Collecting Highlight (16) - Dragonsong, the play or How To Make Your Own Firelizard!

[Hans]

In the very back of the "Hargreaves" (the best Anne McCaffrey bibliograohy in existence) there is a small section (section eight), titled: "Plays based on the author's writings". And the short introduction is worth reading

Over time, many of Anne's novels and some of the short stories have been optioned for film or play development. Several fan-orientated productions have occurred but were usually related to science fiction conventions. Anne mentioned one production of "The Smallest Dragonboy" staged at Milwaukee SF convention when she was Guest of Honor. Mention was also made of an Australian trio's production of "The Smallest Dragonboy". Apparently they took liberties with the story, Anne objected to this, and she never heard from them again. Two productions have been mounted that reaches the public at large.

The section only holds three "titles": Dragonflight, Dragonsinger and Dragonsong. The first is a professional radio play, produced by the BBC in 1980. If anybody recorded this, I'd be VERY interested The BBC says Dragonflight was not retained in their records and therefore it no longer exists... The next one is Dragonsinger, of which Michael Hargreaves had no details available when his bibliography of Anne was published, so that leaves us:

Dragonsong, the play.

In 1980, the Adventure Theatre in Glen Echo, Maryland (paying attention, Maryland based Master Archivist? ) produced a childrens'musical play based on the book Dragonsong. The production was headed by Irene Elliot who also did the adaptation of the book. Final draft approval was made by Anne with only minor changes. Anne did make one major scene change for visual effect. In the original story of Dragonsong, Menolly injured her hand by cutting it severely while gutting fish. To give this important scene a visual impact, Anne changed the scene so Menolly’s father (Yanus) does the damage by breaking her hand. Overall, though, the story line follows the book.
The songs that are in the play are: Sea Song, Children’s Game, Menolly’s Song, Teaching Song, Fire Lizard Song and White Winged Craft.

This entry (that further lists the four venues the play was performed at in 1980, 1986 and 1987 (twice) but I know from the internet it was performed many times, as High School plays, in several school including even one on Hawaii) is made extra special by a set of pictures (by E. Pen Stevens), provided especially for Hargreaves’ book by Irene Elliot. Since these pictures are now already over 25 years old I am taking the liberty of reproducing them here without the intention of violating anyone’s copyright etc. etc.

Later the adaptation was printed in a booklet: the official adaptation to stage of Dragonsong by the earlier mentioned Irene Elliot, who also composed the music and the lyrics for the songs mentioned earlier, except the Sea Song, the Teaching Song and White Winged Craft, for which Anne McCaffrey herself wrote the lyrics.
The booklet was (is) published by Anchorage Press, New Orleans. First edition took place August 1989. it is published in photo reproduction form (so essentially I guess the first edition was that of 1980). Hargreaves says that “bound book versions” won’t be available until 1990 but as far as I know all editions are stapled and bound versions do not exist. If anybody knows of one, please contact your local Master Archivist.

There was a time that these booklets could simply be ordered on Amazon (shipped within about a week for I think it 6 pounds. Anneli can correct me if I’m wrong, she ordered and one and, more amazing, got it! Actually, when I just checked it was still “available” http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...443864-9611939
If that is true I don’t have to discuss collector’s value or price but… (isn’t there always) there is currently only one (yes, 1) copy to be found through www.bookfinder.com and that particular one is listed at $ 59.11 (listed as Softcover, ISBN: 0876022948).

Whether it is worth money or not I do think this is a great collectible as it is rather special and even though quite a few could be around, a lot of them will have perished. They certainly don’t show up on eBay and such sites.

The pictures (remember these are over 25 years old! for others they'll might trigger the nostalgia button )

Menolly and the Seahold children


Menolly and Masterharper Robinton


T'rolt (huh? yes!) and Geleth during Impression


T'gellan and Monarth with the Seahold children

DON'T LAUGH YOU!

And here's what you all been waiting for

BUILD YOUR OWN FIRE LIZARD FOR THE PLAY!
1. Head and body are styrofoam ball and egg with layer of paper mache
2. Top of head and wings are cut from celastic ans shaped
3. Neck is foam rubber rings rubber cemented and pinched around the edges
4. Attachments to body with hot glue
5. Legs and tail cut from foam rubber, and rubber cemented and pinched around the edges, except for toes
6. Body, neck and head strung together on a string, knotted at both ends
7. Wing hinges made of cloth and hot glue
8. Eeye cut from reflector material
9. Cut cloth glued to neck and tail. Whole puppet spray painted two colors, undercoat and overcoat.
10. Head strings attached to wings of controller
11. Shoulder strings are continuous, through eye in controller
12. Wing strings also on continuous string, through eye in controller
13. Tail string attached to back end of controller

Irene sure was thorough and detailed!

