INTERACTIVE PUPPET PERFORMANCE ROUTINES

“POSSUM GOES TO CHURCH” 6 min.

FOR USE WITH THE AXTELL “POSSUM” PUPPET

DIV. OF AXTELL EXPRESSIONS! (805) 642-7282

WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY: STEVE AXTELL

SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS: JILL BRYAN, GREG JACKSON

MUSIC, SOUND EFFECTS AND ENGINEERING BY: GREG JACKSON

RECORDED AT: TREEHOUSE PRODUCTIONS and AXTELL ENTERTAINMENT

LEGAL NOTICE: By purchasing this routine you have the right to perform this routine and it’s musical components in live performances only. Not for use on television or on Video Productions without written permission. Limited Warranty of 3 weeks to replace damaged media. No refunds on electronic media.

SEE OTHER AXTRAX AVAILABLE FOR THE MAGIC DRAWING BOARD AND AXTELL PUPPETS AT www.axtell.com

CD TRACK #1: Performance (Does not include your practice lines - use this to perform live.)

CD TRACK #2: Rehearsal (Includes your practice lines (YOU) that you will perform live.)

CDTRACKS #3-5: (Music only For vents who want to do both parts and cue the music.

Cues are numbered in the script.)

#3: Opening Music

#4: Gimme that Ol’ Fire Engine

#5: Closing Music

PAUSES HAVE BEEN LEFT IN THE RECORDING TO ANTICIPATE AUDIENCE LAUGHTER

YOU CAN MODIFY THE (YOU) LINES TO FIT YOUR PERSONALITY. REWRITE AND BE CREATIVE!

SOUND ADVISE: You can perform this routine by playing the CD on a quality "boom box" portable stereo player in small areas, or over a professional sound system in large areas such as an auditorium or outside. Do not play on a small inexpensive CD player because the sound will distort when you try to play it loudly.

The CD should be played with plenty of volume. Kids will be laughing hard and will miss the routine if it is too quiet, and adults may keep laughter to a minimum for fear of missing parts of the program. The volume of the CD should be set about the same as if you were speaking over a microphone to be heard by the group, or louder.

It is best to have the CD played over a public address system and have the soundman preset the volume level to be compatible with the your microphone level.

If possible to arrange it would be great to have already sung “Give Me that Old Time Religion” in the program.

(#3) OPENING MUSIC

POSSUM: (Snoring)

YOU: (Holding possum by the tail ).

Look what I found outside the church (or other building) in a tree.

POSSUM: (Snoring)

YOU: It’s a possum...

POSSUM: (Snore...snore)…I’m a possum (wiggle puppet slightly as he speaks). (LAUGHTER)

YOU: Are you asleep?

POSSUM: (Snore)…..Sound asleep...(snore) (LAUGHTER)

YOU: I know what to do (tickling him) Gichy,gichy goo

POSSUM: (Snore….snort…..Starts laughing) (jiggle the tail)

YOU: (Teasing) Okay now you come up here. (LAUGHTER)

POSSUM: (Laughing out loud) Okay, okay, I give….I was just playing possum.

YOU: Tell us your name.

POSSUM: My name is R.K. Possum

YOU: Well, it’s nice to meet you R.K.

POSSUM: Well, it’s nice to be “meeted”!. (LAUGHTER) I always wondered what the INSIDE of this place looked like.

YOU: Why did you make a home so close to this church? (or name of building). Aren’t you usually way out in the woods?

POSSUM: Well, I wanted to raise my family to know about God and I figured outside in the tree was as close as we could get …being possums and all.

YOU: So, you listen to the meetings we have in here?

POSSUM: Mornin’, noon or night! Every time there’s a meetin’….we’re a listenin’ through the wall! (glances at the wall) (LAUGHTER)

YOU: But I thought you possums sleep during the day….

POSSUM: Normally we do but you make so much racket in here, it usually wakes us up. That’s okay cause we like learning about God. But I don’t know how the guy in the back sleeps through it. (LAUGHTER)

YOU: Ahem…well, that’s not intentional, of course. So what have you learned?

POSSUM: We learned all about that possum in the Bible.

