The Collected Shorter Plays (29 page)

NOTES

Light

Subdued on chair. Rest of stage dark.

Subdued spot on face constant throughout, unaffected by successive fades. Either wide enough to include narrow limits of rock or concentrated on face when still or at mid-rock. Then throughout speech face slightly swaying in and out of light. Opening fade-up: first spot on face alone, long pause, then light on chair.

Final fade-out: first chair, long pause with spot on face alone, head slowly sinks, come to rest, fade out spot.

W

Prematurely old. Unkempt grey hair. Huge eyes in white expressionless face. White hands holding ends of armrests.

Eyes

Now closed, now open in unblinking gaze. About equal proportions section 1, increasingly closed 2 and 3, closed for good halfway through 4.

Costume

Black lacy high-necked evening gown. Long sleeves. Jet sequins to glitter when rocking. Incongruous flimsy head-dress set askew with extravagant trimming to catch light when rocking.

Attitude

Completely still till fade-out of chair. Then in light of spot head slowly inclined.

Chair

Pale wood highly polished to gleam when rocking. Footrest. Vertical back. Rounded inward curving arms to suggest embrace.

Rock

Slight. Slow. Controlled mechanically without assistance from W.

Voice

Towards end of 4, say from “saying to herself” on, gradually softer. Lines in italics spoken by W with V. A little softer each time. W’s “more” a little softer each time.

W:
Woman in chair
.

V:
Her recorded voice
.

Fade up on W in rocking-chair facing front downstage slightly off centre audience left
.

Long pause
.

W
More.
[
Pause. Rock and voice together
.]

V
till in the end
the day came
in the end came
close of a long day
when she said
to herself
whom else
time she stopped
time she stopped
going to and fro
all eyes
all sides
high and low
for another
another like herself
another creature like herself
a little like
going to and fro
all eyes
all sides
high and low
for another
till in the end
close of a long day
to herself
whom else
time she stopped
time she stopped
going to and fro
all eyes
all sides
high and low
for another
another living soul
going to and fro
all eyes like herself
all sides
high and low
for another
another like herself
a little like
going to and fro
till in the end
close of a long day
to herself
whom else
time she stopped
going to and fro
time she stopped
time she stopped
[
Together: echo of “time she stopped,” coming to rest of rock, faint fade of light. Long pause
.]

W
More.
[
Pause. Rock and voice together
.]

V
so in the end
close of a long day
went back in
in the end went back in
saying to herself
whom else
time she stopped
time she stopped
going to and fro
time she went and sat
at her window
quiet at her window
facing other windows
so in the end
close of a long day
in the end went and sat
went back in and sat
at her window
let up the blind and sat
quiet at her window
only window
facing other windows
other only windows
all eyes
all sides
high and low
for another
at her window
another like herself
a little like
another living soul
one other living soul
at her window
gone in like herself
gone back in
in the end
close of a long day
saying to herself
whom else
time she stopped
time she stopped
going to and fro
time she went and sat
at her window
quiet at her window
only window
facing other windows
other only windows
all eyes
all sides
high and low
for another
another like herself
a little like
another living soul
one other living soul
[
Together: echo of “living soul,” coming to rest of rock, faint fade of light. Long pause
.]

W
More.
[
Pause. Rock and voice together
.]

V
till in the end
the day came
in the end came
close of a long day
sitting at her window
quiet at her window
only window
facing other windows
other only windows
all blinds down
never one up
hers alone up
till the day came
in the end came
close of a long day
sitting at her window
quiet at her window
all eyes
all sides
high and low
for a blind up
one blind up
no more
never mind a face
behind the pane
famished eyes
like hers
to see
be seen
no
a blind up
like hers
a little like
one blind up no more
another creature there
somewhere there
behind the pane
another living soul
one other living soul
till the day came
in the end came
close of a long day
when she said
to herself
whom else
time she stopped
time she stopped
sitting at her window
quiet at her window
only window
facing other windows
other only windows
all eyes
all sides
high and low
time she stopped
time she stopped
[
Together: echo of “time she stopped,” coming to rest of rock, faint fade of light
.
Long pause
.]

W
More.
[
Pause. Rock and voice together
.]

V
so in the end
close of a long day
went down
in the end went down
down the steep stair
let down the blind and down
right down
into the old rocker
mother rocker
where mother rocked
all the years
all in black
best black
sat and rocked
rocked
till her end came
in the end came
off her head they said
gone off her head
but harmless
no harm in her
dead one day
no
night
dead one night
in the rocker
in her best black
head fallen
and the rocker rocking
rocking away
so in the end
close of a long day
went down
in the end went down
down the steep stair
let down the blind and down
right down
into the old rocker
those arms at last
and rocked
rocked
with closed eyes
closing eyes
she so long all eyes
famished eyes
all sides
high and low
to and fro
at her window
to see
be seen
till in the end
close of a long day
to herself
whom else
time she stopped
let down the blind and stopped
time she went down
down the steep stair
time she went right down
was her own other
own other living soul
so in the end
close of a long day
went down
let down the blind and down
right down
into the old rocker
and rocked
rocked
saying to herself
no
done with that
the rocker
those arms at last
saying to the rocker
rock her off
stop her eyes
fuck life
stop her eyes
rock her off
rock her off

[
Togetber: echo of “rock her off,” coming to rest of rock, slow fade out
.]

