French play FLAVA 2014 Foreign Language Association of Virginia

1. LS French play 2012: Bonjour America!
Plot: French students coming to the US and going to an American school.
F 1: French student who comes from Gap. Kind of geeky and annoying.
F 2: French girl who lives in Gap as well.
F 3: French student who lives in Paris.
F 4: French student. Homesick. Misses French food. Lives with USP 3.
US 1: American student at school who first doesn’t know where the Alps are and then pretends
he/she knows all about it. Always goes to the bathroom when he is being challenged.
US 2 (boy): American student who is well educated and tells people where and what things
are. Kind of geeky.
US 3: American student who is interested in knowing the French kids. Nice and social.
US 4: American student who challenges US 1. Does not get along with US 1.
US 5: American student confused about the twins.
USP 1: American parent (parent of US 1). Pretends to know a lot and goes to the bathroom
when being challenged.
USP 2: Parent of US 2. Well educated. Just started learning French but has an excellent accent.
USP 3: Mom of US 3. Impressed that US 2 speaks French so well. Takes his/her French student
to a French restaurant.
USP 4 (boy): Husband of USP 3 and dad of US 3. Interested in trying new items on the menu in
a French restaurant.
T 1 and T 2: French Twins: Always get confused. Drive the American students crazy because
they don’t realize they are 2 of them. Create major confusion.
Professeur: French teacher. Finds a mouse in the classroom while teaching.
Student #1: First student to point out the mouse in the classroom. Mean student who actually
placed the mouse in the classroom
Student #2: Second student to see the mouse in the classroom. Gets sent out of the room.
Works with étudiant #1, as an accomplice.

2. Directeur: School director who enters the classroom after the French teacher saw the mouse.
Maître D: Host at the French restaurant.
Serveur: Waiter at the French restaurant.
Narrator: Introduces the play and makes the transitions between the scenes.
Roles # of lines student substitute
French student # 1 7 + 3 10 US parent # 1
French student # 2 7 + 8 15 US parent # 2
French student # 3 4 + 13 17 US parent # 3
French student # 4 8 + 5 13 US student # 4
US student # 1 8 + 8 16 Waiter
US student # 2 (boy) 4 + 11 15 US parent # 4 (boy)
US student # 3 10 + 6 16 Maître D
US student # 4 5 + 7 12 Narrator
US student # 5 15 + 2 17 Student class # 2
Twin # 1 7 + 5 12 French teacher
Twin # 2 6 + 4 10 Student class # 1
US parent # 1 3 + 6 9 French student # 1
US parent # 2 8 + 6 14 French student # 2
US parent # 3 13 + 4 17 French student # 3
US parent # 4 (boy) 11 + 2 13 US student # 2 (boy)
French teacher 5 + 6 11 US student # 1
Student class # 1 6 + 4 10 US student # 3
Student class # 2 3 + 8 11 French student # 4
School director 3 + 0 3 Mme. Boulle
Maître D 6 + 7 13 Twin # 1
Waiter 8 + 6 14 Twin # 2
Narrator 7 + 5 12 US student # 5

