Catastrophe Practice
Page 20
Dionysus feels on the ground at the bottom of the partition at the back He seems to find what he is looking for. It is as if it were a bolt, which he is withdrawing.
Dionysus comes back to Siva and takes her by the hips and tries to move her towards the back, then the front, as if the partition might swivel on a central vertical hinge.
Hortense speaks with her head in her hands —
HORTENSE
A fog —
ANDERSON
A god —
FLORENCE
A chromosome —
ANDERSON
A heart-beat.
Dionysus lets go of Siva. He seems to give up. He looks at the audience.
FLORENCE
— Did the nuns take you in netball, and dancing? —
Hortense gets up off the bed and gets behind the screens, left. She seems to be changing her clothes.
On the left side of the partition, the Moor bends down and stares into Siva’s eyes.
ANDERSON
— They’re old —
FLORENCE
Throw them over —
ANDERSON
Is that funny —
FLORENCE
Is it meant to be — ?
Dionysus bends down and stares at Siva’s behind.
Hortense comes out from behind the screens, left. She has changed back into her shorts and T-shirt. She waits, with her hands on her hips.
FLORENCE
Try it in third —
ANDERSON
Now?
Anderson goes and puts his arms round his stove in the lower level. He tries to shift it. The Moor leaves Siva. He moves along the central partition to the front, looking on the ground.
Anderson gives up trying to move his stove. He comes to the front of the structure and looks at the nest.
ANDERSON
It’s so soft —
HORTENSE
It breaks off —
ANDERSON
And stays inside — ?
Anderson looks up at the hook.
The Moor seems to find what he is looking for on the ground at the front of the partition.
He pulls at it, as if it were a bolt. He looks at the audience.
Then he goes back to Siva. He takes her by the hands.
Dionysus takes Siva by the hips again.
This time they manage to swivel her, together with the whole of the central partition — the Moor on the left to the back, Dionysus on the right to the front — so that the partition pivots on a central vertical hinge. Siva’s behind comes round towards the audience with Dionysus: her head goes out of sight towards the back with the Moor. As the partition swivels, the wire with the hook on it in front of the first-floor level is drawn up into the flies.
Anderson watches it.
Florence stands. She rests her fingers on the table in front of her — as if at the end of a session. Hortense and Anderson look at the audience. The partition comes to rest against what seems to be the Moor’s stove behind it.
The Moor’s voice comes from behind the central partition.
THE MOOR
You moved your bed —
DIONYSUS
You haven’t moved your books — ?
Dionysus looks round as if for something to rest Siva’s feet on. Then he leaves Siva, with her legs dangling, and moves over into the Moor’s room, left.
The Moor appears from behind the partition on the right. He is carrying some books.
DIONYSUS
But if it comes from outside —
THE MOOR
What —
SIVA
Pain —
THE MOOR
Deprivation —
Dionysus has gone out of sight behind the partition in the Moor’s room, left.
The Moor puts the books under Siva’s feet so that she has somewhere to rest them. Florence speaks standing with her hands on the table.
FLORENCE
— Either of you two boys coming with me across the park? —
Dionysus reappears from behind the partition on the right. He is carrying some books, which he puts on the bed against the back wall on the right.
The Moor has stepped back and is looking at Siva’s behind.
THE MOOR
It doesn’t break off —
DIONYSUS
It stays inside?
Florence sits down behind her table again.
FLORENCE
What was the feeling —
DIONYSUS
— Get off! There are too many of you! —
THE MOOR
One or two get through.
Hortense and Anderson sit on the bed. They put their arms round one another. They look at the audience.
DIONYSUS
It’s the shape —
THE MOOR
Of the head — ?
FLORENCE
The head — !
DIONYSUS
But if half of it’s never used —
Siva’s voice comes from behind the partition —
SIVA
— Freddie knocks his bowl over and then he can’t drink.
The Moor leaves Siva and moves to the left.
FLORENCE
You can learn —
THE MOOR
Can’t you —
DIONYSUS
Dance —
Dionysus goes round the back of the partition, left, and reappears on the right carrying more books.
The Moor disappears left and takes hold of his stove which is behind the left-hand end of the partition.
FLORENCE
— There’s an underground river —
DIONYSUS
— Disgorges its victims.
The Moor gradually drags his stove clear of the partition on the left. He pulls it to the left side of his room.
