Сценарий литературного вечера, посвященного творчеству О’Генри
методическая разработка по английскому языку (9, 10, 11 класс) на тему

Сценарий литературного вечера, посвященного

 творчеству О’Генри

класс:9-11

учитель: Никишина И.В.

COMPERE 1

COMPERE 2

CORRESPONDENT 1

CORRESPONDENT 2

CORRESPONDENT 3

CORRESPONDENT 4

O’HENRY:

PART 1

TEACHER 1: In December, we celebrate the 143rd anniversary of O’Henry’s birthday, one of the most interesting American short story tellers. His real name was William Sydney Porter. Today our party is devoted to him. We hope you’ll enjoy yourselves. Let’s begin!

TEACHER 2: (Russian translation). В декабре, мы отмечаем 143 годовщину со дня рождения О Генри - одного из самых интересных американских авторов коротких рассказов. Наш сегодняшний вечер посвящен ему. Надеемся, вам понравится наше представление.

                        Итак, мы начинаем…

PART 2

MUSIC (“We love the USA”).

1. Two comperes appear.

COMPERE 1: Ladies and gentlemen! William Sydney Porter!

COMPERE 2: Dear friends! Mr. O’Henry by his pen-name.

2. O’Henry appears and greets everybody.
3. (Comperes approach each other.)

 COMPERE 2: Is the real America, American life depicted in O’Henry’s stories? Yes, it’s American life but mainly shown in the genre of review and musical comedy so beloved by the Americans.

Подлинно ли Америка, американская жизнь изображены в рассказах О.Генри? Да, это американская жизнь, но по большей части показанная в столь излюбленном самими американцами жанре ревю, музыкальной комедии.

COMPERE 1: Playing the role of an actor, a producer, a compere in this performance, the author of this stories is the figure which is much more complicated than he may seem to the reader at first sight.

Автор этих рассказов, выступающий также в роли актера, постановщика и конферансье в показываемом представлении, фигура более сложная, чем может показаться (читателю) при первом знакомстве.

(The comperes go away.)

PART 3

1. Correspondents appear.

CORRESPONDENT 1: Mr. Porter, Mr. Porter…

CORRESPONDENT 2: May we ask you a few questions?

CORRESPONDENT 3: I say, sir, listen, look here!

CORRESPONDENT 4: Just a minute, sir, just a minute!

CORRESPONDENT 1: Little is known about your private life.

CORRESPONDENT 2: Will you, please, tell us about your roots?

CORRESPONDENT 3: Your family?

CORRESPONDENT 4: About your green years?

O’HENRY:     I was born in 1862 in Greensboro, North Carolina in the south of the USA. My farther was a village doctor, I lost my mother too early.

 CORRESPONDENT 1: Is it true that you tried many jobs?

O’HENRY:     Yes, quite right you are. At 15 I left school and worked in a drug store, in a shop, on a farm.

CORRESPONDENT 2: That was why you got a good experience of a country life.

O’HENRY:      Oh, I lived in the steppe of Texas on a farm for 2 years and dealt with cowboys and hobos.

(The comperes approach each other.)

COMPERE 1: And he really knew the country life very well.

COMPERE 2: And he really sympathized with the ordinary people of the country.

2. MUSIC (“Country and Western”).
3. O’Henry and the correspondents appear again.

CORRESPONDENT 3: They say, Mr. Porter, that some of your stories are autobiographical.

O’HENRY: Well, I borrowed my characters from real life. For example, I worked for 12 years as a draftsman and learned that profession very well.

CORRESPONDENT 4: Oh, does it concern the story “Witches’ Loaves” as well?

O’HENRY: Sure, it’s true to fact.

COMPERE 2: Remember the story “Witches’ Loaves”? The character was draftsman, whose work Porter knew in details.

MUSIC (“Summertime”)

O’HENRY: (He sits and writes a letter.) «Никогда нее думал, что жизнь человеческая может так дешево стоить. На людей здесь смотрят, как на животных. Рабочий день – 13 часов, и тех, кто не выполнит работу, ждет наказание. Для большинства это верная гибель. Если человек изнемог на работе, его волокут вниз, в подвал, и подставляют под струю из брандспойта, бьющую с такой силой, что он теряет сознание. Страдание и смерть повседневно окружают меня.» (He covers his head with his hands.)

COMPERE 2: Though Porter was shocked he never showed it to his daughter. On the contrary, his letters to her were warm, optimistic, rather funny.

 MUSIC (“America, America”)

4. CORRESPONDENT 1: Mr. Porter, in 1901 you left prison and moved to New York.

CORRESPONDENT 2: You decided to become a professional writer at the age of 40 and took the pen-name of O’Henry.

CORRESPONDENT 3: Nobody knows for sure where you have taken it from.

CORRESPONDENT 4: Perhaps, from newspaper chronicles. (Then he turns to the audience and translates: «Возможно, из газетных хроник.»)

CORRESPONDENT 1: Maybe you borrowed it from Ossian Henry, the author of the pharmaceutical reference book.

Может быть, заимствовали у Оссиана Генри, автора фармацевтического справочника.

CORRESPONDENT 2: Maybe you took this pen-name from the old cowboy song: “Along came my true lover, about 12 o’clock. Saying Henry: “What sentence have you got?””

Может быть, вы взяли псевдоним из старой ковбойской песенки: «Вернулся любимый в 12 часов. Скажи мне, о Генри, какой приговор?»

O’HENRY: I won’t tell you. Let it be my secret.

5. COMPERE 1: O’Henry wrote about 250 stories. In general, all of them can be divided into 2 topics: “country life” and “a big city”. His only novel “Cabbages and Kings” belongs to the first one.