3. PLAY: Bonjour America!
Narrator: (Writtenby5th
grade students) Have youeverbeenconfused,embarrassed,andthenfelt
reallybadaboutit? Then maybe youwill sympathize withourAmericanstudentwhodoes not
understandwhyhe hasto repeateverythinghe saystothislovelyFrenchstudentwhoisvisitingthe US.
At school: 8:30am (twin scene)
US 5: Hi! Welcome toour school.
T 1: Merci! Thankyou!
US 5: What’syour name?
T1: Pardon?
US 5: Your name? My name isTricia andyou?
T1: Oh,je m’appelle Cécile.
US 5 : Cicily ?
T1 : Non,Cécile.
US 5 : Well,welcome Cicily ! Todaywe are goingona fieldtrip. We are goingto visitMonticello. Do
youknowabout ThomasJefferson?
T1: (witha Frenchaccent) ThomasJefferson? Ohoui! He speaksFrenchverywell.
US 5: You meanhe spoke Frenchverywell. Because Ican assure youhe isnot speakinganymore!
T1: Oh,why not?
US 5: Because he isdead! I am goingto get mybackpack, I’ll be rightback.
(5 minuteslater)
US 5: Ready?
T2: Readyfor what?
US 5: For our fieldtrip.
T2: Where are we going?
US 5: Monticello! ThomasJefferson...
T2: Thomas Jefferson? Ohoui! He speaksFrenchverywell.
US 5: He spokeFrench verywell. Remember,he isnotspeakinganymore!
T2: Oh,why not?
US 5: Because he isdead!
T2: I go get backpack.
US 5: (talkingtoUS 4 whojustarrived) Have youmetthe Frenchgirl?
US 4: Whichone?
US 5: Cicily!Browncurlyhair.
US 4: Yeah. She is reallynice. Why?
US 5: I thinkshe suffersfromshorttermmemory.
US 4: Really? She seemsfinetome. Are yousure youare notthe one sufferingfromamental disease?
Twin 1 and Twin 2: On y va?
US 4 : On y va !
US 5 : (Staysbehind,confused,mouthopen...)
__________________________

4. Narrator: (Writtenby5th
grade students)
If you wonderwhyyouhave to learnyourgeographywhenwe live inaworldwithGoogle mapsand
GPS, it’sprobablysothat youwon’tmake a fool of yourself one day,like thisstudentwhoconfusesa
Frenchcity fora store. Yes,that’sright,you heardme…I did say “a store”!
Recess: 10:15am
US 1: Where do youlive?
F 1: J’habite àGap.
US 1: Didyou justsay Gap? The store?
F 1: Non,Gap dans lesAlpes!
US 1: What’s« lesAlpes » ?
US 2: The Alpsof course ! You know,the mountainsthatseparate France andSwitzerland. Everyone
knowsthat!
US 1: Yeah... I knewthat!... Iwas justchecking...youknow...see if youknew...
US 2: Sure you were! Well,since youknow everythingaboutthe Alps,whydon’tyou tell usthe name
of thatbig mountain?
US 1: Heu… That’son the tipof my tongue. Itstarts withM like mountainof course.
US 2: Good guess. It’scalledMontBlanc. It’sthe highestmountaininWesternEurope anditmeasures
4,810.45 m (15,782 ft). I assume the translation of Mont Blancis onthe tipof yourtongue as well.
US 1: No! I actually know itandI wouldlove totell youbutright now,I have to go to the bathroom.
See youtomorrow!
__________________________
Narrator: (Writtenby5th
grade students)
Justthinkaboutyour day fora minute. Teachershandingoutpapersandpapersandmore papers… and
books…and quizzes…andhomework. Maybe we shouldmove toFrance where theydothe same thing
but … they take a 2 hour breakfor lunch!
Lunch 12:00pm
US 3: Hey!
F 1: Salut!
US 3: What’syour name?
F 1: Je m’appelle __________
US 3: Where doyou live?
F 1: J’habite àGap.
US 3: Gap? The store?
US 1: Noyou dumbdumb! Gap, in “lesAlpes”the Alps ! Everyone knowsthat! Yousee,the Alpsare
the mountainsthatseparate France fromSwitzerland.
US 4: Isn’tSwitzerlandnexttoItalyaswell? Ithoughtthe Alpswere alsointhe Northernpartof Italy.
Aren’tthey?
US 1: Oh,I have to use the bathroom. Excusez-moi...
__________________________

