Noah and the Rainbow Ark

By Freddie Green

Summary

Noah and his family are hard-working, honourable people, in contrast to the "wild people" of the valley. God is angry with these "wild people" who are spoiling the world by littering, fighting, stealing etc. We see a glimpse of these wild people in action. Noah is told by God that a big flood will be sent. Noah must build an ark to preserve each species of animal and to save his family and thus mankind. The "wild people" are sceptical and conflict occurs when they attempt to destroy the ark.
At last the ark is ready, and creatures from all over the world have congregated nearby, summoned by God.  The animals board the boat , the storm starts, and the voyage begins. When the storm abates,  Noah sends the raven and the dove to seek out dry land. The raven fails, but the dove brings back an olive twig in its beak, signifying dry land nearby. God sends a lovely rainbow over the world, and announces his promise to never send another flood.
Note: This short version of the script may be used free of charge for assemblies, etc. A full 50-minute large-cast musical version may be obtained by contacting the author. Details are at the foot of this page.

Cast

Noah
Noah’s Wife
Sons (Shem, Ham, Japheth)
Shem’s wife
Ham’s wife
Japheth’s wife
Wild valley people, including: 
Tribe leader
Jeerer 1,                                                   
Jeerer 2                                          
Jeerer 3
Cruel woman and child
2 Peasants (fight with sticks)
Wild deer and hunter
Specific Animals:
Raven
Dove(s) (for creative dance sequence)
2 Monkeys
2 big cats (lions or tigers etc)
2 elephants
Singers (All singers can be costumed and face painted as various animals of your choice)
CD listing
Tracks 1-7 are used for performing the play 
Tracks 8, 9, and 10 are the songs with vocals, for rehearsal
1 Voice of God 1: (Swirling organ- God announces his intentions to send a great flood)
2 Backing Track "Mr Noah, So old and Wise!" (Bouncy, attractive, colourful song)
3 Backing Track "Here Come the Animals!": (Comical song as animals board the ark)
4 Big Storm Music with Sound Effects (Storm sound effects with synthesiser music)
5 The Dove's Flight (gentle instrumental- suitable for a dance routine)
6 Voice of God 2 (God's promise that He will not send another flood)
7 Colours in the Sky Backing Track (Atmospheric song about the appearance of a rainbow)
8 Song with vocals:  "Mr Noah, So old and Wise!" 
9 Song with vocals: "Here Come the Animals!"
10 Song with vocals "Colours in the Sky"

