BA Performance Design & Practice Work
SCRIPTS by Daniela Tamman
A Dream We Had - NARRATOR'S SCRIPT
By Daniela Tamman
Any actions described in the text ie she gasps, he held out his hand, is to be followed when narrator says it
(OPTIONAL)
Long ago, before your time
A tale to me was told.
It took me to the strangest place
And there, did it unfold.
A far off landscape withered
To stony shafts
And whipped to rocky peaks,
Where hollow winds pierce the cliffs,
And not one buzzard speaks.
Away, across those barren lands,
Browbeaten by icy rains -
Past the outstretched misty hand,
And past its breath of frosty trains,
That try to cling upon the sea
But dissolve upon the sand.
PART 1
Narrator: (words whispered mysteriously and echo, during the darkness and when the audience have entered)
Here the tale begins.
(animation film of water illustration fades into appearance on the surface of water by projection)It was a day, like any another;
The kind that comes... and goes.
Leaving barely a remembering trace,
After the swell of it ebbs away,
And the calm, empty rhythm is replaced -
Yes, just another day.
(animation shows water crashing against rocks)Deep, beneath the pristine twist
Where frothy curls unfurl
And crash against the rocks – a kiss -
Then fall back into the swirl;
Four bubbles hence came rising up
Drawn up and up and up
They burst
As if some starving monster had
Withdrawn them with his thirst.
(fish appears in animation, glinting, and darting around playfully)
A shimmering tail billowed and broke
Through the frosted edge of tide
As it rolled in;
Stretched out, and promptly died
And across the surface cut
A thin, bejewelled fin.
Sleek silver belly shot across
And darted through the coral reef
(clam shell – swallows fish)
Until a clam shell snatched it up
And guzzled it through it’s porcelain teeth
And kept this jewel cloistered in it’s chest
(clam shell is swept by waves to a cave, and a soft spot light now illumines the shell, in the corner, within the darkness as the projection fades away)
And in time by wave, to a cave, was bore
And as for the little fish,
This little fish swam no more.
By Daniela Tamman
Any actions described in the text ie she gasps, he held out his hand, is to be followed when narrator says it
(OPTIONAL)
Long ago, before your time
A tale to me was told.
It took me to the strangest place
And there, did it unfold.
A far off landscape withered
To stony shafts
And whipped to rocky peaks,
Where hollow winds pierce the cliffs,
And not one buzzard speaks.
Away, across those barren lands,
Browbeaten by icy rains -
Past the outstretched misty hand,
And past its breath of frosty trains,
That try to cling upon the sea
But dissolve upon the sand.
PART 1
Narrator: (words whispered mysteriously and echo, during the darkness and when the audience have entered)
Here the tale begins.
(animation film of water illustration fades into appearance on the surface of water by projection)It was a day, like any another;
The kind that comes... and goes.
Leaving barely a remembering trace,
After the swell of it ebbs away,
And the calm, empty rhythm is replaced -
Yes, just another day.
(animation shows water crashing against rocks)Deep, beneath the pristine twist
Where frothy curls unfurl
And crash against the rocks – a kiss -
Then fall back into the swirl;
Four bubbles hence came rising up
Drawn up and up and up
They burst
As if some starving monster had
Withdrawn them with his thirst.
(fish appears in animation, glinting, and darting around playfully)
A shimmering tail billowed and broke
Through the frosted edge of tide
As it rolled in;
Stretched out, and promptly died
And across the surface cut
A thin, bejewelled fin.
Sleek silver belly shot across
And darted through the coral reef
(clam shell – swallows fish)
Until a clam shell snatched it up
And guzzled it through it’s porcelain teeth
And kept this jewel cloistered in it’s chest
(clam shell is swept by waves to a cave, and a soft spot light now illumines the shell, in the corner, within the darkness as the projection fades away)
And in time by wave, to a cave, was bore
And as for the little fish,
This little fish swam no more.
(sea storm begins on projection of outside cave, storm noices growing, and then fiery shipwreck, orange lighting)
One day, another misty day,
Another just like before
A storm swelled up the hearty sea
And tossed up many a ship
It shattered their masts against its face
And displaced them with its thrashing fists
Shredded up their pleading burning sails
Then left the pieces to sink slowly down into the blue abyss.
One day, another misty day,
Another just like before
A storm swelled up the hearty sea
And tossed up many a ship
It shattered their masts against its face
And displaced them with its thrashing fists
Shredded up their pleading burning sails
Then left the pieces to sink slowly down into the blue abyss.
Among the shipwrecked of the sea
A sailor from Corinth was lost;
A beautiful youth drifting on
And swept up by a wave.
Cold, upon a splintered raft, half the ocean crossed;
Until the sailor from Corinth washed up inside this cave.
PART 2
(storm dies down, orange lies turn purple then blue for the night, and growing light of moon illumines the sailor.
He begins to wake up and look around, get up and explore – crosses to the audience and moves through them)And by and by, the boy came to
Sprung open such dark eyes,
Then threw his gaze all around
The rocky cavern skies.
