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Hi, Rebecca Sheer here. As you may know, Circle Around is doing a bunch of live recordings across
the United States this year, including two sold-out shows this coming weekend in Minneapolis,
Minnesota. So, while we get our microphones and musical instruments all ready to go,
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Circle Around Club. Have you ever gone to the theater to see a show?
Well, back in the olden days, theater often came to you in the form of a troop,
traveling actors who roamed to the country, performing in town squares, town halls, and marketplaces.
We're about to meet a troop of actors who always bring down the house until a hard-hearted
king and queen try to bring them down. I'm Rebecca Sheer and welcome to Circle Around. We're
story time happens all the time. Today our story is called The Troop of Ten. It's inspired by
tales told in the East African country of Ethiopia and the Caribbean country of Haiti.
Some really great people came together to bring you our tale, including Melia Baker, Kelly
Genrette, and Kenny Liu. Melia Baker stars in the Netflix series The Baby Sitters Club,
as well as Are You Afraid of the Dark on Nickelodeon. Emmy nominated actress Kelly Genrette
stars in the CW Sports Series All-American Homecoming, and Kenny Liu stars in the new dramatic film A
Shot Through The Wall. So Circle Around Everyone for The Troop of Ten.
Their Once was a troop of actors, ten talented performers, young and old, who traveled to the country
putting on show after show, making their audiences laugh and cry and think. The actors believed
theater should be available to everyone, whether they were as rich as a lord or poor as a church
mouse, so they didn't charge a cent for their shows. Instead, they put on every performance for free.
But as a result, the actors didn't have much money themselves, so everywhere they went,
they relied on the kindness of strangers, and most of the time, the troop was greeted with
open arms. Greetings, sir. Now that we're done performing for the day, might you share a morsel with
some hungry actors? Oh, I can do more than share a morsel. I can offer you a meal. Please,
join me and my family for dinner. Good evening, man. We couldn't help but know that it's beautiful
in of yours. Might you spare a bed or two for the night? I can spare plenty of beds for a talented
troop like yours. Come in, come in. But there was one place where the troop of ten received
anything but a warm welcome. Greetings. It's awfully hot out and we performers are parched.
Could you kindly share some cold water with a humble group of...
And I am sorry to say that this one place was the royal palace, home of the king and queen.
You see while everyone else in the country loved how the actors entertained them, making them laugh and cry and think,
the king and queen did not. My dear queen, can you believe this ragamuffin troop of actors had the nerve
to knock at our palace door yet again? Who do those clowns think they are? Prancing about in cities,
towns and villages and telling their little stories? And trying to make us laugh and cry and think.
And then they expect us to help support them. We must do something to tarnish this troop's good name.
And show our people what good for nothing free loaders these actors truly are.
So the king and queen tried coming up with a plan. They considered one option.
How about? Now forget it. Then another? Oh I know. What if we...
Now scratch that. Until finally.
Ah ha! They cooked up a scheme they were certain would work. They began by summoning the royal chefs.
Chefs, we want you to cook up a big breakfast. Enough eggs, pancakes, porridge, and tea for at least 10 people.
Then set it up outside in the marble courtyard in front of the palace.
Next the king and queen summoned the royal treasurers. Treasurers?
We want you to collect a big bag of gold coins from the royal treasury.
Then take the coins and scatter them all over the marble courtyard in front of the palace.
Finally they summoned the royal messengers.
Messengers? We want you to send an invitation to every member of the traveling acting troop.
Tell them they're invited to breakfast in the marble courtyard in front of the palace tomorrow.
The royal chefs, treasurers, and messengers got right down to work.
Cooking, food, gathering coins, and delivering invitations.
And as the king and queen went to bed that night and thought about their brilliant scheme,
they couldn't help but smile.
What brilliant scheme do you think the king and queen are cooking up?
And what will become of the troop of ten actors?
We'll find out after a quick break.
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you can carry it, eat lunch with it, and read it?
Visit the swag link at wbur.org-circle-round and get your very own Circle Round backpack,
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Welcome back to Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Sheer.
