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The Hens: A Farmyard Fable is a witty and surprising play that takes place on a sunny farm where pride rules the roost—until an unexpected twist flips the pecking order. In this short and clever adaptation of an Aesop fable, we meet Clara and Bertha, two pompous, plump hens who mock their leaner peers, Pixie and Daisy. But when the chef comes looking for the plumpest poultry for her next dish, the tables—and the coops—are turned. This entertaining play teaches children about humility, kindness, and the hidden strengths in those often overlooked. Perfect for classroom performances and group readings
CHARACTERS:
NARRATOR
CLARA (Fat Hen 1)
BERTHA (Fat Hen 2)
PIXIE (Skinny Hen 1)
DAISY (Skinny Hen 2)
CHEF ANNA
ASSISTANT LIAM
SCRIPT:
NARRATOR: On a farm where the sun always seemed to shine brightest on the plumpest plumage, lived a flock of hens. Some were robust, round, and ridiculously proud. Others were… well, they were more aerodynamic. And wouldn’t you know it, the robust ones never missed an opportunity to chirp their superiority.
(Clara and Bertha strut around the coop, clucking exaggeratedly and preening their feathers. Pixie and Daisy peck despondently at the ground, looking rather forlorn.)
CLARA: (Strutting past Pixie and Daisy, fanning herself with a wing) Cluck, cluck! Oh, dear, Bertha, do you see those… creatures? So… un-fluffy!
BERTHA: (Giggles) They look like they’ve been on a permanent diet of air and good intentions! Ha ha ha! Cluck, cluck! Are they even real hens, or just shadows?
CLARA: (Puffs out her chest) Tonight, my dear Bertha, my coop will be transformed into the most exclusive cluck-and-gobble gala! Feathers will preen, songs will be sung, and only the most… substantial hens are invited!
BERTHA: Ooh, delightful! Just promise me, Clara, you won’t let any of those scrawny, sorrowful sorts even peck at the invitation list! It would simply ruin the ambiance!
CLARA: Perish the thought! This is a celebration of… abundance! Of vitality! Of hens who truly understand the art of living… and eating!
CLARA & BERTHA: Ha ha ha ha ha! Cluck, cluck, cluck!
NARRATOR: Little did our self-important hens know that the two-legged titans of the farm kitchen, Chef Anna and Assistant Liam, had a very different kind of menu in mind.
(The scene shifts to a bustling farm kitchen. Steam rises from a large pot. Chef Anna is sharpening a knife with ominous precision. LIAM nervously checks a clipboard.)
CHEF ANNA: (Without looking up from her knife) Liam, my culinary comrade, report! How many of our feathered friends are ready for their… transformation?
LIAM: (Swallowing hard) Uh, well, Chef, we have a healthy supply of the… leaner models. But for tonight’s pièce de résistance, the “Golden Broth of Bountiful Bird,” you specifically requested…
CHEF ANNA: (Slamming the knife down with a clang) Two. And they must be plump! Generously cushioned! A feast for the eyes and the palate! My broth demands nothing less!
LIAM: Right away, Chef! The water’s already bubbling a symphony of anticipation!
CHEF ANNA: Then let’s not keep it waiting. Go, my boy, and select our stars!
(Liam exits the kitchen, looking rather pale.)
NARRATOR: While the kitchen hummed with a rather foreboding energy, back in the hen house, two overlooked hens pondered their evening.
(Pixie and Daisy are huddled together, watching the lights from Clara’s coop flicker invitingly.)
PIXIE: Another night of being invisible. What grand plans do you have, Daisy, for your evening of… quiet reflection?
DAISY: (Picks sadly at a stray feather) Nothing more ambitious than dreaming of a worm that doesn’t instantly vanish. Did you hear the cackles from Clara’s coop? The “abundance” gala is in full swing.
PIXIE: (Tears welling slightly in her beady eyes) It’s because we’re so… un-round, isn’t it? So… aerodynamic. We just don’t fit their fluffy ideal.
DAISY: Perhaps our lack of… fluffiness… is our greatest asset. Or so I tell myself when my stomach grumbles.
NARRATOR: Meanwhile, inside Clara’s coop, the “abundance” gala was indeed reaching its peak.
(Clara and Bertha are “dancing” by flopping their wings and making silly clucking noises. They are having the time of their lives, blissfully unaware.)
CLARA: (Wobbling gleefully) La la la, tra la la! Oh, Bertha, isn’t this simply the most sublime gathering of poultry perfection?!
BERTHA: It’s a masterpiece, Clara! A symphony of… (hiccups) …clucks and contentment! I could just burst with joy!
(Suddenly, the coop door creaks open, casting a long, ominous shadow. Liam stands framed in the doorway, a large, empty basket in his hand. He scans the room, his eyes landing on the two reveling hens.)
LIAM: Ah, yes. You two. The… prime specimens. Chef Anna requests your immediate presence. For a very special… opportunity.
CLARA & BERTHA: Oh, no!
CLARA: I… I suddenly feel terribly unwell! Perhaps a sudden case of… extreme skinniness! I wish I were as slender as a… a feather!
BERTHA: (Clinging to Clara, trembling) Me too! Oh, if only I had skipped that second helping of corn! Or the third! Or the fourth!
(Liam, with a practiced swoop, gathers both hens into his basket. Their frantic “clucks” fade into terrified squawks as he carries them away.)
NARRATOR: And so, the moral of our farmyard fable clucks clearly: Don’t despise those who seem weaker or less significant. For in life’s unpredictable pecking order, what one deems a disadvantage, another might find to be a delightful escape. And remember, a kind word weighs far more than a plump belly.
THE END
Author: Aesop Fable
Adapted by: K I D S I N C O
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External Links for Teachers and Students:
Storyberries – Free Children’s Stories
National Agriculture in the Classroom – Chickens
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