Note: due to circumstances I am two weeks late with my Collecting Highlight, so this one (that should have been posted two weeks ago) will be here alongside Cheryl's one for the coming two weeks. Hans.

[Becky]

Great info, Hans!!! I searched long and hard for my copy. When I tried to order it online I didn't get a copy either. But finally found a copy. Do you happen to know if the songs on the cassette tape, Dragonsongs, are the same ones used in the play? The tape was done in 1984, 5 years before the play, but Anne wrote some of the songs on the tape too. So I was wondering if she used them for the play as well. I don't have a cassette player to listen to the tape and there is no listing of the songs on the cover.
I didn't know that Anne rewrote the bit on how Menolly hurt her hand. Rather brutal that, with her dad breaking it. Tho I really wouldn't put it past ol' Yanis. (and if you say it's in the play then I can only say that I probably read that when I got my copy and forgot it, tho that's hard to forget.)

[Hans]

Addendum

It seems the play can still be ordered from Anchorage Press directly.

http://www.applays.com/

go to the bottom of this page: http://www.applays.com/plays/descrip...ription_D.html

Seems you can buy the text book and the piano/vocal score seperately (7 and 40 dollar respectively) and have to pay 50 dollars royalty when performed (one performance or a one time contribution?)

[Lady Maelin]

Hans, thank you so very much for putting this up, I thought that all the photo's of the play, and the making of the Dragon, fantastic to see, not funny. I don't think that I will buy one, for my collection but it was lovely to see it all.

[Anareth]

I think with things like school plays, if I'm remembering my high-school theater days correctly, that $50 would cover one short "run" of the play. Most schools and community theaters do at most one or two weekends of a show and the royalty payment is usually done when you order the scripts and (if it's a musical) the scores. $50 is fairly cheap, and would probably be a good deal, depending on how much you wanted to spend building the sets and props. I'm not sure what our tech crew would have said about a dragon!

[Myt]

Very cute

[SuzyQ]

That is really neat! The things everyone finds are amazing! Just when I begin to think my collection might someday be complete someone posts about something else I don't have in my collection. More happy hunting!

Suzanne

[Hans]

An Anne McCaffrey Collection, complete??

Take a second mortgage on the house, sell your husband into slavery....

[edith]

lol!
how come that bit about the BBC no longer having it in their records doesn't surprise me?

[Becky]

Originally Posted by Hans

An Anne McCaffrey Collection, complete??

Take a second mortgage on the house, sell your husband into slavery....

No truer words were EVER spoken! There are quite a few books and other items I'd love to afford to put into my collection. They are on my dream list of collectibles.

[Myt]

I'm making my own style of firelizard. Myt-style dragons! He's black and white and if I ever get a pic of him on the net, you can see him

[Spaceman Spiff]

I have a firelizard in the works (planning stages) as well, but since I'm a perfectionist, it's much more complicated than foam rubber strung together... Though it's still great to see those pics!

[Lady Maelin]

I have seen the armature for your dragon Spiff, and it looks like your dragon has a very good start. Let me see it when you are all finished with it PLEASE.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Ah, that was for my sculpture of the AtWoP cover. Unfortunately I made it too small and was unable to complete it, because my tools aren't refined enough to do the proper detailing

My firelizard plan on the other hand, is a much larger project. I plan to make a sculpture of each color at life size, ranging from 20-40 inches, and then I want to make a mold, put an armature inside, and fill it with silicone. So the finished product will have a soft skin and be fully poseable.

[ghyle]

Sounds delightful, mate! Your very own fire lizards to play with would be great fun. I hope that you'll post pictures of the final goods, at the very least, so that we may all 'ooh' and 'ah' at your handiwork.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Here's a "doodle" piece of claywork, no detailing started, a ticklish firelizard http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y17...culpeyflit.jpg

Please ignore the wing-arm, I know it sucks

[Anneli]

Close, Hans, very close I just checked and when I bought my copy through Amazon in September 1999 I paid £4.50 plus £0.50 delivery charge. I just wish I'd had the gumption to order half a dozen copies at the time *imagines what they might have been worth on e-bay nowadays*

Originally Posted by Hans

There was a time that these booklets could simply be ordered on Amazon (shipped within about a week for I think it 6 pounds. Anneli can correct me if I’m wrong, she ordered and one and, more amazing, got it!

[Hans]

Anneli, Anchorage Press themselves seem to still sell it online for 7 dollars.

