Sometimes: A Play by Ras and Tim and Cam
Storyteller: The whole world is a big circle full of people. Some of us with our mouths open facing the weeping sky. We are the children, she is our mother. We build an imaginary fortress within the big circle. It is this fortress that we convert to our temple, our Forest. She is to be our Queen.
Life carried on. It rained a lot.
Normally clear, light drops fell from the sky. The drops wet the circle and left it steaming and purified. It offered a short peace.
The ones inside the big circle say they are fine, they say they are secure BUT... the rain that came last nite was dark, sticky rain. It covered the hairs and the faces…
Our mother, our queen is in a white marble temple. A cold, clean temple. There are pillars in the foreground. Two of her twelve children saunter in and sit in beach chairs at her feet. They are wearing sunglasses and headphones. Our Queen lurks behind a pillar playing with her robes, listening carefully to The Silence.
There is a scratching noise coming from behind the curtains, it is the spider who represents The Silence. The children never appear to hear what the spider is saying to them.
The spider, peeking from behind the curtains: Is it mango? Is is sugar cane? No, it is a non-alcoholic malt drink with B vitamins. I will let you have a taste if you wish.
I am sure the taste can change.
The Queen of Beauty looks worried!
She is talking...
but don't listen to her.
Queen (humming to herself, talking to The Silence): WHy are you so quiet? In the street there is chaos, the people are yelling. I want to protect my innocent children from the world. I see my children are beautiful. When they play, I watch them. I wonder what they are thinking. Approaching the dark drink. Tasting from afar with sensitive young whiskers.
Crouch down. Observing from behind the curtains, you hear me when I call you. Sometimes you choose to ignore me.
Sometimes.
(to the children) There is a library of music to teach you. Listen to the music till you learn the beats into your fingertips. There are lots of different instruments around. There is lots of potential.
We should be recording this.
It’s time to confuse the circle.
The spider: LIKE I SAID, I’VE NEVER RECORDED IN MY LIFE, THAT’S my problem….I think too much about what I say. I never recorded what I said, and then I’ve already moved on.
It's all so confusing. Where are we going? Where do we want to go?
Child one, to himself, listening to his headphones, grooving to the beat: VIBE… there is always so much talk about it. There is good energy surrounding us, people like it.
Even when it’s a short peace.
Child two, to his brother, listening to his headphones: Where is this taking us?
Spider, from behind the curtains: I'll tell you where this is taking us.
For now let's ask the Queen, our beauty, if the taste can change?
Child 1, speaking over the Spider: Mommy! Why do we need a Republic if you are the Queen?
Child 2: Dear Mommy, what do you prefer, us calling you Majesty or Comrade?
Queen: I love to taste strange things. I love good stuff.
Spider: Queen, I’ve seen you at the market. You know, those young cucumbers you balance on your fingertips. ..
Child 2, talking over the spider: I wonder why I am never brave enough to taste unknown things?
Child 1: I do not taste unknown things. I would not, could not, cannot.
Queen: You are both waiting for me to teach you, but they have tied me up.
Spider, sounding really suspicious: Who has tied you up?
Queen: The world around us has done it. It has tied all of our hands behind our backs. We are being so overrun by the clamor that we don’t even know it.
But there is a way to break through.
Child 1 and Child 2, together: How do we do it?
Queen: Only you can find the way.
The Queen leaves, the two children talk to each other.
Child 2: Did you hear what Mommy just said?
Child 1: I think she is right, only we can find the way….
Child 2: I don’t think we need a new religion, the people will get more confused. We need something like our Republic. The Forest Republic. And all of us are Kings and Queens..
Child 1: Are you serious? All of us are Kings and Queens in the Forest?
Child 2: Yes, lets tell mommy.
The Queen walks in, they both look at her…
Queen: What? Are you waiting for me to teach you? With ropes hidden behind your back?
Drop your robes.
Shave your beards.
I want to see your faces.
Child 1 (to Child 2, ignoring the Queen): With a new religion, we might have a choice. We could go to the green instead… We could enjoy our young lives. They are all out there doing it!
Child 2: Let's do it.
Spider, from behind the curtains: Beware of what they seem to be doing.
Queen: Sometimes you choose to ignore me.
Sometimes.
Child 1: Can you ignore in silence?
Child 2: Is silence ignorance?