Enchanted by dappled beams of light,
That each small crack dispersed -
And lit the streaming waterfall
From where soft moonlight burst.
The walls around him oozing, glittered,
Moist, and mossed, speckled thickly
With gleaming bits of shell and precious stones
And a hot, foamy tide seething
Calm, and caressing, and tickly
Bubbling at his toes.
The handsome boy with dark dripping curls
Explored the deep sea cave
His clothes torn, and his broad chest bare
Like some ancient statue, lost amongst the ruins
Of a watery grave
(notices the clamshell far end of space)
Till he came upon a treasure.
A sailor from Corinth was lost;
A beautiful youth drifting on
And swept up by a wave.
Cold, upon a splintered raft, half the ocean crossed;
Until the sailor from Corinth washed up inside this cave.
PART 2
(storm dies down, orange lies turn purple then blue for the night, and growing light of moon illumines the sailor.
He begins to wake up and look around, get up and explore – crosses to the audience and moves through them)And by and by, the boy came to
Sprung open such dark eyes,
Then threw his gaze all around
The rocky cavern skies.
Enchanted by dappled beams of light,
That each small crack dispersed -
And lit the streaming waterfall
From where soft moonlight burst.
The walls around him oozing, glittered,
Moist, and mossed, speckled thickly
With gleaming bits of shell and precious stones
And a hot, foamy tide seething
Calm, and caressing, and tickly
Bubbling at his toes.
The handsome boy with dark dripping curls
Explored the deep sea cave
His clothes torn, and his broad chest bare
Like some ancient statue, lost amongst the ruins
Of a watery grave
(notices the clamshell far end of space)
Till he came upon a treasure.
(moves towards the shell)
There high upon a clustered mound
Of empty oyster shells -
Unearthed, long waiting to be found -
Untouched by time, as if bound in its spell.
He found the clam, huge, swollen;
Alabaster jaws sealed shut from him -
A treasure to unlock and break open,
And rob it of it’s gem.
(using his raft piece of wood he begins at first gently and then forcefully to wrench it open)
With his trusty splintered plank at hand
First he coaxed, then he prised
But to no avail,
So with brutal force he split it wide
And with a sharp breath he took in
The jewel that slept inside.
(the girl is revealed to us, asleep in a ball inside the shell, shimmering in the light, naked, wrapped in her hair)
Aglow with a soft silvery sheen,
Pale white porcelain
Gleamed
Pearly, and iridescent.
(he eyes her with wonder and with desire)
He ran his eyes along creamy opal skin
She was curled up, like an egg
Her smooth limbs were all tucked in
Tucked up, amongst themselves -
All wreathed in her white-gold hair.
She lay gently upon the soft pink folds
Nestled like a pearl, inside her shell
Her chest was clothed in those strands of gold
And delicately it rose and fell.
(she awakes and is startled at herself and her surroundings and at the presence of him, afraid, embarrassed at her nakedness)
Suddenly her eyelids fluttered
And with round, wide eyes, she awoke.
And from her pink, wet rosebud lips
A small, frightened gasp softly broke.
Sailor: “I’ll not harm the radiant skin of you”
Narrator :
Spoke the sailor, with hardly a breath
And away and down, he cast his eyes
With a struggle, and sigh of regret.
Slowly his treasure looked around
And no underwater palace she found -
Saw the water-beaten ground
And ached deeply for the sea.
And in a soft, breathy song, cried out
Girl: “Oh what has become of me?”
(her voice is like many whispers of falling water, soft, gentle, flowing, breathy, melodious)
(struggles with her new limbs, inspects them in confusion, tries to get up and back away in confusion and fear and then falls)She stretched out an arm, a finger, a toe
Clambered to her feet
Up and then back down she goes
Crumpled into a dainty heap
(he picks her up heroically and takes her out of the shell, holding her close in his arms, and she settles against his body, feeling comforted by him)
The sailor lightly lifts her up
And out, into his arms -
And before he sets her down again
She shivers against his charms.
Sailor (passionately):“Oh! Nothing ever as lovely as you
Did the sea bear up!” Narrator: he swore.
The maid just shook her pretty head
With a sad smile that said nothing more.
Sailor: “But how did such a delightful gem
Fall to such a fate?
How did one as precious as yourself
Come so far, so far a-stray?
How did a creature so fine become lost
in such a treacherous cave?
I thank the sea that bought me here
And gave me the pleasure to save
A maiden cultured to such a pleasing shape
That strikes me as if the very moon
Were running through her veins!”
Narrator: The maiden shied away from him
But resolute, he held out his hand
Sailor:“I shall with honour look after thee
My eye’s shall not degrade thy flesh”
Narrator: He brushed away her salty tear
And placed the hand upon his chest.
(picks up seaweed from the ground and she wraps it around her body and then takes her hand and gently persuades her towards the water, though she falters uncertainly)
Then found a veil of seaweed
And draped her in its emerald nets.
