Once Upon A Time
“Once Upon A Time” is a musical interpretation of classic fairy tales. This selection of stories represents universal themes of fairy tales from across the globe: love and hate, good and evil, magical moments and unpredictable outcomes.
This engaging musical, with 9 scenes and 10 songs, intended to be performed by 5th – 8th graders, provides a unique perspective on these age-old motifs and is a wonderful way to learn about the world-wide influence of fairy tales and the oral tradition.
Music, lyrics and book were written by Aline Shader in 1973-74 for her students at Bowen Elementary School in Newton Centre, MA.
"Once Upon A Time" Archival Student Performance Demo (2:50)
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on the website free-of-charge and without restriction.
This (80mb) .Zip file contains:
1 x Full Script (1 PDF)
10 x Lyric Sheets (1 PDF)
10 x Lead Sheets (1 PDF)
10 x Full Scores (1 PDF)
10 x Full Audio Files (MP3 Format)
10 x Piano Audio Files (MP3 Format)
This (60mb) .Zip file contains:
13 x Part-forward Audio Files (MP3 Format)
Performance Suggestions:
- Ideal for groups of up to 35
- Grades 5 – 8
- “Once Upon A Time” can be performed as a fully staged production, semi-staged, select scenes, as a sing-through with narration or as individual songs.
- Assignable speaking roles for group scenes, for example:
Robber 1:
Townsperson 2:
Elf 3: - Minimal costumes: fuzzy animal ears, crowns, sashes, cloak. Minimal props needed: fishing pole, yarn, seating areas, as many scenes include pantomime.
Song Audio:
1. If I Had A Lot Of Time
2. Brementown Musicians
3. The Turnip
4. King Thrushbeard
5. The Little Matchgirl
6. The Emperor's New Clothes
7. The Elves And The Shoemaker
8. The Fisherman And His Wife
9. Spinning Fairies
10. Golden Goose
Print Materials:
Script (Preview Image):
Lead Sheet (Preview Image):
Lyrics (Preview Image):
Score (Preview Image):
Songs:
1. If I Had A Lot Of Time
2. Brementown
Musicians
3. The Turnip
4. King Thrushbeard
5. The Little Matchgirl
6. The Emperor’s New
Clothes
7. The Elves And The
Shoemaker
8. The Fisherman And
His Wife
9. Spinning Fairies
10. Golden Goose / If I Had
a Lot of Time (Reprise)
Scenes:
Prologue – If I Had A Lot Of Time
Scene 1 – Brementown Musicians
Scene 2 – The Turnip
Scene 3 – King Thrushbeard
Scene 4 – The Little Matchgirl
Scene 5 – The Emperor’s New
Clothes
Scene 6 – The Elves And The
Shoemaker
Scene 7 – The Fisherman And
His Wife
Scene 8 – The Three Spinning
Fairies
Scene 9 – The Golden Goose
Credits:
“Once Upon A Time”
Music, lyrics and book by Aline Shader (1974)
Vocals:
Enya Lim and Gill Scott
Piano:
Dan Nimmer
Mix Engineer:
Alex Leiva
Transcriptions:
Jonathan Kelly
Script layout:
Maegan Kelly
Graphic Design:
Charissa Rooney
Producer:
Jenny Hersch