GLENN SEVILLA MAS
In the Land of the Giants
The sound of a train door closing is heard. The train leaves. In moments, the sound dies out as the train speeds away.
Lalaki slowly approaches Nanay. He has with him a transparent and empty suitcase. A moment of silence takes place as the two face each other.
NANAY So I guess you are really going. Have a safe trip then, Stanley. And take care of yourself. You will,
of course, write, won’t you, Stanley?
LALAKI Of course, ‘Nay. Of course, I will write. And take care of yourself, too.
And Lalaki slowly walks away. In a while …
NANAY I will wait for your letters, Stanley!
But Lalaki no longer hears Nanay. She stares at him sadly.
VOICE-OVER All passengers bound for Manila, please proceed to the departure area immediately. All passengers
bound for Manila, please proceed to the departure area immediately. Thank you.
Lalaki goes around the stage silently. Several people hand over mementos to him as he passes by them. As they hand over the items, they say, “So you won’t forget.” Lalaki silently accepts the mementos and carefully places them inside his suitcase. The mementos include a small statue of the Santo Niño; a prayer book in Kinaray-a, the native language of the province of Antique; a Bagtasun-woven tubaw; a pack of muscovado sugar; and rich brown earth placed inside a transparent bottle. At the end of the line, Bata hands over his ruined kite to Lalaki. Lalaki stares at it and then carefully places it inside his suitcase. Bata exits. Lalaki watches him leave the performance area. In a while, he bids everyone goodbye and moves on.
VOICE-OVER Ladies and gentlemen, please direct your attention to our cabin crew as they demonstrate to you
the safety procedures of this aircraft.
While the procedures are read, Kalaguyo slowly approaches Lalaki.
LALAKI (Softly.)
Maghimaya ikaw, Mariya
magkalipay ikaw, buta ikaw ti grasya
ang Ginuong D’yos rugyan kanimo.
Nahamut-an ikaw labaw sa tanan nga mga babayi
kag nahamut-an man ang bunga
kang imo busong nga si Hisus …
(Hail Mary
full of grace
the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women.
and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus …)
That was my first flight ever, Mila. So I was tense while we were preparing for takeoff.
(Softly.)
Santa Mariya, nanay kang Dyos
ipangamuyo mo kami nga mga makasasala
kadya kag sa tion kang amun kamatayun.
(Holy Mary, mother of God
pray for us, sinners
now and at the hour of our death.)
It was an early morning flight from Iloilo to Manila, the first of several that will take me to
America. I remember that flight vividly.
VOICE-OVER Ladies and gentlemen, please make sure that your seatbelts are securely fastened. We will take-off
in a very short while. Thank you.
LALAKI I remember staring out the window a few seconds before takeoff. I remember seeing a group of
people just outside the airport terminal. I remember seeing them waving at the plane. They were
bidding us goodbye. And then …
Tatay, with the black cloth still draped over him, slowly enters the performance area.
LALAKI (With urgency.) I peered closer and immediately scanned the waving people’s features in a
desperate attempt to identify the hand, the face, the figure that I knew so well from childhood.
Where is he? Which one is he? So you made good on your promise, didn’t you, ‘Tay? Because
you said you’d be there when I take my first flight. I am sorry I didn’t become a pilot but this is
the best I could do. And I am on a plane, am I not? That’s why you came. You came to see me
off. But please! Which one are you? Which one are you, ‘Tay? Which one are you? ‘Tay!
Lalaki drops to his knees. Kalaguyo cradles him gently. Tatay exits.
The rushing sound of an approaching Metro train is heard. In moments, the train stops.
VOICE-OVER Yellow line train bound for Huntington. This is Archives-Navy Memorial. Please stand clear of the
doors. Thank you.
The sound of a train door opening is heard.
VOICE-OVER Doors open. The next stop is L’Enfant Plaza. Please stand clear of the doors. Thank you. Doors
closing.
The sound of a train door closing is heard. The train leaves. In moments, the sound dies out as the train speeds away. Kalaguyo hugs Lalaki tighter as the latter struggles for air.
KALAGUYO Ssshhhh … It’s okay, Stanley. It’s okay. I’m here now.
The soft strains of “Ili-ili, Tulog Anay” are heard as Nanay starts sewing a blanket in her space.
NANAY I have started sewing again, Stanley. It keeps my mind off things. How are you? I hope things are
well and you are not having too many problems there in America. Have you met any Filipinos
already? I hope you have and I hope they are nice to you. Do not forget to hear mass every
Sunday, Stanley. I go to mass here every Sunday myself and I always ask the Lord to look out for
you there. And if you have time, please write to me soon. And please send me some pictures, too.
So I won’t miss you too much. Love, Nanay.
Lalaki gets up and hurriedly walks around the performance area. A group of people calls out after him.
TAUMBAYAN 1 Please check Mr. Whatley in Room 736. His wife left for home an hour ago so he needs to have
someone check on him every thirty minutes.
TAUMBAYAN 2 (Overlapping.) Where is Susan? I am sorry but I cannot have anybody else doing my injections. I
purposely told the head nurse about that four days ago! Where is she? Can you please get her for
me?
TAUMBAYAN 3 (Overlapping.) Excuse me. What time is Dr. Jenkins arriving today? I need to ask him about the
results of my X-ray exam yesterday. Can you please find that out for me? And kindly inform me
the moment you know, all right?
TAUMBAYAN 4 (Overlapping.) The patient in Room 714 has been buzzing the station several times now. Check on
him the moment you finish doing Mrs. Schuberts’s chart, okay?
TAUMBAYAN 2 (Overlapping.) What do you mean, she’s not on duty today? Susan is always here Mondays,
Wednesdays and Fridays! I asked her about her schedule last week and that’s what she told me! I
cannot have anybody else doing my injections! I want to talk to the head nurse now! Will you
please tell the head nurse I want to talk to her now? Please! Now!
Lalaki says his next lines while trying his best to attend to the group’s requests. The group, on the other hand, becomes agitated and all five persons now say their lines simultaneously.
LALAKI I miss you, too, ‘Nay. Don’t worry about me here. My head nurse is a Filipino, too, so she helps
me get used to my new life here. Work is tiring but the hours go by fast. I will soon send you
some money through Western Union. America is ...
Nanay just goes on sewing because she cannot hear Lalaki. In his frustration, Lalaki summons the monster from his childhood. The monster noisily enters the performance area and with Lalaki leading him on, charges toward the group. Scared, all five persons run for their lives. The monster exits. Lalaki composes himself. In a while …
LALAKI I miss you, too, ‘Nay. Don’t worry about me here. My head nurse is a Filipino, too, so she helps
me get used to my new life here. Work is tiring but the hours go by fast. I will soon send you
some money through Western Union. America is really beautiful. I am now eagerly looking
forward to December so I can already experience snow. I will, of course, send you pictures of it.
Please take care of yourself. Love, Stanley.
This time, Nanay hears Lalaki. She answers him while still sewing in her space.
NANAY I’m happy to hear everything is working out well for you there, Stanley. Do send me those
pictures so I can also see how beautiful America really is. Love, Nanay.
Lalaki silently watches Nanay. In a while, the rhythmic beat of the play’s opening scene is faintly heard. Lalaki listens to it and searches for the ati. He couldn’t find them. Kalaguyo approaches him.
KALAGUYO Stanley ... Have you … I mean, you look … Don’t you think you should …
LALAKI (Distractedly.) What?
KALAGUYO I mean, you’re in the hospital most days of the week, anyway, so I thought it might be a good idea
to … you know … visit a …
The drum beat fades out.
LALAKI I’m fine. (A beat.) Nothing’s wrong with me. I’m just tired.
A moment of silence.
LALAKI Really, Mila. I’m fine.
Kalaguyo just stares at Lalaki. In a while, she turns away and slowly starts walking around the performance area. Lalaki watches her. The distant tolling of church bells is heard.
KALAGUYO Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It’s been weeks since my last confession.
The performance area is suddenly thrown into darkness. Then, thunder roars and lightning strikes.
KALAGUYO I haven’t been a very good wife lately, Father. These past few days, I have done nothing but think
of a hundred different ways to get rid of my husband.
Asawa suddenly bolts out of his space and goes after Kalaguyo. Kalaguyo notices him so she moves faster. She starts using the other people on stage as barriers.
KALAGUYO I can no longer recognize the man I married, Father. The man I married was very gentle and
loving. But the man I am with now, Father, is everything but that. He changed weeks after the
wedding ceremony. First, he started raising his voice. Then, he couldn’t control his hands and he
hit me everywhere, Father.
Thunder again roars and lightning strikes. Asawa increases his pace. Kalaguyo breaks into a run.
KALAGUYO Last night, he slapped me again. He slapped me because earlier in the day, he saw me talking and
laughing with a male friend. He slapped me so hard I lost consciousness, Father. When I came to,
he was cradling me gently in his arms and he was crying. He was crying so hard and he was
telling me how sorry he was! He said he was sorry because he couldn’t control himself. The man
I married could not control himself, Father! That’s why he hit me!
Kalaguyo tries hard to lose Asawa but he is relentless in his pursuit.
KALAGUYO I cannot take it anymore, Father. I will go crazy if I continue staying with him in the same house.
I have to do something, Father. I have to do something or I will go crazy! Tell me what to do,
Father. Tell me what to do and I will listen. I will listen to you and I will follow your advice,
Father! Help me. Help me, Father! Please!
At this point, Asawa is about to grab Kalaguyo so she screams.
LALAKI Mila!
Lightning strikes and the performance area is suddenly lit with the brightest light. Asawa screams and covers his eyes. He reluctantly moves back to his space. Thunder roars as Lalaki and Kalaguyo face each other. Lights out.
Monday, September 1, 2008
First Snow of November
ALFONSO DACANAY
First Snow of November
THE AUTHOR HOLDS THE COPYRIGHT TO THIS PLAY. THIS IS POSTED WITH PERMISSION FROM THE AUTHOR. FOR INQUIRIES ON HOW TO SECURE THE PLAYWRIGHT'S PERMISSION TO STAGE THIS PLAY, PLEASE E-MAIL HIM AT THIS ADDRESS.
THIS IS PART OF THE LITERATURA READING SERIES | CLICK HERE TO GO BACK TO LITERATURA
Adapted from the short story “The Day the Dancers Came ” by Bienvenido N. Santos
THE CHARACTERS
FIL ACAYAN 70 (1980) and 50 (1960) years old. Has frequent memory lapses.
TONY BATALLER 55 years old. Fil’s flatmate. Has an inexplicable skin ailment.
THE DANCERS They are between 18 to 21 years old. They number between 8 and 12, and divided equally
between boys and girls.
THE SETTING
The play will begin and end in the living room of a Chicago nursing home, but everything else in between will take place in a small apartment and a hotel hobby. It’s up to the director, the production designer and the lighting designer on how they will show this. They may use a minimalist approach.
THE TIME
The play will begin and end in 1980, but everything else in between will take place in 1960. This could be presented through the use of songs: Christopher Cross’s “Sailing” for 1980 and Henry Mancini & Johnny Mercer’s “Moon River” for 1960. It’s up to the musical director or sound director on how they will show this.