He lead her into the lagoon
Coaxed her, and eased her in
The cool feel of water settled her
And she softened to his bold, manly grin.
Together they swam, and frolicked
Beneath the waterfall
(playfully, lots of contact, partly concealed behind waterfall structurel)
Splashing and laughing until she fell
At last into his thrall.
(he tries to kiss her, he comes close, but she averts her face, eyes downcast)
(he finds oysters lying around the water and very sensually feeds them to her, very intimate moment, sexually charged)
He hunted oysters in the waterbed
With hunger she licked her lips
And he bought them to her mouth
And fed her with gentle fingertips.
(she takes his hand, trying to summon up some kind of spirit, and leads him to her shell which is half open, and when she turns to him and speak, she has some form of firmness in her voice, but it quavers, as if unsure of itself)
She lead him to her chambered shell
With a faltering, heavy step, she stopped
And turned her sweet head to him
Her singing voice shook and dropped
And she raised her eyes up worriedly
Girl: “Before I let you in, you must swear to me
That never more than a step away will you ever be
That in this cave you will remain
And forsake the world outside
Swear never to step out of it
And forever, to reside
With me, here, in this beautiful world
That rests, between earth and sea.
Promise me, my love, that you will stay with me.”
Narrator: The sailor took her in his arms,
And with not a pause, he swore
(“I swear”)
And here, she surrendered to his charms
As they melted into the shell, and shut the cloister door. (they climb in and the shell shuts completely)
(time passes, this is shown by the darkening of the cave, the blue light which turns to purple then pink then orange then yellow, and the projection at the cave mouth outside of dawn breaking into a cold blue yet sunny day which completely intensely illuminates the cave with a stark, white, unflattering light)
The morning broke upon the sea
And its strong, crisp light, seeped into the cave;
And all things formerly bathed aglow,
In the soft pale light the moon gave
Lost their shimmer, in the glare
Of such an unforgiving sun.
There high upon a clustered mound
Of empty oyster shells -
Unearthed, long waiting to be found -
Untouched by time, as if bound in its spell.
He found the clam, huge, swollen;
Alabaster jaws sealed shut from him -
A treasure to unlock and break open,
And rob it of it’s gem.
(using his raft piece of wood he begins at first gently and then forcefully to wrench it open)
With his trusty splintered plank at hand
First he coaxed, then he prised
But to no avail,
So with brutal force he split it wide
And with a sharp breath he took in
The jewel that slept inside.
(the girl is revealed to us, asleep in a ball inside the shell, shimmering in the light, naked, wrapped in her hair)
Aglow with a soft silvery sheen,
Pale white porcelain
Gleamed
Pearly, and iridescent.
(he eyes her with wonder and with desire)
He ran his eyes along creamy opal skin
She was curled up, like an egg
Her smooth limbs were all tucked in
Tucked up, amongst themselves -
All wreathed in her white-gold hair.
She lay gently upon the soft pink folds
Nestled like a pearl, inside her shell
Her chest was clothed in those strands of gold
And delicately it rose and fell.
(she awakes and is startled at herself and her surroundings and at the presence of him, afraid, embarrassed at her nakedness)
Suddenly her eyelids fluttered
And with round, wide eyes, she awoke.
And from her pink, wet rosebud lips
A small, frightened gasp softly broke.
Sailor: “I’ll not harm the radiant skin of you”
Narrator :
Spoke the sailor, with hardly a breath
And away and down, he cast his eyes
With a struggle, and sigh of regret.
Slowly his treasure looked around
And no underwater palace she found -
Saw the water-beaten ground
And ached deeply for the sea.
And in a soft, breathy song, cried out
Girl: “Oh what has become of me?”
(her voice is like many whispers of falling water, soft, gentle, flowing, breathy, melodious)
(struggles with her new limbs, inspects them in confusion, tries to get up and back away in confusion and fear and then falls)She stretched out an arm, a finger, a toe
Clambered to her feet
Up and then back down she goes
Crumpled into a dainty heap
(he picks her up heroically and takes her out of the shell, holding her close in his arms, and she settles against his body, feeling comforted by him)
The sailor lightly lifts her up
And out, into his arms -
And before he sets her down again
She shivers against his charms.
Sailor (passionately):“Oh! Nothing ever as lovely as you
Did the sea bear up!” Narrator: he swore.
The maid just shook her pretty head
With a sad smile that said nothing more.
Sailor: “But how did such a delightful gem
Fall to such a fate?
How did one as precious as yourself
Come so far, so far a-stray?
How did a creature so fine become lost
in such a treacherous cave?
I thank the sea that bought me here
And gave me the pleasure to save
A maiden cultured to such a pleasing shape
That strikes me as if the very moon
Were running through her veins!”
Narrator: The maiden shied away from him
But resolute, he held out his hand
Sailor:“I shall with honour look after thee
My eye’s shall not degrade thy flesh”
Narrator: He brushed away her salty tear
And placed the hand upon his chest.
