A Leader In Panlogica: Panlogica, #1

By Gloria Halper

     On a distant planet, students confront the overbearing restrictions on their lives. One of them emerges as a leader who will listen to them and speak for them, igniting their sense of the future and the positive role that they can play in it. That young man is an artist whose honesty and endless questions put his own career in jeopardy.

     Landor will not back down when he sees possibilities in his actions. He leads a prayer vigil to transmit the hope that he feels to endangered astronauts. He gets the security guards to join them. He gets the dean to approve their plans for a student mural. He moves forward as others make plans to harness his talents for their own ends. For now he must live amidst watchers and censors, but he believes that he is part of a process of change. He must ignore those who opt for conformity and blame him for the difficulties on campus. He has the backing of his friend Arbitus and wise Professor Veritas.

     Landor's most important supporter speaks to him in imaginary encounters. Landor sees the man behind the stern image of the overseer, Elucidor, who must overcome his doubts about Landor's ideas. The issues are simpler when Elucidor considers and helps the campus activists.

     Proclivius, ruler of the security domain, finds himself in several imaginary encounters. Characters engage in discussions and encounters. Proclivius avoids changing himself or his policies. He can live with the new student newspaper and free art shows as long as he wields the power over people built into society itself.  

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gloria Halper
• Release date: Aug 6, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393673026

Book preview

Setting: a campus in Panlogia, heart of the distant planet which proudly calls itself Panlogica, Hub of the Universe. It is the current locale for the young man who will make his mark as Landor the Leader.

Cast of Characters

LANDOR: Student/future leader. Talented communicator, artist and visionary. He wants to be part of the government and is not deterred by his many years on the watch list. His artwork is too honest to be acceptable. His prayer vigil incorporates his idea of waves of hope.

PACIFICA: A serious student who, talking to Landor, finds out about her own self.

MILOS AND FRIENDS (PLAUDIOS, ARMENIUS, TRAGO, AND CHIANDRA}:

Campus activists who are all on the watch list and fearful of permanent exile. They are eager to hear the latest news from Ambius but fearful that someone is watching them.

AMBIUS: A roving young man who evades the nets of surveillance and reports on a secret communication network. He has an inside track to survival in Panlogia.

THE OVERSEER: Locked in a role of isolation and responsibility, he rejects his friend Professor Veritas and tries to put his power to good use. He fears basic changes to his society.

PROFESSOR VERITAS:

His wise ways light the way to a meaningful life, if only his students do not drift off in disinterest. He welcomes Landor into his world and works with the dean to protect the young man from those who work against him.

PROFESSOR HELIOS:

A science teacher who learns that an overbearing security network is more of a problem than a student offering questions. He reports on a spaceship losing all input.

ARBITUS: Friend and roommate of Landor, he is drawn into Landor's projects.

DEAN: Although he says his official words, his heart and mind are on the side of the students.

SEPTOR AND ARGANUS:

Reluctant watchers, they are part of the security network. They find themselves in a new role when they follow the path of honesty.

NORITUS AND FRIENDS:

Students espousing conformity and compliance. Nevertheless, Noritus finds himself standing up to the security chief.

ALNOR, EFFICUS, AND TOWERING AVENIA:

Three security guards who will lose their jobs if unable to get Landor to back down. They are sent in by the dean one at a time. Each offers a different argument and approach.

SOLDOR: Employee of the Bureau of Information Management who recruits young orators as shining figureheads. Landor gets to design his own symposium program in which the flow of ideas will generate change.

PROFESSOR VISTOR:

Art teacher who finds the spirit to display his own work and to support a wide range of art as part of the curriculum.

REPORTER: Accustomed to conformity, he is transformed as he reports on the student vigil.

PROCLIVIUS: Head of Security. His goal is an expanded and ruthless security network, but he also wants to keep up the appearance of a happy campus. Like Landor, he is prone to daydreams.

Scene and Time

Scene

The play takes place on a campus on an advanced, peaceful, distant planet that deals with many other planets. Panlogia is the heart of this planet, flanked by lands of exile. Proudly calling itself Panlogica, Hub of the Universe, the planet hides its power structure and early history. Image supersedes truth. Although there is no mutual recognition with planet earth, Panlogians eagerly accept shipments of culture and technology from exploration teams. The goal remains that one day earth will join the network of trade and communications with other planets.

The action takes place on a grassy hilltop, in a science class, in various offices, in a dormitory, in the art building, and inside and outside the student building. The hilltop is near the campus, attracting individuals as well as groups.

Time

Roughly contemporary, the play spans Landor's years as a student as well as years after he leaves to organize the symposium program that is part of his lifetime as a leader.

