell them not to be frightened to make mistakes. Mistakes are a useful learning process.

F. Phonics

  • There will be phonics advice on the underlined words in the script.
  • Refer to the audio file.

  • Listen to and practice saying the words: Mowgli, man’s cub, Shere Khan, Tabaqui, afraid, narrow entrance, thieves.

  • Make sure all the consonants are sounded.
  • Tell the students to find adjectives in the scripts.
  • The teacher explains the positions of adjectives.
  • See what Shere Khan says, “I can’t get through the narrow entrance. Those noisy, dirty thieves have stolen our man-cub.”
  • The teacher explains the use of has got + adjective.
  • “He’s got a red pencil.”
  • “She hasn’t got a friendly face.”
  • The teacher explains the use of adjectives to describe how they feel.
  • “I’m fed up.” “I’ve got a cold”, etc.

G. Pronunciation

  • Listen to stage pronunciation recording.
  • Let the students listen to stress and intonation.
  • Play and pause.
  • Let them repeat the speeches.
Unit 4

Song

Listen to “The Bare Necessities” and get the children to join in singing.

“Look for the bare necessities

The simple bare necessities

Forget about your worries and your strife

I mean the bare necessities

Old Mother Nature’s recipes

That brings the bare necessities of life

Wherever I wander, wherever I roam

I couldn’t be fonder of my big home


The bees are buzzin’ in the tree

To make some honey just for me

When you look under the rocks and plants

And take a glance at the fancy ants

Then maybe try a few

The bare necessities of life will come to you

They’ll come to you!


Look for the bare necessities

The simple bare necessities

Forget about your worries and your strife

mean the bare necessities

That’s why a bear can rest at ease

With just the bare necessities of life.”

Unit 5

Research

Help the students to research and answer the following questions, and ask their parents to help them too:

India 1900

The map on the left is of India in 1900, six years after Rudyard Kipling wrote the Jungle Book and when India was a British colony.

The map on the right is of India today.

Notice how since Pakistan and Bangladesh have become separate states, India is smaller.

Rudyard Kipling was born in India in 1865. He became a famous writer. He praised the British Empire and loved soldiers.

India Today
  1. What is the population of India today?
  2. How many people in India speak English (clue: after the USA it is the second largest English speaking country in the world.)
  3. What is the capital of India?
  4. By population which is the largest city in India?
  5. By population which is the largest religion in India?
  6. Which is the longest river in India?
  7. In what country is the Jungle Book set?
  8. In what town was Rudyard Kipling born?
  9. Which famous writer did he meet in the USA?
Unit 6
Wolf costume
Tiger costume
Monkey costume
Bear costume
Bird costume

Stage Play

A. Casting See the following table to have fun making preparation with your students. If possible get their families to help.

The Jungle Book  by Rudyard Kipling, dramatised by Shaun MacLoughlin

CAST COSTUMES BACKDROPS PROPS SOUND EFFECTS MUSIC
Mowgli, boy Loin Cloth Cave with narrow entrance ]Bones in cave Jungle sounds provided Compose and play your own music
Father Wolf Wolf Costume Rocks and some trees Straw in cave Wolf cubs lapping or music and jungle sounds provided
Mother Wolf Wolf Costume Jungle, Ropes looking like branches for monkeys to swing on Tiger’s roar
Cub 1 Wolf Costume bananas Tiger’s growl
Cub 2 Wolf Costume Howling of wolves
Shere Khan, the tiger Tiger Costume Jabbering of monkeys
Baloo the bear Bear costume Whooshing sounds
Bagheera the panther Panther costume Flapping of large wings
Monkey 1, Varnid Monkey Costume
Monkey 2, Banda Monkey Costume

