The Open Door Web Site : Antarctica : The Play

Antarctica : The Play
by the students of the Ecole Active Bilingue Jeannine Manuel Primary Ecology Club (1994-1995)

Narrator
Macaroni penguin
Chinstrap penguin
King penguin
Crabeater seal
Fur seal
Weddel seal
Krill
Humpback whale

Gentoo penguin
Adélie penguin
Skua
Leopard seal
Decomposers
Squid
Petrels
Albatross
Killer whale
Emperor penguin


Macaroni penguin	Good - we are the first to arrive. We can find the best places to build our nests.
Chinstrap penguin	We nested here last year - its our territory. Go find somewhere else.
Macaroni Penguin	Too bad - we were here first - you chinstrap penguins will have to go elsewhere.

King penguin

We king penguins do not need to build nests. You two should try to keep your eggs on your feet like we do - then you wouldn't have to fight over worthless pebbles.

Crabeater seal	My pup will be born soon - I need to find a good place on the beach for its birth. Where are the other crabeater seals?
King Penguin	You are the first one to arrive.
Crabeater seal	Then I've got priority - I'll chose the safest part of the beach for my baby.


Fur seal	Please leave us fur seals some safe ground on the beach - I'm about to have a pup too.
Weddel seal	You're not first - I am. I've been here all winter and we Weddel seals have made this breathing hole on the best part of the ice, so we're staying here.
Fur Seal	Why didn't you say something before? This beach is getting too crowded.
Narrator	I've had enough of this quarrelling! Let's see what's going on in the ocean.
Krill	Great! Lots of plankton! We hope we can feed in peace - those humpback whales were around here yesterday and ate hundreds of our brothers and sisters.
Humpback Whale (making a net of bubbles)	I've got those krill in my bubble net now - they've got no chance - I'll just open my mouth and up I go.


Krill	We escaped this time. If it's not humpback whales, its penguins or albatross or seals. We seem to be almost everyone's main meal around here. Good job there's so many of us.
Narrator	What - more penguins arriving!

Gentoo penguin	It's going to be hard for the gentoo penguins to find a place on this beach.
Adélie penguin	And the Adèlie penguins are in trouble too. Let's try further up the beach.
Gentoo penguin	Alright - you go to the left and we'll go to the right.
Adélie penguin	OK but we'll be far from the ocean and the krill.
Gentoo penguin	But we'll be safer up there away from the leopard seals.
Narrator	As summer approaches the animals give birth or lay their eggs. Lots of young animals are to be found on the beach.

Skua	Ah Ah! Now all the penguin chicks are hatched I can pick out the weakest and have a feast.
All Penguins: General alarm cries	Watch out! Skua overhead! Hide the chicks!
Skua menaces the penguins and then flies off-stage
Chinstrap Penguin	One of us parents will have to go to the ocean to find food for the chicks.
Adélie Penguin	It's a long way to go for us.
Gentoo Penguin	Yes - its a boring walk down this beach.
King Penguin	Thank goodness there's so much krill. enough for everyone!

Much excitement. Penguins hurry out of the water. The king penguin stays in water and is chased by the leopard seal.

Weddel seal (from beach)	The leopard seal is going to catch that king penguin.
Crab Eater Seal	Yes! Isn't it exciting!
Macaroni Penguin	Hide under my wing, children. I don't want you to watch this.
Adélie Penguin	Oh look! It's caught the penguin.
King Penguin Chicks	Mummy! Mummy!
Leopard seal	This is my lucky day - a big king penguin to eat.
Decomposers	Hey! Leave some for us decomposers.
Leopard seal	I'll eat as much as I want - if there's any left over you can help yourselves.
Decomposers	OK but there's a lot of us down here on the sea bed - remember that.
Macaroni Penguin	It's a good thing my chicks can't see this - its horrible!

Petrels	Oh, there's squid in the water - let's go and dive for it.
Albatross	I've flown thousands of miles in search of food.
Petrels	Maybe you have flown thousands of miles, albatross but I've got newly-hatched chicks nearby and they are all starving.
Squid	Oh Oh - While the petrel and albatross argue over me I'll just go deeper in the water, out of their reach.
Petrel	Hey! My food is getting away!
Krill	At least the quarrel isn't about us for once.
Petrel	It looks like a diet of krill today.
Krill	Oh no!
Albatross	Krill it is then - Let's dive!
Narrator	Now the temperatures are falling to well below freezing as Autumn approaches. Most animals are leaving Antarctica.

Killer whale	Goodie! Goodie! The sea is full of penguins and seals - now its my turn to eat as much as I can.
Fur Seal	I guess I have to start my swim across the ocean.
Crab Eater Seal	We have to go too, before it gets too cold and the sea freezes over.
Weddel Seal	We're staying here for the winter. I'll have to remake my breathing hole.
Gentoo Penguin	I hope we don't meet a leopard seal on our way North.
Killer Whale	There's lots of choice but the crab eater seal seems slower than the rest.

Krill	We need to migrate northwards too.
Humpback Whale	I'll follow the krill to where ever they go.
Petrel	It looks like we'll be travelling together, humpback since I follow the krill too.
Adélie Penguin	Come on - we will go to our winter home.
Chinstrap Penguin	Not such a bad idea - it's getting very cold.
Narrator	Nearly all of the animals leave the continent. Only the Weddel Seal remains on the beach - but look! Here come the Emperor penguins.

Emperor penguin	Everyone has left. We Emperor penguins must walk a long way inland before we can rest.
Weddel Seal	We will have to prepare for the freezing cold of winter.
Decomposers	It will be hard to find food in the winter - the sea is already covered by ice.
Narrator	And so we leave Antarctica and the few animals who are brave enough to spend the winter there. But before we take our leave of you, I am sure you would like to meet the players.