Fosse: Plays Six (16 page)

yes

quite short pause

than here with me

in my Christmas tree stand

long pause

you green and brown tree

with me

in my Christmas tree stand

short pause, he goes and lifts up the tree

yes green

green

green

quite short pause

and brown

brown

brown

short pause

and a Saviour is born to you

Short pause

A Saviour is born to me

short pause

and truly

truly

yes

yes

yes

yes truly a Saviour

is born to me

short pause

no

no there is no Saviour

He begins to walk out with the tree

No

No

there’s no Saviour

Short pause

But the Christmas tree

yes it’s a fine tree

green

and brown

green

and brown

a Christmas tree

in a Christmas tree stand

a Christmas tree in my Christmas tree stand

so green

and brown

so green

and brown

a Christmas tree

in a Christmas tree stand

He goes out with the tree

SEA

A PLAY

Characters

THE SHIPMASTER

THE GUITAR PLAYER

THE WOMAN

THE OLDER MAN

THE OLDER WOMAN

THE MAN

Lights up

Two men (The Shipmaster and The Guitar Player) stand at short distance from each other, turned away from each other
.

THE SHIPMASTER

I am the shipmaster

THE GUITAR PLAYER

Who are you

THE SHIPMASTER

I am the shipmaster

short pause

I told you

and I’ve told you so many times

and you’ve asked me about it

so many times

Why can’t you remember it

That I’m the shipmaster

THE GUITAR PLAYER

You are the shipmaster

THE SHIPMASTER

Yes

yes as I said

quite short pause

and now I’ve said it again

And I don’t mind saying it one more time

I am the shipmaster

Quite short pause

And now

quite short pause

now you’ll remember it

and you won’t ask again

you remember it now

don’t you

THE GUITAR PLAYER

I’ll remember it now

You are the shipmaster

quite short pause

you’re the master of ships

THE SHIPMASTER

Yes

yes that’s right

I’m the master of ships

Short pause

I’m the master

of this ship

THE GUITAR PLAYER

But is this a ship

THE SHIPMASTER

Yes

THE GUITAR PLAYER

But there’s no sea here

THE SHIPMASTER

We’re on the sea

we’re on board a ship

THE GUITAR PLAYER

No

no this can’t be a ship

And we’re not on the sea

THE SHIPMASTER

Yes

yes we are

We’re on a ship

We’re on the sea

Pause

Or

pause

or

pause

or perhaps we’re not perhaps

pause

or

pause

or are you and I

the only ones here

Pause

No

no of course not

I did tell you

quite short pause

yes that we’re on board a ship

And I am the shipmaster

And there are many people here

Quite short pause

It’s a big ship

And on a big ship

there are many people

THE GUITAR PLAYER

And where are the others

THE SHIPMASTER

They are here

they’ll come soon

Quite short pause

Because they are here

THE GUITAR PLAYER

But they’re not here now

THE SHIPMASTER

They are here

quite short pause

they’re on board the ship

yes

like you and me

THE GUITAR PLAYER

Yes

Short pause

But I don’t see anyone

THE SHIPMASTER

They’re here just the same

quite short pause

there are many here

there are many many here

quite short pause

it’s not only you and me

who are here

if that’s what you think

quite short pause

your mother and your father

are here

yes for instance

quite short pause

and my mother

and my father

are here

quite short pause

many

many

all

quite short pause

yes some people are here

THE GUITAR PLAYER

It’s not like that

it’s only you and me

who are here

THE SHIPMASTER

And you think that’s what it’s like

THE GUITAR PLAYER

Yes

THE SHIPMASTER

Yes okay

Pause. A woman (The Woman) enters, stops, stands and down

THE GUITAR PLAYER

That’s what it’s like

it’s just you and me here

No one else

THE SHIPMASTER

I hear what you’re saying

THE GUITAR PLAYER

Of course you do

Short pause

But

quite short pause

yes which ship are we on

which ship are you the master of

An older man (The Older Man) enters, stops, stands and looks down

THE SHIPMASTER

I’m the master of this ship

Short pause

THE GUITAR PLAYER

This ship

THE SHIPMASTER

Yes

THE GUITAR PLAYER

So this is a ship

THE SHIPMASTER

I’ve told you

I told you just now

THE GUITAR PLAYER

Yes

quite short pause

but still

THE SHIPMASTER

Yes

Pause

THE GUITAR PLAYER

Can we talk about something else

THE SHIPMASTER

About what

THE GUITAR PLAYER

I don’t know

Where the others are for instance

THE SHIPMASTER