Chil the bird

Bird Costume

 
Music and Jungle sounds
Possible Opening Music
Wolf mother and cubs
Father and mother wolf examine Mowgli
Cubs lapping milk
Shere Khan tries to get into the cave
Tiger roar
Useful linking music containing animal noises
Jungle sounds
More jungle sounds
Akela the leader of the wolves
Wolves howling
The conference of the wolves
Baloo
Bagheera
The monkeys
Baloo and Mowgli argue
Mowgli and Bagheera
Mowgli dreams of Monkys giving him bananas
Mowgi dreams of Monkys giving him bananas
Mowgli dreams of Monkys giving him bananas
The Monkeys prepare to catch Mowgli by Tanmay Singh
The monkeys capturing Mowgli
The monkeys have captured Mowgli
Bagheera and Baloo are horrified
Whooshing of monkeys jumping
The flapping of Chil’s wings
Chil the Bird
Chil full face
Play Reading
SCENE 1THE CAVE WITH A NARROW ENTRANCE.
  WE HEAR MUSIC AND THE SOUNDS OF THE JUNGLE.
  THE WOLF FAMILY, FATHER WOLF, MOTHER WOLF AND TWO CUBS ARE PRESENT. THERE ARE BONES AND STRAW ON THE GROUND. THE CUBS ARE LAPPING MILK CLOSE TO THEIR MOTHER. MOWGLI, A SMALL BOY, ENTERS THROUGH THE ENTRANCE.
FATHER WOLF:It’s a man. A man’s cub. Look!
 (MOWGLI LAUGHS)
MOTHER WOLF:Is that a man’s cub? I have never seen one. Bring it here.
(FATHER BRINGS HIM OVER AND HE JOINS THE CUBS LAPPING MILK)
 (PLEASED) Look, he is taking his meal with the others.
FATHER WOLF:He is not afraid.
  (PUTTING HIS HEAD INTO THE CAVE)
SHERE KHAN:Greetings, Father Wolf.
FATHER WOLF:We are pleased that you visit us, Shere Khan. What do you need?
SHERE KHAN:I am hunting the man’s cub. His mother and father have run away.
 (HE TRIES TO GET THROUGH THE ENTRANCE)
 I can’t get through the narrow entrance to your cave.
 Hand him out to me.
FATHER WOLF:If we want to kill him, we will decide, not you.
SHERE KHAN:The man’s cub belongs to me! It is I, Shere Khan, who speaks.
  (HIS ANGRY ROAR ECHOES ROUND THE CAVE)
MOTHER WOLF:No! The man’s cub will be my son. I will not kill him. Go away!
SHERE KHAN:(GROWLING AS HE GOES AWAY) I will have this man-cub one day, you thieves!
FATHER WOLF:Do you really want to keep him, Mother?
MOTHER WOLF:Yes. He came here by night, alone and hungry, but he was not afraid. I will call him Mowgli.
FATHER WOLF:In that case I shall present him to Akela, the head of the pack
BRING UP THE SOUNDS OF THE JUNGLE
 THE WOLVES TAKE AWAY THE BONES AND STRAW
AND REMOVE THE BACKDROP, REVEALING:
  
SCENE 2A BACK DROP OF BOULDERS AND SOME VEGETATION. THE WOLVES MEETING PLACE. THE WOLVES HOWL.
 EXTERIOR ACOUSTIC OF THE MEETING ROCK. THE HOWLING OF WOLVES AND THE SOUND OF THE JUNGLE.
 AKELA IS SEATED ABOVE THE OTHER WOLVES. BAGHEERA, THE PANTHER IS ONE SIDE OF THE STAGE AND BALOO, THE BEAR IS THE OTHER SIDE. FATHER WOLF APPROACHES WITH MOWGLI
THE WOLVES BECOME SILENT AS FATHER WOLF SPEAKS
FATHER WOLF:Akela, our leader, according to custom, I present our son, Mowgli, the man-cub.
AKELA:Look well. O wolves. Look well!
SHERE KHAN:(FROM A DISTANCE) The man-cub belongs to me. Give him to me.
AKELA:Look well. Who speaks for this man-cub? Two voices, who are not his father and mother, must speak for him.
 Baloo, the bear, it is your job to teach the Law of the jungle to the wolf cubs. What do you say?
BALOO:(WITH A DEEP, SLEEPY VOICE) I speak for the man-cub.
 Let him run with the Pack.
 I myself will teach him.
AKELA:We need another voice to speak for him.
BAGHEERA:O Akela, will you let me speak?
AKELA:Speak, Bagheera the panther, as black as the night, strong and dangerous.
BAGHEERA:The Law of the Jungle says it is possible to buy the life of a cub. It is bad to kill a man-cub.. Let him live with you, and I will give you a fat cow, newly killed, which lies in the jungle not far away.
WOLVES:(TOGETHER) We are hungry. Let him live.
(WE HEAR THE ANGRY ROAR OF SHERE KHAN IN THE DISTANCE)
AKELA:It is good. Men are clever. Perhaps this man-cub will help us when he is older. Take him away and teach him well.
 THROUGH THIS WE HEAR WIND IN THE TREES, SCRAPING BRANCHES, CRIES OF BIRDS, RUNNING WATER AND SPLASHES.
  