Today our story is called the Troop of Ten.
Before the break, the king and queen were hatching a plot to ruin the good name of a
traveling acting troop. So they invited the ten performers to breakfast in the courtyard in front
of the palace. When the actors received the invitation, breakfast in the palace courtyard,
they could hardly believe it. But the king and queen despise us.
They think we're the worst.
At least, I'm not on their door. They slam it in our face.
But maybe?
If they're inviting us to breakfast, they've changed their minds.
Or maybe not. The leader of the acting troop couldn't help but feel skeptical.
You know, I can't help but feel skeptical.
After the cold shoulder, the king and queen have given us all these years,
I trust them as far as I can throw them. And even though I work out, I doubt I can throw them very far.
So listen, you know what an early riser I am. Tomorrow, I will wait before sunrise,
sneak over to the palace, then see if there's any funny business going on.
If there is, I'll make sure we're the ones who have the last laugh.
Early the next morning, when the troop leaders snuck over to the palace and peered into the courtyard,
her eyes widened as she'd be held to the wide open space.
Its gleaming floor made of pure white marble.
The whole thing was surrounded by marble columns and lined with lush plants sprouting from fancy porcelain pots.
But in the middle of the courtyard, the troop leaders spied something that made her eyes grow even wider.
The royal treasures were holding big bags of gold coins and sprinkling the coins all over the gleaming marble floor.
Can you believe this plan, the king and queen have cooked up?
It's brilliant!
And those good for nothing, actors arrive and see all this gold lying on the ground.
It's just a matter of time before at least one of them bends down and stuffs their pockets with coins.
Then they'll be arrested for stealing!
The troop's reputation will be ruined and that'll be the end of them!
Now that the troop leader knew what the king and queen were up to.
So that's what the king and queen are up to.
She didn't waste a minute.
I mustn't waste a minute!
She darted back to where the troop was staying and rummaged through their costumes, props and sets until she found what she was looking for.
A tin of wax! This will be perfect!
She shoved the tin of wax in her pocket. Then woke everybody up!
Wake up everybody! The king and queen are expecting us for breakfast in just a few minutes.
Since time is so short, all I'll say is this.
When you get to the palace courtyard, do not pick anything up from off the ground.
That or what? In fact, don't even look down if you can help it. Now let's go!
The troop of ten got already and bustled over to the palace.
When the actors walked into the courtyard, the king and queen greeted them with big, phony grins.
Welcome dear actors!
It's an honor to have you!
Please, it's all you want and enjoy!
The king and queen kept a watchful eye as the actors ate and drank and mingled.
But to the royal couple's surprise, not one of the performers bent down to pick up any gold.
And yet, after breakfast was finished and the actors said goodbye and left.
What's on Earth? It can't be!
Not one gold coin was left on the ground.
Those slide devils made off with our coins.
Yet we didn't see them do it!
The king and queen were determined to catch whichever of the actors stole the gold coins.
So they cooked up another scheme.
We'll ask the actors to attend a party in the palace ballroom this evening.
With the finest food, the finest drink and the finest music.
And we'll invite the actors to spin the night, eat in their own spacious room.
We'll tell our gods to stay alert during the festivities and find out which of the actors stole the gold coins.
Once they discover who's guilty, they won't say a word.
Instead, after the party, they'll sneak into their room and draw an inkmark on their left hand while they sleep.
The next morning, you and I will spot the inkmark, seize the culprit and lock them up in jail.
So the king and queen sensed the troop another invitation for a dinner party that very same night.
Again, the actors were surprised, but they decided, why not?
We'll go to a dinner party at the palace.
And when they filed into the grand ballroom, the king and queen greeted them with even bigger, phonier grins than they did that morning in the courtyard.
Greetings, beloved actors. We're delighted to see you again.
Please enjoy the food, drink and music.
And enjoy your spacious rooms.
We are honored to have you as our guests.
The king and queen posted guards all over the ballroom.
And as the guests dined and drank and danced,
one of the guards happened to over here a young actor talking with the troop leader.