[Jayru]

Originally Posted by Hans

An Anne McCaffrey Collection, complete??

Take a second mortgage on the house, sell your husband into slavery....

Have done, on both counts!


Fantastic to see all this. I have no worries about having a complete collection, I know I never will, but it always nice to see what else has been done, and created for Pern.

[Flinx]

I have a couple of copies (green cover, copyright 1991).

[Hans]

Doubles, Flinx? What are you waiting for then, make them available to people here. For an interesting price of course, you know what they cost new now

[Flinx]

Originally Posted by Hans

<big snip>
There was a time that these booklets could simply be ordered on Amazon (shipped within about a week for I think it 6 pounds. Anneli can correct me if I’m wrong, she ordered and one and, more amazing, got it!
<another big snip>

Mine were a little higher in price. So when I sell I would like to at least break even.

Originally Posted by Hans

Doubles, Flinx? What are you waiting for then, make them available to people here. For an interesting price of course, you know what they cost new now

Waiting for the same thing that is holding me up from selling the signed books, to get myself organised.

[Lady Maelin]

Originally Posted by Anneli

Close, Hans, very close I just checked and when I bought my copy through Amazon in September 1999 I paid £4.50 plus £0.50 delivery charge. I just wish I'd had the gumption to order half a dozen copies at the time *imagines what they might have been worth on e-bay nowadays*

Anneli, Your collection of Anne's, treasures must boggle the eye and the mind. I could never even hope to find, much less buy, all of what you already have in you fantastic collection. .................

[Bagpuss]

Picked mine up (on Ebay) last week for £6.50.
Not pristine, but a nice addition.

[Hans]

Looks like a good price, Tony.

[c_ris]

Originally Posted by Bagpuss

Picked mine up (on Ebay) last week for £6.50.
Not pristine, but a nice addition.

I saw that, but just can't afford to buy things! (stoopid uni wanting £3168)

[Bagpuss]

Originally Posted by c_ris

stoopid uni wanting £3168

Ouch!

[c_ris]

And that's just for ONE year!

[GinnyStar]

Originally Posted by Becky

Great info, Hans!!! I searched long and hard for my copy. When I tried to order it online I didn't get a copy either. But finally found a copy. Do you happen to know if the songs on the cassette tape, Dragonsongs, are the same ones used in the play? The tape was done in 1984, 5 years before the play, but Anne wrote some of the songs on the tape too. So I was wondering if she used them for the play as well. I don't have a cassette player to listen to the tape and there is no listing of the songs on the cover.
I didn't know that Anne rewrote the bit on how Menolly hurt her hand. Rather brutal that, with her dad breaking it. Tho I really wouldn't put it past ol' Yanis. (and if you say it's in the play then I can only say that I probably read that when I got my copy and forgot it, tho that's hard to forget.)

I have a copy of it but I don't know if that can be shared or not

[Hans]

It can not be shared (online) as it is copyrighted and it can still be bought.

[GinnyStar]

Originally Posted by Hans

It can not be shared (online) as it is copyrighted and it can still be bought.

Thanks for the info. That is what I thought. My mind goes between on me at times. But then, I do have a harder time translating something into words, commuicate wise under stress.

[RockytheLizard]

Originally Posted by Becky

Great info, Hans!!! I searched long and hard for my copy. When I tried to order it online I didn't get a copy either. But finally found a copy. Do you happen to know if the songs on the cassette tape, Dragonsongs, are the same ones used in the play? The tape was done in 1984, 5 years before the play, but Anne wrote some of the songs on the tape too. So I was wondering if she used them for the play as well. I don't have a cassette player to listen to the tape and there is no listing of the songs on the cover.
I didn't know that Anne rewrote the bit on how Menolly hurt her hand. Rather brutal that, with her dad breaking it. Tho I really wouldn't put it past ol' Yanis. (and if you say it's in the play then I can only say that I probably read that when I got my copy and forgot it, tho that's hard to forget.)

Becky, Do you still have that cassette? I'm music-directing a school production of Dragonsong this spring and would love to hear it!
- Lloyd, Brooklyn, NY

[GinnyStar]

I do recall that,, from reading my copy, of Dragonsong the
Musical that I got from SJack here., beefore my sight whent, but I
just found that nows we know the recording on toape we are looking is the same nmame, I still don't know how to post cross-links to other parts of this site, even knwo, I am start to recall some of the coding needed, but
thanks for answers a few questions along the way. fromDSJack

Originally Posted by Hans

It can not be shared (online) as it is copyrighted and it can still be bought.