Lights fade in on stage. The living room of a nursing home appears. It is clean and orderly, but without people, save for one man: FIL. He sits beside a table, and above it are several cassette tapes and a portable tape recorder. The song “Sailing” (or any appropriate song the musical or sound director chooses to use) can be heard from it, but briefly, softly. It’s on radio mode. FIL switches it to tape mode. He puts a tape inside the deck and plays it.
FIL (Thinks. To himself.) The door at the post office, opening and closing.
He stops the recorder. He ejects the tape, puts in another one, and plays it.
(Thinks. Irritated.) The bathroom faucet, leaking no end.
He stops the recorder. He ejects the tape, puts in another one, and plays it.
(Thinks. Briefly laughs.) I’m hiding behind a tree at the time. Two of them, lovers,
rowing a boat along the coast of Lake Michigan.
He stops the recorder. He ejects the tape, puts in another one, and plays it.
(Thinks. Smiles.) Mr. Herschell’s granddaughter, the one with the rosy cheeks.
What’s her name again? Ah oo, Lucy!
He stops the recorder. He ejects the tape, puts in another one, and plays it.
(Thinks. Becomes sad.) Last month’s rain—or the month before?
He stops the recorder. He ejects the tape, puts in another one, and plays it.
(Thinks longer than usual.) While I was sleeping? No, I snore. Teka. When I visited
Tony? (Shakes his head.) What is this? How annoying. (A beat. Talks as though he’s
speaking to someone.) When I started this, I thought: if I recorded a thing, a sound,
and afterwards play it, would I remember the day, the year, what I felt when I first
recorded it? And I would remember it. How good it is to remember. (Pause.) But, as
time passed, I started using my “magic sound mirror” (Glances at the recorder.) more
and more. I used it once a week then. Now, it’s everyday.
He suddenly hears a gust of wind from the tape recorder.
(Face brightens.) I know! The wind that brought the first snow of November! (Laughs
like a child. Slowly becomes quiet and smiles.) First snow of November. They came
when the snow first fell that month. Ten—no, wait—twenty years have passed since
then. Tony was still here then. We were livingin a small apartment here in Chicago. I
was so excited to see them. It’s like they came just for me. Only for me.
While FIL speaks, the nursing home is transformed into his and TONY’s apartment. (This can be done through the shifting of lights.) Morning. The apartment is colorless; so are FIL’s clothes. He seems as if he is going somehwere. The song “Moon River” (or any appropriate song the musical or sound director chooses to use) is heard from the tape recorder. He stands up and begins cleaning and fixing up the furnishings. He does this over and over. There is a room in a corner. TONY is inside, sleeping.
(Looks outside the window and notices the snow. Smiles.) Snow! It’s snowing!
TONY (Wakes up.) What’s that?
FIL It’s snowing! Diyos ko, they’ll love this, they’ll love this.
TONY (Irritated.) Who’d love that?
FIL The dancers, of course. They’re arriving today. Maybe they have already arrived. They
will walk in the snow and love it. Their very first snow, I’m sure.
TONY How do you know it wasn’t snowing in New York while they were there?
FIL Snow in New York in early November? Are you crazy?
TONY Who’s crazy? Ever since you heard of those dancers from the Philippines, you’ve been
acting nuts. As if they’re coming just for you. (Laughs softly.)
TONY comes out of the room. He’s in white. His face and hands are whitening, as though the skin is slowly peeling off, or slowly recovering from various burns. He looks as though he didn’t sleep all night.
(Looks at his hands.) I’m becoming a white man. (Laughs softly.)
FIL (As though insulted by TONY’s laugh.) I know who’s crazy. It’s the sick guy with the
sick thoughts. Ikaw. You don’t care for nothing but your pain, your imaginary pain.
TONY You’re the imagining fellow. I got the real thing. Look, Fil, look! (Goes to FIL and
shows him his hands.) God, what have I retired for?
FIL You’re old, man, old, that’s what, and sick, yes, but not cancer. (Walks towards the
window and watches the snow fall.)
TONY I know what I got. (Face slightly crumples in pain.) Never a pain like this. One day,
I’m just gonna die.
FIL Naturally. Who says you won’t? (Keeps quiet, as if trying to remember something.) All
of us will die. One day, a medium bomb marked Chicago will fall here and this whole
dump is tapus, finished. Who’ll escape then?
TONY (Walks towards the window.) Maybe your dancers will. (Watches the snow.)
FIL Of course, they will. The bombs won’t be falling on this night. And when the dancers
are back in the Philippines—(Pause. In a sad voice.) But maybe, even in the Philippines
the bombs gonna fall, ano?
TONY What’s that to you? You’ve got no more folks over there, right? I know it’s nothing
to me. I’ll be dead before that.
FIL (Face saddens.) Let’s talk about something nice. (Forces a smile.) Tell me, how will I
talk, how am I going to introduce myself?
TONY remains silent. FIL stares at him.
Walanghiya, I wish I had your looks, even with those white spots, then I could face
every one of them, but this—(Holds his face.)
TONY That’s the important thing, your face. It’s your calling card. It says: Filipino, countryman.
FIL You’re not fooling me, kaibigan. (Holds his face again.) This says: Ugly Filipino.
Oldtimer. Muchacho. Pinoy. Bejo.
TONY It also says: stupid fool! Why do you want to invite them? And here, of all places? Aren’t
you ashamed of this dump?
FIL It’s not a palace, I know. But who wants a palace when they can have the most
delicious adobo here and the best chicken relleno? Yum, yum!
TONY Yum, yum, you’re crazy. Plain and simple crazy. Look, you’ve been living on loose
change all your life, Filemon Acayan, and now on a treasury warrant so small and full
of holes, you still want to spend for these dancing kids who don’t know you and won’t
even send you a card afterwards?
FIL Never mind the cards, Antonio Bataller. Who wants them? But don’t you see, they’ll
be happy; and then, you know what? I’m going to keep their voices, their words, their
singing and their laughter in my “magic sound mirror.” (Points to the recorder.) Halika.
Listen.
FIL goes to the tape recorder. He ejects the tape from the deck and puts in another one. He plays it. Their voices are heard:
Aba, you look sharp tonight, Tony Bataller. Where will the sharp-stinged bee land
tonight, eh?
TONY On my favorite calachuchi, my favorite flower. (Laughs maliciously.)
FIL Take me along with you, kaibigan.
TONY Look for your own flower. (Laughs maliciously.)
FIL (In a sour voice.) Titi mo!
FIL stops the recorder.
TONY God, I can’t believe you even recorded that.
FIL (Looks out the window.) Go on, snow. Keep it up. Blanket the whole of Chicago.
(Looks at TONY.) I’m going out very soon. As soon as they accept my invitation, I’ll
call you up. You don’t have to do anything, but I’d want you to be here to meet them.
TONY I’m going out myself. I don’t know what time I’ll be back. (Pause.) You’re not working
today. Are you on leave?
FIL (Nods.) For two days. While the dancers are here.
TONY It still don’t make sense to me. But good luck, anyway.
FIL Aren’t you going to see them tonight? Our reserved seats are right out in front, you know.
TONY I know. But I’m not sure if I can come.
FIL Ano? You’re not sure?
TONY I want to, but I’m sick, Fil. I tell you. I’m not feeling so good. My doctor will know
today. He’ll tell me.
FIL What will he tell you?
TONY How should I know?
FIL I mean, what’s he trying to find out?
TONY (A beat.) If it’s cancer.
TONY frowns, as if something is hurting his stomach. He holds it. FIL quickly attempts to help him. TONY refuses his help and returns to his room. FIL follows until he reaches the door.
FIL (As though he’s talking to someone.) Tony had been sick for two years then. He had
consulted so many doctors, yet none of them could tell him for sure what his illness was.
I didn’t know if that doctor had something new to say to him that day. (Silence. As if
trying to remember something.) Back then, I often heard him groaning at night. It only
stopped when he called for me and I would ask him: What’s happening to you, Tony?
But afterwards, he would scream in pain. Even if he buried his face in his pillow, I could
still hear him. He would shoo me away if I ran to his side. At other times, I would see him
in bed, his posture like that of a fetus. (A beat.) Like a fetus inside a bottle filled with
formaldehyde. I would see that bottle everyday when I was still working at the hospital.
I often had nightmares about it. It only stopped when I became a special policeman at
the post office.
TONY (From the room.) Can I borrow your sweater, Fil? I can’t find mine.
FIL (Returns to his senses.) Oo, sure! (Looks at his clothes. Fixes himself immediately.) Well,
I’ll be seeing you. Try to be home on time. I shall invite the dancers for lunch or dinner
maybe, tomorrow. But tonight, let’s go to the theater, ha?
TONY I can’t promise, Fil. But I’ll try.
FIL (As though he’s talking to someone.) That’s what he said. He’ll try. (Pause.) I tried to
invite the dancers that morning. I went to the hotel where they were staying. The—what’s
the name again?—wait—ah! That’s it! (Smiles.) The Hamilton!
While FIL speaks, the apart0ment transforms into the hotel lobby. (This can be done through the shifting of lights.) Everything in the lobby is colorful. The DANCERS enter one by one. Their clothes are colorful and gleaming. They are divided into four groups, depending on their number. Some are sitting; the rest are standing. All of them talk in English and are taking pictures of one another.
I saw them at once when I entered the lobby. At first I thought I was running out of
breath from what I saw. I thought I had died and went straight to heaven. They were
so young and beautiful, especially the girls. Oh, I forgot how beautiful Filipinas are. I
wanted to look away, but their loveliness held me. I closed my eyes instead. Their
laughter grew louder in my ears, but they were not the only ones I heard. The melody
of the rondalla playing at fiesta time. The pealing of the bells after the Simbang Gabi. The
wind slapping against the ricestalks in the fields.
A pause. FIL suddenly comes to his senses. He takes a deep breath, and again and again until he calms down. He smiles constantly at the DANCERS. They smile back, but briefly. He tries to greet and talk to them. But he becomes tongue-tied or acts as though something is covering his mouth at every attempt. He notices that he’s at the center of the lobby and becomes conscious. A DANCER comes his way. FIL extends his hand. He looks at it carefully, finds it ugly, then withdraws it. He touches every part of his face. He becomes embarrassed.
(To himself.) I wish you were here, Tony. You’ll know what to do. I’m sure you’ll
charm them with your smile and with your words. (Pause.) Naku, what am I going to do?
FIL glances at his wristwatch. He becomes tense. He looks around. He sees a vacant chair. He looks at it for some time, and seems as though he’s silently debating with himself. (A single stagelight slowly fades in on him.) He takes a deep breath. He goes to the chair and stands on it. The DANCERS will not notice him.
(In an oratorical voice.) Beloved countrymen, lovely children of the Pearl of the Orient
Seas, listen to me. I’m Fil Acayan. I’ve come to volunteer my services. I’m yours to
command. Your servant. Tell me where you wish to go, what you want to see in Chicago.
I know every foot of the lakeshore drive, all the gardens and the parks, the museums,
the huge department stores, the planetarium. Let me be your guide. That’s what I’m
offering you, a free tour of Chicago, and finally, dinner at my apartment on West Sheridan
Road—pork adobo and chicken relleno, name your dish. How about it, paisanos?