5. Narrator: (Writtenby5th
grade students)
Dans la classe de français,vousallezentendre unjoli poème qui s’appelle “Automne.” Oh,excusez-moi,
didI justspeakFrench? I was so excitedaboutmyFrenchclassI justgot carriedaway. Sorryabout that!
Anyway,Ihope you’re notscaredof mice…
In French class: 2:00pm
Professeur: _____________, debout! Récitezle poème « Automne ».
Étudiant #2: Automne. Il pleut….. Automne. Il pleutdesfeuilles…. Excusez-moi !
Professeur: Asseyez-vous!
Professeur: _____________, debout! Récitezle poème « Automne ».
Étudiant #1 : Automne. Il pleutdesfeuillesjaunes,il pleutdesfeuillesrouges. L’été vas’endormiret
l’hivervavenirsouslapointe de sessouliersgelés.
Professeur: Excellent! Asseyez-vous. Classe,répétez! A,E, I,O, U.
Étudiants: A,E, I,O, U!
Professeur: BA,BE, BI,BO, BU
Étudiants: BA,BE, BI,BO, BU!
Étudiant #1: Madame,madame! Une souris!
Professeur: Une sourisdansla salle de classe?
Étudiant #1: Oui.
Professeur: C’estridicule! Continuons... JA,JE, JI,JO,JU
Étudiants: JA,JE, JI,JO, JU!
Étudiant #2: Madame,madame! Une souris!
Professeur: C’estridicule! Sortez!
Classe,répétez! GA,GUE, GUI... Une souris! Une souris! AHHHHH!
(Studentsdothe victorydance inthe class. The directorof the school arrivesinthe hall)
Étudiant #1: Shhh,the directoriscoming...
Directeur: What isgoingon inhere?
Étudiant #1: (studentsall calmandfakingstudying) We don’tknow. The teacherleftina hurry.
Étudiant #2: Yeah! She must have hadan emergency! Ihope she isok.
Directeur: What classwas it?
Étudiants: Le français!
(The bell rings)
Directeur: Okthen. Well...“aurevoir”!
Étudiants: Au revoir! Bonne journée!
_______________________
Narrator: (to be done by 5th
graders inclass)
Sometimes,people inone countrycando somethingverynatural tothemwhichcantotallyshock
people fromanothercountry. A simple gesture canturnintosomethingrude andunexpected.
Sometimesnotknowingculture differencesstinks(if youknow whatImean…).

6. At the welcoming party
F 2 : __ Bonjour! Ça va?
F 3 : __ Comme-ci comme ça,ettoi?
F 2 : __ Super!
F 3 : __ Je m’appelle Robert,ettoi? Commentt’appelles-tu?
F 2 : __ Je m’appelle Isabelle. Oùhabites-tu?
F 3 : __ J’habite àParis,ettoi? Où habites-tu?
F 2 : __ J’habite àGap.
F 3 : __ Le magasin?
F 2 : __ Mais non! Gap danslesAlpes!
F 1 : __ Tu habitesà Gap ?
F 2 : __ Oui.
F 1 : __ Moi aussi ! Quelle coincidence! (veryexcited) Onpeutparler?
USP 1: Oh,I justlove havinga Frenchstudentinmyhouse. It remindsme of the goodolddays whenI
was takingFrenchlessons. MyFrenchisstill verygood. I evenimpressedmyself the otherday! What
aboutyou? Do youspeakFrench?
USP 2 : I am learningitrightnow.
USP 1 : Really ? “Parlez-vousfrançais?”
USP 2: (withaperfectFrenchaccent!) Oui,unpeu. Je ne parle pas beaucoupmaisje ne me débrouille
pas trop mal. C’estmarrant quandje disque j’apprendsle français,touslesgensme posentlamême
question. Amusant,non ?
USP 1 : Oh,I have to use the restroom. Excusez-moi!...
USP 3: Wow! Your Frenchsoundedamazing! How longhave youbeenstudying?
USP 2: Oh...justa fewweeks.
USP 3: What didyoutell her?
USP 2: She askedme if I spoke FrenchsoI toldher I didn’tspeakmuchbutI wasn’ttoo bad at it. I also
toldherthat it was funnythateverytime Imention thatI am learningFrencheverybodywasaskingme
the same question. Funny,isn’tit?
USP 3: Well,thatwassurely very impressive. Although,Iamnot sure she/he wasveryimpressedbyit...
USP 2: Howis yourFrenchstudent?
USP 3: Good. I think! She/he isverynice butI thinkshe/he isveryhomesick,already. He/she hasonly
beenhere for2 days!
USP 2: Ohno! She/he missesher/hisfamily?
USP 3: No,that’sactuallygoingalright. She/he missesthe food. She/he won’teatanything! Itried
burgersand pasta,evenpizza!
USP 2: Maybe you shouldtry “quiche”instead!
USP 3: You are right! That’swhat I’ll do. I’ll take her/him toa Frenchrestauranttonight. My husband
doesn’tlike Frenchfoodbuthe’ll justhave todeal withit!
USP 2: I wishIcouldbe a flyto see hisreactionwhentheyshow himthe menu! Letme know howthat
goes! Good luck! As theysayin French : « Bonne chance » !
___________________________

