G
PUNITIVE WORM SHOOTS THE SUN
POETIC RESEARCH BUREAU OCTOBER 2022
PUNITIVE WORM
SHOOTS THE SUN
NICOLAS - Fisherman and Storm
MAS - Ancient Scroll
NIKKI - Wolf
JULIA- Wildcat
JOSH - Piedra
RAIANNE - Angel
RHIANNON - Angel
BRIAN - Harvest
PETER - Humble Death Beetle
BEA- The Ether
SARA - The Veil
Angels----
Sleeping, laughing, whispering to each other, gossiping, drinking tea, taking selfies, photographing and commenting on the characters in the play, flipping off and flirting with the audience. They are on a different level of consciousness, removed from the drama before them.
Ancient Scroll and Harvest-----
Soundscapers
The Ether and The Veil------
These two work in tandem as well, the gate to, and the other side.
Wolf and Wildcat------
Feral, anarchic militancy.
Fisherman and Storm------
Alone, but contains both the waiting and the ruckus. The fisherman, requires peace, which only can be met by harsh weathers. A hard worker.
Piedra------
This stone, at ease and stoic in the knowledge that what will happen, will always come. There is no need to overwork the face of a mountain, it is carved naturally by the unseen.
Humble Death Beetle-----
To the ground, To the sky.
PROPS:
Flowers
Big cloth
Set iPhone on timer
Sun mix
Ladder
Rope to rig the sun
Paper bag [2]
Lidded bucket with water
Hammer
Metal bowl for Fisherman
Metal bowl and objects for Ancient Scroll
Large cloth
‘Arrows’
Wheat for The Harvest
START
The Ether and Veil hand out flowers to the audience in darkness, as Ancient Scroll and Harvest open soundscape, easy into colorful chaos.
The Ether begins to place sun mix objects from sack they carry around the room and The Veil collects them, slowly placing all objects under the ladder which is staged center left.
Projection runs.
Fisherman :
ON THIS CHARGED SOIL
THE IMAGE WORLD THAT YOU RETURN TO SO OFTEN
BECKONS YOU AWAY FROM THIS STICKY CITY!
Wildcat: ENKINDLE US WITH FIRE!
ALL: METAL, MAGNET SOIL!
Wildcat howls.
ALL HOWL.
All characters except musicians and angels get on their hands and knees in a center circle formation. They begin deforming the howl into a chant.
Piedra suddenly stands and they cease all sound immediately, they begin relaxing and luxuriating as if in a bucolic field.
Piedra approaches The Fisherman, who is working on the ground, hammering away at some unknown object. There is a lidded bucket next to him. Piedra takes fisherman’s hand away from their work.
PIEDRA: Symmetry will come.
The Fisherman heeds this advice, lays down his hammer, and opens the lid to the bucket, finding water inside. He wets his hair and face, feet and body and continues to sporadically throughout the play.
Death Beetle rises from luxuriating and begins their solo movement that continues for the rest of the play.
The Ether and The Veil Exclaim “SOFT!” and place paper bags over the heads of the musicians in unison? The Soundscapers abide, shifting tones to dark ambience.
The Ether and The Veil then then pick up the long cloth and move around the room encompassing the audience.
Humble Death Beetle Exclaims I’m scared! I’m Scared! I’m Scared! I’m Scared and starts laughing, everyone laughs and laughs and laughs.
*Papa answers his phone and shouts from the audience “What is this? What is this? What do you call this? Why would you do this? Are you sure? How can you tell? What’s it for? What time and how much?”
Angels decide to intervene with our realm, collect him and lead him to the exit as he is still talking.
Music totally cuts out.
They return and take center stage holding hands, facing the audience, singing a short song to the universe. This can be any song they agree on. The Ether and The Veil join them, standing slighting behind.
As soon as singing ends the Ancient Scroll and Harvest begin playing full force again, sound rising bombastically. The Sun is exploding soon.
The Ether and The Veil take the rope from the Fisherman, They ascend and hold the ladder to help rig up the sun.
The rest of the players collect toward center stage and begin constructing the sun. They gather the various materials in the sun mix and experiment with adding them to the sun sculpture. They make yelps, laughter and at times bicker and negotiate. The sun is rigged up onstage.
Wolf: I AM ANGRY ABOUT EVERYTHING YOU ARE ANGRY ABOUT. I HOLD JUSTICE FOR YOU IN MY VESSEL BURSTING FORTH. I WILL SHOOT THE SUN. WE WILL BE VINDICATED!
Intense battle breaks out.
Characters are battling against unseen conquistadors. Movement is slow. The characters seem to be beaten and are writhing on the floor.
In the throes of death Wildcat makes one last utterance.
Wildcat: Perhaps you have tainted your mind with a wet impression of me. Convinced I will lie on your window sill with only occasional reflections on your lack. You are wrong.
I am not merciful.
Ancient scroll speaks for the first and only time. “Freedom is not the metaphor of the bird flying weightless. Fuck the metaphor. Shoot that shit right out of the sky.”
The Ether shouts “NOW!”
Audience is cued to throw flowers across the stage at each side.
Characters rise with power. They take arrows and shoot the sun.
As they do so they are screaming.
What makes you angry? Hold it in your heart, let it rip through the air. You do not have to accept what you fucking hate, what you feel is off, what is wrong but asking politely to be right, to convince you otherwise. FUCK this Fuck that Etcetera.
Characters movements and musicians sounds begin to glitch out to the
END