- -~
.1"
...
-+
,
Prometheus Rebound
Kevin Griffin 1
t ~ f
DID
,~
\+
..,.
1.
A one Act in ten scenes.
Dramatis Personae:
Speed, a thug
Beater, another thug
Proth, a basketball shoe
Phillipe, a boy
designer
Drunk, an honest man
Mae, Proth's muse and girlfriend, (with camping lantern)
Searchers (at least three), with flashlights.
Everyone, all cast, crew. and the audience.
Staging notes:
Basketball court, at dusk. One wall, wooden. Lines on ground ~o
indicate free-throw and half-court. A hoop is optional. Any or
all parts can be played by sock puppets if necessary.
Scene 1: No Question. I ,.
~r-" . (?Ij)t...-
Twilight in outdoor basktball court. Two thugs, SPEED and BEATER
are struggling with a nearly unconscious PROTH. ~,
SPEED
Get the nail gun!
BEATER
The cord won't reach!
SPEED
Get the f'ing gun!
on the wall.
BEATER
We gotta make sure
was working a job,
I want this citizen
he's facing North. I
up the Coast, and ...
LSPEED
Aim for his wrists, I'll hold him down.
BEATER
I'm not sure he's facing the right way:
Iike I was saying...
SPEED..
Shut it already, an let's do it.
IlJune2002
-+
,
"~-
~
11June2002
BEATER
No- the last time, I saw terrible things
in the alley that last time- and this
guy looks like he'd have a nasty ghost.
SPEED
(Sound of a nail gun)
No, not his palm! That won't hold
anything!
(Sound of a nail gun)
SPEEE. (Ilontinu~n~
Now that's better. .
(Proth's wrist is
attached to the wall)
BEATER
I think he's passing out.
SPEED
That's okay. Finish this, I'm a mess.
(Speed depart s ,
shaking blood off of
himself. )
BEATER
(to Proth)
Man, why you'd have to do that? I ain't
gonna kill you, but you gonna spend time
on the wall.
(Sound of a nail
gun, other wrist is
attached to back wall)
BEATER (continuing)
Hey Zeus! You're a heavy one, aren't
ya? Better get those shoes off ya.
. (Beater removes
Proth's shoes.. Sound
of a nail gun, Proth's
feet are now attached
to the wall) .
.
t
2.
+
~
\
+
'l
Scene 2:
BEATER (continuing)
What a mess. You had to be you didn't
ya? Speed can't blame me for this job.
None can find fault with this: -with
the possible exception of my friend
here.
(Beater pats the
shoulder of Proth, and
then departs. lights
go-dtmm~ r . )
(pause)
(Proth rolls his head,
gurgles)
(Lights out)
PROTH
It couldn't have happened any other way.
The ball left my hands, and I end up
here. I took my one beautiful shot. It
was the wrong time to make a beautiful
shot. I.. .
(trails off)
"'"--
PROTH (continuing)
Hear a noise. Dark now, who is that?
Almost helpful.
enter Phillipe, a young boy, about ten years old
llJune2002
PHILLIPE
Are they gone?
Who?
PROTH
Those others? What do you want?
PHILLIPE
I heard shots. The lights were out
in the court. Never but once are the
lights out.
What.. .
PROTH
happened that time?
1'-
3.
~J
'\ ttt
]
l-o ~~-
r
-t
~-
1
Scene 3:
l1June2002
.
+
4.
PHILLIPE
There were parts, everyWhere. I saw
it, in the morning. Now I have a
flashlight. It's at home. Twelve volt.
Are you okay?
PROTH
Fine.
PHILLIPE
Why are you in our turf, so late? Why
is it dark? I'll go get my flashlight.
PROTH
No, wait, stay. I'll tell you a secret.
PHILLIPE
Mister, I don't know you. Round here,
the only people with secrets are ~ad~ I don't wanna know. If you got m ney
for me, that's different.
PROTH
6-c 0.0
Go.
(Flashlights from
stage left. Phillipe
runs off.)
(pause)
(Flashlights move off
towards backstage.)
PROTH
A good shoe. A shoe that could help
people move faster. No good will it do,
not for me, not for you. If I could do
it again, say those words that come to
mind now, too late. For me. For her.
No good at all. Maybe if I shout, maybe
a friend will come. Or it will get me
killed. If I play dead, then I am safe.
(pause)
Can't help you. Enter Searchers with Flashlights.
SEARCHER # 3
Ahoy! Who are you? are you dead?
Answer! Who did this to you? 'V
~
-i'
PROTH
I made a better ...
showing off.
(head slumps)
EVERYBODY
shoe. I 'was
He was showing off
(searchers point to his bare feet)
SEARCHERS
He's,crazy! No shoes, no show-off.
This poor bastard's just ~ to die,
hanging round in this neighborhood after
dark.
(pause)
SEARCHER #1
Just waiting to die. You think this is
the guy?
