First Draft: The Goo Goo Gaa Gaa Versus The Goo Goo Gaas

Each year, our Pre-K class produces its own play from script through costumes, sets, music, and staging, as a sort of end-of-year treat for their younger classmates, parents, siblings, grandparents, and close family friends. Last year I kept pretty good track of the process here on the blog. If you're interested in reading about that, this link leads to the video of our production and includes links to everything that lead up to it.

This year we started working on our script in January, fleshing it out through February, then starting rehearsals two weeks ago, which is an important part of the writing process. For most of the kids, it's hard to imagine what it's really going to look like when it's just words on paper, so we do a lot of editing and rewriting on our feet which makes it all look like chaos usually right up to, and including, the dress rehearsal. So, even though what I'm sharing with you below is perhaps technically a 2nd or 3rd draft, I'm calling it a first draft because the first few weeks of "writing on our feet" is so essential to really understanding what we're up to.

The parts in parentheses are stage directions, based upon the children's creative ideas, that I've added and that I will read aloud as I narrate the play. As I tell them, if they just listen to me, they will always know what to do on stage.

We voted on our title yesterday:

The Goo Goo Gaa Gaa Vs. The Goo Goo Gaas

Cast

Lachlan – Goo Goo Gaa Gaa Dump Truck Lachlan

Charlie B. – Bad Guy Mummy

Charlie L. – Bad Alien

Isak – Invisible Goo Goo Gaa Gaa

Peter – Dump Truck Star Wars Ship Clone Trooper

Orlando – Viking

Ariya – Goo Goo Gaa Gaa

Dennis – Sticky Goo Goo Gaa

Max – Bad Guy Flying Monster

Goo Goo Gaa Gaa Dump Truck Lachlan, Invisible Goo Goo Gaa Gaa, Bad Guy Mummy, and Bad Alien fly in a space ship. (They all get in the space ship.)

There’s a Viking too. There’s a Dump Truck Star Wars Ship Clone Trooper too. There’s a Goo Goo Gaa Gaa too. There’s a Sticky Goo Goo Gaa too. There’s a Bad Guy Flying Monster too. And more Bad Guy Mummys and Bad Aliens too. They are very, very Bad Alien and very, very castles.

I felt the lines, "And more Bad Guy Mummys and Bad Aliens too. 

They are very, very Bad Alien and very, very castles," was a good idea

for a back drop since the kids haven't provided any particular setting

for the play. I drew 9 "bad guys" with castles in Sharpie, one for each

boy to paint with liquid watercolor, thinking they would look good 

side-by-side on the back wall of the stage.

Actually the Goo Goo Gaa Gaas and Bad Alien and the Bad Guy Mummy really fly. (The Goo Goo Gaa Gaas, the Bad Alien, and the Bad Guy Mummy fly around the audience.)

The Bad Guy Mummy and Bad Alien and the Viking are the bad ones. (The bad ones stand on the balcony.) And let’s have swords. (Everyone holds up their sword.)

The Dump Truck Star Wars Ship Clone Trooper is the best because it is a storm trooper too and dumps dirt in the water so the Viking’s ship can’t get through. (The Viking tries to sail in the water, but is blocked by the dirt and goes back on the stage.)

Some of the guys took my cue and worked carefully and

individually on their section of the backdrop. Typically, the

liquid water color will dry so as to reveal the Sharpie lines

behind it.

The Bad Guy Mummy has a sword with an arm, but a sword in a pocket and a horse. (The Invisible Bad Guy shows the audience is sword with an arm.)

Goo Goo Gaa Gaa Dump Truck Lachlan has a goo goo gaa with a hand. (The Goo Goo Gaa Gaa Dump Truck Lachlan shows the audience his goo goo gaa with a hand.)

We all go to outer space, except the Viking. He doesn’t want to go. (They get into the space ship.)

We see planets and live in them. (They get out of their space ship and get in the planet.)

Most of the guys, however, chose to work in teams, focusing

way more on the process, which included "flicking" the paint,

painting the floor . . .

The Sticky Goo Goo Gaa has a by bo bo. (The Sticky Goo Goo Gaa shows the audience his by bo bo.)

The bad pirate’s boat flies with wings in outer space like Captain Hook’s boat, because him splashes in water and flies back up.

When they’re in space we crash into a bubble planet. (They crash onto the stage.)

The robot comes out. His name is R2D2.

Then ballet dancing.

Then the robot falls right down. Then everybody except the Viking falls right down.

The helicopter transports the Bad Guy Flying Monster. The Bad Guy Flying Monster lands on another planet in a helicopter. The helicopter comes out to fight the Bad Guy Flying Monster and it (comes to the stage and) rescues the Dump Truck Star Wars Ship Clone Trooper.  (The Bad Guy Flying Monster and the Dump Truck Star Wars Ship Clone Trooper go back to the planet.)