7. Narrator:
The nexttime youhave a familydinner,make sure you observe everybodyatyourtable. Ibet youthat
at leastone personhastheirlefthandunderthe table. InFrance, thisisas bad as takingoff yourshoes
ina social context. Iknow,the Frenchcan be weirdwithall theirdo’sanddon’tbutwhat can I say,they
still have the bestdesserts!...
At a French restaurant
Maître D: Bonsoir! Vousavezune réservation?
USP 4 : A reservation ? Heu,yes. Oui. Oui oui.
Maître D : Sousquel noms’il vousplaît ?
USP 4 : Pardon ?
Maître D : Sousquel nom?
USP 3: Honey,Ithinkhe wantsyour name.
USP 4: Oh,oui! My name. Goldyburger! Partyof 4.
Maître D: Golly,Gold,Goldyburger. Une table pour4 personnes,oui?
USP 4 : Pardon ?
Maître D : 4 personnes ?
USP 4 : Oui.
Maître D : Par ici,s’il vousplaît. Votre serveurvaarriver.
Serveur: Bonsoir! Vousdésirezboire quelque chose ?
F 4 : (witha strongFrench accent) He wantsto know whatyou wantto drink.
USP 3: CouldIhave some waterplease?
Serveur: De l’eau? Biensûr! Perrier,Evian,Vittel,laCroix, Contrex,Badoit...
USP 4 : Goodnessgracious ! All those are water? Humm... Un Perrier,s’il vousplaît.
Serveur: Et pour vous ?
F 4 : Une limonade,s’il vousplaît.
US 3 : Un coca cola.
USP 3 : Me too ! Un coca cola s’il vousplaît.
Serveur: Un Perrier,une limonadeetdeux coca.
(while the waitergetsthe drinks)
USP 3: I like thisplace. Very“chic.” What doyou think?
F 4: I like it! It smellsverygood! Itsmellslikehome! Thankyoufortakingme here.
USP 4: You are welcome.
US 3: You have to helpuswiththe menu.
Serveur: Voilà! UnPerrier,une limonadeetdeux coca. Ce soir,la soupe dujour estun velouté de petit
pois. Nousavonsaussi desescargots,dulapinsauté etdes cuissesde grenouilles. Je vouslaisse
choisir...
USP 3 : What didhe say ?
F 4: He saidtheyhad snails,rabbitorfroglegs.
USP 4: OhGoodnessgracious! What aboutthe “blabla blapetitspois”?
F 4: Velouté de petitspois? That’sa creamysoupwithpeas.
USP 4: That soundssafer. I’ll have that.
Serveur: Vousavezchoisi?
F 4 : Un velouté de petitspois s’il vousplaît.
USP 4: What she said...
USP 3 : Petitspois...
US 3 : Petitspois...

8. Serveur: 4 velontésde petitspois. Toutde suite...
F 4 : I thinkyouwill like the dessertsbetter.
US 3: What do theyhave?
F 4: Chocolate mousse,crêpes,homemadeice cream, apple pies,crème brulée...
US 3: Yum! That soundsgood...Serveur: Voilà! Bonappétit!
USP 3, USP 4, US 3, F 4: Merci!
__________________________
Narrator: We are goingto leave ourfamilytotheirdinner. Ihope youhave enjoyedthisone dayin
America!
Fin