Production Note: Act I, scene 01 - Act III, scene 5 can be performed as a separate play. In like manner, Acts III-V form a self-contained play. The play itself, long as it is, fits in with a novel of the same title.

Act I

Scene 1

SETTING: We are atop a grassy hill close to campus. A large backdrop reveals a bright blue sky behind a ground covered with grass.

AT RISE: TRAGO, PLAUDIOS, CHIANDRA, and ARMENIUS are sitting on the stage. They form a semicircle with MILOS and AMBIUS standing in front. All are nervous as they look from side to side.

ARMENIUS

This is as good a place as any for our meeting.

MILOS

What's the use of all the precautions that we take? We know that we haven't been followed. We keep a distance from the university. We change our meeting places. Yet someone seems to know our every move. We're all on the watch list. We all have to make our weekly reports. We know that someday they'll get us, and we'll be sent away. All we really want is a say in our own futures.

CHIANDRA

Why don't your admit the real problem? It's always one of our own. Someone is pretending to be one of us, to feel what we feel and want what we want, when that person is one of the watchers. Our planet relies on its vast network of watchers. They get all the perks and advantages.

TRAGO

We could just fit in and try to cope, the way everyone else does. We could follow Landor and protest silently and never demand any real changes in the government.

MILOS

Landor wants to be in the government and change it from within. He can't see that they'll wind up changing him. How can you say that he protests silently? Have you ever been in one of his classes? His teachers wind up on the sidelines defending their own positions. That's why his professors demanded that he be expelled.

PLAUDIOS

Never mind his classes. Have you been to one of his open speeches in the auditorium? He's saying all the right words because he believes in them.

CHIANDRA

Don't you believe in them too? Don't we all live by Panlogian ideals?

PLAUDIOS

We all do, but we don't match Landor in his fervor and eloquence, not to mention his need to reach out and speak. We all believe that life is a quest built on small accomplishments. We believe that each day is filled with moral tasks and issues. We try to understand each other and to help one another to somehow feel complete. We find a plateau of peace and find ourselves there.

MILOS

That isn't enough for us! We want to speak to each other freely and out in the open. We don't want to be protected from ourselves. We don't want to be afraid of the government and its power. We want to form our own groups and run them ourselves.

CHIANDRA

Landor says that change is like the wind. It blows in and stirs up our minds. Sooner or later it gets us to take action.

PLAUDIOS

Mostly it gets us to seek shelter and take cover. We aren't going to wait for the wind to instigate change. We aren't going to wait a lifetime the way Landor is willing to. Let him accept the Daily Guidelines as his guidelines for the future. We don't have his patience or his faith.

CHIANDRA

Don't you think that Landor ought to be able to respond to our words? He loves a verbal interchange. He says that ideas grow and thrive only when they are challenged and discussed. I bet that he'd love to speak with people from one of the many planets out there. Now that would be a challenge! They say that in a few years there'll be quantum links of converted energy that will enable us to do just that! Why must we exclude Landor from our efforts?

PLAUDIOS

No one is watched more closely than Landor. We must never invite Landor to our meetings. How does he stand all those eyes that focus on him?

TRAGO

He is oblivious to anything but his own mind and spirit as well as the spirit of everyone that he meets.

MILOS

Let's not focus on Landor. We have some important reports to listen to today. Maybe we'll get some ideas going that we could share with the other colleges.

TRAGO

We have lots of ideas, but no one dares to face the security network at the university.

MILOS

We might find out a lot from Ambius. He has come a long way to speak to us. Before he does, I will warn him to give no specific details. It isn't safe to give us names, plans or places. When the walls have ears, we know there will be echoes.

AMBIUS

Fortunately we have no Proclivius to spread a blanket of fear. We are centers of technology. No one cares or understands what we do. They don't know that we have extensive links with the lands of exile. They don't know that we've added a new channel of communication. We know all the necessary languages. When are you going to start learning those languages at the university?

MILOS

Do you want the watchers to understand what you are doing? You would find yourselves with a security network equal to ours. We would lose all contact with the lands of exile. We don't want to cut the threads that remain in place.

CHIANDRA

We derive our strength from misdirection and secrecy. They think that they can overpower us with the threat of exile. We know that there is a life out there awaiting us even if they fulfill their threat.

MILOS

It is a very big threat. Our lives are here. Our focus is here. Our friends and family are here.

CHIANDRA

We are resilient enough to make changes and transfer our lives to new places.