All of us actors are dying to know, how did you make off with the gold coins this morning?
Can you share your secret?
The troop leader gave the boy a smile.
Well, I probably shouldn't talk about it here, but with all this food, drink and music, it isn't like anybody's listening.
The secret was wax. Wax? Yes, I put wax all over the bottom of my shoes.
Then, as I walked around the marble courtyard, the coin got stuck to the wax.
And the king and queen were numb the wiser. That's brilliant.
It is, isn't it? But here's the thing.
I just wanted to teach the king and queen a lesson.
Remember those big potted plants they were surrounding the courtyard?
Before we left, I secretly...
The troop leader stopped short.
Her out of the corner of her eye, she noticed one of the palace guards giving her a strange look.
The troop leader was certain she'd been overheard and that her goose was cooked.
Yet, for the rest of the party, nothing happened.
The guard never said a word.
Later that night, when the food, dance and drink came to an end,
the actors retired to their spacious rooms to go to bed.
Their mattresses were softer than bags of marshmallows and one by one.
Room by room.
All of the actors fell asleep.
Well, all of the actors except for one, the troop leader.
Even though the guard had left her alone for the rest of the party, she was nervous.
I am so nervous.
But she was also tired.
But I'm also tired.
So she settled down in the luxurious satin sheets,
and joined her fellow actors in Dreamland.
A little while later, she was dreaming so deeply that she didn't hear her door quick open.
And she didn't see the palace guard come tiptoeing into her room.
The same palace guard who had overheard her talking about the gold coins at the party.
Quick as a wink, the guard did exactly as the king and queen instructed.
He grabbed a bottle of ink from the desk in the corner,
and made a mark on the troop leader's left hand.
Then he put the ink bottle back, crept out of the room, and softly closed the door.
Now you may recall that the troop leader was an early riser.
So even though her mattress was softer than a bag of marshmallows, she woke before dawn.
But when she opened her eyes...
What's this? She spotted the ink mark on her left hand.
Where did this come from?
I didn't spill ink on myself last night.
That could only mean somebody came in here and...
The troop leader's eyes fell on the ink bottle in the corner.
Suddenly she understood exactly what the king and queen were up to.
I understand exactly what the king and queen are up to.
And two can play at this game.
In fact, everyone can.
Without wasting a minute, the troop leader grabbed the ink bottle and made for the door,
with a skip in her step and a scheme in her head.
Later that morning, the king and queen summoned the actors to the throne room,
supposedly to say a proper goodbye.
But you know what the king and queen really wanted, right?
To catch the thief and make their big arrest.
So when the troop leader came walking in and the king and queen saw her left hand,
their eyes lit up.
You have an ink mark on your left hand.
So you, a guilty of stealing the gold coins.
But then the second actor walked in.
You have an ink mark on your left hand.
So you, a guilty two.
Then the third actor walked in.
You have an ink mark too.
Then the fourth.
And you.
Then the fifth.
And you.
And so on and so on.
And you.
And you.
And you.
All the way down to the tenth.
And you.
So all of you are guilty?
With all due respect to your majesty's,
we could ask you the same question.
The king and queen gave the troop leader a blank stare.
Go ahead.
Look at your hands.
Tell me what you see.
The royal couple glanced down at their hands.
And can you guess what they saw?
Their left hands were marked with ink.
And your guards, it looks like their guilty two.
The guards all stared at their hands.
Indeed, their left hands were also marked with ink.
But that's not how our plan was supposed to work.
What is going on here?
Indeed, what was going on here?
Do you know the answer to the queen's question?
Well, earlier that morning, while everyone else was still sleeping,
the troop leader went quickly and quietly from room to room,
making ink marks on the hands of all her fellow actors.
And the king and queen, and their guards.
And now the king and queen didn't know what was what.
But this isn't right.
We have not the guilty ones.
Not guilty of stealing, perhaps.
The guilty of trying to tarnish the good name of a humble troop of actors.
And on a sponge of performers who seek only to entertain people,
to make them laugh, and cry, and think.
And if you would have looked a little more carefully,
you would have found your gold coins.
