Play Excerpt: Characters:

Baba Yaga the outrageous Russian witch
Grisha a young boy (GENYA if played by a girl)
The Gypsy Narrator

Based on the legends of the Russian Witch, these plays portray a whacky witch who is more funny than frightening. The ethnic flavor of the plays appeals to all audiences. Three episodes run about an hour; six episodes are included for mixing and matching depending on the needs of the young audience. This is participatory theatre, and children from the audience take an active part in each story. Baba Yaga Acts Up!, was written for the Acting Place Truckin’ Company in Beverly Massachusetts, directed by Mickey Coburn. It toured the North East for five years as part of the Truckin’ Company repertoire.

Baba Yaga Acts Up! consists of six separate stories:

1. Turnips

2. The Eyes Have It

3. Magic Shoes

4. The Overcrowded House

5. The Mixed Up Toys

6. Holiday Happiness

The first three run about 30 minutes when done as a unit; the last three run about the same time. The stories can be mixed and matched to lengthen or shorten the playing time of the production. The final two stories are best done as Christmas/Hannukah entertainments.

Suggested Set Pieces:
Simple screens or backdrop are all that are necessary.
Play Excerpt:

THE EYES HAVE IT!

(The Gypsy Narrator enters & speaks while setting the stage with cups, saucers, plate of cookies)

The Gypsy Narrator: Baba Yaga lives in a house that walks through the forest on chicken feet. Have you ever seen a house with chicken feet: Not quite as attractive as the Gingerbread House you’ve heard abut where a different witch lives. But Baba’s house is very cozy inside. This is a samovar; it’s a Russian teapot. Baba lives alone of course except for her cat, a very clever animal who is really Baba Yaga’s only friend. For quite awhile, Baba had great difficulty with her eyes and had to wear glasses. Her only objection was that she didn’t look quite as beautiful with glasses on. But she couldn’t see without then so that was that. And then one day —

(The Gypsy Narrator moves out into the audience as Baba enters)

Baba Yaga: (glasses on top of her head) Where did I put my eyeglasses? Where did those foolish things go?

(The Gypsy Narrator will have to hush the audience for telling Baba where they are)

Baba Yaga: (calling) Pushkee! Pushkee! Now where is that stupid cat? How am I to find anything without my glasses or my cat!!!

(Baba throws a small tantrum; recovers; sits down despondently)
Baba Yaga: I will have to witch up my glasses. I’ll use my best incantation —
Izbusha! Pachootchka! Tahka – Plahka – Shmahta – Vahtah – No, that’s not right. I’ll try again: Izbusha – Kretzavitza – huck-a-pucka – what is this? I can’t see why I don’t remember! Izzy – fizzy – tahkos – plahkos – Ohhhh! What can I do? I don’t remember ;my spells! I have to see to remember my spells! This is terrible! This is awful!
(Baba continues to wail in the chair through the next scene)
The Gypsy Narrator: Poor Baba. She’s really having a terrible time of it! Now, our friend Grisha decided to return to Baba Yaga’s hut to find more turnips. It seems they were magic turnips and when his parents ate them, they didn’t yell at him for two weeks. Grisha’s trek through the forest looking for the hut made him hungry and seeing the goodies on Baba’s tea table, he decided to try a little thievery.
(Grisha crawls in & sneaks cookies from the table; as he is crawling out, Baba reaches down and touches his hair)
Baba Yaga: (patting Grisha’S hair) Oh, Pushkee, my dear little cat, there you are. Where have you been?
Grisha: (playing along) Meowwww