Ben Franklin

A Readers' Theatre Script Adapted from Susan Nanus’s play, Ben Franklin

Narrator: Boston, 1716. Ben Franklin is ten years old, the youngest son in a family of 17 children.
[Ben comes forward looking sad.]

[Ben and Josiah enter.]

Ben: It’s school, Father. I cannot do the arithmetic

Josiah: Ben, I’ve been thinking. I wish I could keep on sending you to school even college. But many who have college learning do not earn a good living. And ours is a large family.

Ben: This is the end of my schooling?

Josiah: You’re old enough and clever enough to help me.

Narrator: Josiah makes candles and soap

Josiah: You can help me cut the candle wicks and fill the molds. Come
son, I’ll show you how.

[All exit.]

Narrator: So Ben works for his father for two years, but he doesn’t like candle making. Josiah has taken him around town to learn other trades.

[Josiah and Ben enter.]

Josiah: You’ve seen what men do- make doors, lay bricks, shoe horses. They do what needs doing. You’re 12 now, Ben. You must learn a trade.

Ben: What I really want to do is go to sea-.

Josiah: Like your brother? I’ll not hear of it!! Can’t you think of anything else??

Ben: I like reading. I’ve read most of your books, Father.

Josiah: I have it. You can work for your brother James!

Narrator: James is one of Ben’s older brothers. He has his own printing press and shop. James comes along and greets his father.

[Enter James]

Josiah: Greetings, James. We were just talking about you. How is the new
business going, son?

James: Very well, Father. In fact, so well that my helper and I can’t handle it all. Can you spare some time to help me?

Josiah: No, I can’t, but how about Ben?

James: Ben- in my print shop? Well, I don’t know…

Josiah: So, it’s settled. Ben will work for you. Now, Ben you will work for James-obey him. And James, you will teach Ben everything about being
a printer.

James/Ben: Yes sir.

[Exit Ben]

Josiah: [to himself] I hope this works. It’s better than going to sea.

[Exit Josiah]

Narrator: Ben leaves, but James is left, carrying a newspaper. James is now in his
print shop. He has just started a newspaper called the New England
Courant. Ben is in the street now selling it.

[Ben Enters]

James: [spreading a different newspaper on the table] Let’s see what the Boston
Newsletter says about us. Hmmm, they say we’re rude! That’s nonsense! They claim we joke about the English. Well, Boston needs a laugh every now and then.
Ben, how is our paper selling?

Ben: Fine! I stood on the corner and sold every copy!

James: Good. Now it’s time to clean up the place.

Narrator: James hands Ben a broom. James leaves to have his lunch. John Collins works in the bookstore and brings books to Ben, who reads every night.

[Enter John Collins]

John: Here’s a new one for you, Ben. It’s the Spectator. Straight from England.
Everybody says it’s great.

Ben: Thanks, I’ll get it back in the morning. Let’s continue our discussion
of yesterday.

John: Where were we? Oh, yes. We were talking about girls. You said they
should go to school, just like boys.

Ben: Girls CAN learn from books just as well as boys!

John: Well, I say that girls are naturally unequal to boys when it comes to
book learning.

Ben: That’s your opinion. I think you’re wrong. But you’ve a right to have a wrong opinion- and to talk about it.

John: [To audience[ Listen to that! Free speech!

Ben: Here’s an idea. How about I write some of my ideas and get them published in James’s newspaper?

John: [Laughing] Now I’ve really heard everything! Letter to the editor. Strong opinions! Signed B. Franklin, James Franklin’s little brother! Oh, that’s just terrific!

Ben: Wait. I’ll sign a MADE-UP name. I’ll be somebody else!

John: Who?

Ben: Well, for instance. I could be Mistress Silence Dogood. [He curties] I am a lady of 50 years and a widow. [He bats his eyes several times]

John: [He bows to “Mistress Dogood”] Your ideas are exactly like Ben Franklin’s!

Ben: James will never guess. I’ll just write the letter secretly and slip it under the door of the shop.

John: Good luck.. [He waves and exists]

Narrator: It is the next morning. James is in the print shop.

