Master Man
A Tall Tale of Nigeria
Told by Aaron Shepard
Reader’s Theater Edition #27
Adapted for reader’s theater (or readers theatre) by the author, from his
picture book published by HarperCollins, New York, 2001
Story copyright © 2001 Aaron Shepard.
Script copyright © 2001, 2002 Aaron Shepard. Scripts in this series are
free and may be copied, shared, and performed for any noncommercial
purpose, except they may not be posted online without permission.
PREVIEW: Shadusa thinks he’s the strongest man in the world—till he meets the real Master Man.
GENRE: Tall tales, folktales
CULTURE: West African, Nigerian
THEME: Machismo
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READERS: 12 or more
READER AGES: 8 and up
LENGTH: 10 minutes
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ROLES: Narrators 1–4, Shadusa, Shettu, Woman, Baby, Master Man, Farmer, Porter, Stranger, (Other Farmers), (Other Porters)
NOTES: This is a tale of the Hausa, the
largest ethnic group of northern Nigeria. Mostly Muslim, they have lived
mainly in towns and villages on the savannah. For best effect, place
NARRATORS 1 and 2 at far left, and 3 and 4 at far right, as seen from
the audience. BABY’s noises can be made partly while others speak. Shadusa is pronounced “sha-DOO-sa,” rhyming with “a goose a.” Shettu is pronounced “SHET-oo,” rhyming with “get two.” Wah is an African exclamation with no literal meaning.
NARRATOR 1: Once there was a man who was
strong.