The DANCERS stare at FIL blankly, as though they don’t understand him. They react in Filipino. He suddenly comes back to his senses. (The single stagelight slowly fades out on him.) He shakes his head. He quickly steps down from the chair and returns to his former spot. He retrieves his handkerchief from his pocket and wipes his face. He looks around. He notices a group of DANCERS. He takes a deep breath, then approaches them.
Magandang umaga. I’m Fil Acayan. May I invite you to my apartment?
The group treats FIL with some respect. They smile, but they look as though they find FIL’s appearance filthy. Two of them speak:
DANCER 1 (Stands up.) Ah, sir… (Looks at his companions.)
DANCER 2 Excuse us, please.
The group walks away from FIL. There are several female DANCERS standing at one corner. They are talking to one another. He approaches them.
FIL May I invite you to my apartment, ladies?
DANCER 3 (Sees FIL’s hand. Tries not to show her disgust.) Thanks for the invitation…
DANCER 4 … but we have no more time. (Slowly pulls her companions away.)
FIL approaches another group of DANCERS. They are sitting in a sofa.
FIL May I take you all for a stroll along the lakeshore drive?
DANCER 5 Lakeshore drive? I know the place! (Turns to her companions.) Everyone, follow me.
(Stands up. Looks at FIL.) Excuse us, please.
The group walks away. FIL looks a little discouraged, but brightens up when a male DANCER seems to be waving at him. He waves back. Someone is tapping FIL’s shoulder. He turns around.
DANCER 6 (Holds a camera.) Could you step aside, sir?
FIL realizes that he’s in the way. He quickly steps aside. He quietly watches them take pictures. He sits in the sofa. A bus is heard in the background. The faces of the DANCERS lighten up and they exit the stage. FIL stays behind. His face shows defeat. The bus is heard moving on and moving away. The lobby shifts back to being the apartment. Afternoon.
FIL (As if talking to someone. Looks and sounds sad.) I told myself then: Let them have fun.
They’re still young and far away from home. I have no business messing up their schedule,
or force myself on them. (Pause.) I didn’t know how I’ll tell Tony of my failure when I
went back to the apartment. But he was not there. I didn’t know why, but I felt sooo tired.
I wanted to explain everything to Tony…
FIL slowly closes his eyes, but he does not lie down. He is dreaming. TONY enters, and looks as if he has some great news. He approaches FIL.
TONY Hey Fil! Listen, I’ve discovered a new way of keeping afloat.
FIL Who wants to keep afloat?
TONY Just in case. In a shipwreck, for example.
FIL Hayaan mo na iyan. I must tell you about the dancers.
TONY But this is important! This way, you can keep floating indefinitely.
FIL What for?
TONY Say in a ship… I mean, in an emergency, you’re stranded without help in the middle of
the Pacific or the Atlantic, you must keep floating till help comes…
FIL Even better, find a way to reach shore before the sharks smell you. You discover that.
TONY (Loses his excitement.) I will.
TONY exits, but FIL speaks as though he’s still there.
FIL There they were, who could have been my children—or yours, Tony—if I—or you—had
not left home. But by the way they had acted earlier, it was as if they had been briefed too
well: Do not talk to strangers. Ignore their invitations. Be extra careful in the big cities
like New York or Chicago. Beware of the oldtimers, the Pinoys. Most of them are bums.
Keep away from them. Make sure you stick together at all times. Entertain only those
who have been introduced to you properly.
(Silence.) What do I have to do? Scream out my good intentions? Beat my breast to prove
to them how harmless I am, how I love them? Oh, but I love them. (Pause.) All I wanted
was to talk to them, guide them around Chicago, spend money on them so that they
would have something special to remember about us here when they return to our country.
They would tell their family and friends—
The DANCERS come out on stage, one by one, before FIL finishes talking. They are all wearing costumes. They linger around him. Some face him; others group into twos or threes, talking to each other as though talking to a family member or friend back home. They will divide the following lines among themselves:
THE DANCERS We met a kind old man, who took us to his apartment… It wasn’t much of a place. It was
old—like him… When we sat in the sofa, the bottom sank heavily. I think the springs were
already broken… No, it’s just because you’re so fat!… Now that’s too much! But what a
cook that man was! And how kind! We never thought that rice and adobo could be that
delicious. And the chicken relleno!… Oh yes, the chicken was truly delicious! Never had it
tasted like that!… When someone asked what the stuffing was, he just smiled and said—
FIL (Touches his forehead and presses his chest.) From heaven’s supermarket.
THE DANCERS He had this tape recorder which he called a “magic sound mirror”… And he had all of us
record their voices.
FIL Pakiusap, say anything in the dialect. Sing. Please, sing out kundiman.
The DANCERS sing a short kundiman.
THE DANCERS Oh, we had fun listening to the playback. Over and over!… And then he told us—
FIL When you’re gone, I shall listen to your voices with my eyes closed and you’ll be here
again. I won’t ever be alone, not anymore, after this. From now on, I won’t ever be alone.
THE DANCERS We wanted to cry… But he looked very funny!… So we laughed… (All at once.) And
he laughed with us!
The DANCERS leave the stage one by one, their laughter trailing behind them. FIL continues laughing until he becomes short of breath and holds his chest. He opens his eyes. He glances at the tape recorder. He looks at it carefully. His face lights up.
FIL (Laughs.) Tama! It’s still possible! (Grabs the tape recorder and kisses it.) Mabuti’t naisip
ko! A great idea! I still have a chance!
FIL returns the tape recorder to its place and begins fixing himself, as if he’s going somewhere. Evening. An auditorium seat appears onstage. FIL grabs the tape recorder again.
(As though talking to somebody. Excited.) Even if I wasn’t able to invite the dancers, I
can still record their performance. I’ll bring my “magic sound mirror” to the show. (Walks
to the seat.) I’ll sit right up at the front. (Sits.) I’m sure it’ll be easy for it to capture
their songs and dances.
The show begins. The first group of DANCERS enters. As the music begins they start dancing the wasiwas (or whatever folk dance the director wants to use). They perform a shortened version of it. A healthy round of applease greets them once they finish the dance.
The first group of DANCERS exits; a second one enters. As the music begins they start dancing the tinikling (or whatever folk dance the director wants to use). They perform a shortened version of it. A strong round of applause greets them once they finish the dance.
The second group of DANCERS exits; a GUITARIST and a VOCALIST enter. They perform a shortened version of “Lagi Kitang Naaalala.” Afterwards, thunderous applause.
FIL (Stands up. Applauds.) Thank you, my children! Maraming salamat!
The GUITARIST and the VOCALIST bow before they exit. FIL leaves the seat and returns to the table in the apartment. He puts the tape recorder on it. He sits. He plays the sounds he had recorded at the show. The volume gradually rises. In the room, TONY is sleeping.
TONY (Wakes up.) TURN THAT THING OFF!
TONY lets out a loud groan, startling FIL. He becomes confused for a moment. He embraces the tape recorder very tightly. He accidentally rewinds the tape and starts erasing its contents. He is unaware of this.
FIL (Recalls something.) What did the doctor say, Tony? Ano’ng sinabi niya?
TONY does not answer. FIL enters the room.
What did he say, Tony? What did the doctor say?
TONY (Pause.) So they didn’t come after all?
FIL (More insistent.) What did the doctor say, kaibigan?
TONY I knew they wouldn’t come. But that’s all right. The apartment is old, anyhow. And it
smells of death.
FIL How you talk. In this country, there’s a cure for everything.
TONY I guess we can’t complain. We had it good here all the time. Most of the time, anyway.
FIL But I wish they had come. Pwede ko sila—
TONY Yes, they could have. I could have seen them, but they didn’t have to see me. Tell me,
Fil. What do they really look like?
FIL They’re beautiful, Tony. All of them, but especially the girls. Their complexion looks
so smooth; and their long hair, so shiny. Their sparkling eyes seem to say things to you.
Their lips are as red as roses; and their teeth, like pearls. And their scent is like the scent
of the calachuchi, your favorite flower.
They look at each other. They slowly break into laughter.
Ikaw kasi, eh. It’s too bad you didn’t watch them. But no matter, I was able to record
all their—
FIL begins to hear a strange noise, faint at first, as though something is gnawing on something. He tries to find the source. He notices the tape recorder. He sees that it’s erasing the tape.
FIL becomes frantic. He flies out of the room and runs towards the table. He stops the tape recorder. He rewinds the tape, then plays it. No sound comes out of it, except for a faint, static-like sound. He rewinds and plays it again and again; the result remains the same. He covers his mouth. He looks defeated.
(Looks towards the room.) They’re all gone, Tony. Wala na.
FIL bites his lips and forces himself not to cry. He notices the light from the window. It’s already morning. The living room of the apartment gradually becomes the nursing home again. He sits. He looks at the tape recorder.
(As if talking to someone.) Tony was gone when spring arrived. His illness grew worse a
few days before—wait a minute, mali yata—after Christmas. From the start I wanted to
bring him to the hospital, but he refused. He was so stubborn. But in the end I finally
convinced—or was it forced? –-him. He never came out of the hospital since then. (Pause.)
The wake lasted for only a few days. Only few came. Few also attended the funeral. Most
of them were his former colleagues from the station. He had worked as a porter.
His tombstone was simple: Antonio Bataller. 1905—or 1906?—to 1961. In loving memory
of a friend. (Pause. Thinks aloud.) Is it really like this? Is this what we got for being
American? (Shakes his head. Smiles a little.) I don’t think so. Hindi, hindi. (Pause.) But
I’m afraid. At first, I had a hard time remembering dates. Then, the names of my
companions here. Just the other day, I woke up and was disturbed to find that I’m having
a hard time recalling how my parents looked like. Natatakot ako. I’ll meet with Dr.
Thompson tomorrow. Tomorrow, or the day after next? (Pause.) I hope he brings some
good news.
FIL looks at the tape recorder. He ejects the tape from the tape deck. He replaces it with another one, then plays it.
(Thinks.) College kids? Oo. Singing Christmas carols. (Pause.) Wait. Is it “We Three
Kings?” Teka, mali. “The First Noel.”
He stops the recorder. He ejects the tape, puts in another one, and plays it.
(Thinks. Smiles.) Fireworks during the Fourth of July. Hold on—was it this year’s? Or
maybe last year’s?
He stops the recorder. He ejects the tape, puts in another one, and plays it.
(Thinks. Becomes sad.) Excited children on their way to school. Hindi. On their way
home from school. (Nods.) That’s it.
He stops the recorder. He ejects the tape, puts in another one, and plays it.
(Thinks.) Birds chirping outside my window—or was it at the park? Teka. No. At the
cemetery? Oo. The cemetery yata.
He stops the recorder. He ejects the tape and puts in another one. He looks outside the window and notices that it’s starting to snow. He smiles.
Lights fade out on stage.
C U R T A I N
This play won First Prize for the One-Act Play in the 2005 Palanca Awards
First Snow of November
THE AUTHOR HOLDS THE COPYRIGHT TO THIS PLAY. THIS IS POSTED WITH PERMISSION FROM THE AUTHOR. FOR INQUIRIES ON HOW TO SECURE THE PLAYWRIGHT'S PERMISSION TO STAGE THIS PLAY, PLEASE E-MAIL HIM AT THIS ADDRESS.