Dionysus circles the partition, clockwise, carrying more books from the Moor’s room, which he piles on the bed in his own.
FLORENCE
— It goes round and round —
THE MOOR
— The same direction at both ends —
Siva’s voice comes from behind the partition.
SIVA
— Or in the middle —
Forence looks at the audience.
FLORENCE
— A fate. A weaver of tapestries —
The Moor has succeeded in dragging his stove clear of the partition on the left. He stands back Dionysus seems to have carried sufficient books from the left to the right.
THE MOOR
If you don’t eat it up for dinner —
DIONYSUS
— Repeat it in the coda.
The Moor goes and takes hold of the left-hand end of the partition. Dionysus goes and takes hold of the right. They seem to be trying to swivel the partition further, clockwise. It still seems stuck. Dionysus looks up at the ceiling.
Now you see it —
THE MOOR
Now you don’t —
The Moor goes to the front of the stage and looks over.
Siva, from the back of the partition, speaks as if in increasing desperation.
SIVA
— I was put out on a mountain —
DIONYSUS
— Furry friends came to visit me —
THE MOOR
— What have you been eating, toadstools? —
Dionysus and the Moor look at the audience.
They wait.
DIONYSUS
It goes on all the time —
THE MOOR
Like seeds —
DIONYSUS
Like parachutes —
After a time Hortense and Anderson look up at the ceiling.
THE MOOR
You had food, hadn’t you —
DIONYSUS
Wine?
Anderson looks at his stove, left.
THE MOOR
An itch —
DIONYSUS
A mask —
THE MOOR
A landfall
—
DIONYSUS
A skylight?
Dionysus goes and looks up at the grille on the right: then he looks down at the floor underneath it.
THE MOOR
Funny —
DIONYSUS
A sort of breathing?
The Moor goes to the back wall of his room on the extreme left. He feels on the ground behind some books which are still there.
Siva calls out —
SIVA
There! —
FLORENCE
You don’t see it?
Dionysus bends down in the extreme right-hand back corner of his room and seems to withdraw a bolt that he finds there. He and the Moor go to the ends of the partition again. They try to swivel it. It will not move. They look up to where it seems to be caught against the ceiling.
ANDERSON
Begin again —
FLORENCE
Testing. Testing —
HORTENSE
What’s the difference — ?
At the lower level, Anderson goes and takes hold of his stove again. He tries to shift it.
Dionysus and the Moor let go of the partition. Dionysus moves to the front of the first floor and tries to see over.
The Moor watches the audience.
DIONYSUS
We’ve got to do it at the same time —
THE MOOR
When it’s ready?
Dionysus and the Moor move about, at each end of the first floor, as if testing it; as if it might be balanced on a central horizontal back-to-front axis. They stamp on the ground, as if they might thus shift it. They also seem to take care to be balancing each other on either side of the horizontal axis. But the floor seems to be prevented from moving on this axis by the angle of the central partition against the ceiling.
Downstairs, Anderson lets go of his stove.
ANDERSON
It’s not possible.
FLORENCE
You think you know what you’re going to find?
ANDERSON
If you do you don’t —
HORTENSE
I see!
Dionysus and the Moor take hold of the ends of the partition again.
Anderson looks at the audience.
ANDERSON
— Ladies and gentlemen on the roads —
HORTENSE
— With little prams, going —
Dionysus and the Moor try to swivel the partition again on its vertical central axis. Anderson goes and takes hold of his stove again.
FLORENCE
Try it in top —
SIVA
Now!
Anderson seems to shift his stove slightly. Dionysus and the Moor manage this time — as if the top of the central partition were now clear of the ceiling as a result of Anderson’s managing to move his stove-pipe underneath their floor — to swivel the partition on round: the Moor towards the back, Dionysus towards the front. Siva’s head appears on the right.
DIONYSUS
Head out —
THE MOOR
Head in —
HORTENSE
You’ve got to give warning —
Anderson looks up.
Dionysus, coming round with his end of the partition towards the edge of the first floor, looks round apprehensively, as if he might fall over. He kicks the cleaning rods, and his flute, over the edge of the first floor. They fall on, or around, the nest by the footlights. Anderson shouts —
ANDERSON
— Oi! There’s a boy down there on the wire! —
DIONYSUS
Oops!
THE MOOR
Oopla!
