script for The search for the Garden

by Jack Bowman ©

The script is titled "The search for the Garden" and was taken from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.  The script is the Tea Party adapted to Environmental theater and Internet transmission.   Lewis Carroll is known for defining the Red Queen Principle (we have to keep moving or changing in an evolutionary environment just to stay where we are).  The Tea Party also defines evolution and hints at Time Travel.  For the Internet transmission the movement of the performers in their space is the essence.  This is also the in-motion/geometric/pictorial representation of evolution.  The actual script itself cannot be heard on the internet transmission but is part of the Environmental Theater performance.  The script with notes is here in case you want to follow along.
THE ACTUAL SCRIPT AS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN

There are three characters: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary.

MINUTE ONE

Primary enters scene holding a watch,  in her hand and asking people, "What time is it?"

MINUTE TWO

Primary walks over to Secondary and Tertiary character.

Secondary says, "There is no room, no room, no room" and moves her hands indicating so.

Primary moving her hands saying, "There is room - no one occupies this space."

Tertiary character says, "No one now, but we have to have room to move when it is no longer wise to stay here."

Primary, "Then I will move to your old spot when you move."

Tertiary, "You can't because we don't know where we will move to until we move and you are occupying one of our options.  Where are you going to go while we are moving."

Primary, "I didn't know."

MINUTE THREE

Secondary, "It is rude of you to occupy our space without being asked."

Primary, "I didn't know it was your space.  It looks to me like there is space for many people more than three."

Secondary takes out a knife and threatens to cut Primary's hair.  Saying, "You would not be so animal aggressive like if you had no hair."

Tertiary, "Why does the threat of a wild beast bite scare humans?"

MINUTE FOUR

Secondary takes out her watch, shakes it and frequently holds it to her ear, says, "What day of the month is this?"

Primary says, "The fourth."

Secondary says, "Two days wrong?"

Secondary says after a pause, "It was the best butter."

Secondary dips her watch into her drink and repeats, "It was the best butter, you know," as she looks at the Primary.

MINUTE FIVE

Primary looks at Secondary's watch and says, "What a funny watch! It tells the day of the month, and doesn't tell what o'clock it is!"

Secondary says, "Why should it?  Does your watch tell you what year it is?"

Primary, "Of course not, but that's because it stays the same year for such a long time together."

Secondary says, "Which is the case with mine."

MINUTE SIX

Secondary, "Have you guessed the riddle yet?"

Primary, "What riddle?"

Tertiary, "Why does the threat of a wild beast bite scare humans?"

Primary, "No, I give up, What is the answer?"

Secondary, "I haven't the slightest idea."

Tertiary, "Nor I."

Primary, "I think you might do something better with the time, than waste it asking riddles with no answers."

MINUTE SEVEN

Secondary, "If you knew time as well as I do, You wouldn't talk about wasting it.  It's him."

Primary, "I don't know what you mean?"

Secondary says, "Of course you don't! I dare say you never even spoke to Time!"

Primary, "Perhaps not, but I know I have to beat time when I learn music."

Secondary says, "Ah! That accounts for it, He won't stand beating.  Now, if you only kept on good terms with him, he'd do almost anything you liked with the clock.  For instance, suppose it were nine o'clock in the morning, just time to begin lessons: you'd only have to whisper a hint to Time, and round goes the clock in a twinkling! Half-past one, time for dinner!"

Tertiary whispers to itself, "I only wish it was."

Secondary says, "But you could keep it to half-past one as long as you liked."

Primary, "Is that the way you manage?"

MINUTE EIGHT

Secondary, "Not I, We quarreled last March - just before he went mad, you know - pointing with his teaspoon at the March Hare, it was at the great concert given by the Queen of Hearts, and I had to sing, Twinkle, twinkle, little bat! How I wonder what you're at! Up above the world you fly, like a tea-tray in the sky.  Twinkle, twinkle."

Secondary continues, "Ever since that, he won't do a thing I ask!  It's always six o'clock now."

Primary says, "Is that the reason you are eating?"