YOU: You’ve heard them talk about a possum in the Bible?

POSSUM: Yeah – You know...PAUL the OPOSSUM! (LAUGHTER)

YOU: You mean Paul, the “apostle”!

POSSUM: Yeah, that’s what I said, Paul the Opossum.

YOU: It must be hard to hear thru the walls, but we’re glad you moved here anyway.

POSSUM: Yeah, it’s also a LOT safer than out there on the road.

YOU; Yes, it seems like we always see one of you on the road “passed on”.

POSSUM: You mean passed OVER! (LAUGHTER)

YOU: Well….

POSSUM: That’s why they call me R.K. Possum.

YOU: I don’t get it.

POSSUM: R.K…Road Kill. (LAUGHTER)

YOU: Could we talk about something else?

POSSUM: The politically correct term is Horizontally Terminated (goes into convulsions)

Aak…aak…..aak….aak. (LAUGHTER)

YOU: Okay, R. K.

POSSUM: (sitting back up) Well, like they say….there’s only 2 things that are sure in life….death and taxidermy. (LAUGHTER)

YOU: Well….

POSSUM: But we learned here that we don’t have to be afraid to die.

YOU: You know, that’s right!

POSSUM: To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord…(shake you head yes in agreement) . whether you’re

fit as a fiddle or flat as a board. (jerk back you head when you hear this)

(LAUGHTER)

I lost a good friend to a Volkswagon last week. (LAUGHTER)

YOU: Oh…that’s too bad.

POSSUM: He should have taken the road less traveled. (LAUGHTER)

He should have CHANGED his ways! (LAUGHTER)

YOU: Why didn’t he look both ways before he crossed the road?

POSSUM: He’s stubborn I guess. From what I hear, he just flatly refused! (LAUGHTER)

YOU: Well, we’re glad that YOU haven’t passed on yet.

POSSUM: Not yet, but I’ve had a near death experience before and it’s true what they say. Right before you go, you see these bright lights... (LAUGHTER)

YOU: Yes...I’ve heard that..

POSSUM: “Course, they didn’t mention the loud horn or screechin’ brakes. (LAUGHTER)

YOU: Well, we all have to go sometime.

POSSUM: When I go, I want to go BIG!

YOU: How’s that?

POSSUM: When I go...I want it to be a FIRE ENGINE! (LAUGHTER)

YOU: (look shocked) A fire engine?

POSSUM: Yeah, like that song we heard you singin’ thru the wall…

YOU A song you heard HERE? (look around)

Possum: Oh yeah….

(#4) GIMME THAT OL’ FIRE ENGINE

Possum: Gimme that Ol’ Fire Engine (LAUGHTER)

YOU: What?!

POSSUM: Gimme that Ol’ Fire Engine (LAUGHTER)

YOU: NO…Old Time Religion!

POSSUM: Gimme that Ol’ Fire Engine

It’s good enough for me…

YOU: R.K… that’s not how the song goes!

POSSUM: It was good for possum Silas… (LAUGHTER)

YOU: NO!

POSSUM: It was good for possum Silas… (LAUGHTER)

YOU: No, that’s PAUL and Silas!

POSSUM: It was good for possum Silas… (LAUGHTER)

(music kicks in fast – Gospel style)

So it’s good enough for me!

Gimme that Ol’ Fire Engine,

It’s good enough for me….

YOU: STOP!! Why do you want to get hit by a FIRE ENGINE ANYWAY?

POSSUM: It will take us all to heaven… (LAUGHTER)

YOU: Oh, R.K.!

POSSUM: It will take us all to heaven…

YOU: R.K.!!

POSSUM: It will take us all to heaven…

So it’s good enough for me

Gimme that Ol’ Fire Engine

(big finish) It’s good ----e------nough -----for------ me …Hee, hee, hee…

YOU: R.K. I gotta get you a songbook! Give him a hand!!

(Shake you head in disbelief as you walk off)

(#5) CLOSING MUSIC

FOR USE WITH THE AXTELL “POSSUM” PUPPET

SEE OTHER AXTRAX AVAILABLE FOR THE MAGIC DRAWING BOARD AND AXTELL PUPPETS AT www.axtell.com

End