(picks up seaweed from the ground and she wraps it around her body and then takes her hand and gently persuades her towards the water, though she falters uncertainly)
Then found a veil of seaweed
And draped her in its emerald nets.
He lead her into the lagoon
Coaxed her, and eased her in
The cool feel of water settled her
And she softened to his bold, manly grin.
Together they swam, and frolicked
Beneath the waterfall
(playfully, lots of contact, partly concealed behind waterfall structurel)
Splashing and laughing until she fell
At last into his thrall.
(he tries to kiss her, he comes close, but she averts her face, eyes downcast)
(he finds oysters lying around the water and very sensually feeds them to her, very intimate moment, sexually charged)
He hunted oysters in the waterbed
With hunger she licked her lips
And he bought them to her mouth
And fed her with gentle fingertips.
(she takes his hand, trying to summon up some kind of spirit, and leads him to her shell which is half open, and when she turns to him and speak, she has some form of firmness in her voice, but it quavers, as if unsure of itself)
She lead him to her chambered shell
With a faltering, heavy step, she stopped
And turned her sweet head to him
Her singing voice shook and dropped
And she raised her eyes up worriedly
Girl: “Before I let you in, you must swear to me
That never more than a step away will you ever be
That in this cave you will remain
And forsake the world outside
Swear never to step out of it
And forever, to reside
With me, here, in this beautiful world
That rests, between earth and sea.
Promise me, my love, that you will stay with me.”
Narrator: The sailor took her in his arms,
And with not a pause, he swore
(“I swear”)
And here, she surrendered to his charms
As they melted into the shell, and shut the cloister door. (they climb in and the shell shuts completely)
(time passes, this is shown by the darkening of the cave, the blue light which turns to purple then pink then orange then yellow, and the projection at the cave mouth outside of dawn breaking into a cold blue yet sunny day which completely intensely illuminates the cave with a stark, white, unflattering light)
The morning broke upon the sea
And its strong, crisp light, seeped into the cave;
And all things formerly bathed aglow,
In the soft pale light the moon gave
Lost their shimmer, in the glare
Of such an unforgiving sun.
The shell eased open, and a man
Crawled out, and rubbed his sleepless face -
Suddenly felt her touch his hand,
Heard her murmur sleepily “come back...”
The sailor shook his curly hair,
He pulled his arm away and said
sailor:“Hush my dearest, sleep... I need a little air”
(OPTIONAL) A moment later he stood wearily
At the water side
Tossing broken shells into it
Watching them skim, and glide
Until they ran out of flight
And sank
Down to the muddy bottom.
He turned his guilty eyes,
Back to the shell, half open
Saw her eyes, dreaming, shut
Her love-struck smile, in shadows cast
So boldly, it seemed half-broken.
(sneaks out of the cave, and the audience follow)
And with a sneaking, creeping step
He tip-toed to the cavern mouth, a-gape as if in shock
And out he slipped, with relief,
And collapsed upon a rock,
To gaze up at the blessed morning sky
All blue, a-blaze with sun -
A deep breath of salty air he breathed -
But before his breath was fully out -
Even before it had begun,
A muffled scream came, echoing
From deep, inside the cave.
(runs back with the audience, to see her as a mermaid in the open shell, tossing and unable to breathe)He scrambled up and ran, and ran.
And with such horror on his face,
His eyes took in the sight:
His beautiful bride choking in
The airy morning light.
Her skin like polished silver shone,
From fingers, to shoulders, to torso
And there transcended to pearly scales;
Her sides were pierced with gills,
And her songful voice was nought
But a bubbling wail.
(he picks her up carries her to the water, placing her in hidden compartment beneath water structure and live performance is converted to dreamy underwater illustration projected upon the surface of the water - her drowning in an Ophelia like death which is then merged into an image of her and him together naked in the shell kissing etc)
He held her in his thick, strong arms,
And one single hot tear fell
As he laid her in cold water now.
Just as last night he’d laid her in her shell
And she’d twined her legs around him
And whispered in his ear
Showered kisses upon his mouth
And cried out “How I love you, my dear!”
(and then fades back into the Ophelia like death moment)But now her white-gold hair, slowly fanned out
Like a veil of sheer fins, billowing
And her jewelled tail she jerked about
As she settled into the sand
And as her last sad smile gave way
Upon her cold, pale face
The water made her complexion blur
And dreamily, she did fade
(animation of her turning into foam)
Into the foamy cool sea rush
She began to melt away -
One last, slight wave, of her hand
Till nothing was left but a bubbling gush
And a large white pearl, buried in the sand.
END
Crawled out, and rubbed his sleepless face -
Suddenly felt her touch his hand,
Heard her murmur sleepily “come back...”
The sailor shook his curly hair,
He pulled his arm away and said
sailor:“Hush my dearest, sleep... I need a little air”
(OPTIONAL) A moment later he stood wearily
At the water side
Tossing broken shells into it
Watching them skim, and glide
Until they ran out of flight
And sank
Down to the muddy bottom.
