Scene Three -But It’s All About Me!
Start from the beginning with SCENE ONE here.
SCENE THREE
Set: It is a bare workshop space. There are 12 chairs in a semi-circle. Beneath each chair is a notebook, a pen, and a few candies. In the centre of the semi-circle is a box of tissues.
Style: Movement based. Physical storytelling. Rhythmic, and poetic.
Invitation to:
Consider the three characters are interchangeable.
Consider choosing an issue of the ‘time’ and infuse it through the script.
Consider exploring a theme where reconciliation is the yearning behind the text.
Characters: The workshop junkies.
They don’t live ‘out there’, they live ‘in here’, in workshop spaces.
HE: You’re not supposed to be here.
None of this is for you.
It’s personal. The whole idea of this is that it’s not for you.
There’s no benefit in, in that.
Get it?
You never do.
It’s as if the sign outside got soaked
and you’ve come to the wrong place.
It got rained on
you know, the one outside.
The one with the
name
image
explanation
the reasonable how and why
and whatever
It’s as if the sign outside got soaked
and you’ve made a mistake.
This place isn’t for you
it’s not about you.
Come on, when is it ever about you?
You.
Smiling, chuckling with your really present buddy.
You happened upon it,
watched the rain grieve ink down the page
and thought
hmmmmm… how remarkable
it can cry.
Like you took on what it said
as if it were yours and not mine
but it doesn’t belong to you.
It’s mine
remember?
I’m over here and they’re over there
and you just stay put
right where you are.
Listen if you want, but make no bones about it.
This is not about you.
SCENE
There is a festival in Vancouver called: Theatre Under the Gun. In it, writers and actors come together to write, rehearse, stage and perform a one act play in 48 hours. At the time I wrote this, I was heavily involved in personal development work and the character of ‘the workshop junkie’ arrived. I have always loved physical theatre, clown work, mask and poetic dialogue. This piece is my exploration of storytelling this way.
And yes, we did stage the show. It was performed at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre a very long time ago with: Cyndi Mason, Judi Closkey and a guy named Ryan… oh man… I couldn’t tell you his last name. We met at a workshop.
For real.
TinaO is a storyteller, performer, and a professional listener who works with narrative and story structure as a vehicle for human connection. Her work is rooted in Myth, Mysticism, and the practice of personal faith. She is the founder of Live Your Best Story, a weekend retreat of deep listening held on Bowen Island, BC, Canada and is the voice and story behind TinaOLife. Tina is a proud associate of PowHERhouse Impact Media Group where she listens and supports the ‘stories’ of whole and integrated leaders of tomorrow.