THIS IS PART OF THE LITERATURA READING SERIES | CLICK HERE TO GO BACK TO LITERATURA
Adapted from the short story “The Day the Dancers Came ” by Bienvenido N. Santos
THE CHARACTERS
FIL ACAYAN 70 (1980) and 50 (1960) years old. Has frequent memory lapses.
TONY BATALLER 55 years old. Fil’s flatmate. Has an inexplicable skin ailment.
THE DANCERS They are between 18 to 21 years old. They number between 8 and 12, and divided equally
between boys and girls.
THE SETTING
The play will begin and end in the living room of a Chicago nursing home, but everything else in between will take place in a small apartment and a hotel hobby. It’s up to the director, the production designer and the lighting designer on how they will show this. They may use a minimalist approach.
THE TIME
The play will begin and end in 1980, but everything else in between will take place in 1960. This could be presented through the use of songs: Christopher Cross’s “Sailing” for 1980 and Henry Mancini & Johnny Mercer’s “Moon River” for 1960. It’s up to the musical director or sound director on how they will show this.
Lights fade in on stage. The living room of a nursing home appears. It is clean and orderly, but without people, save for one man: FIL. He sits beside a table, and above it are several cassette tapes and a portable tape recorder. The song “Sailing” (or any appropriate song the musical or sound director chooses to use) can be heard from it, but briefly, softly. It’s on radio mode. FIL switches it to tape mode. He puts a tape inside the deck and plays it.
FIL (Thinks. To himself.) The door at the post office, opening and closing.
He stops the recorder. He ejects the tape, puts in another one, and plays it.
(Thinks. Irritated.) The bathroom faucet, leaking no end.
He stops the recorder. He ejects the tape, puts in another one, and plays it.
(Thinks. Briefly laughs.) I’m hiding behind a tree at the time. Two of them, lovers,
rowing a boat along the coast of Lake Michigan.
He stops the recorder. He ejects the tape, puts in another one, and plays it.
(Thinks. Smiles.) Mr. Herschell’s granddaughter, the one with the rosy cheeks.
What’s her name again? Ah oo, Lucy!
He stops the recorder. He ejects the tape, puts in another one, and plays it.
(Thinks. Becomes sad.) Last month’s rain—or the month before?
He stops the recorder. He ejects the tape, puts in another one, and plays it.
(Thinks longer than usual.) While I was sleeping? No, I snore. Teka. When I visited
Tony? (Shakes his head.) What is this? How annoying. (A beat. Talks as though he’s
speaking to someone.) When I started this, I thought: if I recorded a thing, a sound,
and afterwards play it, would I remember the day, the year, what I felt when I first
recorded it? And I would remember it. How good it is to remember. (Pause.) But, as
time passed, I started using my “magic sound mirror” (Glances at the recorder.) more
and more. I used it once a week then. Now, it’s everyday.
He suddenly hears a gust of wind from the tape recorder.
(Face brightens.) I know! The wind that brought the first snow of November! (Laughs
like a child. Slowly becomes quiet and smiles.) First snow of November. They came
when the snow first fell that month. Ten—no, wait—twenty years have passed since
then. Tony was still here then. We were livingin a small apartment here in Chicago. I
was so excited to see them. It’s like they came just for me. Only for me.
While FIL speaks, the nursing home is transformed into his and TONY’s apartment. (This can be done through the shifting of lights.) Morning. The apartment is colorless; so are FIL’s clothes. He seems as if he is going somehwere. The song “Moon River” (or any appropriate song the musical or sound director chooses to use) is heard from the tape recorder. He stands up and begins cleaning and fixing up the furnishings. He does this over and over. There is a room in a corner. TONY is inside, sleeping.
(Looks outside the window and notices the snow. Smiles.) Snow! It’s snowing!
TONY (Wakes up.) What’s that?
FIL It’s snowing! Diyos ko, they’ll love this, they’ll love this.
TONY (Irritated.) Who’d love that?
FIL The dancers, of course. They’re arriving today. Maybe they have already arrived. They
will walk in the snow and love it. Their very first snow, I’m sure.
TONY How do you know it wasn’t snowing in New York while they were there?
FIL Snow in New York in early November? Are you crazy?
TONY Who’s crazy? Ever since you heard of those dancers from the Philippines, you’ve been
acting nuts. As if they’re coming just for you. (Laughs softly.)
TONY comes out of the room. He’s in white. His face and hands are whitening, as though the skin is slowly peeling off, or slowly recovering from various burns. He looks as though he didn’t sleep all night.
(Looks at his hands.) I’m becoming a white man. (Laughs softly.)
FIL (As though insulted by TONY’s laugh.) I know who’s crazy. It’s the sick guy with the
sick thoughts. Ikaw. You don’t care for nothing but your pain, your imaginary pain.
TONY You’re the imagining fellow. I got the real thing. Look, Fil, look! (Goes to FIL and
shows him his hands.) God, what have I retired for?
FIL You’re old, man, old, that’s what, and sick, yes, but not cancer. (Walks towards the
window and watches the snow fall.)
TONY I know what I got. (Face slightly crumples in pain.) Never a pain like this. One day,
I’m just gonna die.
FIL Naturally. Who says you won’t? (Keeps quiet, as if trying to remember something.) All
of us will die. One day, a medium bomb marked Chicago will fall here and this whole
dump is tapus, finished. Who’ll escape then?
TONY (Walks towards the window.) Maybe your dancers will. (Watches the snow.)
FIL Of course, they will. The bombs won’t be falling on this night. And when the dancers
are back in the Philippines—(Pause. In a sad voice.) But maybe, even in the Philippines
the bombs gonna fall, ano?
TONY What’s that to you? You’ve got no more folks over there, right? I know it’s nothing
to me. I’ll be dead before that.
FIL (Face saddens.) Let’s talk about something nice. (Forces a smile.) Tell me, how will I
talk, how am I going to introduce myself?
TONY remains silent. FIL stares at him.
Walanghiya, I wish I had your looks, even with those white spots, then I could face
every one of them, but this—(Holds his face.)
TONY That’s the important thing, your face. It’s your calling card. It says: Filipino, countryman.
FIL You’re not fooling me, kaibigan. (Holds his face again.) This says: Ugly Filipino.
Oldtimer. Muchacho. Pinoy. Bejo.
TONY It also says: stupid fool! Why do you want to invite them? And here, of all places? Aren’t
you ashamed of this dump?
FIL It’s not a palace, I know. But who wants a palace when they can have the most
delicious adobo here and the best chicken relleno? Yum, yum!
TONY Yum, yum, you’re crazy. Plain and simple crazy. Look, you’ve been living on loose
change all your life, Filemon Acayan, and now on a treasury warrant so small and full
of holes, you still want to spend for these dancing kids who don’t know you and won’t
even send you a card afterwards?
FIL Never mind the cards, Antonio Bataller. Who wants them? But don’t you see, they’ll
be happy; and then, you know what? I’m going to keep their voices, their words, their
singing and their laughter in my “magic sound mirror.” (Points to the recorder.) Halika.
Listen.
FIL goes to the tape recorder. He ejects the tape from the deck and puts in another one. He plays it. Their voices are heard:
Aba, you look sharp tonight, Tony Bataller. Where will the sharp-stinged bee land
tonight, eh?
TONY On my favorite calachuchi, my favorite flower. (Laughs maliciously.)
FIL Take me along with you, kaibigan.
TONY Look for your own flower. (Laughs maliciously.)
FIL (In a sour voice.) Titi mo!
FIL stops the recorder.
TONY God, I can’t believe you even recorded that.
FIL (Looks out the window.) Go on, snow. Keep it up. Blanket the whole of Chicago.
(Looks at TONY.) I’m going out very soon. As soon as they accept my invitation, I’ll
call you up. You don’t have to do anything, but I’d want you to be here to meet them.
TONY I’m going out myself. I don’t know what time I’ll be back. (Pause.) You’re not working
today. Are you on leave?
FIL (Nods.) For two days. While the dancers are here.
TONY It still don’t make sense to me. But good luck, anyway.
FIL Aren’t you going to see them tonight? Our reserved seats are right out in front, you know.
TONY I know. But I’m not sure if I can come.
FIL Ano? You’re not sure?
TONY I want to, but I’m sick, Fil. I tell you. I’m not feeling so good. My doctor will know
today. He’ll tell me.
FIL What will he tell you?
TONY How should I know?
FIL I mean, what’s he trying to find out?
TONY (A beat.) If it’s cancer.
TONY frowns, as if something is hurting his stomach. He holds it. FIL quickly attempts to help him. TONY refuses his help and returns to his room. FIL follows until he reaches the door.
FIL (As though he’s talking to someone.) Tony had been sick for two years then. He had
consulted so many doctors, yet none of them could tell him for sure what his illness was.
I didn’t know if that doctor had something new to say to him that day. (Silence. As if
trying to remember something.) Back then, I often heard him groaning at night. It only
stopped when he called for me and I would ask him: What’s happening to you, Tony?
But afterwards, he would scream in pain. Even if he buried his face in his pillow, I could
still hear him. He would shoo me away if I ran to his side. At other times, I would see him
in bed, his posture like that of a fetus. (A beat.) Like a fetus inside a bottle filled with
formaldehyde. I would see that bottle everyday when I was still working at the hospital.
I often had nightmares about it. It only stopped when I became a special policeman at
the post office.
TONY (From the room.) Can I borrow your sweater, Fil? I can’t find mine.
FIL (Returns to his senses.) Oo, sure! (Looks at his clothes. Fixes himself immediately.) Well,
I’ll be seeing you. Try to be home on time. I shall invite the dancers for lunch or dinner
maybe, tomorrow. But tonight, let’s go to the theater, ha?
TONY I can’t promise, Fil. But I’ll try.
FIL (As though he’s talking to someone.) That’s what he said. He’ll try. (Pause.) I tried to
invite the dancers that morning. I went to the hotel where they were staying. The—what’s
the name again?—wait—ah! That’s it! (Smiles.) The Hamilton!
While FIL speaks, the apart0ment transforms into the hotel lobby. (This can be done through the shifting of lights.) Everything in the lobby is colorful. The DANCERS enter one by one. Their clothes are colorful and gleaming. They are divided into four groups, depending on their number. Some are sitting; the rest are standing. All of them talk in English and are taking pictures of one another.
I saw them at once when I entered the lobby. At first I thought I was running out of
breath from what I saw. I thought I had died and went straight to heaven. They were
so young and beautiful, especially the girls. Oh, I forgot how beautiful Filipinas are. I
wanted to look away, but their loveliness held me. I closed my eyes instead. Their
laughter grew louder in my ears, but they were not the only ones I heard. The melody
of the rondalla playing at fiesta time. The pealing of the bells after the Simbang Gabi. The
wind slapping against the ricestalks in the fields.
A pause. FIL suddenly comes to his senses. He takes a deep breath, and again and again until he calms down. He smiles constantly at the DANCERS. They smile back, but briefly. He tries to greet and talk to them. But he becomes tongue-tied or acts as though something is covering his mouth at every attempt. He notices that he’s at the center of the lobby and becomes conscious. A DANCER comes his way. FIL extends his hand. He looks at it carefully, finds it ugly, then withdraws it. He touches every part of his face. He becomes embarrassed.