\
SEARCHER #2
(Poking Proth in the
side. )
Buddy! Buddy! Wake up! We're looking
for somebody. Had a pair of sneakers.
PROTH
Go away, no money here. Can't help you.
~A
EVERYONE
He can't help you.
(Searchers laugh)
SEARCHER #2
You got us all wrong, buddy. We
were sent here, looking for somebody,
'bout your height. In a little better
shape than you. Not nailed to a wall,
neither.
----- PROTH
Sorry, can't help you.
remember. . .
I don't
IlJune2002
~
~
5.
+
~
Scene 4:
llJune2002
~
~
6.
SEARCHER #1
Remember? Remember what? There's a big
reward, and if you know something you'd
better start talking now.
(pokes him, hard, in
the side.)
PROTH
How I got here. There was a game.. . k~
t?
SEARCHERS ~~., 11'1.... Bask~tball, figures. Let's go.~/
(They exit)
. PROTH
That was almost helpful. Like air
.... is almost a pie. EverYWhere...
needed.
(pause)
How did I end up here?
Alive, alive oh ...no.
(stumbling and
singing, DRUNK enters)
DRUNK
She wheeled a wheel-barrow, through
streets wide and narrow, pershit,
pershot? What's this? A slippery
court, no good for hoops.
PROTH
Excuse me?
DRUNK
(startled)
Who's that?! Alive, Alive Oh?
(nudges Proth, rubs
eyes, looks)
DRUNK (continuing)
I need to start drinking better
I perceive a man on the wall!
screech!
+ -
~~'
I
I .
I
(
, ..
~
llJune2002
PROTH
That is a man on the wall!
DRUNK
No, no, no, you've got it all wrong!
There's no such thing!
PROTH
No such thing?
DRUNK
No such thing. There might be an ideal
man on an ideal wall; but you and it are
neither!
PROTH
Can you help me down?
making me dizzy.
DRUNK
No, this is wrong.
If you're a man on a wall, somebody put
you up there, I think.
(He Degins to try
and configurehimself
to see if it is, in
fact, possible to nail
yourself to the wall)
Okay, so you're right handed, I
understand the feet and one hand, but
how did you do this? .
PROTH
All this talk is
No... .No... Stop.. .
DRUNK
(getting angry)
How'd you do this? Did you have help?
I can smell a liar, so don't offend my
stench with a lie!
PROTH
(groans)
7.
t ~
+
.,...
~
,
-t
b~~JI.~ ,it
Scene 5:
(from just
~~
llJune2002
DRUNK
That's no answer!
Ahh, my bottles empty. I can't help
you,. it's true, it's true. Alive,
Alive-Oh. She wheeled a wheel barrow
through streets wide and narrow, singing
" man on the wall, alive, alive-oh."
(singing, the drunk
wheels off)
Blood and roses
PROTH
How do I get down?
Where do I go, back
I remember. I move
tells me to.
DRUNK
down, in the court?
like the ground
off stage)
Shut your trap! The old Babylonian
Marduk had humanity drowned for making
too much noise. For our sake, just shut
up! I don't know how you got there,but
for the love of all that's holy, SHUT
UP!
PROTH
(undeterred)
When I walk down town, I
like a citizen, proud...
I...
move upright
In the court,
(coughs)
PROTH (continuing)
Seem to lose...
(coughs again, harder)
-r
8.
-r
'.,-.'
~
o., ~~ ~
Scene 6:
PROTH (continuing)
What's that dripping? It's warm, all
over. Drip, drip, drip. I'm losing...
red. Red7-r-remem&~~ed. Red, like a
rose red. I gave a girl a rose, once.
A red rose. She pinned it up on the
wall, to dry it out.
(coughing fit)
PROTH (continuing)
It's funny, now. All dried out, she
probably still has that thing.
(grimaces)
Absolutely stuck
\.
IlJune2002
-r
~
PROTH
Now I know it's you. Nobody else says
absolutely like that.
MAE --
You're bleeding!
PROTH
(weakly)
Just a little. Don't touch the nails.
I'll lose too much.
MAE
(examinIng Proth's
wrists)
You're a little stuck, aren't ya?
I ~ I
+
9.
-r
Mae enters, stage right, with lamp.
MAE -
Proth?
PROTH
Mae?
MAE -
Yes!Absolutely.
~
.-
~..,\ \\
\
\I
\I
I,
I
PROTH
(attempts to shrug,
futilely)
A little.
MAE .
This is the first time that you haven't
been running off, somewhere.
PROTH
I'm the motion man.
MAE. -
You/re not moving now.
Never stuck on anyone, too long. 1?~ { .--
PROTH.
It almost hurts, now. That you're here.
I could not touch the fire you.
(He starts to shake)
MAE --
I'll get you down.
PROTH
It/s the can-do...
If anybody can. .
MAE
AbsolutelygTrl. What did you say to
me? That I could talk my way out of a
box. .
PROTH
in a third world prison...
MAE
in the desert....
PROTH
talking to people...