SCENE 3THE MONKEY-PEOPLE, PART 1
  (EXTERIOR ACOUSTIC. IN THE JUNGLE)
 THE WOLVES REMOVE THE BACK DROP OF THE WOLVES’ MEETING PLACE AND THE MONKEYS BRING ON THE BACK DROP OF THE JUNGLE. THEY ALSO HANG UP ROPES THAT LOOK LIKE BRANCHES THAT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO SWING ON. BALOO, MOWGLI AND BAGHEERA ENTER
BALOO:You must learn the Jungle master words.
MOWGLI:But I’m bored, Baloo. I want to be climbing trees
BALOO:Take that!
  (HE GIVES HIM A CUFF AROUND THE EAR)
MOWGLI:Ouch! That hurt.
  (HE RUNS AWAY AND CLIMBS A BRANCH (ROPE). CALLING BACK TO BALOO:)
 I’m angry with you.
BAGHEERA:Remember how small he is. How can his little head, hold all your long words?
BALOO:These words will keep him safe from the birds, from the snake-people, and all the animals that hunt. It is true that he is only small.
 But no-one will hurt him, if he remembers all the Master-Words.
  (HE CALLS) Come Mowgli! Come and say the words again.
MOWGLI:(AS HE CLIMBS DOWN A TREE AND JUMPS TO THE GROUND)
 I will say the words to Bagheera, not you, fat old Baloo.
BALOO:(SADLY) Very well. Say the words for the Hunting-People.
MOWGLI:We are of one blood, you and I.
BALOO:Good. Now for the birds.
MOWGLI:(IN A CHIRPING, SING SONG VOICE, LIKE A BIRD)
We are of one blood, you and I.
BALOO:Now for the Snake-People.
MOWGLI:(MAKING A LONG SSSS SOUND) We are of one blood, you and I.
BALOO:(GENTLY) Thank you. One day you will thank me for my lessons.
 Now you will be safe in the jungle, because no snake, no bird, no animal will hurt you. You do not need to be afraid of anyone.
MOWGLI:And I shall have my people and go with them, high up in the trees.
BAGHEERA:(ANGRY) What did you say? Have you been with the Monkey-People?
  
FLASHBACK SCENEBALOO AND BAGHEERA GO TO THE SIDE OF THE STAGE AND WATCH WHAT MOWGLI DESCRIBES. THERE IS DREAMY MUSIC TO SUGGEST THAT THIS IS IN THE PAST
  THE MONKEYS COME DOWN FROM THE TREES. THEY GIVE BANANAS TO MOWGLI. HE EATS ONE
MOWGLI:When Baloo hurt my head, I went away and the grey monkeys came down from the trees and talked to me.
 They were kind to me and gave me nice things to eat.
THEY GIVE BANANAS TO MOWGLI. HE EATS ONE
HE GOES UP THE ROPES WITH THE MONKEYS
 Then they took me up into the trees.
 They said I was their brother, and they wanted me to be their leader one day.
 
