“A CHANCE AT SURVIVAL”
by OPOVV, ©2014
(Jan. 3, 2014) — ACT I
The curtain opens to a stage that is set as the inside of half a giant ball whose surface is a map of the world. The lighting is subdued as an actor enters from stage left and walks to front center, followed by a spotlight. The actor is dressed as one would assume Socrates would be, in a white robe. He unrolls a parchment and addresses the audience.
“Greetings, fellow Earthlings. Allow me to introduce myself: my name is ‘News,’ the news that the World once knew but knows no longer. We’re presenting a snapshot of your world as it is today, but first, a short history lesson.”
“We start with Columbus’s trek across the Atlantic represented by one of our stage hands pushing a scale model replica of the Queen Mary. We ordered a sailing ship, but this is what they sent us. Take notice of the map behind me. Before Columbus left Spain, the lights in the Americas are a steady green.”
The ship stops under the Americas.
“Notice the lights turn to yellow.”
“Now let’s jump forward a few years. Yes, what you see is true. All of the Americas are in grave danger, represented by the flashing red lights.”
“What say we interview one of the Indians of the Americas? You, there: yes, you, come on out here; I’d like to ask you a few questions.”
From stage left enters an Indian chief of the plains with buckskins and an elaborate headdress with many feathers ‘riding’ a toy horse. The sound of a Tom-tom is heard.
The Indian speaks: “Sorry about the toy horse. I ordered a real one and they sent me this. Okay, ask your questions.”
“What’s your name, tribe, and what killed you off?”
“My name is Too Many Feathers, no joke. No laugh. Tribe is Sioux, but I’ve some Cherokee relatives. Greed and smallpox killed us. Mostly smallpox. And greed. And whiskey. And beer. Mostly beer. And whiskey. I now dance for you people. This dance called ‘This is My Land’.”
The sounds of a tom-tom become much louder. American Indians enter from stage left, form in center of stage, do a few square-dance moves and move off stage right as tom-toms fade. All lights go OFF on map.
Curtain lowers.
ACT II
Curtain rises with Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” faintly heard while revealing many actors in various costumes representing many countries. Enters Mr. News from stage left, who stops at front stage center and addresses the audience.
“The year is 2014. Let’s light up every country on the map. Thank you. Now, and I don’t want to be rude, but when the lights go out in your country, please leave the stage.”
The sound imperceptibly increases.
An actor wearing the flag of New Zealand steps forward and says: “I take offense to this treatment.”
News says, “Duly noted. Please exit. Thank you.”
Ninety percent of the actors have left stage right. All the lights go out on the map.
News addresses the audience:
“Those red lights that are now flashing represent an Islamic attack on Infidels. Infidels are people who don’t buy into the political philosophy of murder and forcing women to be second-class citizens or, really now, non-citizens.”
“Okay, let’s turn off those lights and put some others up on the board. Now we are showing those countries who manufacture and export weapons and explosives. I’m just stating the facts; make your own conclusions.”
“Now, will the actors who are left on the stage please come forward, starting from the least exporters of weapons to the most?”
The actors step forward, state their country and exit stage right.
Sound is louder.
“Netherlands.”
“Sweden.”
“Turkey.”
“Israel.”
“France.”
“Germany.”
“France.”
“United Kingdom.”
“Russia.”
“China.”
End of “Clair de Lune.”
Silence. Curtain starts to lower.
“The United States of America.”
Curtain lowers.
ACT III
Curtain rises as the sound Edvard Grieg’s “Morning” is heard. Mr. News walks in from stage right to the front-center of the stage, followed by a spotlight. All the lights on the map are out. As Mr. News starts to speak, the USA is lit by a bright light.
“The ‘Beacon of the World,’ ‘Birthplace of Freedom,’ the ‘Land of Liberty,’ the US Constitution, is in our hands to mold as we will. Not giving drug tests to those you give money to is just as if you were an accessory in buying the seeds of destruction of the very heart that makes up America. We are just one country in an ocean of countries; we are one people among other people who are doing their best to not just “survive,” but to grow and make the tomorrows better than those of yesterday.”
The spotlight goes out over the USA and all the world’s Islamic nations are bathed in a red light.
“However, there are those, many millions, who think otherwise, who really and truly believe that our deaths will help them have better. This is the point at which they don’t make any sense.”
“Our enemy is against anything that is ‘Western Civilization;’ the courts where a woman’s rights are equal to that of a man; vaccines are administered as charity; willfully sharing irrigation and crop planting methods; improving the infrastructure so all benefit; the absence of feudal warlords; education for all and libraries, free, for everyone. Education: the key to a vibrant and knowledgeable people.”
“We must clean our own house before we have any hope, or chance, at spreading ‘The Good Word*’ abroad. Welfare replaced with work programs. All to serve two in the military or get drafted.”
All the map lights go out and slowly all of the world’s capitals are lit as the actors from Act II return to the stage. The sound of the music increases as the people on the stage look at the audience and say:
“You want a chance at survival? Repeal Obamacare and repeal Obama.”
Music ends. Curtain lowered.
FINI
*Let’s start with spreading the “GOLDEN RULE.”
OPOVV