The spider's scratching noise begins again, from behind the curtains, he says: Sometimes you choose to ignore me.
Sometimes.
Everyone turns toward the curtains.
The lights on stage go out.
Life carried on. It rained a lot.
Normally clear, light drops fell from the sky. The drops wet the circle and left it steaming and purified. It offered a short peace.
The ones inside the big circle say they are fine, they say they are secure BUT... the rain that came last nite was dark, sticky rain. It covered the hairs and the faces…
Our mother, our queen is in a white marble temple. A cold, clean temple. There are pillars in the foreground. Two of her twelve children saunter in and sit in beach chairs at her feet. They are wearing sunglasses and headphones. Our Queen lurks behind a pillar playing with her robes, listening carefully to The Silence.
There is a scratching noise coming from behind the curtains, it is the spider who represents The Silence. The children never appear to hear what the spider is saying to them.
The spider, peeking from behind the curtains: Is it mango? Is is sugar cane? No, it is a non-alcoholic malt drink with B vitamins. I will let you have a taste if you wish.
I am sure the taste can change.
The Queen of Beauty looks worried!
She is talking...
but don't listen to her.
Queen (humming to herself, talking to The Silence): WHy are you so quiet? In the street there is chaos, the people are yelling. I want to protect my innocent children from the world. I see my children are beautiful. When they play, I watch them. I wonder what they are thinking. Approaching the dark drink. Tasting from afar with sensitive young whiskers.
Crouch down. Observing from behind the curtains, you hear me when I call you. Sometimes you choose to ignore me.
Sometimes.
(to the children) There is a library of music to teach you. Listen to the music till you learn the beats into your fingertips. There are lots of different instruments around. There is lots of potential.
We should be recording this.
It’s time to confuse the circle.
The spider: LIKE I SAID, I’VE NEVER RECORDED IN MY LIFE, THAT’S my problem….I think too much about what I say. I never recorded what I said, and then I’ve already moved on.
It's all so confusing. Where are we going? Where do we want to go?
Child one, to himself, listening to his headphones, grooving to the beat: VIBE… there is always so much talk about it. There is good energy surrounding us, people like it.
Even when it’s a short peace.
Child two, to his brother, listening to his headphones: Where is this taking us?
Spider, from behind the curtains: I'll tell you where this is taking us.
For now let's ask the Queen, our beauty, if the taste can change?
Child 1, speaking over the Spider: Mommy! Why do we need a Republic if you are the Queen?
Child 2: Dear Mommy, what do you prefer, us calling you Majesty or Comrade?
Queen: I love to taste strange things. I love good stuff.
Spider: Queen, I’ve seen you at the market. You know, those young cucumbers you balance on your fingertips. ..
Child 2, talking over the spider: I wonder why I am never brave enough to taste unknown things?
Child 1: I do not taste unknown things. I would not, could not, cannot.
Queen: You are both waiting for me to teach you, but they have tied me up.
Spider, sounding really suspicious: Who has tied you up?
Queen: The world around us has done it. It has tied all of our hands behind our backs. We are being so overrun by the clamor that we don’t even know it.
But there is a way to break through.
Child 1 and Child 2, together: How do we do it?
Queen: Only you can find the way.
The Queen leaves, the two children talk to each other.
Child 2: Did you hear what Mommy just said?
Child 1: I think she is right, only we can find the way….
Child 2: I don’t think we need a new religion, the people will get more confused. We need something like our Republic. The Forest Republic. And all of us are Kings and Queens..
Child 1: Are you serious? All of us are Kings and Queens in the Forest?
Child 2: Yes, lets tell mommy.
The Queen walks in, they both look at her…
Queen: What? Are you waiting for me to teach you? With ropes hidden behind your back?
Drop your robes.
Shave your beards.
I want to see your faces.
Child 1 (to Child 2, ignoring the Queen): With a new religion, we might have a choice. We could go to the green instead… We could enjoy our young lives. They are all out there doing it!
Child 2: Let's do it.
Spider, from behind the curtains: Beware of what they seem to be doing.
Queen: Sometimes you choose to ignore me.
Sometimes.
Child 1: Can you ignore in silence?
Child 2: Is silence ignorance?
The spider's scratching noise begins again, from behind the curtains, he says: Sometimes you choose to ignore me.
Sometimes.
Everyone turns toward the curtains.
The lights on stage go out.
posted by Camille at 7:04 pm
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