Act I scene i

THE WOLF AND THE SAINT

The Life of Saint Francis of Assisi as Told by The Wolf of Gubbio

(a four-act play)

By  DCB Jones

ACT I

Scene 1 “The Wolf of Gubbio”

(CURTAIN OPENS)

The scene: a forest near Assisi: WOLF is standing on the left side of the stage or puppet theatre.

(SHEPHERD & SHEEP come onstage, spot the wolf, and creep cautiously off stage as quickly as possible, trying to keep out of the wolf’s sight; fail to do so, and so hurry off immediately.)

WOLF:  Hello Everyone!  Oh no!  Don’t run away!  I’ve got a story to tell you.  I bet you don’t get a lot of stories told to you by wolves.  We’re in a lot of stories, but we always get the nasty parts.  Like today, for example.  (Shepherd with sheep comes back on stage, stops to look at Wolf then hurries off-stage on opposite side.)

That shepherd thought I was going to eat that sheep.  What?  You thought so, too?  Well, it just goes to show you how wrong you can be.  Okay.  You’re right.  Sort of.  You think I’m the bad guy.  You’re right.  I am.  I’m always the bad guy.   But people can change.  And so can wolves.  You think I can’t?  Well, you’re wrong.  I can be just as good as you are, if I’m given the chance.  But no one ever gives me the chance to show my good side.  They always just run away or chase me away before I get to prove myself.

SHEPHERD (returns without the sheep, stops as spots wolf; stands near the edge of stage right):  Oh-oh!  The wolf’s still here, isn’t he? (addressing audience) Sorry I can’t stay and chat.  I’ll just keep going, if you don’t mind.  (starts to slink off stage left, passing by Wolf)

WOLF : What?  Hey!  Don’t run away!  Where’s, um, where’s your friend?

SHEPHERD (turning to face the wolf): My friend?

WOLF: Yes.  You know.   The little wooly fellow you had with you before?

SHEPHERD: Oh, him.

 WOLF: Yeah.  Him.  Where’d he go?

SHEPHERD: I, um, that is, he decided he’d rather not come out here.

WOLF: What’s wrong?  Stage fright?

SHEPHERD: You could say that.

WOLF: Yeah.  Stage fright.  Sure.  But you don’t suffer from stage fright?

SHEPHERD: Who, me?  No!  Of course not! 

WOLF: Come over here.

SHEPHERD: Me?  There?  Um, why should I do that?

WOLF: So we can talk.

SHEPHERD: About what?

WOLF: Well, you see, I was telling these nice folks here about, well, I was telling them about myself, you see.

SHEPHERD: About yourself.  Why?  Are you all that interesting?

WOLF: Sure.  I’m a bad guy.  Everyone loves a bad guy.

SHEPHERD: You sure about that?  I mean that everyone loves you.

WOLF: Not me, maybe.  Just bad guys in general.  And I’m a bad guy.  But, as I was saying, I’m not really so bad.  It’s just that a fellow has to eat, you know.  And I get really hungry in the forest.  So when I see a nice fat sheep…

SHEPHERD: What are you looking for?

WOLF: Nothing.  Well, I was looking for your friend.  You know, the one who was afraid to come out here with you.  I wonder if he’s still afraid.  You know.  Stage fright?

SHEPHERD: Yeah.  I guess he’s still afraid. 

WOLF: He doesn’t have to be afraid, you know. 

SHEPHERD: Well,  I don’t know about that.  You are a wolf, you know.

WOLF: Um.  Yes.  I am, in fact, aware of that.

SHEPHERD: And you do eat sheep.  Right?

WOLF: Right.  You’re right.  And it’s true that when I see a nice fat sheep, I think of my empty stomach. But I won’t chase him.  I could catch him, you know. 

SHEPHERD: He knows that.  That’s why…

WOLF: Why what?  Why he won’t come back here?  I thought you said it was stage fright. 

SHEPHERD: Oh, right.  Well, that too.  But you are a wolf, you know. 

WOLF: You said that.  But hey!  I’ve changed!

SHEPHERD: You’re not a wolf?

WOLF: I didn’t say that.  I just said I’d changed.  See, that’s what I came out here to explain.  I have to tell you my story.

SHEPHERD: A wolf can’t change!  You say you can?  Now that’s a story I’ve got to hear!

WOLF: Well, since you insist.  It’s about when I lived in the village of Gubbio.  That’s right here in Italy, not far away from this town of Assisi. 

These people here in Assisi think I’m here to eat their sheep.  But I’m not.  The people of Gubbio could tell you that.  I’m here to see my friend, Brother Francis.  I won’t chase the sheep, because I know I’ll have a nice meal with my friend.  He invited me here so I could have dinner with him.  Maybe I could introduce him to you.  Maybe you know him as Francis of Assisi, or Saint Francis of Assisi. 

SHEPHERD: I’ve heard of him.  He’s a very holy man. 

WOLF: That’s the fellow.  He’s my best friend.  Hey!  I’m telling you the truth!  You think that because he’s a saint, and because I’m a bad guy—or maybe a sinner, you might say—that we can’t be friends.  Well, you’re wrong again.  Brother Francis and I are good friends.  In fact, he saved my life.

SHEPHERD: Saved your life?  How did he do that?

WOLF: You see, it’s like this.  I was living in the forest just outside Gubbio, and the people there had lots of sheep.  Nice fat sheep! And even though the shepherds were very diligent, and kept a watchful eye out for their sheep all the time, still I was able to out-run them and catch the biggest and fattest sheep every morning for my breakfast.  And sometimes, I’d come back in the evening for a bedtime snack.  You know how it is!

Well, for some reason, that made the people of Gubbio upset.  They took a dislike to me.  I can’t understand why.  I’m really very nice when you get to know me, but they didn’t give me a chance.

Instead, they set out to kill me.  But when they couldn’t catch me, they came here to Assisi to ask Brother Francis to help them get rid of the Big Bad Wolf.  That’s what they called me!  Imagine!  Me!  A big bad wolf.  Well, I am big and I am a wolf. But bad?  Not really!  At least I didn’t think so. 

And Brother Francis didn’t think so, either.  But then, he always sees the best in everyone.  He’s so good!

He came and sat down with me in the forest and we had a nice chat.

SHEPHERD: I wish I could have seen that.  Wasn’t he afraid of you?  You are pretty scary, you know.

WOLF: I can show you what happened.  You’ll see that Brother Francis wasn’t at all afraid of me.  Let’s go, so I can find him so he can tell you himself.

(Shepherd and Wolf exit)

CURTAIN CLOSES