(To himself.) I wish you were here, Tony. You’ll know what to do. I’m sure you’ll
charm them with your smile and with your words. (Pause.) Naku, what am I going to do?
FIL glances at his wristwatch. He becomes tense. He looks around. He sees a vacant chair. He looks at it for some time, and seems as though he’s silently debating with himself. (A single stagelight slowly fades in on him.) He takes a deep breath. He goes to the chair and stands on it. The DANCERS will not notice him.
(In an oratorical voice.) Beloved countrymen, lovely children of the Pearl of the Orient
Seas, listen to me. I’m Fil Acayan. I’ve come to volunteer my services. I’m yours to
command. Your servant. Tell me where you wish to go, what you want to see in Chicago.
I know every foot of the lakeshore drive, all the gardens and the parks, the museums,
the huge department stores, the planetarium. Let me be your guide. That’s what I’m
offering you, a free tour of Chicago, and finally, dinner at my apartment on West Sheridan
Road—pork adobo and chicken relleno, name your dish. How about it, paisanos?
The DANCERS stare at FIL blankly, as though they don’t understand him. They react in Filipino. He suddenly comes back to his senses. (The single stagelight slowly fades out on him.) He shakes his head. He quickly steps down from the chair and returns to his former spot. He retrieves his handkerchief from his pocket and wipes his face. He looks around. He notices a group of DANCERS. He takes a deep breath, then approaches them.
Magandang umaga. I’m Fil Acayan. May I invite you to my apartment?
The group treats FIL with some respect. They smile, but they look as though they find FIL’s appearance filthy. Two of them speak:
DANCER 1 (Stands up.) Ah, sir… (Looks at his companions.)
DANCER 2 Excuse us, please.
The group walks away from FIL. There are several female DANCERS standing at one corner. They are talking to one another. He approaches them.
FIL May I invite you to my apartment, ladies?
DANCER 3 (Sees FIL’s hand. Tries not to show her disgust.) Thanks for the invitation…
DANCER 4 … but we have no more time. (Slowly pulls her companions away.)
FIL approaches another group of DANCERS. They are sitting in a sofa.
FIL May I take you all for a stroll along the lakeshore drive?
DANCER 5 Lakeshore drive? I know the place! (Turns to her companions.) Everyone, follow me.
(Stands up. Looks at FIL.) Excuse us, please.
The group walks away. FIL looks a little discouraged, but brightens up when a male DANCER seems to be waving at him. He waves back. Someone is tapping FIL’s shoulder. He turns around.
DANCER 6 (Holds a camera.) Could you step aside, sir?
FIL realizes that he’s in the way. He quickly steps aside. He quietly watches them take pictures. He sits in the sofa. A bus is heard in the background. The faces of the DANCERS lighten up and they exit the stage. FIL stays behind. His face shows defeat. The bus is heard moving on and moving away. The lobby shifts back to being the apartment. Afternoon.
FIL (As if talking to someone. Looks and sounds sad.) I told myself then: Let them have fun.
They’re still young and far away from home. I have no business messing up their schedule,
or force myself on them. (Pause.) I didn’t know how I’ll tell Tony of my failure when I
went back to the apartment. But he was not there. I didn’t know why, but I felt sooo tired.
I wanted to explain everything to Tony…
FIL slowly closes his eyes, but he does not lie down. He is dreaming. TONY enters, and looks as if he has some great news. He approaches FIL.
TONY Hey Fil! Listen, I’ve discovered a new way of keeping afloat.
FIL Who wants to keep afloat?
TONY Just in case. In a shipwreck, for example.
FIL Hayaan mo na iyan. I must tell you about the dancers.
TONY But this is important! This way, you can keep floating indefinitely.
FIL What for?
TONY Say in a ship… I mean, in an emergency, you’re stranded without help in the middle of
the Pacific or the Atlantic, you must keep floating till help comes…
FIL Even better, find a way to reach shore before the sharks smell you. You discover that.
TONY (Loses his excitement.) I will.
TONY exits, but FIL speaks as though he’s still there.
FIL There they were, who could have been my children—or yours, Tony—if I—or you—had
not left home. But by the way they had acted earlier, it was as if they had been briefed too
well: Do not talk to strangers. Ignore their invitations. Be extra careful in the big cities
like New York or Chicago. Beware of the oldtimers, the Pinoys. Most of them are bums.
Keep away from them. Make sure you stick together at all times. Entertain only those
who have been introduced to you properly.
(Silence.) What do I have to do? Scream out my good intentions? Beat my breast to prove
to them how harmless I am, how I love them? Oh, but I love them. (Pause.) All I wanted
was to talk to them, guide them around Chicago, spend money on them so that they
would have something special to remember about us here when they return to our country.
They would tell their family and friends—
The DANCERS come out on stage, one by one, before FIL finishes talking. They are all wearing costumes. They linger around him. Some face him; others group into twos or threes, talking to each other as though talking to a family member or friend back home. They will divide the following lines among themselves:
THE DANCERS We met a kind old man, who took us to his apartment… It wasn’t much of a place. It was
old—like him… When we sat in the sofa, the bottom sank heavily. I think the springs were
already broken… No, it’s just because you’re so fat!… Now that’s too much! But what a
cook that man was! And how kind! We never thought that rice and adobo could be that
delicious. And the chicken relleno!… Oh yes, the chicken was truly delicious! Never had it
tasted like that!… When someone asked what the stuffing was, he just smiled and said—
FIL (Touches his forehead and presses his chest.) From heaven’s supermarket.
THE DANCERS He had this tape recorder which he called a “magic sound mirror”… And he had all of us
record their voices.
FIL Pakiusap, say anything in the dialect. Sing. Please, sing out kundiman.
The DANCERS sing a short kundiman.
THE DANCERS Oh, we had fun listening to the playback. Over and over!… And then he told us—
FIL When you’re gone, I shall listen to your voices with my eyes closed and you’ll be here
again. I won’t ever be alone, not anymore, after this. From now on, I won’t ever be alone.
THE DANCERS We wanted to cry… But he looked very funny!… So we laughed… (All at once.) And
he laughed with us!
The DANCERS leave the stage one by one, their laughter trailing behind them. FIL continues laughing until he becomes short of breath and holds his chest. He opens his eyes. He glances at the tape recorder. He looks at it carefully. His face lights up.
FIL (Laughs.) Tama! It’s still possible! (Grabs the tape recorder and kisses it.) Mabuti’t naisip
ko! A great idea! I still have a chance!
FIL returns the tape recorder to its place and begins fixing himself, as if he’s going somewhere. Evening. An auditorium seat appears onstage. FIL grabs the tape recorder again.
(As though talking to somebody. Excited.) Even if I wasn’t able to invite the dancers, I
can still record their performance. I’ll bring my “magic sound mirror” to the show. (Walks
to the seat.) I’ll sit right up at the front. (Sits.) I’m sure it’ll be easy for it to capture
their songs and dances.
The show begins. The first group of DANCERS enters. As the music begins they start dancing the wasiwas (or whatever folk dance the director wants to use). They perform a shortened version of it. A healthy round of applease greets them once they finish the dance.
The first group of DANCERS exits; a second one enters. As the music begins they start dancing the tinikling (or whatever folk dance the director wants to use). They perform a shortened version of it. A strong round of applause greets them once they finish the dance.
The second group of DANCERS exits; a GUITARIST and a VOCALIST enter. They perform a shortened version of “Lagi Kitang Naaalala.” Afterwards, thunderous applause.
FIL (Stands up. Applauds.) Thank you, my children! Maraming salamat!
The GUITARIST and the VOCALIST bow before they exit. FIL leaves the seat and returns to the table in the apartment. He puts the tape recorder on it. He sits. He plays the sounds he had recorded at the show. The volume gradually rises. In the room, TONY is sleeping.
TONY (Wakes up.) TURN THAT THING OFF!
TONY lets out a loud groan, startling FIL. He becomes confused for a moment. He embraces the tape recorder very tightly. He accidentally rewinds the tape and starts erasing its contents. He is unaware of this.
FIL (Recalls something.) What did the doctor say, Tony? Ano’ng sinabi niya?
TONY does not answer. FIL enters the room.
What did he say, Tony? What did the doctor say?
TONY (Pause.) So they didn’t come after all?
FIL (More insistent.) What did the doctor say, kaibigan?
TONY I knew they wouldn’t come. But that’s all right. The apartment is old, anyhow. And it
smells of death.
FIL How you talk. In this country, there’s a cure for everything.
TONY I guess we can’t complain. We had it good here all the time. Most of the time, anyway.
FIL But I wish they had come. Pwede ko sila—
TONY Yes, they could have. I could have seen them, but they didn’t have to see me. Tell me,
Fil. What do they really look like?
FIL They’re beautiful, Tony. All of them, but especially the girls. Their complexion looks
so smooth; and their long hair, so shiny. Their sparkling eyes seem to say things to you.
Their lips are as red as roses; and their teeth, like pearls. And their scent is like the scent
of the calachuchi, your favorite flower.
They look at each other. They slowly break into laughter.
Ikaw kasi, eh. It’s too bad you didn’t watch them. But no matter, I was able to record
all their—
FIL begins to hear a strange noise, faint at first, as though something is gnawing on something. He tries to find the source. He notices the tape recorder. He sees that it’s erasing the tape.
FIL becomes frantic. He flies out of the room and runs towards the table. He stops the tape recorder. He rewinds the tape, then plays it. No sound comes out of it, except for a faint, static-like sound. He rewinds and plays it again and again; the result remains the same. He covers his mouth. He looks defeated.
(Looks towards the room.) They’re all gone, Tony. Wala na.
FIL bites his lips and forces himself not to cry. He notices the light from the window. It’s already morning. The living room of the apartment gradually becomes the nursing home again. He sits. He looks at the tape recorder.
(As if talking to someone.) Tony was gone when spring arrived. His illness grew worse a
few days before—wait a minute, mali yata—after Christmas. From the start I wanted to
bring him to the hospital, but he refused. He was so stubborn. But in the end I finally
convinced—or was it forced? –-him. He never came out of the hospital since then. (Pause.)
The wake lasted for only a few days. Only few came. Few also attended the funeral. Most
of them were his former colleagues from the station. He had worked as a porter.
His tombstone was simple: Antonio Bataller. 1905—or 1906?—to 1961. In loving memory
of a friend. (Pause. Thinks aloud.) Is it really like this? Is this what we got for being
American? (Shakes his head. Smiles a little.) I don’t think so. Hindi, hindi. (Pause.) But
I’m afraid. At first, I had a hard time remembering dates. Then, the names of my
companions here. Just the other day, I woke up and was disturbed to find that I’m having
a hard time recalling how my parents looked like. Natatakot ako. I’ll meet with Dr.
Thompson tomorrow. Tomorrow, or the day after next? (Pause.) I hope he brings some
good news.
FIL looks at the tape recorder. He ejects the tape from the tape deck. He replaces it with another one, then plays it.
(Thinks.) College kids? Oo. Singing Christmas carols. (Pause.) Wait. Is it “We Three
Kings?” Teka, mali. “The First Noel.”