He turned his guilty eyes,
Back to the shell, half open
Saw her eyes, dreaming, shut
Her love-struck smile, in shadows cast
So boldly, it seemed half-broken.
(sneaks out of the cave, and the audience follow)
And with a sneaking, creeping step
He tip-toed to the cavern mouth, a-gape as if in shock
And out he slipped, with relief,
And collapsed upon a rock,
To gaze up at the blessed morning sky
All blue, a-blaze with sun -
A deep breath of salty air he breathed -
But before his breath was fully out -
Even before it had begun,
A muffled scream came, echoing
From deep, inside the cave.
(runs back with the audience, to see her as a mermaid in the open shell, tossing and unable to breathe)He scrambled up and ran, and ran.
And with such horror on his face,
His eyes took in the sight:
His beautiful bride choking in
The airy morning light.
Her skin like polished silver shone,
From fingers, to shoulders, to torso
And there transcended to pearly scales;
Her sides were pierced with gills,
And her songful voice was nought
But a bubbling wail.
(he picks her up carries her to the water, placing her in hidden compartment beneath water structure and live performance is converted to dreamy underwater illustration projected upon the surface of the water - her drowning in an Ophelia like death which is then merged into an image of her and him together naked in the shell kissing etc)
He held her in his thick, strong arms,
And one single hot tear fell
As he laid her in cold water now.
Just as last night he’d laid her in her shell
And she’d twined her legs around him
And whispered in his ear
Showered kisses upon his mouth
And cried out “How I love you, my dear!”
(and then fades back into the Ophelia like death moment)But now her white-gold hair, slowly fanned out
Like a veil of sheer fins, billowing
And her jewelled tail she jerked about
As she settled into the sand
And as her last sad smile gave way
Upon her cold, pale face
The water made her complexion blur
And dreamily, she did fade
(animation of her turning into foam)
Into the foamy cool sea rush
She began to melt away -
One last, slight wave, of her hand
Till nothing was left but a bubbling gush
And a large white pearl, buried in the sand.
END
(glinting – illustrated, catches his eye. Sailor reaches in to pick it up and it converts to live performance, it is a pearl in his hands, and then it slips though his fingers back in the water and he cant find it anymore, with one last sad smile he exits the space, and audience follow )
The Life of a Shoe - script
The Life of a Shoe by Daniela Tamman
MEDIUM: film, involving animation.
Allows freedom for background stories, devised performance movement, intricate imagery and presentations of the world.
MOVEMENT FROM ONE PART TO THE NEXT MUST BE VERY FAST. A CONSTANT JOURNEY – fast continuous pace
MEDIUM: film, involving animation.
Allows freedom for background stories, devised performance movement, intricate imagery and presentations of the world.
MOVEMENT FROM ONE PART TO THE NEXT MUST BE VERY FAST. A CONSTANT JOURNEY – fast continuous pace
Voice over 1 (old woman) : Once upon a time, I was a shoe.
DUO Voice over 2 (old woman + little girl): And I walked.
IMAGERY OF LONE SHOE CLOSE UP WALKING DOWN ISOLATED ROAD (PROJECTION)
DUO Voice over 3 (little girl’s voice louder than old woman): I walked before I could crawl.
TRIO Voice over 4 (add teenage girl voice – all same volume) : And then I ran
(imagery of shoe surrounded by rushing crowd of other shoes, tripping over each other)TRIO Voice over 5 (teenager voice loudest) : I barely knew I was walking before I ran.
(Imagery of shoe running down wet raining dark road)Voice over 6 (little girl): Not away, but to... To where they wanted me to go.
Voice over 7 (teenager): I ran so fast, I got ahead of myself.
Voice over 8 (old woman: Too fast. And I couldn’t catch up.
(shoe keeps running but leaves shadow behind)TRIO Voice over 9: We tripped. And we fell
Head first
Into the black hole.
DUO Voice over 2 (old woman + little girl): And I walked.
IMAGERY OF LONE SHOE CLOSE UP WALKING DOWN ISOLATED ROAD (PROJECTION)
DUO Voice over 3 (little girl’s voice louder than old woman): I walked before I could crawl.
TRIO Voice over 4 (add teenage girl voice – all same volume) : And then I ran
(imagery of shoe surrounded by rushing crowd of other shoes, tripping over each other)TRIO Voice over 5 (teenager voice loudest) : I barely knew I was walking before I ran.
(Imagery of shoe running down wet raining dark road)Voice over 6 (little girl): Not away, but to... To where they wanted me to go.
Voice over 7 (teenager): I ran so fast, I got ahead of myself.
Voice over 8 (old woman: Too fast. And I couldn’t catch up.
(shoe keeps running but leaves shadow behind)TRIO Voice over 9: We tripped. And we fell
Head first
Into the black hole.
ROOM 1: Girl comes out of giant wrapped shoe box. The world is a beautiful yet disturbing surreal fantasy world where all inanimate objects come to life, and where all scale and perspective are distorted.
TEXT ON SCREEN: She opened her eyes, and she was not only a shoe.