Where the others are

THE GUITAR PLAYER

Yes

THE SHIPMASTER

The others are around

THE GUITAR PLAYER

Yes exactly

We are here

you and I

no one else is here

Yet there are others here somehow

somewhere around

And somehow

yes

we’re on a ship

Short pause

But you’ve been on board many ships

An older woman (The Older Woman) enters, stops, stands and looks down

THE SHIPMASTER

Yes

THE GUITAR PLAYER

You’ve been the master of many ships

THE SHIPMASTER

Yes

Short pause

THE GUITAR PLAYER

Sailing on the seven seas

THE SHIPMASTER

Yes

quite short pause

yes on the seven seas

THE GUITAR PLAYER

But now you’re here

quite short pause

yes I mean

here

here where I am

And it’s not a ship

THE SHIPMASTER

Yes I’m here

THE GUITAR PLAYER

And you’re the master of ships

that sail the seven seas

THE SHIPMASTER

Yes I am

THE GUITAR PLAYER

But you can’t do that here

THE SHIPMASTER

But we are on a ship

we are on the sea

Quite short pause

THE GUITAR PLAYER

But there’s no sea here

And this is no ship

THE SHIPMASTER

Well then

THE GUITAR PLAYER

hesitates

Well

quite short pause

yes

yes perhaps we are on a sea

perhaps this is the sea

becomes happy

because we’re on the sea

right

isn’t that right

Quite short pause

Perhaps that’s how it is

Quite short pause

THE SHIPMASTER

Yes

yes that’s how it is

THE GUITAR PLAYER

Yes

THE SHIPMASTER

That’s what the sea’s like

THE GUITAR PLAYER

Yes

quite short pause

yes perhaps that’s how it is

THE SHIPMASTER

We’re on the sea

We’re on a ship

Or perhaps we’re not

Because there’s no one else here

quite short pause

and on a ship

there are many people

THE GUITAR PLAYER

questioningly

There’s no one else here

THE SHIPMASTER

No

quite short pause

or perhaps

perhaps there are some others here

THE GUITAR PLAYER

But you just said

that that there were many here

that’s what you said

and you said

yes yes that we were on the sea

I don’t understand you

It was you who said we were on the sea

that we were on board a ship

You were so sure

just now

quite short pause

and then

yes finally

yes I believed you

yes I believed we were on the sea

that we were on board a ship

THE SHIPMASTER

Yes

Pause

And we are

We are on a ship

That’s how it is

I’m the shipmaster

and now we’re on the sea

And if you want

I can tell you where on the sea we are

how far north we are

how far east we are

THE GUITAR PLAYER

Are we northbound

I thought we were southbound

THE SHIPMASTER

You should know things like that

not think

Short pause. A man (The Man) enters, stops, stands and looks down

Haven’t you been

on the sea before

THE GUITAR PLAYER

No

quite short pause

no I haven’t

THE SHIPMASTER

Yet you were so sure

that this is not the sea

THE GUITAR PLAYER

Yes

THE SHIPMASTER

You shouldn’t have been

so sure about it

The Shipmaster and The Guitar Player move further away from each other. Long pause. The Shipmaster talks into space

I am the shipmaster

Pause

I am the master of ships

big ships

quite short pause

I have sailed ships

across the seven seas

big ships

little ships

quite short pause

through storms and calm waters

THE GUITAR PLAYER

talks into space

Do you like the sea

THE SHIPMASTER

I like the sea

and I don’t like it

THE GUITAR PLAYER

Don’t you want to talk about it

THE SHIPMASTER

Yes

yes of course

THE GUITAR PLAYER

So answer me

say one or the other

THE SHIPMASTER

I like the sea

THE GUITAR PLAYER

Why do you like it

THE SHIPMASTER

It’s not possible to say

why I like it

THE GUITAR PLAYER

Why not

THE SHIPMASTER

Because the sea’s not like that

quite short pause

the sea is

yes

yes not something you like or don’t like

yes in a way

the sea is just something that is

quite short pause

and it is

yes a little like I am myself

it’s as calm and happy and beautiful

yes as the calm sea

can only be

and then it’s

tricky and tough

and furious

yes as only the sea can be

quite short pause

and then

yes quite commonly

it’s grey and cross

and minding its own business

quite short pause

yes that’s the way of the sea

THE GUITAR PLAYER

And is it like that here

THE SHIPMASTER

No

THE GUITAR PLAYER

But still

yes this place does look like

the sea

still we are on the sea

THE SHIPMASTER

Yes it does

Yes we are on the sea