Secondary, "Yes that's it.  It's always lunch time and we've no time to make things between whiles."

Primary says, "Then you keep moving round, I suppose?"

Secondary says, "Exactly so, as the things get used up."

Primary says, "But what happens when you come to the beginning again?"

Tertiary says, "Suppose we change the subject."

MINUTE NINE

Tertiary says, "There were three sisters that lived at the bottom of a well their names were Elsie, Lacie, and Tillie."

Primary says, "But why did they live at the bottom of a well?"

Tertiary says, "Take some more coke."

Primary says, "I've had nothing yet, so I can't take more."

Tertiary says, "You mean you can't take less, it's very easy to take more than nothing."

Primary says, "Nobody asked your opinion."

Secondary says, "Who's making personal remarks now?"

Primary, "But why did they live at the bottom of a well?"

Tertiary says, "They were learning to draw, you know."

Primary says, "What did they draw?"

Tertiary says, "Treacle."

MINUTE TEN

Secondary, "I want a new spot, let's all move one place on."  He moved as he spoke and the Tertiary followed him and Primary took the place of Tertiary.   The Secondary was the only one who got any advantage from the change. And the Primary was a good deal worse off, as the Tertiary had just spilled his drink on the floor.

Tertiary awaking from a doze says, "The little sisters only drew things that started with "M" such as mouse-traps, and the moon, and memory, and muchness - you know you say things are - much of a muchness - did you ever see such a thing as a drawing of a muchness?"

Primary turned and left and says, "It's the stupidest tea-party I ever was at in all my life!"  Then she set to work nibbling at the mushroom.

Primary character found herself at last in the beautiful garden, among the bright flower-beds and the cool fountains.

(Primary could leave the group and go to  the stage area - symbolic of the garden) There are also many other possibilities for the garden.

The end

NOTES WRITTEN FOR THE SCRIPT

 

 

 

 

The Watch is on a chain.  This is the scene establishing Environmental Theater and time relationship.

1. It establishes the concept of Environmental Theater by acting in a real world environment.

2. Time is established by using the watch.

Minute two is the establishing space relationship shot.   Meaning "evolutionary space".

During the performance Secondary and Tertiary are drinking a Coke. Each have a drink.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During Minute three Secondary takes a butter knife out of bag with bread and butter and makes a sandwich

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Primary has a watch so secondary needs one also.   Probably both should be pocket watches even though this may hint at a non-reality that is contrary to Environmental Theater.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At Minute Nine Tertiary offers Primary an empty coke cup.

 

Should use art/drawing as an antidote for the poison of the insect colony concept. (In the 1920's it was common for intellectuals to believe, "we as a species are evolving toward an insect colony instead of the individual human-like species we now understand and accept")  Tertiary should take out a sketch pad and start drawing and continue through the end of the performance.

 

The Garden is the Garden of Eden. A time before sin.  Sin is very easily made a metaphor for civilization.

You do not have to take logic very far to conclude that the super evolutionary man was the pre-civilized one.  The process of civilization brought about a weakness of the individual and not a strength.

Note: Logic does not indicate that the creative act itself  was a weakness but indicates that it was a strength in the individual member of the species.

 

 

 

EVOLUTION DANCE

 

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In the first scene (Minute 1) performer 2 and 3 occupy space in the evolutionary area.

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In the second scene (Minute 2) performer 1 enters and occupies one of the spaces in the evolutionary area.

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In the third scene (Minute 3) all performers move one position in a clockwise direction.

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In the fourth scene (Minute 4) all performers move one position in a clockwise direction.

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In the fifth scene (Minute 5) all performers move one position in a clockwise direction.

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In the sixth scene (Minute 6) all performers move one position in a clockwise direction.

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In the seventh scene (Minute 7) all performers move one position in a clockwise direction.

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In the eighth scene (Minute 8) all performers move one position in a clockwise direction.

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In the ninth scene (Minute 9) all performers bump and run into each other in a random move.

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In the tenth and last scene (Minute 10) all performers move one position in a counterclockwise direction.

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