Stone Age to Iron Age Class Play

Cast of 30 – easily adjustable up or down

Duration: 15 to 20 minutes not including music suggestions

*This is the first of two scripts. The second (Changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age) was written as a simplified version of this one, for lower Key Stage II i.e. 7 – 9 year olds. More details given further down.

This is also the first script to ‘hit’ this new website! I fully intend sharing my other scripts (from www.plays-r-ussell.com) but as there are over 400 of these, it could take some time! Hope teachers like this one – it is one of my more recent additions, and has proved one of my ‘best sellers’ along with a number of Ancient civilisation scripts, written in response to 2014 changes in the UK history curriculum.

This script has a truly wide-ranging cast that includes a hunter gatherer, a farmer, some guys with ropes from Stonehenge, a 'Rolling Stone', a caveman, ape, cast of Ice Age, a Celt, Iron Man ... and a Narrator and Archaeologist that just can't seem to get on!

Starting 9 million years ago and running through all three 'ages': Stone, Bronze and Iron (yes, the play does take 'ages'!) this is an informative but, as usual, fun romp through history - with one long-suffering narrator!

I chose to try to explain a little about evolution and how Stone Age Man 'came about' so as to put the aforementioned Ages into context. There is a phenomenal amount of information to cover in this 'Unit' but I hope I have covered the most important changes in this class play. The guided reading scripts, which can be read in the classroom, to accompany this class play, will I hope offer a more comprehensive coverage of the subject, with the usual quizzes to assess knowledge gained.

I have provided TEACHING NOTES including TIMELINE and Key Areas/Changes that I included in this class play. These can be found at the end of the script, after the Production Notes. I thought these might be useful.

* The second script available: Changes in Britain From the Stone Age to the Iron Age is for lower Key Stage II: 7-9 year olds (picture of Stonehenge); Stone Age to Iron Age Assembly (picture of stone age man) is for upper Key Stage II: 9 – 11 year olds - it's double the length - though I think the script is easy enough for younger children to cope with. Sample scripts are indicative of level of reading required. 

I have now completed a large number of scripts accommodating the UK Sept 2014 Guidelines but if anyone has any immediate requests, please feel free to contact me (sue@plays-r-ussell.com) - always happy to help!

Sample Text:

Whole Cast:                (Together) The Stone Age!

Narrator:                     Ah! There we are! Now, that’s progress for you!

(Enter Hunter Gatherer)

(Narrator looks him up and down)

Narrator:                     Hmm. Well, maybe not that much progress!

(Exit Hunter Gatherer, shrugging his shoulders)

Child 9:                       (To Narrator, angrily) Patience! Evolution takes time! It doesn’t just happen overnight, you know!

Narrator:                     (Looking at his watch) I’m beginning to realise that. Now, where are we on that timeline?

Child 8:                       (To Narrator, impatiently) Around 2 and a half million years ago! Weren’t you listening? When man starting using stone tools! That’s why it’s called

Whole cast:                (Together) The Stone Age!

Narrator:                     OK! We got that! But how do we know that’s when stone tools were used?

(Enter Archaeologist)

Archaeologist:            (To Narrator) You asking more questions again?

Narrator:                     Well,

Archaeologist:            (Interrupting) That’s OK! That’s why I’m hired to do my job! To give people like you evidence!

Narrator:                     Well, that’s very decent of you!

Archaeologist:            Not at all! It’s quite necessary! You see, when you’re dealing with ‘pre-history’ – that is, before anything was written down, we only have what we can find in the way of ‘artefacts’ to go by.

Narrator:                     So. What do you have for us as proof of those earliest Stone Age tools?

(Archaeologist holds up handful of flints)

Archaeologist:            These!

Narrator:                     Is that it? A handful of stones?

(Archaeologist shakes his head in disgust and addresses audience)

Archaeologist:            I’m tempted to call back that ape! (Pointing to Narrator) Reckon the ape’s got more brains than this one!

Narrator:                     (To Archaeologist) That’s quite enough! I’m guessing the ape would also have far better developed manners than you have! Now go!

(Exit Archaeologist)

Child 10:                     That ‘handful of stones’ as you called them just happen to be 2 million years old! They were found at the Olduvai Gorge; and if you’d looked closely you’d have seen they had very sharp edges – for cutting.

Narrator:                     Oops! Well, as the Rolling Stones once said

Music 3 It’s only Rock n Roll (Chorus)

(Narrator struts around like Mick Jagger)

Narrator:                     (Looking a little embarrassed) Oops! Again!

Child 11:                     That’s all right! We all want to be rock stars!

Music 4 Rock n Roll – Led Zeppelin

(Whole cast ‘perform’)

(Narrator applauds)

Narrator:                     Yes, very good. We all love Rock n Roll! But .. (pauses) back to the Stone Age! Time we got a bit serious!

(Enter Historian)

Historian:                    And I think you need me for that!

Narrator:                     And you are?

Historian:                    An extremely well qualified Historian!

Narrator:                     (Aside to Audience) And I’m guessing, not exactly  life and soul of the party?

Historian:                    Listen carefully and I’ll try and educate you!

Narrator:                     (Aside to Audience, sarcastically) I told you we were in for a treat!

Historian:                    The Stone Age was made up of three parts. The Palaeolithic or Old Stone Age; the Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age; and the Neolithic or New Stone Age.

(Narrator starts to doze off; Historian walks over, prods Narrator who then wakes up with a start)

Narrator:                     Oh! And it lasted how long?