TRAGO

I hope that they never send Landor away. It isn't that he lacks resiliency. It's that he reaches out and expects others to reach out in turn. He couldn't cope with Panlogia if it rejected him.

MILOS

That's a reason to keep him at arm's length. We are prepared for the consequences that would break his spirit. People are drawn to Landor and encourage him. Whoever encouraged us?

ARMENIUS

He feels that he is one of us. He reaches out to us and offers support. What can we offer him?

MILOS

We will follow him when he leads the way on campus. We're all in the same corner of the world. There will be times when our lives will intersect.

CHIANDRA

There'll be times when he will face things alone. Let's hope that he is strong enough to cope.

ARMENIUS

So if Landor gets himself expelled, we'll all stand around in the background and say nothing.

CHIANDRA

That's what being alone means.

TRAGO

How can we be strong if we don't stand behind each other?

ARMENIUS

Landor would speak up if one of us was about to be expelled. He has the power to make others act.

CHIANDRA

We don't have that power, and we don't need it. If Landor hasn't been expelled by now, he probably never will be.

PLAUDIOS

I think that Landor is heading for real trouble. The security people are angry because they never know what he'll do next. They were really angry last month when he led us all to the auditorium to pray for Professor Veritas after he got sick.

TRAGO

It's a wonder that he got away with that! He violated so many of our limits. He did it on his own initiative without first seeking permission. He didn't recruit any faculty members to join in. The biggest thing was that it all seemed so religious. The network is really afraid of any religion or religious group. No one is allowed to go down that road.

AMBIUS

They are going down that road in the lands of exile. Their lives are hard, and they need that kind of meaning in their lives.

MILOS

It was only a brief session, and Landor made no real religious references. He sees no problem there. He goes to the Zen garden without any knowledge of Zen itself.

CHIANDRA

He made the good professor sound like a force in the universe.

PLAUDIOS

In his eyes, the professor is a force in the universe.

TRAGO

How can a kind and gentle man be a tower of strength? He listens as we find our own way. He tells us to learn by living a good life.

CHIANDRA

Landor says that understanding is a force in the universe and a key to change.

PLAUDIOS

Does it have a magnitude and vector? Can we measure it and its impact?

MILOS

The professor tells us to fit in. He doesn't want us to push for change. He doesn't understand us!

PLAUDIOS

He supports Landor and all of his words.

MILOS

We want more than words!

ARMENIUS

Proclivius is the real force. He knows how to wield power over all of us.

MILOS

Landor was smart to keep the prayer session brief. Can you imagine what would happen if he didn't restrain himself?

ARMENIUS

That would be a real confrontation, the kind that we've tried, the kind that brings out Proclivius and his network.

MILOS

Who would help Landor in that situation?

CHIANDRA

We'd all like to pray for Landor's success, but we don't know how.

MILOS

And we don't believe in prayer itself. What good does it do? Whatever happens, happens. Prayer won't change a thing.

CHIANDRA

Professor Veritas did recover, didn't he? He can go on living his long life. Did Landor's prayers help him? We felt as if they did.

TRAGO

Landor would say that the answers to such questions are in our minds.

MILOS

Landor himself defies categories and definitions. He employs reason without accepting its limits.

CHIANDRA

Maybe reason needs no limits.

MILOS

We need our limits. We had better end our meeting now. To the future!

(The others repeat the last words and disperse.)

(Pacifica and Landor enter the stage. Pacifica carries a notepad and pen. Landor carries a sketchbook and supplies.)

PACIFICA

I appreciate your coming today to help me with my project, Landor. I'm doing a paper on coping mechanisms employed by persons on the watch list.

LANDOR

Ah, a blend of psychology and sociology, two subjects that I fervently avoid. Couldn't we just spend some time together doing nothing? We could call it a date. We could get to know each other. Maybe you could forget that I'm on that watch list, and we could share our dreams together. I see myself as part of the government, reaching out to the people, speaking to them, speaking with them, speaking for them. Your dreams are not all that different, are they, Pacifica?

PACIFICA

I don't have long range dreams. I will take whatever opportunities I can find when I graduate. I'm just an ordinary person trying to do useful things. Do you really expect me to date someone like you?

LANDOR

Must you say the words someone like you? You don't even know me. You've never given yourself a chance to know me. I'm no different than anyone else. I just can't seem to align myself with society. Maybe it's because I don't want to. Maybe it's because I want to change society.

PACIFICA

Why can't you accept society as it is? You do accept our ideals and guidelines. You accept our space program, but you oppose the scientific approach. What's wrong with psychology and sociology? Don't you want to understand the individual and the workings of our society?

LANDOR

How can you understand society if you don't know that