CONTINUE SCENE 3THE MONKEYS LEAVE AND MOWGLI DESCENDS. FADE MUSIC
MOWGLI:Why have you never told me about the Monkey-People? Bad old Baloo. They play all day, and don’t do lessons, and I will play with them again.
BALOO:Listen man-cub. I have taught you the Law for the Jungle-People, but not for the Monkey-People. They have no law. Their ways are not our ways. They are noisy and dirty, and they think they are a great people, but then they forget everything.
 The rest of the Jungle-People do not talk to them, or even think about them.
Remember what I tell you.
 (WE HEAR THE LOUD GIBBERING OF MONKEYS UP
IN THE TREES)
MOWGLI:I’m sorry.
BANDA:(GIBBERING CLOSER. TWO MONKEYS APPEAR) Did you hear that, Varnid? They say we are noisy.
VARNIDAnd dirty. We’ll show them, Banda. Let’s play a trick on them.
BANDA:While they are asleep, we’ll kidnap Mowgli.
VARNID:(GIBBERS) Yes. We’ll play with him and have lots of fun.
  (THEY LEAVE. NOW WE HEAR THE GIBBERING IN THE DISTANCE. WE ARE BACK WITH MOWGLI, BALOO AND BAGHEERA AGAIN.)
BALOO:It’s time for our midday rest.
BAGHEERA:Yes. Let’s lie down here. You can sleep between us, Mowgli.
MOWGLI:(LYING DOWN) Thank you.
 (YAWNS SLEEPILY) I will never talk to, or play with the Monkey-People again.
  (WE HEAR THE GENTLE BREATHING AND SNORING OF BALOO, BAGHEERA AND MOWGLI. THEME MUSIC AS VARNID AND BANDA AND TWO OTHER MONKEYS CREEP UP AND LIFT AND CARRY AWAY THE SLEEPING MOWGLI WITHOUT WAKING HIM OR BALOO OR BAGHEERA. ONCE THEY ARE UP IN THE TREES THEY START TO GIBBER AND LAUGH, WAKING BALOO AND BAGHEERA. BAGHEERA TRIES TO CLIMB BUT CANNOT GET UP TO MOWGLI AND THE MONKEYS)
BALOO:(SHOUTS) You’re nearly there! You’ve nearly got him.
BAGHEERA:I can’t climb any farther. I’m too heavy for the branch.
BALOO:We’ll never catch the monkeys. They’re too fast for us.
BAGHEERA:Let’s go and see Kaa, the python. He can climb as easily as monkeys and he eats them. He may help us.
BALOO: Good idea. Come on.
(THEY LEAVE )
MOWGLI:(WAKING UP) Where am I?
BANDA:You’re with the monkeys, little man-cub.
VARNID:We’re going to have fun.
MOWGLI:How did I get up here?
BANDA:We carried you while you were asleep.
MOWGLI:Where are you taking me?
VARNID:Along the monkey roads, high up in the trees.
BANDA:All together! Juuuump!
 (WE HEAR WHOOSHING SOUNDS AS THEY JUMP
AND SPRING FROM BRANCH TO BRANCH )
VARNID:Watch out. There’s that bird!
 (THEN WE HEAR THE FLAPPING OF LARGE WINGS)
MOWGLI: (IN A CHIRPING, SING SONG VOICE, LIKE A BIRD)
 We are of one blood, you and I.
CHIL:Who are you?
MOWGLI:Mowgli, the man-cub. Who are you?
CHIL:Chil, the bird.
MOWGLI:Please, watch where the monkeys take me and tell my friend, Baloo, the bear.
CHIL:I will
 (HE FLIES AWAY).
BANDALet us take him to the monkey city.
 (THEY RUN AWAY WITH MOWGLI)
  (BRING UP THE SOUNDS OF THE JUNGLE)

Unit 7

Audio Play

Set up microphone on stand, attach to recording equipment, set up audio editing software on computer. The Jungle Book

Dramatised for AUDIO by Shaun Macloughlin.

Characters Pre-recorded sound effects Live sound effects Music
Father Wolf Jungle sounds provided Wolf cubs lapping Compose and play your own music
Tabaqui Wolf cubs lapping Tiger’s roar or music and jungle sound provided
Mother Wolf Tiger’s roar Tiger’s growl
Shere Khan Tiger’s growl Gibbering monkeys
Akela Wind in the trees Sniffles and little barks from wolf cubs
Baloo Scraping branches Human baby noises
Bagheera Cries of birds Howling of wolves
Narrator Gibbering monkeys Climbing down tree
Mowgli Sniffles and little barks from wolf cubs Jumping down to ground.
Banda Human baby noise Breathing and snoring of Baloo, the Bear
Varnid Howling of wolves >Whooshing sounds as the monkeys jump from branch to branch
Chil Running water and splashes.
Whooshing sounds as the monkeys jump from branch to branch

The Shorter Version of the Audio Script 

SCENE 1ESTABLISH THEME MUSIC OR SOUNDS OF THE JUNGLES AND CROSSFADE INTO FIRST WORDS. INTERIOR ACOUSTIC OF A CAVE. OUTSIDE IS THE SOUND OF THE JUNGLE.
FATHER WOLF:

(YAWNING) It’s time to leave the cave and look for food.