[Enter James]

James: [Picking up the letter which was slid under the door] What’s this? A news item?

James: [Reading the letter] Hmmm,...it says that schools should have athletic programs. Not bad at all. I’ll set it in type for tomorrow’s paper.

[Exit James]
Narrator: Later, after the paper has been printed and James has left, Ben’s friend John comes in.

[Enter John Collins and Ben]

John: Has James gone home?

Ben: [Smiling] Yes, and there’s tomorrow’s paper. See who’s in it.

John: [With pretend shock] It’s Mistress Silence Dogood! She’ll sell like hotcakes.

[All Exit]

Narrator: Ben’s letters are a great success. Everyone is reading the paper. James doesn’t mind criticizing the English. However, one article gets him into real trouble.

[Enter James and Ben]

James: You’ll have to get on without me for awhile.

Ben: What’s happened?

James: I’m going to jail. That’s what’s happened!

Ben: But why?

James: Remember the article I wrote about pirates off the coast?

Ben: Do you mean the one saying that the English were lazy about catching them?

James: Yes. Our British governors didn’t care much for that article.

Ben: They may have thought you were making fun of them.

James: Ah yes. So it’s off to prison for awhile. You’ll run the shop.

Ben: Of course.

James: Thank you, Ben. You’ll be publisher until I come back.
[James waves goodbye and leaves.]

[All exit]

Narrator: James is in jail for about a month. In the meantime, the paper grows. Mistress Dogood writes more articles. Ben is finishing one of them as James returns from prison.

[Enter Ben and James]

Ben: I’d better get this one finished before James gets here. [He folds the letter and is placing it on the floor just as James enters.]

James: What’s this? [He picks up the paper.] Why, Ben, you scoundrel! You’ve been Mistress Dogood all along?

Ben: Yes, I have. And I’ve sold a lot of papers for you while you were away by pretending to be Mistress Dogood.

James: [Angrily] Well, I’m back. And you and Mistress Dogood are leaving. Take your books and go!

[Ben gathers his things and leaves.]
[James then exits.]

Narrator: James gets in touch with other printers in town and sees to it that Ben cannot get another job in Boston. Ben is on his own at age 17.

[Ben and John enter.]

John: What are you going to do? You can’t get a job in Boston.

Ben: So I’ll go somewhere else.

John: With what? You have no money.

Ben: I’ll sell my books.

John: I can sell them for you in my shop.

Ben: That should bring quite a bit of money.

John: I can get you into a ship to New York.

Ben: The only printer in New York is Mr. William Bradford.

[Ben and John exit.]

Narrator: Mr. Bradford has no work. But maybe his son in Philadelphia will. Ben boards a ship again. After three weeks, the boat lands on the New Jersey shore. Ben buys three loaves of bread. Now he is walking down Main Street eating. His pockets are stuffed with extra clothing.

[Ben and Debbie enter.]

Ben: [To himself] I must be a funny sight.

Debbie: [looks at Ben from head to toe and smiles] Good day, stranger.

Ben: What are you laughing at, miss?

Debbie: At a young man walking and eating in the street.

Ben: I’m hungry. And I’m not so young either. I’m 17. How old are you?

Debbie: I’m 17, too.

Ben: My name is Benjamin Franklin. What’s yours?

Debbie: Deborah Read.

Ben: Well, Miss Read, I hope you remember my name.

Debbie: Why?

Ben: Because you will be hearing it again.
[He smiles and exits.]
[Debbie smiles and exits.]


Narrator: And she will. In seven years she will be Mrs. Benjamin Franklin. The next day, Ben begins his job hunt.

[Mr. Bradford and Ben enter.]

Ben: Mr. Bradford, I’m Ben Franklin. Your father in New York told me that you might need some help.

Bradford: Ah, I don’t have enough work. But Mr. Keimer’s helper just died. Let’s go see him.

[Mr. Bradford and Ben exit.]

Narrator: Mr. Keimer’s printing press is very old and not working well. Ben fixes the press and is hired by Mr. Keimer who is very happy with Ben’s work.

