Don´t be like that!

TITLE: 

“Don´t be like that!”

RECOMMENDED AGE GROUP:

Level 2 – Upper Primary (years 4, 5 and 6)

CHARACTERS:

Alex	Mrs. Bell (the tutor teacher)	Football fellows
John (the caretaker)	Classmates	Dining room mates

SYNOPSIS:

Alex is a brilliant student: he is good at school subjects and at sports, but he has a big problem he does not know how to solve: everybody says to him a horrible sentence when he does his best… “Don´t be like that!” He really ignores the reason why people tell him that, so he decides to ask John (the caretaker) for help. His friend makes him to think about his mates´ feelings and Alex realizes he needs to change in order to keep friends and be happy.

CHARACTER OBJECTIVES:

Alex	He is a good boy, but he is arrogant when he achieves his objectives.
John (the caretaker)	He is nice and talkative. He wants to help Alex to solve his problem making him to think deeply about his attitude towards others.
Mrs. Bell (the tutor teacher)	She is shy and cautious. She does not talk to him in private about his problem because she does not want to hurt him.
Classmates	Boys and girls with different personalities, but something in common: they do not like Alex and all of them show it.
Football fellows	Boys and girls who play in a team and they do all together, as a group.
Dining room mates	Boys and girls talking in a relaxed way while they enjoy their meals and have fun together.

SCENE BREAKDOWN:

Scene 1:  Alex´s house Alex leaves his house happily in the morning. He wears the school bag. (Music: “Happy” by  Pharrell Williams)

Scene 2:  The way to school He is walking along the streets and he started to see his classmates, who look down on him. The school is near. (We can hear children talking and playing)

Scene 3: In the school hall It is ten to nine (there is a clock on the wall). Alex is at the photocopying room´s door. (Music: classical music from the radio) John is watering his plants. Mrs. Bell is taking some papers. She leaves the room. Alex comes into the room and starts talking to John. (We can hear the school bell)

Scene 4: In the classroom Mrs. Bell asks a difficult question and Alex answers quickly without raising his hand.  His classmates look at him while they are waiting for their turn. Alex looks proud of himself. (Music: classical music, in order to remember what John said to him in the photocopying room). Alex looks down. He stares at his classmates with sorrow. He is thoughtful.

Scene 5: In the dining room Children are talking while they are eating. Alex is in a hurry to finish his meal the first one. He achieves his aim and the start singing “The champions” (UEFA Champions League) while he is raising his glass as it was the World Cup. His fellows look at him and they start talking about the situation. (Music: classical music, in order to remember what John said to him in the photocopying room). Alex looks down. He stares at his mates with sorrow. He is thoughtful.

Scene 6: In the playground Alex is playing with his football fellows and he scores a goal. He is joyful, but  he does not celebrate it with his mates. He starts jumping and running all around the football pitch. His mates start laughing at him while they talk about how arrogant Alex is. Alex hear the comments and he goes red. He runs away from the dining room to the photocopying room.

Scene 8: In the photocopying room John is looking through the window, waiting for Alex. He is anxious and worried. Suddenly, Alex enters the room and starts crying while his friend hugs him. After a while, he looks at John. He understands everything: he will be a new boy. (Music: “Happy” by  Pharrell Williams) He goes out the room and joins a group of classmates. He starts talking to them. They go home in a friendly way.