Wake up Mother Wolf. Wake up Cubs.

(WE HEAR A YAWN FROM MOTHER WOLF AND SNIFFLES AND LITTLE BARKS FROM THE CUBS)

TABAQUI:(ENTERING THE CAVE) Good luck, Father Wolf.
FATHER WOLF:

What do you want, Tabaqui? We all know that jackals eat anything.

Even old clothes from the village. Disgusting!

TABAQUI:Shere Khan, the tiger, is coming to look for food here.
FATHER WOLF:He can’t. By the law of the Jungle he must tell us first, before he comes here to hunt.
TABAQUI:

Shere Khan has a bad leg, so he can kill only cows. In the village near him people are angry. That is why he is coming here – to start hunting in a new place.

(WE HEAR A TIGER ROARING)

Listen, you can hear him now.

FATHER WOLF:He is a stupid animal. No one will find anything to eat in the jungle now.
TABAQUI:But tonight Shere Khan is hunting man, not animal.
FATHER WOLF:

He’s mad. He knows that man-killing brings men with guns.

That means that everybody in the jungle is in danger.

(WE HEAR SOME MORE DISTANT ROARING. AND THEN MUCH CLOSER WE HEAR A HUMAN BOY OF ABOUT 18 MONTHS MAKING BABY NOISES)

It’s a man. A man’s cub. Look! (THE YOUNG BOY LAUGHS)

MOTHER :

WOLF:

Is that a man’s cub? I have never seen one. Bring it here.

(WE HEAR SUCKLING NOISES OF THE BABY BOY AND THE WOLF CUBS)

(PLEASED) Look, he is taking his meal with the others.

FATHER WOLF:I have heard that this has happened before, but I’ve never seen it until now. Look at him. He is not afraid.
SHERE KHAN:(PUTTING HIS HEAD INTO THE CAVE) Greetings, Father Wolf.

FATHER WOLF:

We are pleased that you visit us, Shere Khan. What do you need?

SHERE KHAN:

I am hunting the man’s cub. His mother and father have run away.

I can’t get through the narrow entrance to your cave. Hand him out to me.

FATHER WOLF:

The Pack – the other wolves and I – will decide.

If we want to kill him, we will decide, not you.

SHERE KHAN:

The man’s cub belongs to me! It is I, Shere Khan, who speaks.

(HIS ANGRY ROAR ECHOES ROUND THE CAVE)

MOTHER WOLF:No! The man’s cub belongs to me! I will not kill him. He will live, to run with the other wolves, to be my son. Now go away, eater of cubs! Go!
SHERE KHAN:(GROWLING AS HE GOES AWAY) I will have this man-cub one day, you thieves!
FATHER WOLF:Do you really want to keep him, Mother?

MOTHER

WOLF:

Yes. He came here by night, alone and hungry, but he was not afraid.

I will keep him. And I will call him Mowgli, the frog.

FATHER WOLF:

But what will the other wolves of the Pack say? When he can run and walk a little we’ll take him the meeting Rock. Akela, the leader of the pack, and others of the jungle must be consulted.

(FADE CAVE ACOUSTIC AND BRIDGE THE THEME MUSIC OR JUNGLE SOUND EFECTS INTO THE NEXT SCENE)

SCENE 2EXTERIOR ACOUSTIC OF THE MEETING ROCK. THE HOWLING OF WOLVES AND THE SOUND OF THE JUNGLE. THE WOLVES BECOME SILENT AS FATHER WOLF SPEAKS
FATHER WOLF:Akela, our leader, according to custom, I present our son, Mowgli, the man-cub.
AKELA:Look well. O wolves. Look well!
SHERE KHAN:(FROM A DISTANCE) The man-cub belongs to me. Give him to me.
AKELA:

Look well. Who speaks for this man-cub? Two voices, who are not his father and mother, must speak for him.

Baloo, the bear, it is your job to teach the Law of the jungle to the wolf cubs. What do you say?

BALOO:

(WITH A DEEP, SLEEPY VOICE) I speak for the man-cub. Let him run with the Pack. I myself will teach him.

AKELA:

We need another voice to speak for him.

BAGHEERA:

O Akela, will you let me speak?

AKELA:

Speak, Bagheera the panther, as black as the night, strong and dangerous.

