Pete the Sheep

Jackie French, Bruce Whatley, Phillip Scott, Eva Di Cesare, Sandra Eldridge, Tim McGarry, Eva Di Cesare, Sandra Eldridge, Tim McGarry, Eva Di Cesare, Sandra Eldridge, Tim McGarry

• Publisher: Currency Press
• Year: 2015
• eBook ISBN: 9781921428869
• Topic: Littérature
• Subtopic: Théâtre

Shaun the Shearer just wants to give smokin' haircuts to sheep; it's his calling. Unfortunately the other shearers on the station don't like Shaun's new-fangled ways - he even has a sheep-sheep instead of a sheep-dog! Cast from his shearing role, Shaun and his partner Pete the Sheep set up their own creative hair salon in town. Before long word is out and all the sheep in town are down for a do, and maybe even the big boys too!

Adapted by the team at Monkey Baa from the picture book by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley, Pete the Sheep is a lively and mischievous award-winning musical about individual expression, for young and old.

Prologue

Theatre foyer.

Venues will be encouraged to set their foyers up in the style of the play.

Celebration of the shearing way of life – hay bales, eucalyptus trees, fencing, memorabilia from shearing sheds, etc.

It is hoped local schools will display artwork commemorating the world of Pete the Sheep.

Country music feel to the front of house music.

Two shearers, RATSO and BUNGO, appear with their dogs, BRUTE and FANG. RATSO whistles.

RATSO: Brute!

BUNGO: Fang!

RATSO & BUNGO: Round ’em up!

BRUTE: Woof. Woof!

FANG: Grrrr.

BRUTE tries to cock his leg and relieve himself on one of the audience members.

RATSO: Git away from there. Whaddayathink this is? Bush week?

BUNGO: Check out the fleece on this one.

RATSO: Bunch of rejects from the Tamworth [apply local town reference here] Show here for sure.

BUNGO refers to another audience member.

BUNGO: This’ll get a good price. Plenty o’ yarn.

RATSO: Oooh, yeah. Enough to knit a scarf from here to the back o’ Bourke!

They exit as the audience moves into the auditorium and are seated.

As the audience enter the auditorium a pre-show bush farm soundscape is heard – sheep, cockatoos, beautiful bird sounds, magpies.

As the lights go down …

Voices come over the PA system (in a sheep accent), accompanied by the sound of a tapping hoof and blowing ‘fff-fff’ through the microphone:

AUNT WOOLLY: [off] Is this on?

SHAUN: [off] Yes, Aunt Woolly.

AUNT WOOLLY: [off] G’daaay, ewes and wethers, welcome to Shaggy Gully. No chewing or eating in the shearing shed. And no photos – our sheep are very shyyy … and don’t be a dag – turn off your mobile phones. Now … sit back, relax, and enjoy the show brought to ewes by Monkey Baaa.

SHAUN: [off] Thanks, Aunt Woolly.

Scene One

Shearing shed interior. Monday morning.

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Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• About Monkey Baa
• Foreword: A Black Sheep’s Journey – Jackie French
• A Note From the Adaptors – Eva Di Cesare, Sandra Eldridge and Tim McGarry
• Director’s Note – Jonathan Biggins
• Acknowledgements
• Dedication
• First Production
• Characters and Setting
• Pete the Sheep
• Copyright Page