Then the Bad Guy Flying Monster has a light saber too. (The Bad Guy Flying Monster holds up his light saber.)

Then the Goo Goo Gaa Gaa Dump Truck Lachlan gets the Bad Guy Flying Monster and puts him in jail.

The Bad Guy Flying Monster gets his light saber and cuts the bars. And then he escaped from jail (and goes back to his planet.)

And then they build a stronger jail made out of diamonds. (and they get the Bad Guy Flying Monster and put him back in jail.)

Then the Bad Guy Flying Monster gets his light saber again and cuts the diamond bars. He put away his light saber (and goes back to his planet.)

And then they build an even stronger jail with diamonds, fire, concrete, and metal padlocks, iron chains and duct tape, straw, brick, mortar, light sabers, melted metal, and more iron. (Then they get the Bad Guy Flying Monster again and put him in jail.)

And then the Bad Guy Flying Monster gets the light saber again and cuts through that stuff. Through the roof of the jail because the roof only has wood. (Then the Bad Guy Flying Monster goes back to his planet.)

And then the Goo Goo Gaa Dump Truck Lachlan takes his light saber (and goes to the planet) and kills the Bad Guy Flying Monster. The Monster is dead . . . Or is he? (He opens his eyes and looks at the audience.)

. . . and painting one spot over and over until the paper tore.

Several of them came off the floor in pieces, and one went

straight to the recycling bin.

And then the Viking comes out on his horse with his swords and there’s a big fight. And then the helicopter spins through over the heads of the Goo Goo Gaas upside down and makes a fire.

The helicopter shoots water on the fire and then the Dump Truck Goo Goo Gaa Lachlan gets burned. (He falls down and says “owie, owie.”)

Then the Goo Goo Gaas get protected (under the space ship.)

The Bad Alien and Bad Guy Mummy, after the Goo Goo Gaas go, the bad guys come. The Bad Alien has hands and then he comes with a light saber. The Bad Guy Mummy comes with a sword.

And then a paper comes and wraps us all up and then we get throwed (into the water.) And then the hearts come down and cover us all up.

A bat comes and gets the Bad Guy Flying Monster (who comes alive again.)

Then the Bad Guy Flying Monster has a plan (and rubs his chin.) He opens the bat’s claws and falls out Kaboom!

The Goo Goo Gaas draw pictures and throw them on the audience.

And the Goo Goo Gaas, the Dump Truck Star Wars Ship Clone Trooper, the Bad Alien, the Bad Guy Mummy, and everybody runs around the audience.

The recycling robot garbage truck takes everything away.

Then the Bad Alien, the Viking, the Bad Guy Mummy, and the Bad Guy Flying Monster get the Goo Goo Gaa Gaa Dump Truck Lachlan (and put him in jail).

And then the puff balls fly out!

And with all those large canvases taking up almost all of our

floor space it shouldn't have surprised me that many of the

paint cups got kicked over, further saturating the paper. So,

anyway, there are 8 sections of back drop drying on every

flat surface of the room, many in several pieces. I suspect this

will be something we'll have to try again, hopefully in a

way that shows the teacher learned something from this

experience.

But the Viking has a diamond sword and cuts through the jail (and the Goo Goo Gaa Gaa Dump Truck Lachlan escapes).

Then the Dump Truck Star Wars Ship Clone Trooper gets into a fire station. Then the Dump Truck Star Wars Ship Clone Trooper gets the Bad Alien (and takes him to the fire station.) The Dump Truck Star Wars Ship Clone Trooper and the Bad Alien are friends (and they hug.)

Then the Dump Truck Star Wars Ship Clone Trooper dumps dirt on the bad guys.

The Bad Alien doesn’t want to get dirt dumped on him (and says, “No!”). Actually the Bad Alien scares the good guys away (and the good guys run to the other side of the stage.)

The Goo Goo Gaa Gaa Dump Truck Lachlan does not want the bad guys to kill him (and says, “No!”)

The Bad Alien goes on the Dump Truck Star Wars Ship Clone Trooper for a ride.

Then the Viking gets invincible (and shows the audience his muscles.)

The Goo Goo Gaas drop bikes on the Viking.

The Viking takes his sword and cuts through the bikes.

The Dump Truck Star Wars Ship Clone Trooper wanted the bikes not cut (and says, “No!”)

Then the Goo Goo Gaas cut through the Viking’s sword. Then the Viking makes a diamond sword.

A chair falls down on the stage.

Then a table fell down on the stage.

Then then Goo Goo Gaas find treasure in the audience and throw them at the audience.

And then the Viking takes his sword and cuts through the chair (and table).

And then the people fall off the stage (into the water).

THE END