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ACT ONE
AT RISE: The stage is dark. WOMAN is
dressed in white and stands in a pool
of light.
WOMAN
Before the war this was my house.
Each SPIRIT WOMAN, dressed in black,
appears in her own pool of light.
ONE
This was my house.
TWO
This was my house.
THREE
This was my house.
WOMAN
My children played here on this porch before.
ONE
Here.
TWO
Here.
THREE
Here.
WOMAN
Before the war I spoke to neighbors who were not of
my people.
ONE
And we worked side by side.
TWO
And played together.
THREE
In this place.
WOMAN
Before the war I was in love with one of them in a
time when we did not speak or dream of their death.
I kissed him there on my porch and he kissed me
here.
ONE
Here.
TWO
Here.
THREE
Here.
ALL
And we spoke of love when love was still possible.
WOMAN
Later I married my friend's brother and my sister
married him. Now she is alone.
ONE
He is gone to war to hunt us down.
TWO
He is gone to war to hunt us down in the darkness.
THREE
He is gone to war to hunt us down in the darkness
and there will be --
ALL
No more kisses.
ONE
NO
TWO
MORE
THREE
(almost singing this word and holding the sound)
Kissesssssssssshhhhhhhh......
ONE
Boom!
WOMAN
Before the time that is now we could not imagine
the time that is now.
ALL
We could not imagine.
WOMAN
Before the war.
ONE
(language) Before the war.
TWO
(language) Before the war.
THREE
(language) Before the war.
WOMAN
The house that was ours is now theirs. But we
whisper in the night we shall return.
ONE
We shall return.
TWO
We shall return.
THREE
We shall return.
WOMAN
Today we bury our dead. My father next to my mother
in a pose not unlike dancing. But so much less.
ONE
Next to my mother.
WOMAN
In a pose....
TWO
Not unlike dancing.
THREE
But so much less.
WOMAN
My younger sister sleeps in her red dress beside my
older brother who has only one leg and no tongue.
ONE
My older brother has only one leg.
TWO
And no --
THREE
Tongueeeeeee
ALL
(hands over their mouths and humming the cadence
of the words over and over under WOMAN)
No...tongue.
WOMAN
We curse the darkness for them. We curse the
darkness for them. We curse the darkness for them
and we say --
ONE
(language w/gesture) Screw you!
TWO
(language) Go to hell!
THREE
(language) Die Die Die!!!
WOMAN
We are told it is our job to feel this hate and we
do our job well. We curse and we remember and we
bury our dead.
ONE
We curse.
TWO
We remember
THREE
We bury our dead.
WOMAN
We curse the darkness for them.
ALL
We are told it is our job and we do our jobs well.
WOMAN
We curse the darkness for them. We are told it is
our job and we do our job well. To curse and to
remember that this was once our house.
ONE
(language) Our house.
TWO
(language) Our house.
THREE
(language) Our house.
ALL
And it must be our house again.
WOMAN
Before the war there was no war for years. A match
to the heart and we are in flames. Were our hearts
always so full of sulphur?
ONE
Whoosh. (spin)
TWO
Whoosh. (spin)
THREE
Whoosh. (spin)
(The three SPIRIT WOMEN continue spinning through
WOMAN'S speech)
WOMAN
A match to the heart and we are in flames.
(The SPIRIT WOMEN freeze)
No house, or children, or family now in this time a
luxury they say. They tell us this is the price of
war and they warn us not to forget.
ONE
(language) Don't forget--
TWO
(language) Don't forget--
THREE
(language) Don't forget--
ALL
Don't forget!
WOMAN
They tell us this is the price of war.
(WOMEN pose as warriors)
They tell us this is the price of war.
(WOMEN pose as soldiers killing)
They tell us this is the price of war.
(WOMEN fall down dead)
I close my eyes and wonder if I should remember
that kiss and that boy who became my friend and
lover before he was my enemy.
(ONE mimes kissing TWO who is killed by THREE)
I close my eyes and see my parents dancing and I
feel the laughter of the time when we were all
still young.
(ONE dances with TWO who is about to be killed by
THREE who stands frozen with a knife)
I close my eyes and say that those times and those
people are now all dead.
ONE
Dead. (drop to the floor)
TWO
Dead. (drop to the floor)
THREE
Dead. Dead. Dead
(Falling to the floor in time with the words)
WOMAN
I close my eyes and say that we must live again.
"Like before I whisper," so softly I can feel my
breath upon the air.
ONE
Like before.(Rising)
TWO
Like before.(Rising)
THREE
Like before. (Rising)
(The three SPIRIT WOMEN seem to become more and
more childlike from now until the end of the
play, chanting and moving and dancing as if they
are playing, often in the mode of nursery rhymes
and school yard play)
WOMAN
I close my eyes and say that we must live again.
ONE
Live again.
TWO
Live again.
THREE
Live again.
WOMAN
Live again.
(The chanting now continues to move in and out of
other languages and English without breaking the
playful character or the rhythms)
ONE
(language) Live again.
TWO
(language) Live again.
THREE
(language) Live again.
WOMAN
(more intensely shouting)
I close my eyes and say that we must live again.
LIKE BEFORE! Like before.
ONE
Like before.
TWO
Like before.
THREE
Like before.
ONE
(language) Like before.
TWO
(language) Like before.
THREE
(language) Like before.
WOMAN
(much more intensely shouting)
I close my eyes and shout that we must live again.
LIKE BEFORE!
ALL
Like before.....Like before... like before.
(The words repeat underneath of each of the
individual responses)
WOMAN
I can feel my breath in the air.
ONE
I can feel my breath in the air.
TWO
I can feel my breath in the air.
THREE
I can feel my breath in the air.
ALL
I can feel my breath in the air.
(The SPIRIT WOMEN repeat the phrase over and over
again until the WOMAN speaks)
WOMAN
I close my eyes and wonder if the time before the
war will ever come again.
ALL
I can feel my breath in the air.
WOMAN remains impassive, repeating her litany.
The three SPIRIT WOMEN repeat the litany this
time, when each individual speaks, they breath
into their hands and seem to react with
childlike surprise as if actually being able to
"see" their breath. Then they repeat the phrase
as they dance rhythmically off stage.
ONE
I can feel my breath...
TWO
I can feel my breath...
THREE
I can feel my breath...
WOMAN
Before the war this was my house.
ONE
I can feel my breath in the air.
WOMAN
Before the war....
(beginning to break down, she turns and spinning
slowing to the ground)
TWO
I can feel my breath in the air.
WOMAN
Before....before...before...
THREE
I can feel my breath in the air.
WOMAN
(now spinning and rising upwards, and joining in
with the SPIRIT WOMEN)
I can feel my breath in the air.
ALL
We can feel our breath in the air.
(joining hands and dancing snakelike across the
stage repeating the chant.
The THREE SPIRIT WOMEN continue off but WOMAN
turns and stands again in the spotlight.)
WOMAN
I can feel my breath in the air.
BLACK OUT
END OF PLAY
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Script created with Final Draft
© 1998 Halem Studios
Last updated September 1998
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