SIVA
Upsadaisy!
Anderson pulls at his stove again. He manages to shift it as if the pipe going up from it has been further loosened by the Moor and Dionysus shifting the partition above him. The flue-pipe comes away from the ceiling with a bang. Then Anderson scrambles, quickly, and goes and stands with his hands up underneath his ceiling on the left.
HORTENSE
What’s the advantage —
FLORENCE
It’ll survive.
Hortense is sitting on the bed holding her stomach.
Dionysus, holding the front end of the partition, has been nearly pushed over the edge of the first floor. He manages to scramble round to the Moor’s side of the partition. Anderson is holding up, with difficulty, the first floor on the left.
ANDERSON
The baby?
The partition is in place again on its back-to-front axis in the middle of the first floor — but this time with Siva’s head towards the right, and both the Moor and Dionysus to the left — the Moor at the back and Dionysus at the front. Siva speaks looking up at the grille.
SIVA
Hullo —
FLORENCE
Hullo —
SIVA
I was afraid you might not remember me —
THE MOOR
Is that right?
DIONYSUS
No!
Dionysus and the Moor seem to be apprehensive about being on the same side of the partition. They keep close to it, their backs pressed against it, as if to try to stop the floor tilting to the left.
Anderson, with his hands underneath the first floor, left, seems to be holding it up with difficulty. He calls —
ANDERSON
— Oi! They’re on the green! They’re getting into government! —
Florence says as if amused —
FLORENCE
You didn’t want your children to see this?
She stands. She rests with her hands on the table, as if a session is over.
Dionysus stretches out with a foot as if to reach for the dummy body of Siva which is on the ground in front of him, at the left front edge of the first floor. As a result of his doing this, the ground of the first floor suddenly gives way, down on the left, with a bang — the whole of the first floor being on a central back-to-front hinge. The area of the first floor that pivots is just short of what remains of the Moor’s stacked books and stove at the back on the left, and of Dionysus’ bed at the back on the right: these remain on ledges on the old first floor.
Anderson, with his hands up, just manages to prevent the left end of the first floor coming down further. He calls —
ANDERSON
Help!
SIVA
Push —
THE MOOR
It’s begun —
DIONYSUS
— A big ‘un —
Hortense puts her head in her hands.
HORTENSE
I can’t bear it!
Dionysus, on his back, reaches with his foot the dummy body of Siva and pushes it over the edge of the first floor. It falls on Florence’s table; Florence brushes at her clothes, as if annoyed. There are two more cracks, or bangs, as if of gunfire, as the first floor comes down on the left a little further.
Florence steps within the structure and stands there looking up.
FLORENCE
You can’t bear it —
SIVA
I can’t bear it!
Siva, with her legs tipping downwards, is trying to find a foothold on the left side of the partition and is pushing with her hands against the right side of the partition which is now facing slightly up.
The Moor is pushing with his back against the left-hand side of the partition towards the right — as if he were trying to balance it to take the weight off Anderson, which he can’t do. Dionysus is pulling himself back to the central partition, as if to help the Moor.
It is as if, in spite of themselves, they are all suddenly laughing.
FLORENCE
Stand back to back —
ANDERSON
Turn —
HORTENSE
Take a step forwards —
Florence puts her hands up against the lower-level ceiling as if to help Anderson hold it. Dionysus turns and tries to reach with an arm round the front end of the partition to his old side on the
right.
DIONYSUS
Get a rope —
THE MOOR
Get a curtain —
HORTENSE
Get a doctor —
ANDERSON
Get an engineer —
Florence lowers her hands.
FLORENCE
An explanation?
Siva looks to where Dionysus’ arm is coming round the partition.
SIVA
Hullo, hullo, can you hear me?
At the back, left, the Moor edges along the partition to the front as if he is on a mountain ledge. He gets close to Dionysus.
THE MOOR
— Little green men —
DIONYSUS
— With moustaches —
Siva stretches a hand towards the front end of the partition as if to try to catch Dionysus’ hand and help him round to the right side of the partition.
HORTENSE
— I’ll sit on your face —
ANDERSON
— You sit on mine —
Anderson is trying to lower the left edge of the old first floor. Florence, helping him, is with him underneath it.
FLORENCE
Till we’re all in one room —
With the help of the Moor, behind him, Dionysus manages to edge, precariously, halfway round the front end of the partition.