Tree Walkers

According to my file Tree Walkers was wrote on 10 February 2000 in the middle of a very bad nights sleep thinking about life and where I would go after I left university. At this time, I remember I was pretty well obessioned with Samuel Beckett’s work and this short piece I know for a fact was influenced by him.

I never had the guts to show this to my playwriting lecturer, Les Smith as a official assignment but do remember him sitting there looking at me very puzzled indeed which is in contrast to my theatre studies lecturer, James who loved and arranged for this to get performed for a small audience for the university.

Sadly it never got videoed but it got a great reaction.

Andy

(THE STAGE IS BLANK. THERE IS NO SET ON STAGE. JUST COMPLETE DARKNESS. BLACKNESS THAT DOESN’T STOP THROUGHOUT THE PLAY)

(IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DARKNESS, A BRIGHT, ALMOST GHOSTYL WHITE LIGHT APPEARS IN A SEMI CIRCLE. IN THE CENTRE OF THIS SMALL CIRCLE STAND FOUR PEOPLE, FOUR PEOPLE ENTANGLED TOGETHER TO SUGGEST A TREE. THE TALLEST PERSON OF THE FOUR MUST BE THE MAIN BULK OF THE TREE, WHILE THE OTHER THREE SMALLER PEOPLE ALL FIT AROUND HIM ADDING AN EXTRA DIMMENSION AROUND THEM).

(PAUSE)

(THE PERSON ON THE LEFT TO THE AUDIENCE THE MOST BREAKS AWAY AND FALLS TO THE GROUND IN A LIFELESS ACTION. ONCE HE HAS LANDED ON THE FLOOR, A VOICE ANNOUNCES FROM OFF STAGE (POSSIBLY TAPE / PRE RECORDED)

Voice:

A branch snaps, a life pissed down the drain

(ANOTHER PERSON THIS TIME, THE PERSON ON THE FURTHEST RIGHT BREAKS AWAY FROM THE TREE AND FALLS LIFELESS TO THE FLOOR. ONCE HE HAS LANDED ONTO THE FLOOR, THE VOICE ANNOUNCES)

Voice:

Another dies, torn out form the mother in a disdaining echo.

(PAUSE)

(THE THIRD BRANCH SNAPS OFF AND FALLS FORWARD ONTO THE FLOOR IN FRONT OF THE AUDIENCE. ONCE THIS ACTION HAS HAPPENED, DOES THE VOICE SPEAK AGAIN)

Voice:

And this carries on in a lifeless echo. Here today, gone tomorrow.

(PAUSE)

(DARKNESS FOR A FEW SECONDS. WHEN THE LIGHT COMES BACK ON, THE FOUR PEOPLE ARE BACK TOGETHER AS A TREE. THE VOICE THEN CONCLUDES)

Voice:

And this carries on in a lifeless echo. Here today, gone tomorrow. Branches snapping, re growing. Changing but never really changing. Life moving on but never more standing still. Here today, gone tomorrow. Here today, gone tomorrow.

(FADE TO DARKNESS)