Script

Scene 1: The garden
(Noah and his family on stage, quietly absorbed with knitting, reading, playing cards etc.)
Narrator: Long ago in ancient times when the world was still new, there was a man named Noah. He lived in a valley below a great mountain. He had a beautiful wife. (Noah’s wife waves) Noah’s wife had three sons Ham (Ham waves), Shem (Shem waves) and Japheth (Japheth waves). And as you can see, each of Noah’s three sons also had a beautiful wife. (Wives wave) They were a very happy, contented family. And Noah was a very good man.
Japheth’s wife (looking out of the window) It’s a beautiful sunny day. It makes me feel glad to be alive.
Shem’s wife: The lambs are playing on the mountain slopes. The goats are feeding their kids. Spring is the best time of year.
Ham’s wife: There are new leaves on the olive trees. What a lovely shade of green they are.
Narrator: Noah and his hard-working family looked after the animals and did all their work responsibly. If you had been in that valley, you would have heard them singing happily. But, all was not well in that lush green valley. The other people who lived there were wild and evil. They argued. They dropped their rubbish everywhere. They told lies. They stole things. They were cruel to their children. (Actions) And their children were rude and out of control. (Children pull faces etc.) These savage wild people destroyed everything they could. They fought bitter battles with each other. (2 peasants fight with sticks) They hunted wild animals because they liked to be wicked and cruel. (Hunter chases wild deer. All follow gleefully and exit, shrieking. Noah’s family exit too.)
Narrator: Noah was very sad. (Noah enters and prays. Lights dim, single spotlight on Noah)  God was not happy with all the evil in the world. He spoke to Noah as he prayed.
 Track 1: Voice of God:
The people of the Earth have become selfish and wicked. It is time to remove all evil from the world. Noah, listen carefully. Your family is the last remaining example of goodness and kindness. I shall send a great flood to cleanse the world. You must build the greatest vessel ever known to mankind. With my help, you must build a magnificent ark from gopher wood. You must take your family and take of every living creature aboard . You must care for them so that they will survive the flood. In this way, a new world can begin.
(Noah’s Family Return)
Noah: Gather round, everyone. God has spoken to me.
Shem: What did he say, father?
Noah: God is very very angry. He is going to send a huge flood to drown the world.
Japheth’s wife: What must we do? We can’t swim!
Noah: We must build a special boat. It must be big enough to carry at least two of every animal. It will take a long time to build.
Noah: This is the plan. First we must chop down some trees.
Ham: Then we must saw the trees into planks.
Japheth: Then we must hammer the planks together
Shem: And we must paint the ark with tar.
Shem’s wife: Paint it with tar? What for?
Shem: To stop it leaking my dear!
Noah:  Come! We’d better get to work! It will take a very long time to build the ark.
(LIGHTS DIM, ALL EXIT BRIEFLY)
Narrator: It took many many months to build the ark.  But now it is almost ready to sail. Noah has prayed to God for help many times each day. God has told Noah that wild animals are gathering nearby. Animals from all corners of the Earth are ready to sail on the ark.
(ENTER NOAH and FAMILY)
Ham: (to Noah) Father! The ark is nearly finished.  Is it time to go on board yet?
Noah: It’s nearly time, my son, nearly time…..
Ham: Look out, everyone, I can hear something. Oh no, the valley people are coming!
ENTER WILD PEOPLE, NOISILY
Tribal leader (Pointing to the ark) What’s that! Are you building a new house? Hah! It looks more  like a boat!
Japheth: That’s because it is a boat!
Tribal leader: A boat! A boat he says! Ha ha! A boat on dry land!
Ham’s wife: God is angry. He is going to send a big flood. (Wild people laugh and mock)
Jeerer 1: We don’t believe in your foolish God!
Jeerer 2: (mocking) Why is your God going to flood your valley? Have you been naughty?
Shem’s wife: Not us! YOU! God is angry with YOU. You are cruel and wicked and you have spoilt this lovely valley. (Wild people all jeer)
Noah: Silence! It’s true! God has spoken to me. Go now! Change your ways! Build your own boats. Perhaps God will have mercy on you! The great flood is coming!  Beware!
Jeerer 3: Great flood! What rubbish! Noah, I have heard you are old and wise. Old and stupid more like! Look up, Noah! It hasn’t rained for weeks. There’s not a cloud in the sky!
SONG : Track 2:  Mr Noah, So old and wise
Tribal Leader: Let’s smash it up! Let’s smash the ark to pieces and use it for firewood. (Wild people agree, noisily)
(ENTER  2 BIG CATS— Lions or tigers etc. THEY FRIGHTEN THE WILD PEOPLE AWAY)
Noah: It’s time to load the animals  (Calls) Load the animals!  (This call is repeated by all others on stage)
TRACK 3:    SONG: “Here Come the Animals”
(ALL THE ANIMALS BOARD THE ARK DURING THIS SONG. SPECIFIC PAIRS OF ANIMALS MENTIONED IN THE SONG, IN THIS ORDER:  2 monkeys, 2 spiders, 2 big cats, 2 elephants)
Japheth’s Wife: Look! The sky is turning black!
Ham’s Wife: It’s the storm! The big flood is coming! Lord have mercy upon us!
Noah’s Wife: (To Noah) Husband! You were right! The world is ending! The world is ending!
TRACK 4– THE BIG STORM (Instrumental)
Narrator (as track 4 continues to play): For weeks and weeks the wind blew, the rain lashed down, and the ark floated like a cork on the surface of the great flood. Noah and his family were safe. They had made the ark well. They looked after the animals as the water rose higher and higher. It rose so high it covered the mountain tops. (Pause) At last, the storm died down. And now it was time to think and pray for the waters to go down.  They needed to find dry land.
Noah : Don’t look so worried, everyone. We’ll find land soon. I will send the raven to search for dry land. (ENTER RAVEN) Fly, Raven! Fly! (EXIT RAVEN)
Narrator: The raven flew over the water, searching for land…..Searching, searching…. But when his wings were tired, the raven returned to the ark, shaking his head in vain. (ENTER RAVEN) He decided to send one of the doves instead. (ENTER DOVE)
Noah: Fly, dove, fly. See if you can find dry land for us.
TRACK 5: THE DOVE’S FLIGHT  (Instrumental for creative dance/movement)
(The dove returns with an olive twig in her beak)
Japheth’s wife: Look! In her beak! An olive twig! Look over there in the distance! Olive trees! Dry land!
(All cheer with excitement, with cries of “Dry land” “We’re saved!” etc.)
Ham’s wife: The sky looks different . What are all those lovely colours in the sky?
TRACK 6:  GOD’S VOICE:  Noah. Good people. Listen!  Do not be afraid. This rainbow is my special promise. I will never send another great flood to the world. Enjoy the sun, enjoy the rain. Be happy. Look after each other. Raise new families.  And care for your beautiful new world.
TRACK 7: Song: COLOURS IN THE SKY
Narrator: Noah and his family settled down and lived a long peaceful life in their wonderful new world. They started the new human race. The animals from the Ark had babies and spread all across the planet. And that, my friends, is  the end of our story.
.................................
NOAH’S RAINBOW BOAT ASSEMBLY  SONGSHEETS
TRACK 2 Mr Noah, so old and Wise
Oh Mr Noah, so old and wise
How can the rain come
From that blue sky
Oh Mr Noah so old and wise
It is the summer!  Use your eyes!

