Losing Time

By Justin Blasdel

Daylight Saving's Time is a new policy in the corporation of Time, and the hour Two is not happy. She loses her hour to hour Three for nothing. So, she decides she will not take it and travels up the corporate ladder to do something about it. She goes to Summer, Winter, Spring, and even Annual to get someone to listen to her. She will not have her hour handed over to Three just in the name of progress.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Justin Blasdel
• Release date: Jul 6, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311186737

Justin Blasdel

This is an attempt to make my works public. If you like them and want to produce them, please contact me first. Thank you.

Book preview

The Mighty Samurai

and the Evil Bird Demon Etsushi

By

Justin Blasdel

Justin Blasdel

1/17/11

Version 4

[e-mail]

Smashwords Edition Copyright by Justin Blasdel, 2010

Characters

Narrator: The Wise Old Man

Tatsuya Nakadai: The Mighty Samurai

Tadao Nakamaru: The Courageous Monk

Etsushi: The Evil Bird Demon

Akira Hoshi: The Needy Lord

Nami Hoshi: The Beautiful Daughter

Yuriko Hoshi: The Ugly Daughter

Shigeru Kôyama: The Beastly Ogre

Shin Kishida: The Sly Ninja

Maki Asakawa: The Deceitful Ghost

Voice 1: Stagehand

Voice 2: Buddhist Monk

Time

The Time of the Legendary Samurai

Place

Mystical Japan

Production Notes:

Although there are ten on-stage characters, this play was designed so that only four actors are needed. In fact, much of the humor is dependent upon this. My suggestion is that one actor plays the NARRATOR, another play TADAO and SHIN, another play TATSUYA, SHIGERU, and YURIKO, and the fourth play ETSUSHI, HOSHI, NAMI and MAKI. The third actor should be male, the fourth female, and the first and second can be played by either. This is again for humorous effect (e.g., the strong figure of TATSUYA being just as big and strong for the role of YURIKO). In order to separate the characters, the NARRATOR, ETSUSHI, HOSHI, YURIKO, SHIGERU, SHIN, and MAKI should be performed wearing masks of a style similar to traditional Noh Theatre.

Japanese pronunciation of names is difficult, because there is no stress on any syllable. A good way to correctly pronounce each name is to put a stress on the first syllable and the last. Growl these stresses if the actors find this difficult to do. This way, tat-SUY-a becomes TAT-suy-A (Overall, making it sound monotone; tat-suy-a). I suggest only doing this with names, for a play in English with every word like this would be unbearable.

NARRATOR is also the percussionist for this play and will sing and play instruments in a manner similar to traditional Kabuki or Noh theatre music. When the NARRATOR must yell/sing (I suggest listening to the music to know exactly what this guttural shout sounds like), the symbol *@ will be shown.

In the first scene, the NARRATOR will be dancing in the style of Kabuki and Noh Theatre. I suggest the song Ataka Noi Matsu [The Pine Tree at Ataka] by Ensemble Nipponia to be played during the performance.

ACT I

At Beginning:

SFX: Kabuki Theatre Music (song suggested in Production Notes)

The lights rise, the music plays, and the NARRATOR slowly enters.

NARRATOR is a wise, cantankerous old man who needs to share his stories with those who will listen. HIS stories take on a life of their own, as if HE had actually lived in every one of them...and perhaps HE has.

To stage left, there should be an area designated for percussion instruments. There will be a gong, two blocks of wood, chimes, drums, maracas, ukulele, a sheet of metal (wind SFX), a kazoo, and a wood flute (or recorder) neatly centered around a single cushioned seat on the floor.

The NARRATOR slowly moves one step in front of the other in a straight path. HE leans on a walking stick as HE moves, revealing a practiced pain in aged mobility. HIS movements are graceful, fluid, and incredibly expressive, just as a character in a Noh play. Once reaching upstage-center, HE turns 90 degrees towards Downstage and continues. Halfway there, HE stops. HE lifts up HIS staff, bends HIS knees, and slowly swings it from right to left, pointing it at the audience. Once HE is pointing Stage Left, HE points it at the sky. HE