She was not only a means to an end.
Broken free from her ground to become part of story she told.
To live, breathe. To have no purpose and yet, to mean everything.
But no. She was still only a shoe.
A manic white rabbit with the broken face of a clock enters hastily, twitchy, flustered, hopping about frantically. He speaks very fast, as if in a rush to get all the words out. Asks questions and does not wait for answers.White rabbit: Can you hear that ticking?
That ticking, ticking, incessant ticking!
Stops, and peers at her with tilted head, as if she is very strange, and unexpected, but as if this itself is to be expected.
Wait – no, never! – well why are you doing nothing?
Shoe: I-
White Rabbit: Hurry up then! Go! Go! Go! You must do something! Be somewhere! People are waiting! Time is precious, hurry up now! Get a move on!
(gives her a prompting push)
Shoe: But sir – your clock doesn’t work.
You’re numbers are missing.
Why, I think you have no time!
(White rabbit starts pushing her along, down a very narrow, low-ceilinged corridor)White rabbit: dont be silly now, that’s quite irrelevant.
We must hurry.
We have lots to do, and very little time to decide what all of it is!
(they come out into a blank, open space.)
White rabbit: Move along, this is my house, isn’t it lovely – don’t stop and stare it’s not useful of you, we must keep going. Yes it is lovely – I live here – whenever I have a moment.
(they navigate through the ‘house’ and go from ‘room to room’ and then as if up a ‘staircase’ of some sort)
Shoe: Yes I’m sure its very nice. Except I don’t see a thing!
White Rabbit: Why how cruel of you – I built it myself – it’s as great as a castle!
Shoe: Oh. But it’s made of air!
White Rabbit: Yes. And what a good use for air it is.
Shoe: But then, it cannot exist!
White Rabbit (exasperated): And why on earth should that matter?
What an absurd thing you are!
(he pushes her through again, they pass a door, with a strange light beaming from behind)You absolutely must try that door later. When you find the time of course
Shoe: What’s in there?
White Rabbit: Oh nobody knows, no one’s found the time. But we always plan to.
(pushes her past the door, now in a long passage where all the walls, ceilings, floors, are walking)Shoe: I’m sorry, but where are we going?
White Rabbit: Somewhere
Shoe: Somewhere where?
White Rabbit: We’ll find out once we get there.
Shoe: Well, what if I don’t want to go where we’re going?
White rabbit: That doesn’t matter. You must stay on the path, and follow it, whether you like where it takes you or not. Ah here we are
Shoe: Here where?
White rabbit: Here wherever.
Maitre D’ (jovially): Ah, are you lost?
White rabbit: of course
Maitre D: Jolly good. You’ll be served in no time!
ROOM 2: the white rabbit leads the Shoe to a table, and sits on an invisible chair(it is uncomfortable, but the shoe copies him, reluctantly. The room, we see now, is a restaurant, fancy table-wear, and at the tables sit giant toadstools, eating themselves.
Enter Dumb Waiter – holding a platter which is covered, as he gets to their table, he then slips, as if on a banana peel, and the plate flies up into the air, and whatever was inside splashes everywhere as a pale blue cloud of smoke.
Dumb waiter: Oh! I’ll bring another one!
White rabbit taps his clock face impatiently - time! Time!
Dumb waiter comes back, and gets to the table and as he opens it -
Dumb waiter: Voila, our special – Time!
But as he serves it he tilts the plate, and the Time slides off!
Maitre D (comes running to the table, blustering): What is the meaning of this Dumb Waiter?
Dumb Waiter: I don’t understand. I try and try to give them some Time, but it keeps slipping away!
Maitre D: Stop wasting so much Time just bring them something else!
Dumb Waiter (runs off to kitchen and comes back bringing another platter. He reveals this one to be covered in snails.): Suicide de L’Escargot! Some Jam on the side Mad’moiselle? (in a very bad french accent)
Shoe (slightly grossed out at first): Well, now’s as good as ever to try something new!
Reaches out and is surprised when a snail jumps into her hand. She braces herself, and slowly opens her mouth, bringing the snail closer and closer when -
White Rabbit makes an alarm-clock noise, and then knocks the snail out of her hand
White Rabbit: Mmm yes, alright, that was appetising, time to go!
ROOM 3: Yanks Shoe out of sitting position by hand, and drags her out & enter room which looks like cheese. They take a seat in a row next to an aisle. No one else is there, sitting in all the other rows.
Suddenly bridal music begins, but it is speeded up and hi-pitched. Abruptly two tiny doors burst open, and in comes a little white mouse wearing wedding dress. She scurries down the aisle. Now it is noticed that all the rows are filled by mice – excited squeaking commences. A very quick fast-forwarded squeaky ceremony ensues, bride mouse is married to groom and they scurry off and disappear out another little hole – at which point White Rabbit yanks Shoe up and they follow, seeming to shrink as they pass through the tiny hole. At the exit of the passage they pass a dramatically placed mousetrap.White Rabbit: Shame, but you could always tell those two weren’t going to last long.