We don’t believe you
We don’t believe you
You’ve been in the sun too long!
We don’t believe you
We don’t believe you!
Oh Mr Noah, you’ve got it wrong!

Oh Mr Noah, so old and wise
You cannot scare us with your lies
Oh Mr Noah so old and wise
There’s not a raindrop in the sky

CHORUS
Repeat VERSE 1 and CHORUS

TRACK 3 Here Come the Animals!

Here come the animals   walking two by two
Here come the animals into this floating zoo
Here come the animals   walking two by two
Here come the animals. They know just what to do

See the monkeys scratching
And playing on their way
Eating their bananas in the middle of the day
Lah da da dah On to the ark
Lah da da dah On to the ark

Here come the animals   walking two by two
Here come the animals into this floating zoo
Here come the animals   walking two by two
Here come the animals. They know just what to do

See the spiders crawling
And biting in a rage
Better make sure we put them in a cage!
Lah da da dah On to the ark
Lah da da dah On to the ark

Here come the animals   walking two by two
Here come the animals into this floating zoo
Here come the animals   walking two by two
Here come the animals. They know just what to do

See the big cats snarling
And making such a fuss
Better keep away or they might eat all of us
Lah da da dah On to the ark
Lah da da dah On to the ark

Here come the animals   walking two by two
Here come the animals into this floating zoo
Here come the animals   walking two by two
Here come the animals. They know just what to do

See the elephants stomping
Up on to the deck
Gently please! Or the ark will be a wreck!
Lah dah dah dah! On to the ark!
Lah da da dah On to the ark! LAH DA DAH!

Track 7 Colours in the Sky

And now at last the rain has gone
The world can start to dry
Here’s something we have never seen
Colours in the sky

Ahh! The first ever rainbow!
Ahh! A beautiful rainbow!

And now at last the rain has gone
The world can start to dry
God has sent a sign of peace
Colours in the sky

Ahh! The first ever rainbow!
Ahh! A beautiful rainbow!
.................................................
Copyright 2003 Freddie Green, all rights reserved. Use this script free of charge in schools, churches and clubs only. Please email if you intend to do this (just because I am nosey!) CD and score available from Magic Parrot Productions UK, 14 Bolton Close, Chessington, Surrey, UK, England. Website http://www.magicparrot.com Email: fgreen14@btopenworld.com Please contact our website if you want the CD to accompany this script. Price (Sept 03): £18.50 plus shipping . Price includes script, CD, Songsheets, Score and a comprehensive free performance licence. THIS PLAY IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS A FANTASTIC FULL LENGTH MUSICAL WITH SCOPE FOR DANCING AND CREATIVE MOVEMENT PRICE £30 (includes 30 track CD, songsheets, score and performance licence) MAGIC PARROT PRODUCTIONS ALSO PUBLISH OTHER SUPERB PLAYS FOR CHILDREN, MAINLY COMEDIES