MUSIC

11.  COMPERE 2: O’Henry sees the problem of small poor people in a big city. He feels sorry for their fate and points to their loneliness and the importance of a chance in their fate.

COMPERE 1: Such was the fate of Della, the main character of “The Two Gifts”, who dreamt to give her husband a nice present on Christmas Eve, but it was very difficult, because she hadn’t enough money.

MUSIC

CHARACTERS:

Delia (Уварова Аня)

Jim (Бекшенев Роман)

Madame Sofronie (Боброва Тая)

Shop girl (Загородняя Аня)

SCENE I (disc)

Setting: A poorly furnished room in the attic. A table, two chairs, an old sofa and a mirror make up the furniture. Delia is sitting on the sofa with a purse on her lap. She is counting the money.

Delia: One dollar and eighty-seven cents. (Sighing) And tomorrow is Christmas. (She begins to cry.) I've been saving every penny I could, with this result. (To the audience.) How can I buy a Christmas present for Jim with' one dollar and eighty-seven cents? (Suddenly she snaps her fingers as if struck with an idea.) I know what to do. (She springs to her feet and goes to the mirror. Rapidly she pulls down her hair and lets it fall to its full length. For a moment she looks at herself in the mirror. Then she does her hair up again nervously and quickly.) I will buy Jim a present!

SCENE II (disc)

Setting: A hairdresser's. Madame Sofronie is sitting in front of the mirror. She is combing her hair (which is not very good) and humming  Jingle, Bells ". Delia enters. She is wearing an old coat and a black hat.

Delia (breathless). Excuse me, do you buy hair?

Madame Sofronie (turning to Delia).  I do. But I buy good hair.

Delia: Will you buy mine?

Madame Sofronie (rising):  Take your hat off and let’s have a look at your hair.

Delia: Just a moment, please. (disc)

 (She takes off her hat and undoes her hair. Madame Sofronie lifts the mass of Delia's hair with a practiced hand.)

Madame Sofronie: Twenty dollars.

Delia: Give it to me quick.

SCENE III (disc)

Setting: A small shop decorated with evergreens,

Christmas stockings, red balloons, etc. The music of "Jingle, Bells " is heard. Delia enters.

Shop girl: Can I help you?

Delia: I'd like to buy a present for my husband. He's got a wonderful gold watch. It belonged to

his father and to his grandfather. (Her eye falls on a watch chain displayed on the counter.) Will you show me that watch chain, please?

Shop girl {smiling). Here you are.

Delia: Oh, it's beautiful! It's just the present for Jim. Is it expensive?

Shop girl: Twenty-one dollars.

Delia (opening her purse). I'll take it. Here's the money.

Shop girl (putting the chain in a box and handing it to Delia). Thank you. Merry Christmas!

Delia: The same to you. (Delia leaves.)  (disc)

SCENE IV (disc)

Setting: The room in the attic. The table is laid for tea. The box with Jim's present, beautifully decorated with a red ribbon, is in the middle of the table. Delia is doing her short hair in front of the mirror.

Delia: If Jim doesn't kill me before he takes a second look at me,

he'll say I look like a chorus girl.

But what could I do — oh! What could I do with a dollar and eighty-seven cents? (There is a knock at the door and Jim’s voice is heard.)

Jim:  Darling, I’m home.

Delia: Please God; make him think I am still pretty. (Jim enters. He stares at Delia fixedly.) Jim, darling, don't look at me that way.

I had my hair cut off and sold it because I wanted to buy a Christmas present for you.

It'll grow out again. My hair grows awfully fast!

Jim: You've cut off your hair?

Delia: Cut it off and sold it.

Don't you like me just as well? Say 'Merry Christmas!' and let's be happy.

Jim: (looking about the room curiously)'. You say your hair is gone?

Delia: You needn't look for it.

It's sold, I tell you. It's Christmas Eve, Jim.

Maybe the hairs of my head were numbered, but nobody could ever count my love for you.

Jim: Don't make any mistake about me Dell. (He draws a package from his overcoat pocket.) Unwrap this package and you'll understand everything.

Delia (taking off the paper/and string): On, what beautiful combs!

I've been dreaming to have them all my life! (Hugging the combs to her bosom) 

My hair grows so fast, Jim! (After a pause.) 

Oh! You haven't seen my present yet. (She takes the box, opens it and takes out the chain.) Look at my present, Jim. Isn't it beautiful?

Give me your watch. I want to see how it looks on it.

Jim (smiling). Dell, let's put our Christmas presents away and keep them awhile. They're too nice to use just at present.

I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs. (He hugs his wife.) 

Merry Christmas, Dell.

Delia: Merry Christmas, Jim.

Jim: I love you, Dell.

Delia: I love you too, Jim.

(disc)

12. The comperes appear.

COMPERE 2: Here we are at last. We wouldn’t like to speak about O’Henry’s last days. They were sad and lonely.

MUSIC (“That wonderful world”).

COMPERE 1: He owned the rare gift of watching something funny and ridiculous though he met face to face with the tragic and the sad in real life. But he often preferred to keep silence about it.

COMPERE 2: Наделенный от природы редким даром видеть веселое и смешное, он столкнулся в жизни с трагическим и печальным, но в большинстве случаев предпочел об этом молчать.

COMPERE 1: Such were this amazing O’Henry and his characters – Таким был этот удивительный О. Генри и его персонажи.

COMPERE 2: Such was this merry American with the sad face – Таким был этот веселый американец с невеселой судьбой.

COMPERE 1: “The greatest consoler of all times”.

COMPERE 2: «Великий утешитель» вовсе времена.

MUSIC (“Paloma Blanca”) ВСЕ ВЫХОДЯТ НА ПОКЛОН.