L = Listener
.

R = Reader
.

As alike in appearance as possible
.

Light on table midstage. Rest of stage in darkness
.

Plain white deal table say 8’
×
4’
.

Two plain armless white deal chairs
.

L seated at table facing front towards end of long side audience right. Bowed head propped on right hand. Face hidden. Left hand on table. Long black coat
.

Long white hair
.

R seated at table in profile centre of short side audience right. Bowed head propped on right hand. Left hand on table. Book on table before him open at last pages. Long black coat. Long white hair
.

Black wide-brimmed hat at centre of table
.

Fade up
.

Ten seconds
.

R turns page
.

Pause
.

R
[
reading
]
Little is left to tell. In a last—
[
L knocks with left hand on table
.]
Little is left to tell.
[
Pause. Knock
.]
In a last attempt to obtain relief he moved from where they had been so long together to a single room on the far bank. From its single window he could see the downstream extremity of the Isle of Swans.
[
Pause
.]
Relief he had hoped would flow from unfamiliarity.
Unfamiliar room. Unfamiliar scene. Out to where nothing ever shared. Back to where nothing ever shared. From this he had once half hoped some measure of relief might flow.
[
Pause
.]
Day after day he could be seen slowly pacing the islet. Hour after hour. In his long black coat no matter what the weather and old world Latin Quarter hat. At the tip he would always pause to dwell on the receding stream. How in joyous eddies its two arms conflowed and flowed united on. Then turn and his slow steps retrace.
[
Pause
.]
In his dreams—
[
Knock
.]
Then turn and his slow steps retrace.
[
Pause. Knock
.]
In his dreams he had been warned against this change. Seen the dear face and heard the unspoken words, Stay where we were so long alone together, my shade will comfort you.
[
Pause
.]
Could he not—
[
Knock
.]
Seen the dear face and heard the unspoken words, Stay where we were so long alone together, my shade will comfort you.
[
Pause. Knock
.]
Could he not now turn back? Acknowledge his error and return to where they were once so long alone together. Alone together so much shared. No. What he had done alone could not be undone. Nothing he had ever done alone could ever be undone. By him alone.
[
Pause
.]
In this extremity his old terror of night laid hold on him again. After so long a lapse that as if never been. [
Pause. Looks closer
.] Yes, after so long a lapse that as if never been. Now with redoubled force the fearful symptoms described at length page forty paragraph four. [
Starts to turn back the pages. Checked by L’s left hand. Resumes relinquished page
.] White nights now again his portion. As when his heart was young. No sleep no braving sleep till—[
turns page
]—dawn of day.
[
Pause
.]
Little is left to tell. One night—
[
Knock
.]
Little is left to tell.
[
Pause. Knock
.]
One night as he sat trembling head in hands from head to foot a man appeared to him and said, I have been sent by—and here he named the dear name—to comfort you. Then drawing a worn volume from the pocket of his long black coat he sat and read till dawn. Then disappeared without a word.
[
Pause
.]
Some time later he appeared again at the same hour with the same volume and this time without preamble sat and read it through again the long night through. Then disappeared without a word.
[
Pause
.]
So from time to time unheralded he would appear to read the sad tale through again and the long night away. Then disappear without a word.
[
Pause
.]
With never a word exchanged they grew to be as one.
[
Pause
.]
Till the night came at last when having closed the book and dawn at hand he did not disappear but sat on without a word.
[
Pause
.]
Finally he said, I have had word from—and here he named the dear name—that I shall not come again. I saw the dear face and heard the unspoken words, No need to go to him again, even were it in your power.
[
Pause
.]
So the sad—
[
Knock
.]
Saw the dear face and heard the unspoken words, No need to go to him again, even were it in your power.
[
Pause. Knock
.]
So the sad tale a last time told they sat on as though turned to stone. Through the single window dawn shed no light. From the street no sound of reawakening. Or was it that buried in who knows what thoughts they paid no heed? To light of day. To sound of reawakening. What thoughts who knows. Thoughts, no, not thoughts. Profounds of mind. Buried in who knows what profounds of mind. Of mindlessness. Whither no light can reach. No sound. So sat on as though turned to stone. The sad tale a last time told.
[
Pause
.]
Nothing is left to tell.
[
Pause
. R
makes to close book
.
Knock. Book half closed
.]
Nothing is left to tell.
[
Pause
. R
closes book
.
Knock
.
Silence. Five seconds
.
Simultaneously they lower their right hands to table, raise their heads and look at each other. Unblinking. Expressionless:
Ten seconds
.
Fade out
.]

A piece for four players, light and percussion
.

The players (1, 2, 3, 4) pace the given area, each following his particular course
.

Area: square. Length of side: 6 paces
.