Elements.
Evening light.
Dreamer (A).
His dreamt self (B).
Dreamt hands R (right) and L (left).
Last 7 bars of Schubert’s Lied, Nacht und Träume.
1. Fade up on a dark empty room lit only by evening light from a window set high in back wall.
Left foreground, faintly lit, a man seated at a table. Right profile, head bowed, grey hair, hands resting on table.
Clearly visible only head and hands and section of table on which they rest.
2. Softly hummed, male voice, last 7 bars of Schubert’s Lied, Nacht und Träume.
3. Fade out evening light.
4. Softly sung, with words, last 3 bars of Lied beginning ‘Holde Träume …’
5. Fade down A as he bows his head further to rest on hands. Thus minimally lit he remains just visible throughout dream as first viewed.
6. A dreams. Fade up on B on an invisible podium about 4 feet above floor level, middle ground, well right of centre. He is seated at a table in the same posture as A dreaming, bowed head resting on hands, but left profile, faintly lit by kinder light than A’s.
7. From dark beyond and above B’s head L appears and rests gently on it.
8. B raises his head, L withdraws and disappears.
9. From same dark R appears with a cup, conveys it gently to B’s lips, B drinks, R disappears.
10. R reappears with a cloth, wipes gently B’s brow, disappears with cloth.
11. B raises his head further to gaze up at invisible face.
12. B raises his right hand, still gazing up, and holds it raised palm upward.
13. R reappears and rests gently on B’s right hand, B still gazing up.
14. B transfers gaze to joined hands.
15. B raises his left hand and rests it on joined hands.
16. Together hands sink to table and on them B’s head.
17. L reappears and rests gently on B’s head.
18. Fade out dream.
19. Fade up a and evening light.
20. A raises head to its opening position.
21. Lied as before (2).
22. Fade out evening light.
23. Close of Lied as before (4).
24. Fade down a as before (5).
25. A dreams. Fade up on B as before (6).
26. Move in slowly to close-up of B, losing A.
27. Dream as before (7–16) in close-up and slower motion.
28. Withdraw slowly to opening viewpoint, recovering A.
29. Fade out dream.
30. Fade out A.
What Where
The première of this play took place at the Harold Clurman Theatre, New York, on 15 June 1983. First published by Faber and Faber, London, in 1984.
BAM
BEM
BIM
BOM
VOICE OF BAM (V)
Note
Players as alike as possible.
Same long grey gown.
Same long grey hair.
V in the shape of a small megaphone at head level.
Playing area (P) rectangle 3m x 2m, dimly lit, surrounded by shadow, stage right as seen from house. Downstage left, dimly lit, surrounded by shadow, V.
General dark.
Light on V.
Pause.
V: We are the last five.
In the present as were we still.
It is spring.
Time passes.
First without words.
I switch on.
[Light on P.
BAM at 3 head haught, BOM at 1 head bowed.
Pause.]
Not good.
I switch off.
[Light off P.]
I start again.
We are the last five.
It is spring.
Time passes.
First without words.
I switch on.
[Light on P.
BAM alone at 3 head haught.
Pause.]
Good.
I am alone.
It is spring.
Time passes.
First without words.
In the end Bom appears.
Reappears.
[BOM enters at N, halts at 1 head bowed.
Pause.
BIM enters at E, halts at 2 head haught.
Pause.
BIM exits at E followed by BOM.
Pause.
BIM enters at E, halts at 2 head bowed.
Pause.
BEM enters at N, halts at 1 head haught.
Pause.
BEM exits at N followed by BIM.
Pause.
BEM enters at N, halts at 1 head bowed.
Pause.
BAM exits at W followed by BEM.
Pause.
BAM enters at W, halts at 3 head bowed.
Pause.]
Good.
I switch off.
[Light off P.]
I start again.
We are the last five.
It is spring.
Time passes.
I switch on.
[Light on P.
BAM alone at 3 head haught.
Pause.]
Good.
I am alone.
It is spring.
Time passes.
Now with words.
In the end Bom appears.
Reappears.
[BOM enters at N, halts at 1 head bowed.]
BOM: Well?
BOM: [Head bowed throughout.] Nothing. bam: He didn’t say anything?
BOM: No.
BAM: You gave him the works?
BOM: Yes.
BAM: And he didn’t say anything?
BOM: No.
BAM: He wept?
BOM: Yes.
BAM: Screamed?
BOM: Yes.
BAM: Begged for mercy?
BOM: Yes.
BAM: But didn’t say anything?
BOM: No.
V: Not good.
I start again.
BAM: Well?
BOM: Nothing.
BAM: He didn’t say it?
V: Good.
BOM: No.
BAM: You gave him the works?
BOM: Yes.
BAM: And he didn’t say it?
BOM: No.
BOM: He wept?
BOM: Yes.
BAM: Screamed?
BOM: Yes.
BAM: Begged for mercy?
BOM: Yes.
BAM: But didn’t say it?
BOM: No.
BAM: Then why stop?
BOM: He passed out.
BAM: And you didn’t revive him?
BOM: I tried.
BAM: Well?
BOM: I couldn’t.
[Pause.]
BAM: It’s a lie. [Pause.] He said it to you. [Pause.] Confess he said it to you. [Pause.] You’ll be given the works until you confess.
V: Good.
In the end Bim appears.
[BIM enters at E, halts at 2 head haught.]
BAM: [To BIM.] Are you free?
BIM: Yes.
BAM: Take him away and give him the works until he confesses.
BIM: What must he confess?
BAM: That he said it to him.
BIM: Is that all?
BAM: Yes.
V: Not good.
I start again.
BAM: Take him away and give him the works until he confesses.
BIM: What must he confess?
BAM: That he said it to him.
BIM: Is that all?
BAM: And what.