He stops the recorder. He ejects the tape, puts in another one, and plays it.
(Thinks. Smiles.) Fireworks during the Fourth of July. Hold on—was it this year’s? Or
maybe last year’s?
He stops the recorder. He ejects the tape, puts in another one, and plays it.
(Thinks. Becomes sad.) Excited children on their way to school. Hindi. On their way
home from school. (Nods.) That’s it.
He stops the recorder. He ejects the tape, puts in another one, and plays it.
(Thinks.) Birds chirping outside my window—or was it at the park? Teka. No. At the
cemetery? Oo. The cemetery yata.
He stops the recorder. He ejects the tape and puts in another one. He looks outside the window and notices that it’s starting to snow. He smiles.
Lights fade out on stage.
C U R T A I N
This play won First Prize for the One-Act Play in the 2005 Palanca Awards
One Act Play
A one act play, or more commonly in the US "one act", or "one-act", is a play that takes place in one act or scene, as opposed to plays that take place over a number of acts. They can be in one, or more scenes, but they tend to be simpler and have fewer props, scenery and cast members (sometimes only one). Such plays are often showcased in a series. They are ideal for high school or college drama students as well as small venues and dinner theaters. Unlike other plays which usually are published one play per book, one acts are usually published in anthologies or collections. David Ives's book All in the Timing includes examples of one act plays. In the UK shorter plays are generally known as 'Playlets'.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Approaches of Literary Criticism
Critical Approaches to Literature
Deconstruction is a school of literary criticism that suggests that language is not a stable entity, and that we can never exactly say what we mean. Therefore, literature cannot give a reader any one single meaning, because the language itself is simply too ambiguous. Deconstructionists value the idea that literature cannot provide any outside meaning; texts cannot represent reality. Thus, a deconstructionist critic will deliberately emphasize the ambiguities of the language that produce a variety of meanings and possible readings of a text.
Feminist criticism tries to correct predominantly male-dominated critical perspective with a feminist consciousness. This form of criticism places literature in a social context and employs a broad range of disciplines, such as history, psychology, sociology, and linguistics, to create a perspective that considers feminist issues. Feminist theories also attempt to understand representation from a woman’s point of view and analyze women’s writing strategies in the context of their social conditions.
Marxist criticism is a strongly politically-oriented criticism, deriving from the theories of the social philosopher Karl Marx. Marxist critics insist that all use of language is influenced by social class and economics. It directs attention to the idea that all language makes ideological statements about things like class, economics, race, and power, and the function of literary output is to either support or criticize the political and economic structures in place. Some Marxist critics use literature to describe the competing socioeconomic interests that advance capitalistic interests such as money and power over socialist interests such as morality and justice. Because of this focus, Marxist criticism focuses on content and theme rather than form.
New criticism evolved out of the same root theoretical system as deconstructionism, called formalist criticism. It was popular between the 1940’s and the 1960’s, but can still be found in some mutated forms today. New criticism suggests that the text is a self-contained entity, and that everything that the reader needs to know to understand it is already in the text. New critics totally discount the importance of historical context, authorial intent, effects on the reader, and social contexts, choosing to focus instead on the layers in the next. This school of criticism works with the elements of a text only – irony, paradox, metaphor, symbol, plot, and so on – by engaging in extremely close textual analysis.
New historicism focuses on the literary text as part of a larger social and historical context, and the modern reader’s interaction with that work. New historicists attempt to describe the culture of a period by reading many different types of texts and paying attention to many different dimensions of a culture, including political, social, economic, and aesthetic concerns. They regard texts as not simply a reflection of the culture that produced them but also as productive of that culture by playing an active role in the social and political conflicts of an age. New historicism acknowledges and then explores various versions of “history,” sensitizing us to the fact that the history on which we choose to focus is colored by being reconstructed by our present perspective.
Psychological criticism uses psychoanalytic theories, especially those of Freud and Jacques Lacan, to understand more fully the text, the reader, and the writer. The basis of this approach is the idea of the existence of a human consciousness – those impulses, desires, and feelings about which a person is unaware but which influence emotions or behavior. Critics use psychological approaches to explore the motivations of characters and the symbolic meanings of events, while biographers speculate about a writer’s own motivations – conscious or unconscious – in a literary work.
Queer theory, or gender studies, is a relatively recent and evolving school of criticism, which questions and problematizes the issues of gender identity and sexual orientation in literary texts. Queer theory overlaps in many respects with feminist theory in its aims and goals, being at once political and practical. To many queer theorists, gender is not a fixed identity that shapes actions and thoughts, but rather a “role” that is “performed.” It also challenges the notion that there is such a thing as “normal,” because that assumes the existence of a category for “deviant.” Queer theorists study and challenge the idea that these categories exist at all, but particularly in terms of sexual activities and identities.
Reader-response criticism removes the focus from the text and places it on the reader instead, by attempting to describe what goes on in the reader’s mind during the reading of a text. Reader-response critics are not interested in a “correct” interpretation of a text or what the author intended. They are interested in the reader’s individual experience with a text. Thus, there is no single definitive reading of a text, because the reader is creating, as opposed to discovering, absolute meanings in texts. This approach is not a rationale for bizarre meanings or mistaken ones, but an exploration of the plurality of texts. This kind of strategy calls attention to how we read and what influences our readings, and what that reveals about ourselves.
FORMALIST CRITICISM
- Literature is a form of knowledge with intrinsic elements--style, structure, imagery, tone, genre.
- What gives a literary work status as art, or as a great work of art, is how all of its elements work together to create the reader's total experience (thought, feeling, gut reactions, etc.)
- The appreciation of literature as an art requires close reading--a careful, step-by-step analysis and explication of the text (the language of the work). An analysis may follow from questions like, how do various elements work together to shape the effect on the reader?
- Style and theme influence eachother and can't be separated if meaning is to be retained. It's this interdependence in form and content that makes a text "literary." "Extracting" elements in isolation (theme, character, ploy, setting, etc.) may destroy a reader's aesthetic experience of the whole.
- Formalist critics don't deny the historical, political situation of a work, they just believe works of art have the power to transcend by being "organic wholes"--akin to a being with a life of its own.
- Formalist criticism is evaluative in that it differentiates great works of art from poor works of art. Other kinds of criticism don't necessarily concern themselves with this distinction.
- Formalist criticism is decidedly a "scientific" approach to literary analysis, focusiing on "facts amenable to "verification" (evidence in the text).
BIOGRAPHICAL CRITICISM
- Real life experience can help shape (either directly or indirectly) an author's work.
- Understanding an author's life can help us better understand the work.
- Facts from the author's life are used to help the reader better understand the work; the focus is always on the literary work under investigation.
HISTORICAL CRITICISM
- Historical criticism investigates the social, cultural, and intellectual context that produced it. This investigation includes the author's biography and the social milieu.
- Historical criticism often seeks to understand the impact of a work in its day, and it may also explore how meanings change over time.
- Historical criticism expolores how time and place of creation affect meaning in the work.
PSYCHOLOGICAL CRITICISM
- These critics hold the belief that great literature truthfully reflects life and is a realistic representation of human motivation and behavior.
- Psychological critics may choose to focus on the creative process of the artist, the artist's motivation or behavior, or analyze fictional characters' motivations and behaviors.
MYTHOLOGICAL CRITICISM
- Mythological criticism studies recurrent universal patterns underlying most literary works (for example, "the hero's journey").
- It combines insights from a variety of academic disciplines--anthropology, psychology, history, comparative religion...it concerns itself with demonstrating how the individual imagination shares a common humanity by identifying common symbols, images, plots, etc.
- Mythological critics identify "archetypes" (symbols, characters, situations, or images evoking a universal response).
MARXIST (SOCIOLOGICAL) CRITICISM
- These critics examine literature in its cultural, economic, and political context; they explore the relation between the artist and the soceity--how might the profession of authorship have affected what's been written?
- It is concerned with the social content of literary works, pursuing such questions as: What cultural, economic or political values does the text implicitly or explicitly promote? What is the role of the audience in shaping what's been written?
- Marxist critics assume that all art is political.
- Marxist critics judge a work's "ideology"--giving rise to such terms as "political correctness."
READER-RESPONSE CRITICISM
- This type of criticism attempts to describe the internal workings of the reader's mental processes. it recognizes reading as a creative act, a creative process.
- No text is self-contained, independent of a reader's interpretive design.
- The plurality of readings possible are all explored. Critics study how different readers see the same text differently, and how religious, cultural, and social values affect readings.
- Instead of focusing only on the values embedded in the text, this type of criticism studies the values embedded in the reader. Intersections between the two are explored.
DECONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM
- Deconstructive critics believe that language doesn't accurately reflect reality becuase it's an unstable medium; literary texts therefore have no stable meaning.
- Deconstructive criticism resembles formalist criticism in its close attention to the text, its close analysis of individual words and images. There the similarity ends, because their aims are in fact opposite. Whereas formalist criticism is interested in "aesthetic wholes" or constructs, deconstructionists aim to demonstrate irreconcilable positions--they destruct (or deconstruct)--by proving the instability of language, its inability to express anything definte.
How to Analyze Drama
Some questions to help you study and understand Drama
CHARACTER:
1. What is each character like? Background? Social or Cultural class? Experiences? Thoughts? Any prejudices or biases? Emotions? Psychology? What supporting evidence can you find in the text that supports your opinion or your answer to each question?
2. What does the character look like? Is there any specific evidence in the text that helps establish the character's appearance and physical behavior? If not, why do you imagine the character in the way that you do? What sort of clothes does the character wear? Explain why you chose that particular sort of attire, including even things like color and style. Remember that plays from the historical past can always be staged in "modern" ways, with modern or contemporary settings and costuming. Why might a director choose to use a setting and a "look" that is different from that of the original play? How do different sorts of costumes (and costuming choices) affect the ways in which audiences "see" and react to the play?
3. What sort of gestures do you imagine that the character uses? Gestures -- and even physical postures and movements -- are often just as revealing of character as words (dialogue) are, and they often signal to the audience how the character's words are to be understood. Sometimes gestures are suggested in the stage directions, but most often they are not. So how does an actor (or a director) decide what gestures to use?
4. Is the character sympathetic? Unsympathetic? Some combination of the two? Please explain your answer. Does the character see herself or himself the way that other characters do? If not, why not?
5. Have you known someone like the character? How does this personal experience of your own affect the way in which you respond to the character? How about to the play as a whole?
6. Are the characters in the play generally "true" to life, and to people you have known, and to what you believe is "real life"? If they do not seem to be "true to life," why is that?
7. Has the author presented all the characters in more or less the same way? That is, are they all realistic? all symbolic? all "round" (developed)? all "flat" (undeveloped)? Is each character presented in the same way throughout the play? If not, what are the differences and how can you account for them?
SETTING:
1. What is the stage setting? Has the author indicated what the stage is supposed to look like? If so, how would you imagine carrying out the author's wishes if you were responsible for staging the play? If the author has not specified all the physical details of the setting, how do you imagine that setting? If you were producing this play, would you want a realistic setting (and perhaps a lot of props and "period" costumes), or a relatively bare stage and relatively few "extras"? How does the setting affect the way the audience responds to the play? Can the setting actually become part of the play's meaning for the audience?