Check out the Paws Courtyard.
Your pot of gold awaits.
The guards hurried to the courtyard and indeed,
hidden in one of the potted plants they found the king and queen's gold coins.
So the actors went free and continued traveling the country,
putting on performance after performance.
And everywhere they went, they always stole the show.
And nothing else.
Now it's your turn.
You don't have to be a professional actor to put on a show.
Anyone can do it, including you.
Pick a favorite story.
A book you enjoy, maybe even an episode of Circle Round,
and perform it in your own words.
You could play all the characters,
or you could get friends or family members to join your cast.
Next, either write out a script or just brainstorm some scenes.
Then grab some costumes, find an audience,
and bring your story to life.
And since we hear it Circle Round can't be there to see you bring down the house,
ask a grown-up to snap a photo of your show,
and email it to Circle Round at wbur.org.
This week's story, The Troop of Ten, was adapted by me Rebecca Scheer.
It was edited by Circle Round's Supervising Producer, Amory Severtsey.
Our original music and sound design is by Eric Shimolones.
Our artist is Sabina Hahn.
Sabina has drawn a black and white picture for every Circle Round story,
and you can color them in.
Grown-ups, you can print out more than 160 coloring pages on our website,
wbur.org slash Circle Round.
Special thanks to this week's actors, Kevin Corbett, Edward Hong,
Rishikesh Irway, Igor Shimolones, Nick Schali, Amory Severtsen, Mike Smith,
Alexia Trainor, Malia Baker, Kelly Jenrette, and Kenny Liu.
Malia Baker stars in the Netflix series The Baby Citters Club,
as well as Are You Afraid of the Dark, Unicolodian.
Emmy-nominated actress, Kelly Jenrette, stars in the CW Sports Series,
All American Homecoming.
You can also hear her in our season 4 episode,
The Extraordinary Pine Cone,
and Kenny Loo stars in the new dramatic film A Shot Through The Wall.
Grown-ups, you can also see Kenny in the epic drama Midway,
as well as the Nat Geo Mini Series The Long Road Home.
Our featured instrument this week was the classical guitar.
You can learn more about this plucked string instrument
and see a picture on our website.
Again, that's www.wur.org slash Circle Round.
Love the stories you hear on Circle Round?
We would be super grateful if you gave us a five star review
on your favorite podcast app,
and tell your friends to follow us wherever they get their podcasts.
Circle Round is the production of WBUR,
Boston's NPR News Station.
I'm Rebecca Shear.
Thanks for circling round with us.
Now that you've made it to the end of this Circle Round episode,
we want to know what's your favorite Circle Round story?
Thousands of fans just like you have been telling us
about the Circle Round stories they like best.
Take a listen.
Maybe one of their favorites is one of yours too.
My name is Georgie and I live in Thailand, Chiang Mai,
and my favorite Circle Round story is the Basilis there,
because my favorite part is when Matalia goes in the cave.
My name is Ravalia.
I live in Silver Spangled Bannerland.
My favorite Circle Round is innocent milk.
I like the part when the ogres are ready for your battle kill snatch.
I live in Virginia and my name is Kennedy.
My favorite story is the lion's whisper.
I like the part where the little kids take a wister from the lion.
I'm Parker from North Vermont.
My favorite Circle Round story is the young healer.
I like the part when the ogres are apologizes.
My name is Grayson and I live in Skastar, Zona,
and my favorite podcast is Wyoming Lionel.
And I like the part where he goes and eats all the fruit from the tree.
My name is Solit.
I live in Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
My favorite Circle Round story is the Basilis sale.
My favorite part is when Matalia says,
oh, Basilis, oh, Basilis, I'm going to see the treasure.
My name is Stella and I'm from Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
My favorite Circle Round story is the uncommon cover.
Why is Castell Man says,
got kicked, that's all dead!
Did someone mention a story you've missed?
Not to worry.
Grown ups, you can find all of our Circle Round stories.
Plus links to the Circle Round Club,
picture books, coloring pages, and oh so much more on our website.
WBUR.org slash Circle Round.