Ben succeeds in Keimer’s shop, and Keimer pays Ben well. Soon, Ben is back in Boston for a visit.

[Ben, James and Josiah enter.]

Josiah: How fine you look, my son. That’s a handsome new suit!

Ben: [Pulling a watch from his pocket] And a fine new gold watch, too. [To James] I’d like to treat you and everyone on the paper to food and drink.

James: [Somewhat bitterly] The runaway succeeds–and comes home to show off!

Josiah: Enough, James. It’s time to forgive and forget. Welcome home, Ben.

[All exit.]

Narrator: Back in Philadelphia Ben soon goes into business for himself. He has his own newspaper, The Pennsylvania Gazette. Ben has also organized a club-Junto. The members meet regularly to talk about problems in the city.

[Bradford, Keimer and Ben enter.]

Narrator: Junto, with Ben’s leadership, works out many of the city’s problems–paving the streets, starting a fire department, a police force, a hospital.

Ben: While we’re waiting for the others, leet’s decide on our subjects for the evening.


Bradford: I thought we’d decided it would be books.
The problem is, there’s no place to get them.

Ben: There’s not one bookstore south of Boston. Not one.

Bradford: You have to send to England.

Ben: I have an idea. We could each bring our own books and collect money to buy more. We could start a common library. People could borrow books.

Bradford: We can build shelves here.
Have a reading table right here by the shelves.
But, what about people who don’t bring books back?

Ben: We’ll fine them twice the cost of the book and-


Bradford: Buy more books! You’re a genius, Ben!

[All exit.]

Narrator: And this is where public libraries in this country began.

[Ben and Debbie enter.]

Narrator: Ben comes in with a brand-new idea.

Ben: [Excitedly] We’re going to print a new book. It’s going to be called Poor Richard’s Almanac.

Debbie: What’s an almanac, Ben?

Ben: A kind of calendar-but more. It will tell what the weather will be like for a whole year.

Debbie: That would be good for farmers. How about recipes?

Ben: Recipes, yes. Cures of all kinds.

Debbie: Poems?

Ben: Certainly. And wise sayings and advice. “Early to bed. Early to rise. Makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”

Debbie: Ben, this is a wonderful idea! This will make you really famous.

[All exit.]

Narrator: Poor Richard’s Almanac is a tremendous success. Ben is able to give up printing for something that interests him more-experimenting with electricity.

[Debbie and Ben enter.]

Ben: Look, Debbie. Pretend this table is a house. The top is a roof, and the floor is the ground. Pretend there is a storm...lightning-

Debbie: [nervously] Lightning can set a house on fire!!

Ben: Exactly. My kite experiments proved that metal attracts lightning.

Debbie: Lucky those experiments didn’t kill you!

Ben: We attach a thin metal rod to the side of the house. It sticks up above the house for about six feet and runs down into the ground.

Debbie: So when lightning strikes, everyone inside is safe!

Ben: Look. I’ll show you the plans for making the rod.

[All exit.]

Narrator: And Ben is also getting more involved in relations between England and the colonies. Thomas Jefferson comes to speak with Ben.

[Debbie, Ben, and Thomas Jefferson enter.]

Debbie: Ben, someone is here to see you. Thomas Jefferson.

Thomas: I have come for your help. It’s time for us to break away from England. I’m going to write a Declaration of Independence, and I want you to help me.

Debbie: Does this mean war with England, Mr. Jefferson?

Thomas: England will never let us be free without a fight. We want Ben to ask the French to send us help in gaining our independence.

Ben: Thomas, why me?

Thomas: Ben, your ideas, the things you’ve started, the things you’ve invented-they are what this new country is all about. You make things happen!

Debbie: Oh, yes, Mr. Jefferson. Ben always makes things work.
Ben: Well, Mr. Jefferson, we have things to do.

[All exit.]

Narrator: Ben does help write the Declaration of Independence. And he does go to France. There he convinces the French king to help the new Americans fight for their freedom. To the end of his life, Ben never stops thinking and having ideas that work. And they are still working!