~
who couldn't understand me well enough
to kill me? Is that what you said?
1 1 June2--0-0-2--//
Jtr8I
10.
"
tlpc76 ~
.,..
('~--L
f~~
~(~.
ifb
+--
1--
(
l.
~ .-
11.
PROTH
Something like that. Serious, blood
out if nails out. Can't come down like
this..
MAE
Then you'll have to come down from there
some other way. We'll have to bandage
you up, well enough till we can get you
cut loose.
(tears up a shirt,
starts to bandage
Proth)
Sound of a Trash can falling offstage startles both Mae
Proth. A dog barks. 'Moonlight' illuminates the scene
better.
Scene 7:
MAE --
What now?
Shh!
Go!
PROTH
It might be them, again. Go hide.
(Mae hides off stage)
What's it mean?
Flashlights are seen, again.
- searchers.
11June2002
-f
and
a little
Phillipe has returned with the
PHILLIPE
There he is!
lIAR~ )(1"--;;-;
That's not him.
PHILLIPE
No, it's him. Pay me. You'll get a
reward, you bring him in.
SEARCHER #1
Pull him down!
PROTH
No!
.
~
\
11June2002
...
.
12.
SEARCHERS (ALL)
Pull him down. Get him on the court.
~
(rushing in)
.Don't! You'll kill him!
SEARCHER #1
Don't be daft. The reward's ours, he's
in good hands, and we're taking him.
MAE - .
You'll not take h1m! ~'m sure your
instructions were to help him, to make
sure he lives.
SEARCHER #3
What makes you think that
alive would help him?
MAE --
keeping him
1 Have you been promised money?
SEARCHER #3
Of course. But it's important to me
that the right thing be done.
MAE - I'll talk to you, later. I need
somebody less rational.
(to the other
searchers)
Surely, the people back at headquarters
want him back.ALIVE, right? If we pull
him from the wall, the company loses.
You want the reward, right? Nobody else
knows how to make Proth's shoe.
ALL SEARCHERS EXCEPT #3
WE want the reward!
I
~
You'll get the reward! Go get a
stretcher! We'll get him down, and back
to the Company in no-time.
All searchers except #3 depart.
Scene 8: Logic and other problems.
number three.
13.
~t-~.r~
~~)1~
Mae deals with Searcher
l
MAE (continuing) - (to searcher #3)
I appreciate the fact that you have a
job to do. Understand that I have a
job to do here, as well, and that I will
carry it out.
SEARCHER #3
What job? We're wasting time.
MAE -
I will get him
(pointing)
back, safe, and on the ground, not in
it. Time is not the issue, only life.
Time happens.
(quickly)
Here's your question: Have we
something valuable here today?
don't know him, but I'm asking
take that chance.
SEARCHER #3
I know he's valuable, but I don't know
anything about removing somebody from a
wall.
protected
You
you to
MAE
That'll be my-department.
chance.
Give me that
SEARCHER #3
What can you give us?
My word.
MAE -I
11June2002
." --
I
.
14.
SEARCHER #3
Which word?
MAE -
That you're helping.
SEARCHER #3
Who? Help who? Help him? Help me.
MAE
If you'll take it, I'll give my word.
SEARCHER #3
You.. . word. I'll ... C D:> vt ~ (~'I> --.
\
(pause)
If you cheat me out of
come looking for you.
people will get what's
MAE
I swear it.~ow go get lights, as
bright as you can. Can't fix what we
can't see, can we?
my reward, I'll
Swear that my
coming to them!
I ' SEARCHER #3
done.
(he exits)
PHILLIPE
If he dies, we can take his head, dry it
out so that it will sing!
MAE
Leave his head alone!
PROTH
(suddenly)
I'm going swimming in
Sharp beauty!
Scene 9: Tools, talking heads, and a discovery.
returns, carrying some work-lights.
a little beauty.
Searcher #3
\. 11June2002
. ..
\
~
~;;!?
- ....
15.
SEARCHER #3
(returning)
I have the lights!
.~ .
He's alr~ght, alr~ght:
down.
let's get him
SEARCHER #3
No, no, too late. We'll let him dry
out here, and sing to the players on the
court.
MAE -
Sing, Sing what?
PHILLIPE
Dark body poetry. Let him dry out, and
then we can take him to the river.
MAE - No! Biology.. (pause) .
He's only Yost a little blood.
paramedics come down here?
,
Will the
PHILLIPE
(suspiciously)
Nobody comes down here.
here. . .
But we're ~tAN-r
MAE
He'll live!
EVERYONE
The reward's ours!
Scene 10: Good sense, and into the fire...
carrying an empty bottle.
11June2002
A drunk enters,
.
llJune2002
DRUNK
(* to audi ence )
Why are you saying these things? Have
you been faithful? Should I overturn
the pan, and put you to the fire? The
tent is open, what are you letting in?
You people should go home!
Didn't anyone ever tell you not to
listen to actors?!
'~ r
~~
..
16.