TEXT ON SCREEN: She opened her eyes, and she was not only a shoe.
She was not only a means to an end.
Broken free from her ground to become part of story she told.
To live, breathe. To have no purpose and yet, to mean everything.
But no. She was still only a shoe.
A manic white rabbit with the broken face of a clock enters hastily, twitchy, flustered, hopping about frantically. He speaks very fast, as if in a rush to get all the words out. Asks questions and does not wait for answers.White rabbit: Can you hear that ticking?
That ticking, ticking, incessant ticking!
Stops, and peers at her with tilted head, as if she is very strange, and unexpected, but as if this itself is to be expected.
Wait – no, never! – well why are you doing nothing?
Shoe: I-
White Rabbit: Hurry up then! Go! Go! Go! You must do something! Be somewhere! People are waiting! Time is precious, hurry up now! Get a move on!
(gives her a prompting push)
Shoe: But sir – your clock doesn’t work.
You’re numbers are missing.
Why, I think you have no time!
(White rabbit starts pushing her along, down a very narrow, low-ceilinged corridor)White rabbit: dont be silly now, that’s quite irrelevant.
We must hurry.
We have lots to do, and very little time to decide what all of it is!
(they come out into a blank, open space.)
White rabbit: Move along, this is my house, isn’t it lovely – don’t stop and stare it’s not useful of you, we must keep going. Yes it is lovely – I live here – whenever I have a moment.
(they navigate through the ‘house’ and go from ‘room to room’ and then as if up a ‘staircase’ of some sort)
Shoe: Yes I’m sure its very nice. Except I don’t see a thing!
White Rabbit: Why how cruel of you – I built it myself – it’s as great as a castle!
Shoe: Oh. But it’s made of air!
White Rabbit: Yes. And what a good use for air it is.
Shoe: But then, it cannot exist!
White Rabbit (exasperated): And why on earth should that matter?
What an absurd thing you are!
(he pushes her through again, they pass a door, with a strange light beaming from behind)You absolutely must try that door later. When you find the time of course
Shoe: What’s in there?
White Rabbit: Oh nobody knows, no one’s found the time. But we always plan to.
(pushes her past the door, now in a long passage where all the walls, ceilings, floors, are walking)Shoe: I’m sorry, but where are we going?
White Rabbit: Somewhere
Shoe: Somewhere where?
White Rabbit: We’ll find out once we get there.
Shoe: Well, what if I don’t want to go where we’re going?
White rabbit: That doesn’t matter. You must stay on the path, and follow it, whether you like where it takes you or not. Ah here we are
Shoe: Here where?
White rabbit: Here wherever.
Maitre D’ (jovially): Ah, are you lost?
White rabbit: of course
Maitre D: Jolly good. You’ll be served in no time!
ROOM 2: the white rabbit leads the Shoe to a table, and sits on an invisible chair(it is uncomfortable, but the shoe copies him, reluctantly. The room, we see now, is a restaurant, fancy table-wear, and at the tables sit giant toadstools, eating themselves.
Enter Dumb Waiter – holding a platter which is covered, as he gets to their table, he then slips, as if on a banana peel, and the plate flies up into the air, and whatever was inside splashes everywhere as a pale blue cloud of smoke.
Dumb waiter: Oh! I’ll bring another one!
White rabbit taps his clock face impatiently - time! Time!
Dumb waiter comes back, and gets to the table and as he opens it -
Dumb waiter: Voila, our special – Time!
But as he serves it he tilts the plate, and the Time slides off!
Maitre D (comes running to the table, blustering): What is the meaning of this Dumb Waiter?
Dumb Waiter: I don’t understand. I try and try to give them some Time, but it keeps slipping away!
Maitre D: Stop wasting so much Time just bring them something else!
Dumb Waiter (runs off to kitchen and comes back bringing another platter. He reveals this one to be covered in snails.): Suicide de L’Escargot! Some Jam on the side Mad’moiselle? (in a very bad french accent)
Shoe (slightly grossed out at first): Well, now’s as good as ever to try something new!
Reaches out and is surprised when a snail jumps into her hand. She braces herself, and slowly opens her mouth, bringing the snail closer and closer when -
White Rabbit makes an alarm-clock noise, and then knocks the snail out of her hand
White Rabbit: Mmm yes, alright, that was appetising, time to go!
ROOM 3: Yanks Shoe out of sitting position by hand, and drags her out & enter room which looks like cheese. They take a seat in a row next to an aisle. No one else is there, sitting in all the other rows.
Suddenly bridal music begins, but it is speeded up and hi-pitched. Abruptly two tiny doors burst open, and in comes a little white mouse wearing wedding dress. She scurries down the aisle. Now it is noticed that all the rows are filled by mice – excited squeaking commences. A very quick fast-forwarded squeaky ceremony ensues, bride mouse is married to groom and they scurry off and disappear out another little hole – at which point White Rabbit yanks Shoe up and they follow, seeming to shrink as they pass through the tiny hole. At the exit of the passage they pass a dramatically placed mousetrap.White Rabbit: Shame, but you could always tell those two weren’t going to last long.
