The Open Door Web Site

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

Characters

  • 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

Scene opens - only the Weddel seal is on the beach

Narrator Springtime arrives in Antarctica. The sun comes up over the horizon and many of the animals start to return to the ice continent.

Enter the Macaroni and Chinstrap penguins

   
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.

Chinstraps (mumbling) move to the other side.
Enter King Penguin

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.

Enter Crab eater seal

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.

Enter Fur seal

   
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.

Whale circles up from the bottom - slightly coming out of the water.

   
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!

Enter Gentoo and Adélie penguins

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.

Enter Skua

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!

Penguins go down into the water. Leopard seal arrives.

   
Chinstrap Penguin Watch out! There's a leopard seal around!

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!

Squid appears in water

Squid Where can I find some ice fish? They are so transparent that it makes them really hard to see.

Enter Petrel and Albatross

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.

Enter Killer whale

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.

Killer whale chases the Crab eater seal around and then off stage.

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.

Enter Emperor penguin

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.
Homepage

IB Biology Web

Biology Homepage

Biology Chapters

Facts and Figures

Plays Index

Laboratory Work

Questions and Quizzes

Listings, Recognitions and Awards

EABJM Teachers' Resource Centre

EABJM Public Web Site

This Site was last
updated on 04/01/08
© The Open Door Team
Any questions or problems regarding this site should be addressed to the webmaster

© Shirley Burchill 2008