BAGHEERA:

The Law of the Jungle says it is possible to buy the life of a cub. It is bad to kill a man-cub. Let him live with you, and I will give you a fat cow, newly killed, which lies in the jungle not far away.

WOLVES:

(TOGETHER) We are hungry. Let him live.

(WE HEAR THE ANGRY ROAR OF SHERE KHAN IN THE DISTANCE)

AKELA:It is good. Men are clever. Perhaps this man-cub will help us when he is older. Take him away and teach him well.
LINKING NARRATION THROUGH THIS WE HEAR WIND IN THE TREES, SCRAPING BRANCHES, CRIES OF BIRDS, RUNNING WATER AND SPLASHES.
NARRATOR:

Father Wolf, Baloo and Bagheera taught Mowgli well and he learnt everything about the jungle. He knew the meaning of every sound in the trees, of every song of the birds, of every splash of the water.

By the time he was ten, he learnt to climb trees like a monkey, to swim in the rivers like a fish, and to hunt for his food as cleverly as any animal in the jungle.

SCENE 3

THE MONKEY-PEOPLE, PART 1

(EXTERIOR ACOUSTIC. IN THE JUNGLE)

BALOO:You must learn the Jungle master words.
MOWGLI:But I’m bored, Baloo. I want to be climbing trees
BALOO:

Take that!

(HE GIVES HIM A CUFF AROUND THE EAR)

MOWGLI:

Ouch! That hurt.

(HE RUNS AWAY. CALLING BACK TO BALOO:)

I’m angry with you.

BAGHEERA:Remember how small he is. How can his little head, hold all your long words?
BALOO:

These words will keep him safe from the birds, from the snake-people, and all the animals that hunt. It is true that he is only small.

But no-one will hurt him, if he remembers all the Master-Words.

(HE CALLS) Come Mowgli! Come and say the words again.

MOWGLI:

(AS HE CLIMBS DOWN A TREE AND JUMPS TO THE GROUND)

I will say the words to Bagheera, not you, fat old Baloo.

BALOO:(SADLY) Very well. Say the words for the Hunting-People.
MOWGLI:We are of one blood, you and I.
BALOO:Good. Now for the birds.
MOWGLI:

(IN A CHIRPING, SING SONG VOICE, LIKE A BIRD)

We are of one blood, you and I.

BALOO:Now for the Snake-People.
MOWGLI:(MAKING A LONG SSSS SOUND) We are of one blood, you and I.
BALOO:

(GENTLY) Thank you. One day you will thank me for my lessons.

Now you will be safe in the jungle, because no snake, no bird, no animal will hurt you. You do not need to be afraid of anyone.

MOWGLI:And I shall have my people and go with them, high up in the trees.
BAGHEERA:(ANGRY) What did you say? Have you been with the Monkey-People?
MOWGLI:

When Baloo hurt my head, I went away and the grey monkeys came down from the trees and talked to me.

They were kind to me and gave me nice things to eat.

Then they took me up into the trees.

They said I was their brother, and they wanted me to be their leader one day.

Why have you never told me about the Monkey-People? Bad old Baloo. They play all day, and don’t do lessons, and I will play with them again.

BALOO:

Listen man-cub. I have taught you the Law for the Jungle-People, but not for the Monkey-People. They have no law. Their ways are not our ways. They are noisy and dirty, and they think they are a great people, but then they forget everything.

The rest of the Jungle-People do not talk to them, or even think about them.

Remember what I tell you.

(WE HEAR THE LOUD GIBBERING OF MONKEYS UP

IN THE TREES)

MOWGLI:I’m sorry.
BANDA:(GIBBERING CLOSER) Did you hear that, Varnid? They say we are noisy.
VARNIDAnd dirty. We’ll show them, Banda. Let’s play a trick on them.
BANDA:While they are asleep, we’ll kidnap Mowgli.
VARNID:

(GIBBERS) Yes. We’ll play with him and have lots of fun.

(NOW WE HEAR THE GIBBERING IN THE DISTANCE. WE ARE BACK WITH MOWGLI, BALOO AND BAGHEERA AGAIN.)

BALOO:It’s time for our midday rest.
BAGHEERA:Yes. Let’s lie down here. You can sleep between us, Mowgli.
MOWGLI:

(LYING DOWN) Thank you.