2. At what period of time and in what place is the play set? What is the effect of setting a play in the immediate present? in the past? in the future? Most authors tend to choose a historical setting (that is, a setting that identifies a particular time and place) in order to say something about their own times. If this seems to be the case with the play you are reading, what does the historical setting tell us about what the author wants to say about her or his own time?
3. Is the stage setting realistic or symbolic? If symbolic, what does it symbolize? And how do you know?
STRUCTURE:
1. Work out the dramatic structure of the play, including the overall diagram of exposition, rising action, climax, and falling action. Is the play composed of a number of small actions leading up to one big one? Does it consist only of several "big" actions? Is there some other kind of dramatic structure? Is the structure directly related to what is happening to the protagonist? What does the structure of the play suggest about the way the playwright views the world?
2. Is there a major confrontation in the play? If so, what sort of confrontation is it? Who or what is involved? Does the confrontation lead to any recognition or change in awareness on the protagonist's part, either about herself/himself or about the world she/he inhabits?
3. Is the action of the play "realistic"? That is, does the play portray something one might have a fair chance of encountering in "real life"? If so, explain how the action(s) reflect the major intellectual concerns of the play. If not, discuss the effect upon the audience of the play's deliberately unrealistic performance values.
4. What do a character's actions reveal about her or his personality? background? class? assumptions and expectations?
LANGUAGE:
1. Does the dialogue strike you as realistic? Like something you have heard or might hear, even if the language is "old" because the play comes from a much earlier period?
2. Are there any words, phrases, or images that appear repeatedly? If so, what are they? Why are they repeated? Do they seem to reflect some central concern or preoccupation, some major theme, or some pervasive mood within the play?
3. Try to explain why each character speaks as she or he does. What was the playwright trying to accomplish by giving each character that particular dialogue and speech pattern?
THEME:
1. What is the central intellectual concern (or theme) of the play? State it in a declarative sentence. Is the author trying to make some point about people? about life? about society? about something else?
2. Most dramas involve a central "problem" that is revealed as some sort of conflict. How does the author represent this conflict in the play? How does the author resolve the conflict?
3. What is the point of reading a play that is "old" (Oedipus Rex is 2400 years old, for example, and Hamlet is 400 years old, and A Doll's House is 100 years old). Do "old" plays have anything of value to say to us today, or is performing them simply like keeping them stored in a museum for us to visit occasionally? Are the concerns in "old" plays relevant only to the times in which they were written, or do they remain relevant to us today?
4. Should plays deal with "universal" issues and problems? Or should they concern themselves primarily with issues and problems that are unique to the times in which they are written? What makes a play "relevant" or "out of date"?
CHARACTER:
1. What is each character like? Background? Social or Cultural class? Experiences? Thoughts? Any prejudices or biases? Emotions? Psychology? What supporting evidence can you find in the text that supports your opinion or your answer to each question?
2. What does the character look like? Is there any specific evidence in the text that helps establish the character's appearance and physical behavior? If not, why do you imagine the character in the way that you do? What sort of clothes does the character wear? Explain why you chose that particular sort of attire, including even things like color and style. Remember that plays from the historical past can always be staged in "modern" ways, with modern or contemporary settings and costuming. Why might a director choose to use a setting and a "look" that is different from that of the original play? How do different sorts of costumes (and costuming choices) affect the ways in which audiences "see" and react to the play?
3. What sort of gestures do you imagine that the character uses? Gestures -- and even physical postures and movements -- are often just as revealing of character as words (dialogue) are, and they often signal to the audience how the character's words are to be understood. Sometimes gestures are suggested in the stage directions, but most often they are not. So how does an actor (or a director) decide what gestures to use?
4. Is the character sympathetic? Unsympathetic? Some combination of the two? Please explain your answer. Does the character see herself or himself the way that other characters do? If not, why not?
5. Have you known someone like the character? How does this personal experience of your own affect the way in which you respond to the character? How about to the play as a whole?
6. Are the characters in the play generally "true" to life, and to people you have known, and to what you believe is "real life"? If they do not seem to be "true to life," why is that?
7. Has the author presented all the characters in more or less the same way? That is, are they all realistic? all symbolic? all "round" (developed)? all "flat" (undeveloped)? Is each character presented in the same way throughout the play? If not, what are the differences and how can you account for them?
SETTING:
1. What is the stage setting? Has the author indicated what the stage is supposed to look like? If so, how would you imagine carrying out the author's wishes if you were responsible for staging the play? If the author has not specified all the physical details of the setting, how do you imagine that setting? If you were producing this play, would you want a realistic setting (and perhaps a lot of props and "period" costumes), or a relatively bare stage and relatively few "extras"? How does the setting affect the way the audience responds to the play? Can the setting actually become part of the play's meaning for the audience?
2. At what period of time and in what place is the play set? What is the effect of setting a play in the immediate present? in the past? in the future? Most authors tend to choose a historical setting (that is, a setting that identifies a particular time and place) in order to say something about their own times. If this seems to be the case with the play you are reading, what does the historical setting tell us about what the author wants to say about her or his own time?
3. Is the stage setting realistic or symbolic? If symbolic, what does it symbolize? And how do you know?
STRUCTURE:
1. Work out the dramatic structure of the play, including the overall diagram of exposition, rising action, climax, and falling action. Is the play composed of a number of small actions leading up to one big one? Does it consist only of several "big" actions? Is there some other kind of dramatic structure? Is the structure directly related to what is happening to the protagonist? What does the structure of the play suggest about the way the playwright views the world?
2. Is there a major confrontation in the play? If so, what sort of confrontation is it? Who or what is involved? Does the confrontation lead to any recognition or change in awareness on the protagonist's part, either about herself/himself or about the world she/he inhabits?
3. Is the action of the play "realistic"? That is, does the play portray something one might have a fair chance of encountering in "real life"? If so, explain how the action(s) reflect the major intellectual concerns of the play. If not, discuss the effect upon the audience of the play's deliberately unrealistic performance values.
4. What do a character's actions reveal about her or his personality? background? class? assumptions and expectations?
LANGUAGE:
1. Does the dialogue strike you as realistic? Like something you have heard or might hear, even if the language is "old" because the play comes from a much earlier period?
2. Are there any words, phrases, or images that appear repeatedly? If so, what are they? Why are they repeated? Do they seem to reflect some central concern or preoccupation, some major theme, or some pervasive mood within the play?
3. Try to explain why each character speaks as she or he does. What was the playwright trying to accomplish by giving each character that particular dialogue and speech pattern?
THEME:
1. What is the central intellectual concern (or theme) of the play? State it in a declarative sentence. Is the author trying to make some point about people? about life? about society? about something else?
2. Most dramas involve a central "problem" that is revealed as some sort of conflict. How does the author represent this conflict in the play? How does the author resolve the conflict?
3. What is the point of reading a play that is "old" (Oedipus Rex is 2400 years old, for example, and Hamlet is 400 years old, and A Doll's House is 100 years old). Do "old" plays have anything of value to say to us today, or is performing them simply like keeping them stored in a museum for us to visit occasionally? Are the concerns in "old" plays relevant only to the times in which they were written, or do they remain relevant to us today?
4. Should plays deal with "universal" issues and problems? Or should they concern themselves primarily with issues and problems that are unique to the times in which they are written? What makes a play "relevant" or "out of date"?
DRAMA
What is DRAMA?
Drama comes from Greek words meaning "to do" or "to act." A play is a story acted out. It shows people going through some eventful period in their lives, seriously or humorously. The speech and action of a play recreate the flow of human life. A play comes fully to life only on the stage. On the stage it combines many arts those of the author, director, actor, designer, and others. Dramatic performance involves an intricate process of rehearsal based upon imagery inherent in the dramatic text. A playwright first invents a drama out of mental imagery. The dramatic text presents the drama as a range of verbal imagery. The language of drama can range between great extremes: on the one hand, an intensely theatrical and ritualistic manner; and on the other, an almost exact reproduction of real life. A dramatic monologue is a type of lyrical poem or narrative piece that has a person speaking to a select listener and revealing his character in a dramatic situation.
Classification of Dramatic Plays
In a strict sense, plays are classified as being either tragedies or comedies. The broad difference between the two is in the ending. Comedies end happily. Tragedies end on an unhappy note. The tragedy acts as a purge. It arouses our pity for the stricken one and our terror that we ourselves may be struck down. As the play closes we are washed clean of these emotions and we feel better for the experience. A classical tragedy tells of a high and noble person who falls because of a "tragic flaw," a weakness in his own character. A domestic tragedy concerns the lives of ordinary people brought low by circumstances beyond their control. Domestic tragedy may be realistic seemingly true to life or naturalistic realistic and on the seamy side of life. A romantic comedy is a love story. The main characters are lovers; the secondary characters are comic. In the end the lovers are always united. Farce is comedy at its broadest. Much fun and horseplay enliven the action. The comedy of manners, or artificial comedy, is subtle, witty, and often mocking. Sentimental comedy mixes sentimental emotion with its humor. Melodrama has a plot filled with pathos and menacing threats by a villain, but it does include comic relief and has a happy ending. It depends upon physical action rather than upon character probing. Tragic or comic, the action of the play comes from conflict of characters how the stage people react to each other. These reactions make the play.
What makes a Drama a Drama?
* A dramatist should start with characters. The characters must be full, rich, interesting, and different enough from each other so that in one way or another they conflict. From this conflict comes the story
* Put the characters into dramatic situations with strongly plotted conclusions
* The plot should be able to tell what happens and why
* The beginning, should tell the audience or reader what took place before the story leads into the present action. The middle carries the action forward, amid trouble and complications. In the end, the conflict is resolved, and the story comes to a satisfactory, but not necessarily a happy conclusion.
* It should be filled with characters whom real people admire and envy. The plots must be filled with action. It should penetrate both the heart and mind and shows man as he is, in all his misery and glory.
Elements of Drama
Most successful playwrights follow the theories of playwriting and drama that were established over two thousand years ago by a man named Aristotle. In his works the Poetics Aristotle outlined the six elements of drama in his critical analysis of the classical Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex written by the Greek playwright, Sophocles, in the fifth century B.C. The six elements as they are outlined involve: Thought, Theme, Ideas; Action or Plot; Characters; Language; Music; and Spectacle.
1. Thought/Theme/Ideas
What the play means as opposed to what happens (the plot). Sometimes the theme is clearly stated in the title. It may be stated through dialogue by a character acting as the playwrights voice. Or it may be the theme is less obvious and emerges only after some study or thought. The abstract issues and feelings that grow out of the dramatic action.
2. Action/Plot
The events of a play; the story as opposed to the theme; what happens rather than what it means. The plot must have some sort of unity and clarity by setting up a pattern by which each action initiating the next rather than standing alone without connection to what came before it or what follows. In the plot of a play, characters are involved in conflict that has a pattern of movement. The action and movement in the play begins from the initial entanglement, through rising action, climax, and falling action to resolution.
3. Character
These are the people presented in the play that are involved in the perusing plot. Each character should have their own distinct personality, age, appearance, beliefs, socio economic background, and language.
