8/15/06 Possible scenario for 1st half of piece:
THE OROONOKO PROJECT: SCENARIO (8/15)
PRE-SHOW:
Possible tables and performances in lobby (invite outside groups?); live music, food
After inspecting lobby, audience enters house via breezeway side entrance;
Audience free to wander among several areas in which different things are happening simultaneously; for example, some possibilities might be:
1) an area (center?) where some actors are preparing, getting into costume & makeup;
2) an area where a clown "professor" is offering a power-point presentation on history of race construction (use one of the video monitors built into throne?);
3) an area where sideshow barker is luring people into a peep-show (inside are 18th-century drawings of slavery, new world encounters, etc.--shown on one of the video monitors built into throne?)
4) an area where stage hand is demonstrating props to be used in the play (especially giant quill pens with microphones) and inviting audience members to try them out;
5) an area in which another "professor" is offering a presentation on the visit of the Four American Kings to London and is discussing Iroquois culture, particularly the tradition of the condolence council (video monitor?);
6) an area where audience members are asked to "buy" (barter?) lottery tickets and explaining that lots will be drawn to determine which audience members get to portray the Four American Kings;
During this preshow, music should be playing (Soundtrack: ??); the atmosphere should be loud, cacaphonous, and festive.
At a certain point, the audience is encouraged (voice-over?) to take seats on either side of the stage, and the stage is cleared of pre-show props, etc.
SCENE ONE:
The lights dim. (Soundtrack: ?? )Two actors in costume and make-up (Lucy, Welldon) take their places on the platform center stage. Lights come up and actors begin to play scene I.i (Oroonoko):
[text]
After scene gets underway, shouts from the audience (actors as plants, encouraging audience members to join in): "We want the Kings! Give us the Kings!" Shouting continues until Theatre Managers enters and begs them to stop, but in vain.
Suddenly lights change, actors on stage freeze, and a voice-over announces that lots will be drawn to determine who gets to play the Kings; two stagehands bring ticket stubs in a container on, and, with great fanfare, the four numbers are read out; the lights change again and the actors and Theatre Manager bring four audience members onto the stage, give them plastic headdresses and tomahawks (?), make them up with warpaint, and place them on the four thrones (Soundtrack: ??).
As they are seated on their thrones, the video monitors come on, the lights change, and the actor portraying Mrs. Behn (in white stocking mask) appears at a microphone reading from the dedication to her Oroonoko (p. 37) (soundtrack: ??). As she reads, the actors portraying Lucy and Welldon, now with white stocking masks, take their places and begin the scene again:
[text]
SCENE TWO:
At the end of the previous scene, lights change (Soundtrack?) and the two actors onstage are replaced by two other actors (Governor, Blanford), also in white stocking masks, who begin Scene I.ii:
[text]
Perhaps: As Oroonoko and the slaves proceed across the stage (represented perhaps, by puppets attached to a chain that Oroonoko and Aboan carry, one at either end) (Soundtrack:??), Mrs. Behn appears at her microphone and speaks a section from her story: "He was pretty tall . . . Illustrious Courts." (pp. 43-44)
Also: Oroonoko's voice may be read into a microphone by a Reader; it might also be that, from the moment the Four Kings are placed on their thrones, all actors' voices are spoke by readers into microphones. Another possiblity: From the moment of Oroonoko's entrance, all characters' voices are miked (read), suggesting the added difficulty of communication when encountering the Other.
SCENE THREE:
As the previous scene ends, the Theatre Manager enters the stage and announces that, as an entre' acte and particularly for the pleasure of the Four Kings (and most particularly to demonstrate the superiority of the English over the Spanish), the theatre will present a scene from Mr. John Dryden's The Indian Emperour:
[text of V.ii, Dryden] (Soundtrack: ??)
SCENE FOUR:
(Possible transition by Theatre Manager)
Actors portraying Oroonoko and Blanford take their positions and begin II.ii:
[text]
At line 77, spot up on Mrs. Behn, who reads excerpt from p. 42 of her Oroonoko, either speaking over the other actors or in a pause. They continue with the scene. At line 82, Mrs. Behn again interrupts, describing Imoinda (p. 44). As the scene continues (Oroonoko speaking with Mrs. Behn?), two figures appear, dressed and moving identically: Black Omoinda and White Omoinda. They exit when Oroonoko describes her being sent "far, far off" (line 109).
SCENE FIVE:
Action continues (II.iii). Black Omoinda watches as White Omoinda plays scene with Governor. When "the scene is drawn", two songs follow (1st & 3rd); scene should be reminiscent of "plantation scenes" from old movies (show clips on videos?) with all available actors in black stocking masks; if actual children could "sing" (probably sung by readers), 'twould be great. (Soundtrack: ??)
Indian attack: (Soundtrack: ??) Indians enter wearing red stocking masks. At one point, Oroonoko and Imoinda (just White? both Black & White?) are only cast members not playing Indians, and Oroonoko kills them all. They disappear to return as White characters.
As Oroonoko plays reunited scene with White Omoinda, Black Omoinda looks on--perhaps this is the last time we see her.
INTERMISSION HERE?