(YAWNS SLEEPILY) I will never talk to, or play with the Monkey-People again.

(WE HEAR THE GENTLE BREATHING AND SNORING OF BALOO, BAGHEERA AND MOWGLI. THEME MUSIC TO BRIDGE INTO THE NEXT SCENE.)

SCENE 4

EXTERIOR ACOUSTIC. ABOVE THE JUNGLE.

FADE MUSIC AS THE MONKEYS GIBBER AND BALOO SHOUTS)

BALOO:(SHOUTS) You’re nearly there! You’ve nearly got him.
BAGHEERA:I can’t climb any farther. I’m too heavy for the branch.
MOWGLI:(WAKING UP) Where am I?
BANDA:You’re with us, little man-cub.

VARNID:

We’re going to have fun.

MOWGLI:

How did I get up here?

BANDA:

We carried you up while you were asleep.

MOWGLI:

Where are you taking me?

VARNID:

Along the monkey roads, high up in the trees.

BANDA:

All together! Juuuump!

(WE HEAR WHOOSHING SOUNDS AS THEY JUMP AND SPRING FROM BRANCH TO BRANCH – YOU SHOULD HAVE FUN CREATING THESE SOUNDS.)

VARNID:

Watch out. There’s that bird!

(THEN WE HEAR THE FLAPPING OF LARGE WINGS)

MOWGLI:

(IN A CHIRPING, SING SONG VOICE, LIKE A BIRD)

We are of one blood, you and I.

CHIL:

Who are you?

MOWGLI:

Mowgli, the man-cub. Who are you?

CHIL:

Chil, the Kite.

MOWGLI:

Please, watch where the monkeys take me and tell Baloo and Bagheera

CHIL:

I will.

(THE FLAPPING OF WINGS MOVES AWAY, THE JUMPING AND WHOOSHING AND THEME MUSIC TAKE US INTO THE NEXT SCENE)

SCENE 5

EXTERIOR ACOUSTIC. IN THE JUNGLE.

(FADE MUSIC AS WE HEAR BALOO AND BAGHEERA OUT OF BREATH)

BALOO:We’ll never catch the monkeys. They’re too fast for us.
BAGHEERA:Let’s go and see Kaa, the python. He can climb as easily as monkeys and he eats them. He may help us.
BALOO:

Good idea. Come on.

(MUSIC AND JUNGLE NOISES )

At Parawun Sueksa School in North East Thailand we produced three plays: "Presents from Heaven" and "The Jungle Book" with the children and "Romeo and Juliet" with the teachers and parents

Homework

What happens next!!!???

Get your students to write and then perform a different scene 5 with their own ending. Get them  “hot seating” each of the characters.
  1. Ask Mowgli what he is going to do about Shere Khan?
  2. Ask Mowgli if he will escape from the monkeys?
  3. Ask Chil if he will take the message to Baloo and Bagheera?
  4. Ask Baloo what he is going to say to Kaa
  5. Ask Bagheera what he is going to say to Kaa?
  6. What will Father Wolf do to help?
  7. What will Mother Wolf do to help?
  8. What will Akela do?
  9. What will each character do about Shere Khan?
  10. Ask Kaa what he is going to do about Shere Khan?
  11. Will he eat him?
  12. What will Shere Khan do?
  13. Will he get the monkeys to help him?
  14. Will he eat the monkeys?
  15. Will Mowgli return to the people’s village?
Think of more questions. Then let the students work as a team to write a new ending to the play.

Notes, Recommendations and the Complete Script

The teacher gives the students rewards, perhaps an English through Drama certificate. For their homework please let them draw any character or action from “The Jungle Book” Also write his/her name on the picture.Or for homework continue with finding the answers to research questions.Or best of all get the students to complete their own version of the script. Once they have done this your school or drama club  can also produce and perform  the full version of the stage script of The Jungle Book. Also you can find the first half of the Audio Play here. You can submit your students’ pictures to the Learn English through Drama website. The best pictures will go on the website. If they wish we shall add their name, school and / or country. Also encourage your students  to submit their pictures. We have several pages with  advice on creating an audio play.  Have a listen! You might be inspired to create your own audio play! We have advice on the use of music in plays and particularly the music of the great classical composers and of film music.  Have a listen !
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