This works to best advantage in a large group
of children, with several older people present to help things
along. Guests are divided into groups, according to the month
in which they were born. The January meets up in one corner,
February in another, and Marches in still another, each group
finding some place to use as a meeting place. Each group is
asked to present a stunt which will represent the month in which
they were born. The adults present are to help with the idea
for a stunt if it is necessary, as well as with the impromptu
costuming and staging of the stunt. Ten minutes is given for
the preparation, after which they are called out one by one,
to give their stunts before the other groups. They are not called
out by name but by their position in the room, so that there
will be no clew to the name of the month they represent.
The first group called on may be the one nearest the door. It
happens to be April, and April comes out and does the stunt,
continuing action until the other groups have guessed correctly
what month is being represented. Another group is called out,
this program continuing until all the months have been performed.
All stunts must be performed in pantomime.
It is always a good thing for the hostess to have a list of
suggestive stunts for the months to be put on. The stunts may
include the following:
January. Snowball Fight. Players form two sides and pelt each
other unmercifully with imaginary snowballs. Players dodge and
get under cover, roll snowballs and throw them, grasp wounded
noses and ears, get hit in the eye and have well-aimed balls
go down their back.
February. One player is Mr. Washington, Sr., and all the other
players are little Georges. All these little Georges go walking
about, brandishing their new hatchets, swishing a t imaginary
trees, until finally they arrived at a lovely cherry tree. With
one accord and with great joy they chop down the tree, looking
at it aghast, however, as soon as they see it go down. Then
in comes Father, who looks even more aghast. He questioned the
various Georges, points to the tree, and asks who did it. They
looked very much ashamed, and one by one their hands go up and
their heads down, where upon Father forgives them all and takes
them to his bosom.
March. Her children are blown in, across the stage, and out
again, tumbling and falling against each other, being unable
to resist the wind which is furnished an electric fan.
April. One of the players passes candy to the other members
of this group. They bite eagerly into the candy, and suddenly
realize that it is April Fool Candy, and with expressions and
actions that indicate a burning sensation in their mouths, as
well as a burning to catch the preparatory of the joke who is
going into spasms of laughter, they go for him and chase him
off the stage.
May. Most of the members of the group squat on the floor to
represent May flowers. The others come tripping out, smell the
heads of the flowers, go into raptures over their beauty and
their fragrance and finally pick them. Picking is done by drawing
a “flower” to its feet by grasping firmly around
the neck. Having picked up the flowers, the pickers walk off
the stage with a flower in each hand. (No one wants to be a
flower!)
June. A teacher has her school lined up in front of her. Her
pupils giggle and simper while she tries in vain to get correct
answers to the questions on the board. Finally, in desperation,
she drives the lot of them off the stage, making it clear that
she does not want to see one of them till the summer is over.
July. Players light firecrackers and throw them, and bring burned
fingers to Mother, who bandages them up with handkerchiefs.
The climax comes when one boy burns his nose and has have that
done up in a handkerchief!
August. Players go swimming, put their toes in the cold water
and pulls them out again with much shivering and shuddering,
get water in the noses, go under and call for help, and finally
all of them have to turn to and help pulls out the fat member
who nearly drowns.
September. Teacher goes out for her flock, and brings them to
school. The girls are all angels, while the boys have to be
brought back to school by one ear.
October. An old man with huge spectacles on, sits in his chair,
sleeping. The others creep up to him softly and ties him in
his chair, and just before leaving him tweak him up by his nose
to wake him up, and run away taunting him, while he tries in
vain to catch them.
November. Players sit around a table and eat, and eat, and eat.
Finally, one by one, they begin to show signs of distress, until
all of them are in violent pain. Then Mother comes to the rescue
and forcibly administers a large dose of medicine, to the disgust
of all players and to the delight of the audience.
December. A Sunday School class is shown. A branch which serves
as a Christmas tree stands in one corner, presumably laden with
gifts. The “children” are prefect little angels
until the gifts have been given out, and then they start acting
naturally, which is time for this scene to close! |
