The Wild Boy

by Rick Balian

A tale of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois). A Seneca mother and father are upset over their son’s wild behavior. The boy, Little Bear, becomes lost in the woods and is adopted by a mother bear and her daughter. The bears “tame” the boy by teaching him kindness and respect for others. He returns to his human family completely transformed.

"We would be honored to have you back. – Karen Crow-Figueora, St. Marie Among the Iroquois Museum

"Rick Balian's writing crackles with wit, yet there is real substance. What a delight to find plays for children that adults can love, too." – Robert Weirich, Skaneateles Festival

“The mix of puppetry and live actors kept my class EXCITED. It was a fabulous performance!”  – M. Kruger, PS46

“When I asked teachers what assembly program they wanted this year, the answer was unanimous! They all wanted NPT’s World Voices program to come back.”   
– T. Callieri, PS22

Characters

Narrator: Opens and closes the play
Little Bear: A Seneca boy
Grey Squirrel: His younger sister
Mother: Their mother
Father: Their father
Yellow Snake: Little Bear's friend
Mother Bear: A bear
Bear Cub: Her daughter

Minimum cast: 4, if puppets (for Little Bear, Grey Squirrel, Mother, Father, Yellow Snake, and Bear Cub) are used in conjunction with onstage actors, and if the Narrator and Mother Bear are played by the same actor.

Running time: approx. 40 minutes

World Voices

This play is part of New Perspectives Theatre Company’s World Voices program. World Voices uses stories and fables from around the world to illustrate the strong common bonds among us all. The shows run 50–60 minutes and include a participatory game or activity related to the story. Each play can be performed with puppets and actors or actors only. 

If you’d like to book a production or produce a show yourself, contact Rick at theateroftheobvious@icloud.com or New Perspectives Theatre Company (newperspectivestheatre.org) at newper37@gmail.com.