Gone in Sixty Seconds 2005 - Theatre Quest Entries (thing)
Brahms' Midnight TrainA TRAGEDY IN ONE ACT IN ONE MINUTE BACKSTORY Sixty year-old life-long bachelor Johannes Brahms was Hamburg born, but for most of his life had his residence in Vienna. He had a intensly musical and platonically intimate relationship with Robert Schumann's widow, Clara, for 40 years. It was stormy many times in both regards. In 1896 it ended with her death from a stroke. He also lost best friends Theodore Billroth, Hans von Bulow, and Agathe Grimm ne Siebold in the last two years. Brahms' health, following the subsequent events, involving 40 hours of travel, would fatally fail in a year. CAST:
Stage Directions: There should be at least two chairs, preferably two pairs or more, in two sections of center stage which will be dark until one of the sections is lighted as needed. One section is seating on a train, the other seating is in the train station. At RISE: Spots brighten gradually on one chair (or preferably one group of chairs) stage right. A rotund bearded man (Brahms) walks out of the darkness from stage right, while another man (the conductor) enters the lighted area from stage left. SCENE 1 CONDUCTOR
BRAHMS
CONDUCTOR 1 Ya! Guten nacht. (Clerk exits stage left.) OFF STAGE VOICES {Excerpts of Brahm's Lullaby--Cradle Song is heard while the lights fade to black.) Close your eyes SCENE 2 (Suddenly the spots come back on, revealing a sleeping Brahms who sits up awake.) BRAHMS Ach! I'm heading the wrong way! I've slept through my connection. CONDUCTOR 2 This stop Linz! BRAHMS I must catch the next train to Frankfort! STATION CLERK 1 The train to Frankfurt does not leave until morning. (Exits stage left.) (Brahms takes a seat, and bends his head down to his knees.) OFFSTAGE VOICES {Excerpts of Brahm's German Requium is heard while the lights fade to black.) Blessed are they that mourn, SCENE 3 CONDUCTOR 3 (Conductor moves into stage right to where the next train will be leaving.) All aboard for Frankfurt! (Again, as the spots come suddenly back on, --both sections-- revealing a sleeping Brahms who sits up awake. He moves to stage right where the lights fade from the station setting and remain on him on the train. He then wearily takes a seat, nodding his head down.) OFFSTAGE VOICES {Excerpts of Brahm's Four Serious Songs is heard while the lights fade to black.) Therefore I saw, that there is nothing better, SCENE 4 CONDUCTOR 4 Frankfurt Station! (Again, as the spots come suddenly back on, revealing again a sleeping Brahms who sits up awake. He moves to stage left where the lights fade from the train setting and remain on him into the station. The station clerk moves into the section --and the light-- from stage left.) BRAHMS Mein Gott, man. (Then he mutters aside): --Though I've believed in none but myself. And, Hell is truly real here. (Then outloud): Quick! Call me a coach to get to Frau Clara's funeral. STATION CLERK 2 Ach der lieber, Herr Doktor, it is in Bonn! You can catch that train, but you will have to travel all day. You will probably be a bit late and raggedy, no? (Brahms moves stage right, where the lights fade in takes a seat, and kicks back exasperated. Lights fade to black.) BRAHMS My lieders, my requiems, my robust health, now horrible prophecies. Billroth, Bulow, Agathe, and now Clara gone. Where is He who would comfort as a Mother? CURTAIN For Gone in Sixty Seconds 2005 - A Theatre Quest Note: To get this under a minute, much simultaneous lighting and offstage voices must be done. There should be crisp, fast delivery of the lines as well. Kind of surrealistically moving like a dream that takes a minute to compress hours of time.
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