ROOM 4: They enter a room made of imposing aisles of giant stacked cushions, of all different patterns and colours/all plain white?. The cushions are snoring softly, and every time the two characters speak too loudly, a clerical looking sheep in the corner watching them with irritation comes over to shush them but they never stay quiet for too long. She points to the sign saying “Do not disturb the pillows” but eventually gives up and flounces off.
Shoe: I’m tired (yawning)
White Rabbit: We’re all tired.
Shoe (slowing down, faltering): Do you mind if I take a little rest? All this walking – well, running – it’s worn me out.
White Rabbit: Sleep? Sleep? What are you meant to do with that?
Shoe: It’s just that, maybe I’ll be able to walk faster once I’ve-
White Rabbit (as if deranged): No. (he grabs her and stares her in the face) We keep going. We don’t stop. Do you understand? (starts to drag her along again)
(Shoe snatches her arm away and stops, in his path)Shoe: No. I don’t understand. I’ve had enough.
...I want to take a step back.
White Rabbit: Who do you think you are? You’re purpose is to Go.
Shoe: Go? Go where? Why?
White Rabbit: Dont ask me. I’m just following my feet. (irritated) Now see what you’ve made me do. I’ve stopped. (they both look down at his twitching feet, they look at each other again, and then suddenly white rabbit bursts forward as if propelled by his feet. He speaks very quickly as he goes to get words out before he disappears) I dont have time for this. Or for you. Goodbye!
Shoe sits down against a cushion, and closes her eyes for a moment, but her feet get restless, and she jumps up, opening her eyes. She sees the mysterious door again in a corner of the room.Shoe: Ahh. She tries the door, but it wont open.Shoe: What is the key? (looks around, sees nothing, sighs and relents)
She hears a chirping noise, and sees a window. She opens it, but the sky is an illusion, it reveals a brick wall. She hears another, finds another window. And again. One last time, determined, pulls it open, the sky!, and takes a deep, delighted breath.Shoe: Fresh air. How beautiful.
A little bird flies in. But it’s not a bird, its a key with wings. She tries to catch it, jumps after it, but no. She takes off her shoe and throws it – the bird-key falls out of the air – still, and clatters to the ground.
She picks it up, and opens the door. Outside the door, it’s the imagery of the crowd of shoes, rushing about. She takes a horrified step back, and shuts the door.
She sits down. Bored.Shoe: I have nowhere to go... I thought I wanted to stop... I’m not...sure... I know...how (falls asleep)
Dreams of the crowd of shoes rushing.TRIO voice over: I open my eyes... I am still only a shoe. (said not exactly at same time)
Shoe: I’m tired (yawning)
White Rabbit: We’re all tired.
Shoe (slowing down, faltering): Do you mind if I take a little rest? All this walking – well, running – it’s worn me out.
White Rabbit: Sleep? Sleep? What are you meant to do with that?
Shoe: It’s just that, maybe I’ll be able to walk faster once I’ve-
White Rabbit (as if deranged): No. (he grabs her and stares her in the face) We keep going. We don’t stop. Do you understand? (starts to drag her along again)
(Shoe snatches her arm away and stops, in his path)Shoe: No. I don’t understand. I’ve had enough.
...I want to take a step back.
White Rabbit: Who do you think you are? You’re purpose is to Go.
Shoe: Go? Go where? Why?
White Rabbit: Dont ask me. I’m just following my feet. (irritated) Now see what you’ve made me do. I’ve stopped. (they both look down at his twitching feet, they look at each other again, and then suddenly white rabbit bursts forward as if propelled by his feet. He speaks very quickly as he goes to get words out before he disappears) I dont have time for this. Or for you. Goodbye!
Shoe sits down against a cushion, and closes her eyes for a moment, but her feet get restless, and she jumps up, opening her eyes. She sees the mysterious door again in a corner of the room.Shoe: Ahh. She tries the door, but it wont open.Shoe: What is the key? (looks around, sees nothing, sighs and relents)
She hears a chirping noise, and sees a window. She opens it, but the sky is an illusion, it reveals a brick wall. She hears another, finds another window. And again. One last time, determined, pulls it open, the sky!, and takes a deep, delighted breath.Shoe: Fresh air. How beautiful.
A little bird flies in. But it’s not a bird, its a key with wings. She tries to catch it, jumps after it, but no. She takes off her shoe and throws it – the bird-key falls out of the air – still, and clatters to the ground.
She picks it up, and opens the door. Outside the door, it’s the imagery of the crowd of shoes, rushing about. She takes a horrified step back, and shuts the door.
She sits down. Bored.Shoe: I have nowhere to go... I thought I wanted to stop... I’m not...sure... I know...how (falls asleep)
Dreams of the crowd of shoes rushing.TRIO voice over: I open my eyes... I am still only a shoe. (said not exactly at same time)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