4. Language
The word choices made by the playwright and the enunciation of the actors of the language. Language and dialog delivered by the characters moves the plot and action along, provides exposition, defines the distinct characters. Each playwright can create their own specific style in relationship to language choices they use in establishing character and dialogue.
5. Music
Music can encompass the rhythm of dialogue and speeches in a play or can also mean the aspects of the melody and music compositions as with musical theatre. Each theatrical presentation delivers music, rhythm and melody in its own distinctive manner. Music is not a part of every play. But, music can be included to mean all sounds in a production. Music can expand to all sound effects, the actor's voices, songs, and instrumental music played as underscore in a play. Music creates patterns and establishes tempo in theatre. In the aspects of the musical the songs are used to push the plot forward and move the story to a higher level of intensity. Composers and lyricist work together with playwrights to strengthen the themes and ideas of the play. Character's wants and desires can be strengthened for the audience through lyrics and music.
6. Spectacle
The spectacle in the theatre can involve all of the aspects of scenery, costumes, and special effects in a production. The visual elements of the play created for theatrical event. The qualities determined by the playwright that create the world and atmosphere of the play for the audience's eye.
source:
http://homepage.smc.edu/adair-lynch_terrin/Spring%2004/Elements.htm
Drama comes from Greek words meaning "to do" or "to act." A play is a story acted out. It shows people going through some eventful period in their lives, seriously or humorously. The speech and action of a play recreate the flow of human life. A play comes fully to life only on the stage. On the stage it combines many arts those of the author, director, actor, designer, and others. Dramatic performance involves an intricate process of rehearsal based upon imagery inherent in the dramatic text. A playwright first invents a drama out of mental imagery. The dramatic text presents the drama as a range of verbal imagery. The language of drama can range between great extremes: on the one hand, an intensely theatrical and ritualistic manner; and on the other, an almost exact reproduction of real life. A dramatic monologue is a type of lyrical poem or narrative piece that has a person speaking to a select listener and revealing his character in a dramatic situation.
Classification of Dramatic Plays
In a strict sense, plays are classified as being either tragedies or comedies. The broad difference between the two is in the ending. Comedies end happily. Tragedies end on an unhappy note. The tragedy acts as a purge. It arouses our pity for the stricken one and our terror that we ourselves may be struck down. As the play closes we are washed clean of these emotions and we feel better for the experience. A classical tragedy tells of a high and noble person who falls because of a "tragic flaw," a weakness in his own character. A domestic tragedy concerns the lives of ordinary people brought low by circumstances beyond their control. Domestic tragedy may be realistic seemingly true to life or naturalistic realistic and on the seamy side of life. A romantic comedy is a love story. The main characters are lovers; the secondary characters are comic. In the end the lovers are always united. Farce is comedy at its broadest. Much fun and horseplay enliven the action. The comedy of manners, or artificial comedy, is subtle, witty, and often mocking. Sentimental comedy mixes sentimental emotion with its humor. Melodrama has a plot filled with pathos and menacing threats by a villain, but it does include comic relief and has a happy ending. It depends upon physical action rather than upon character probing. Tragic or comic, the action of the play comes from conflict of characters how the stage people react to each other. These reactions make the play.
What makes a Drama a Drama?
* A dramatist should start with characters. The characters must be full, rich, interesting, and different enough from each other so that in one way or another they conflict. From this conflict comes the story
* Put the characters into dramatic situations with strongly plotted conclusions
* The plot should be able to tell what happens and why
* The beginning, should tell the audience or reader what took place before the story leads into the present action. The middle carries the action forward, amid trouble and complications. In the end, the conflict is resolved, and the story comes to a satisfactory, but not necessarily a happy conclusion.
* It should be filled with characters whom real people admire and envy. The plots must be filled with action. It should penetrate both the heart and mind and shows man as he is, in all his misery and glory.
Elements of Drama
Most successful playwrights follow the theories of playwriting and drama that were established over two thousand years ago by a man named Aristotle. In his works the Poetics Aristotle outlined the six elements of drama in his critical analysis of the classical Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex written by the Greek playwright, Sophocles, in the fifth century B.C. The six elements as they are outlined involve: Thought, Theme, Ideas; Action or Plot; Characters; Language; Music; and Spectacle.
1. Thought/Theme/Ideas
What the play means as opposed to what happens (the plot). Sometimes the theme is clearly stated in the title. It may be stated through dialogue by a character acting as the playwrights voice. Or it may be the theme is less obvious and emerges only after some study or thought. The abstract issues and feelings that grow out of the dramatic action.
2. Action/Plot
The events of a play; the story as opposed to the theme; what happens rather than what it means. The plot must have some sort of unity and clarity by setting up a pattern by which each action initiating the next rather than standing alone without connection to what came before it or what follows. In the plot of a play, characters are involved in conflict that has a pattern of movement. The action and movement in the play begins from the initial entanglement, through rising action, climax, and falling action to resolution.
3. Character
These are the people presented in the play that are involved in the perusing plot. Each character should have their own distinct personality, age, appearance, beliefs, socio economic background, and language.
4. Language
The word choices made by the playwright and the enunciation of the actors of the language. Language and dialog delivered by the characters moves the plot and action along, provides exposition, defines the distinct characters. Each playwright can create their own specific style in relationship to language choices they use in establishing character and dialogue.
5. Music
Music can encompass the rhythm of dialogue and speeches in a play or can also mean the aspects of the melody and music compositions as with musical theatre. Each theatrical presentation delivers music, rhythm and melody in its own distinctive manner. Music is not a part of every play. But, music can be included to mean all sounds in a production. Music can expand to all sound effects, the actor's voices, songs, and instrumental music played as underscore in a play. Music creates patterns and establishes tempo in theatre. In the aspects of the musical the songs are used to push the plot forward and move the story to a higher level of intensity. Composers and lyricist work together with playwrights to strengthen the themes and ideas of the play. Character's wants and desires can be strengthened for the audience through lyrics and music.
6. Spectacle
The spectacle in the theatre can involve all of the aspects of scenery, costumes, and special effects in a production. The visual elements of the play created for theatrical event. The qualities determined by the playwright that create the world and atmosphere of the play for the audience's eye.
source:
http://homepage.smc.edu/adair-lynch_terrin/Spring%2004/Elements.htm
Poetry Analysis
BASIC DIRECTIONS
Title-- Ponder the title before reading the poem
List words and Phrases-- List the important Nouns, Verbs, Phrases, and Clauses in separate columns.
Paraphrase-- Translate the poem into your own words
Connotation-- Contemplate the poem for meaning beyond the literal
Attitude--Observe both the speaker and the poet attitude (tone).
Shifts-- Note shifts in speaker and in attitudes
Title-- Examine the title again, this time on an interpretive level.
Theme --Determine what the poet is saying.
SPECIFIC SUMMARY ANALYSIS
Title: Ponder the title before reading the poem; predict what the poem may be "about."
Paraphrase: Translate the poem into your own words. Focus on one syntactical unit at a time, not necessarily on one line at a time. Or write a sentence or two for each stanza of the poem.
Connotation: Contemplate the poem for meaning beyond the literal. What do the words mean beyond the obvious? What are the implications, the hints, the suggestions of these particular word choices?
Devices: Examine any and all poetic devices, focusing on how such devices contribute to the meaning, the effect, or both, of a poem. (What is important is not that you can identify poetic devices so much as that you can explain how the devices enhance meaning and effect.) Especially note anything that is repeated, either individual words or complete phrases. Anything said more than once may be crucial to interpretation.
Attitude: Observe both the speaker's and the poet's attitude (tone). Diction, images, and details suggest the speaker's attitude and contribute to understanding.
Shifts: Rarely does a poet begin and end the poetic experience in the same place. As is true of most of us, the poet's understanding of an experience is a gradual realization, and the poem is a reflection of that epiphany. Trace the changing feelings of the speaker from the beginning to end, paying particular attention to the conclusion. To discover shifts, watch for the following: key words: but, yet, however, although; punctuation: dashes, periods, colons, ellipsis; stanza and/or line divisions: change in line or stanza length or both; irony: sometimes irony hides shifts; effect of structure on meaning, how the poem is "built"; changes in sound that may indicate changes in meaning; and changes in diction: slang to formal language, for instance, or postive connotation to negative; the crux, the one crucial part of the work that stands out, perhaps presenting the complete idea all by itself.
Title: Examine the title again, this time on an interpretive level.
Theme: In identifying theme, recognize the human experience, motivation, or condition suggested by the poem. Use this theme chart:
PLOT: A summary of the "plot" or events of a poem written in a short paragraph form
SUBJECT: Subjects of the poem are listed as words or phrases
THEME: After combining subjects where appropriate, write a complete sentence identifying what idea the poet or speaker (narrator) is conveying about each subject.
Title-- Ponder the title before reading the poem
List words and Phrases-- List the important Nouns, Verbs, Phrases, and Clauses in separate columns.
Paraphrase-- Translate the poem into your own words
Connotation-- Contemplate the poem for meaning beyond the literal
Attitude--Observe both the speaker and the poet attitude (tone).
Shifts-- Note shifts in speaker and in attitudes
Title-- Examine the title again, this time on an interpretive level.
Theme --Determine what the poet is saying.
SPECIFIC SUMMARY ANALYSIS
Title: Ponder the title before reading the poem; predict what the poem may be "about."
Paraphrase: Translate the poem into your own words. Focus on one syntactical unit at a time, not necessarily on one line at a time. Or write a sentence or two for each stanza of the poem.
Connotation: Contemplate the poem for meaning beyond the literal. What do the words mean beyond the obvious? What are the implications, the hints, the suggestions of these particular word choices?
Devices: Examine any and all poetic devices, focusing on how such devices contribute to the meaning, the effect, or both, of a poem. (What is important is not that you can identify poetic devices so much as that you can explain how the devices enhance meaning and effect.) Especially note anything that is repeated, either individual words or complete phrases. Anything said more than once may be crucial to interpretation.
Attitude: Observe both the speaker's and the poet's attitude (tone). Diction, images, and details suggest the speaker's attitude and contribute to understanding.
Shifts: Rarely does a poet begin and end the poetic experience in the same place. As is true of most of us, the poet's understanding of an experience is a gradual realization, and the poem is a reflection of that epiphany. Trace the changing feelings of the speaker from the beginning to end, paying particular attention to the conclusion. To discover shifts, watch for the following: key words: but, yet, however, although; punctuation: dashes, periods, colons, ellipsis; stanza and/or line divisions: change in line or stanza length or both; irony: sometimes irony hides shifts; effect of structure on meaning, how the poem is "built"; changes in sound that may indicate changes in meaning; and changes in diction: slang to formal language, for instance, or postive connotation to negative; the crux, the one crucial part of the work that stands out, perhaps presenting the complete idea all by itself.
Title: Examine the title again, this time on an interpretive level.
Theme: In identifying theme, recognize the human experience, motivation, or condition suggested by the poem. Use this theme chart:
PLOT: A summary of the "plot" or events of a poem written in a short paragraph form
SUBJECT: Subjects of the poem are listed as words or phrases
THEME: After combining subjects where appropriate, write a complete sentence identifying what idea the poet or speaker (narrator) is conveying about each subject.
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