V: Good.
BIM: Is that all?
BAM: Yes.
BIM: Then stop?
BAM: Yes.
BIM: Good. [To bom.] Come.
[BIM exits at E followed by BOM.]
V: Good.
I am alone.
It is summer.
Time passes.
In the end Bim appears.
Reappe
ars.
[BIM enters at E, halts at 2 head bowed.]
BAM: Well?
BIM: [Head bowed throughout.] Nothing.
BAM: He didn’t say it?
BAM: No.
BAM: You gave him the works?
BIM: Yes.
BAM: And he didn’t say it?
BIM: No.
V: Not good.
I start again.
BAM: Well?
BIM: Nothing.
BAM: He didn’t say where?
V: Good.
BIM: Where?
V: Ah!
BAM: Where.
BIM: No.
BAM: You gave him the works?
BIM: Yes.
BAM: And he didn’t say where?
BIM: No.
BAM: He wept?
BIM: Yes.
BAM: Screamed?
BIM: Yes.
BAM: Begged for mercy?
BIM: Yes.
BAM: But didn’t say where?
BIM: No.
BAM: Then why stop?
BIM: He passed out.
BAM: And you didn’t revive him?
BIM: I tried.
BAM: Well?
BIM: I couldn’t.
[Pause.]
BAM: It’s a lie. [Pause.] He said where to you. [Pause.] Confess he said where to you. [Pause.] You’ll be given the works until you confess.
V: Good. In the end Bem appears.
[BEM enters at N, halts at 1 head haught.]
BAM: [To BEM.] Are you free?
BEM: Yes.
BAM: Take him away and give him the works until he confesses.
BEM: What must he confess?
BAM: That he said where to him.
BEM: Is that all?
BAM: Yes.
V: Not good.
I start again.
BAM: Take him away and give him the works until he confesses.
BEM: What must he confess?
BAM: That he said where to him.
BEM: Is that all?
BAM: And where.
V: Good.
BEM: Is that all?
ba YeS.
BEM: Then stop?
BAM: Yes.
BEM: Good. [To BIM.] Come.
[BEM exits at N followed by BIM.]
V: Good.
I am alone.
It is autumn.
Time passes.
In the end Bem appears.
Reappears.
[BEM enters at N, halts at 1 head bowed.]
BAM: Well?
BEM: [Head bowed throughout.] Nothing.
BAM: He didn’t say where?
BAM: No.
V: So on.
BAM: It’s a lie. [Pause.] He said where to you. [Pause.] Confess he said where to you. [Pause.] You’ll be given the works until you confess.
BEM: What must I confess?
BAM: That he said where to you.
BEM: Is that all?
BAM: And where.
BEM: Is that all?
BAM: Yes.
BEM: Then stop?
BAM: Yes. Come.
[BAM exits at W followed by BEM.]
V: Good.
It is winter.
Time passes.
In the end I appear.
Reappear.
[BAM enters at W, halts at 3 head bowed.]
V: Good.
I am alone.
In the present as were I still.
It is winter.
Without journey.
Time passes.
That is all.
Make sense who may.
I switch off.
[Light off P.
Pause.
Light off V.]
About the Author
Samuel Beckett was born in Dublin in 1906. He was educated at Portora Royal School and Trinity College, Dublin, where he graduated in 1927. His made his poetry debut in 1930 with Whoroscope and followed it with essays and two novels before World War Two. He wrote one of his most famous plays, Waiting for Godot, in 1949 but it wasn’t published in English until 1954. Waiting for Godot brought Beckett international fame and firmly established him as a leading figure in the Theatre of the Absurd. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1961. Beckett continued to write prolifically for radio, TV and the theatre until his death in 1989.
Copyright
This collection first published in 1986
by Faber and Faber Ltd
Bloomsbury House
74–77 Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3DA
This ebook edition first published in 2012
All rights reserved
Waiting for Godot © Samuel Beckett 1955 and 1965; Endgame © Grove Press 1958; Happy Days © Grove Press Inc. 1961; All That Fall © Samuel Beckett 1957; Act Without Words I © Samuel Beckett 1958; Act Without Words II © Samuel Beckett 1959; Krapp’s Last Tape © Samuel Beckett 1958; Rough for Theatre I © Samuel Beckett 1976; Rough for Theatre II © Samuel Beckett 1976; Embers © Samuel Beckett 1959; Rough for Radio I © Samuel Beckett 1976; Rough for Radio II © Samuel Beckett 1976; Words and Music © Samuel Beckett 1962; Cascando © Samuel Beckett 1963; Play © Samuel Beckett 1963; Film © Samuel Beckett 1967; The Old Tune, adapt. © Samuel Beckett 1963; Come and Go © Samuel Beckett 1966; Eh Joe © Samuel Beckett 1967; Breath © Samuel Beckett 1970; Not I © Samuel Beckett 1973; That Time © Samuel Beckett 1976; Footfalls © Samuel Beckett 1976; Ghost Trio © Samuel Beckett 1976; …but the clouds… © Samuel Beckett 1977; A Piece of Monologue © Samuel Beckett 1979; Rockaby © Samuel Beckett 1982; Ohio Impromptu © Samuel Beckett 1982; Quad © Samuel Beckett 1984; Catastrophe © Samuel Beckett 1984; Nacht und Träume © Samuel Beckett 1984; What Where © Samuel Beckett 1984
This collection © Samuel Beckett 1986
The right of Samuel Beckett to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
Application for the performing rights of The Old Tune should be addressed to Casarotto Company, National House, 60–66 Wardour Street, London, W1V 3HP, and of all other dramatic works included in this volume to Curtis Brown Ltd, 4th floor, Haymarket House, 28/29 Haymarket, London, SW1Y 4SP
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly
ISBN 978–0–571–30019–8
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