Printed
10 pages
Author(s)
L'ogre espantatotsitotes
This pedagogical work was written by Valencian publisher Eliseu Climent. The play aims at encouraging children to stage puppet plays in their schools. Along with five other plays, it was published just as Catalan was starting to become part of the curriculum in the Valencian Community, after several decades of Francoist dictature.
A village gets rid of an enemy by deceiving him
A very big and very strong ogre terrifies an entire village. As the ogre sleeps, digesting a cow he has eaten, the inhabitants leap at the chance to tie him down. When he wakes up, they tell him they will not free him unless he does something useful, such as cleaning all the houses’ chimneys and blowing on some clouds so that it rains. Once the ogre has accomplished these tasks, the villagers have him believe that another ogre claims to be stronger than he is. The ogre goes into the mountains to challenge his rival. Because of the echo of his screams, he keeps thinking that his rival always is further and further away, so much so that he never comes back to the village.
First performance
This play was performed in several schools of the Valencian Community
Publications and translations
Empar de Lanuza. Mitja dotzena. Valence: Eliseu Climent, 1984.