THE OROONOKO PROJECT: SCENARIO (8/15)
PRE-SHOW:
Possible tables and performances in lobby (invite outside groups?); live music, food
After inspecting lobby, audience enters house via breezeway side entrance;
Audience free to wander among several areas in which different things are happening simultaneously; for example, some possibilities might be:
1) an area (center?) where some actors are preparing, getting into costume & makeup;
2) an area where a clown "professor" is offering a power-point presentation on history of race construction (use one of the video monitors built into throne?);
3) an area where sideshow barker is luring people into a peep-show (inside are 18th-century drawings of slavery, new world encounters, etc.--shown on one of the video monitors built into throne?)
4) an area where stage hand is demonstrating props to be used in the play (especially giant quill pens with microphones) and inviting audience members to try them out;
5) an area in which another "professor" is offering a presentation on the visit of the Four American Kings to London and is discussing Iroquois culture, particularly the tradition of the condolence council (video monitor?);
6) an area where audience members are asked to "buy" (barter?) lottery tickets and explaining that lots will be drawn to determine which audience members get to portray the Four American Kings;
During this preshow, music should be playing (Soundtrack: ??); the atmosphere should be loud, cacaphonous, and festive.
At a certain point, the audience is encouraged (voice-over?) to take seats on either side of the stage, and the stage is cleared of pre-show props, etc.
SCENE ONE:
The lights dim. (Soundtrack: ?? )Two actors in costume and make-up (Lucy, Welldon) take their places on the platform center stage. Lights come up and actors begin to play scene I.i (Oroonoko):
[text]
After scene gets underway, shouts from the audience (actors as plants, encouraging audience members to join in): "We want the Kings! Give us the Kings!" Shouting continues until Theatre Managers enters and begs them to stop, but in vain.
Suddenly lights change, actors on stage freeze, and a voice-over announces that lots will be drawn to determine who gets to play the Kings; two stagehands bring ticket stubs in a container on, and, with great fanfare, the four numbers are read out; the lights change again and the actors and Theatre Manager bring four audience members onto the stage, give them plastic headdresses and tomahawks (?), make them up with warpaint, and place them on the four thrones (Soundtrack: ??).
As they are seated on their thrones, the video monitors come on, the lights change, and the actor portraying Mrs. Behn (in white stocking mask) appears at a microphone reading from the dedication to her Oroonoko (p. 37) (soundtrack: ??). As she reads, the actors portraying Lucy and Welldon, now with white stocking masks, take their places and begin the scene again:
[text]
SCENE TWO:
At the end of the previous scene, lights change (Soundtrack?) and the two actors onstage are replaced by two other actors (Governor, Blanford), also in white stocking masks, who begin Scene I.ii:
[text]
Perhaps: As Oroonoko and the slaves proceed across the stage (represented perhaps, by puppets attached to a chain that Oroonoko and Aboan carry, one at either end) (Soundtrack:??), Mrs. Behn appears at her microphone and speaks a section from her story: "He was pretty tall . . . Illustrious Courts." (pp. 43-44)
Also: Oroonoko's voice may be read into a microphone by a Reader; it might also be that, from the moment the Four Kings are placed on their thrones, all actors' voices are spoke by readers into microphones. Another possiblity: From the moment of Oroonoko's entrance, all characters' voices are miked (read), suggesting the added difficulty of communication when encountering the Other.
SCENE THREE:
As the previous scene ends, the Theatre Manager enters the stage and announces that, as an entre' acte and particularly for the pleasure of the Four Kings (and most particularly to demonstrate the superiority of the English over the Spanish), the theatre will present a scene from Mr. John Dryden's The Indian Emperour:
[text of V.ii, Dryden] (Soundtrack: ??)
SCENE FOUR:
(Possible transition by Theatre Manager)
Actors portraying Oroonoko and Blanford take their positions and begin II.ii:
[text]
At line 77, spot up on Mrs. Behn, who reads excerpt from p. 42 of her Oroonoko, either speaking over the other actors or in a pause. They continue with the scene. At line 82, Mrs. Behn again interrupts, describing Imoinda (p. 44). As the scene continues (Oroonoko speaking with Mrs. Behn?), two figures appear, dressed and moving identically: Black Omoinda and White Omoinda. They exit when Oroonoko describes her being sent "far, far off" (line 109).
SCENE FIVE:
Action continues (II.iii). Black Omoinda watches as White Omoinda plays scene with Governor. When "the scene is drawn", two songs follow (1st & 3rd); scene should be reminiscent of "plantation scenes" from old movies (show clips on videos?) with all available actors in black stocking masks; if actual children could "sing" (probably sung by readers), 'twould be great. (Soundtrack: ??)
Indian attack: (Soundtrack: ??) Indians enter wearing red stocking masks. At one point, Oroonoko and Imoinda (just White? both Black & White?) are only cast members not playing Indians, and Oroonoko kills them all. They disappear to return as White characters.
As Oroonoko plays reunited scene with White Omoinda, Black Omoinda looks on--perhaps this is the last time we see her.
INTERMISSION HERE?
posted by Graham at 8:12 PM
1 comments
