Madonna - Abby
Mom - Sam
Josephine - Nadya
Beginning
- Massacre
- Escape
Middle
- Visit to river
- Teaching the call and-response
End
- Dead baby
- Police
- End with madonna and child repeating game again?
Props:
- Blue fabric to cover triangles
- House set
- Bed
- Couch
- Desk
- Table
- Four Chairs
- Wings of fire
- Rock
- Fauna near river
Sounds:
- Gunshots
- Screaming
BEGINNING
Add lights here
Grandma: Did you hear what Trujillo said the other day? He will not stop at anything to insult Haitians.
Mom: I know. Edwidge’s family has already left. Their youngest is only four months old. They don’t want their children to grow up here.
Grandma: It may be our time soon as well.
Mom: In this state, I can’t go anywhere.
Grandma: Let us pray. Bondye will watch over us.
(multiple gunshots, screams heard outside. Chaos and panic ensues in the room.)
Women shouting, screaming “What is going on?” “Run!!”
(gunshots getting louder and louder)
(ladies shuffle quickly offstage)
Gunshots/screams can still be heard during scene change?
House? (gunshots can be heard in background)
Mom: (clearly stressed, frazzled) (talking to herself) What to bring? What to bring? (picks up a shirt) No, we don’t need this.
Madonna: We don’t have time for this. We must go. A single change of clothes, if anything.
Mom: I know, I know. But my child. My time is coming and we will have nothing.
Madonna: You will have me. It will have to be enough.
At edge of river (one side of stage) (gunshots can be heard, but faint)
Madonna: Come, faster. I see them over that hill. Faster
Mom: (clearly distressed) I cannot. I feel my child moving and kicking. I'm scared; please, Let me sit.
(sits on nearby rock?)
Madonna: You must go on, for the child. We both know it will be safe on the other side. Take the child away from all this violence.
Mom: I know. It’s hard. (takes a deep breath. Talking to Josephine) It’s going to be okay. We will get through this. (looking up to Madonna) We all will.
Madonna: (gently lifting Mom up) Come, we must go.
(Madonna helps the mother find her way through the rest of the river. The mothers exists the rivers wearing red for wings)
Lights focus on Mother, preferably red lighting. Then, it slowly fades off.
MIDDLE
Lights Up Full Stage (white)
J: Tell me the story again.
Mom: Again? Josephine, this story gives you nightmares.
J: Please?
Mom: Alright. It was 1937, 12 years ago. The Madonna and I were at home with some friends when we heard shouting down the street. The soldiers had come for us Haitians. We knew we had to leave quickly. The back door was our only way out. We ran and ran, until we got to the river that divides this island. With nowhere else to go, we jumped in. But Josephine, that water changed us. We emerged new women, soaked in the red of the blood-tainted river. The soldiers ran, for we had wings of fire. I lost my mother that day, Josephine. But I got you.
J: What about the others?
Madonna: (Interrupts) You will meet them soon enough. Go to bed, Josephine.
Lights go down on the bed, and go up center stage
Mom: Why can’t I tell her about us?
Madonna: Because she is not ready. She will learn about the others in time.
(sees Madonna getting Josephine ready to leave)
Mom: Where we taking her now?
Madonna: The river. The others are meeting there today. She is ready to meet them.
Mom: Hopefully there won’t be too many. The police are already on high alert from the festivities.
Madonna: Don’t worry.
Lights Fade
(exit stage right)
Lights Up Full Stage(white)
Madonna: It’s time to teach her what your mother taught you.
Mom: No. She’s too young.
Madonna: And you’re too old.
(Mom sits down, thinking. Sees Josephine playing stage left)
Madonna: (puts hand on Mother’s shoulder) It’s time.
Mother: (takes a deep breath) Josephine love, come here. I want to teach you something.
All light fades, except a soft circle light that focuses on the pair
Mom: Who are you?
J:I’m a child of that place. I come down from that long trail of blood.
Full Lights fill the stage again
Mom:Where are you going?
J:I am walking into the dawn.
Mom:Who are you?
J:I am the first daughter of the first star.
Mom:Where do you drink when you're thirsty?
J:I drink the tears from the madonna's eyes.
Mom:And if not there?
J:I drink the dew.
Mom:And if you can't find the dew?
J:I drink from the rain before it falls.
Mom:And if you can't drink there?
J:I drink from the turtles hide.
Mom:How did you find your way to me?
J:By the light of the mermaid’s comb.
Mom:Where does your mother come from?
J:Thunderbolts, lighting, and all things that soar.
Mom:Who are you?
J:I come from the puddle of that river.
Mom: Speak to me.
J:You hear my mother who speaks through me. She’s the shadow that follows my shadow. The flame at the tip of my candle. The ripple in the stream where I wash my face. Yes. I will eat my tongue if I ever whisper that name, the name of that place across the river, that took my mother from me.
Our mothers were the ashes and we were the light. our mothers were the Embers and we were the sparks. our mothers were the flames and we were the blaze.
“Here is my child, Josephine. We were saved from the tomb of this river when she was still in my womb. You spared us both, her and me, from this river where I lost my mother.”
END
(Josephine and her mother are onstage. The Madonna is nowhere to be seen)
Mom: Josephine, what do you know about the Madonna?
J: I know she has been with you since you crossed Massacre River. She saved our lives.
Mom: You’re right. We do owe our lives to her.
J: Why do you ask, Manman?
Mom: Josephine, I am getting older. I am afraid our time together might be running out.
J: I’m not ready to say goodbye, Manman.
Mom: I know, Josephine. Neither am I. But while we still have time together, remember that I want you to keep the Madonna when I am gone. When I am completely gone, maybe you will have someone to take my place. Maybe you will have a person. Maybe you will have some flesh to console you. But if you don’t, you will always have the Madonna.
Full Lights fade back up
(Guards take mother away, mother throws wings back to Josephine, Josephine reaches for jacket) Mid reach, the lights immediately blackout.
Spotlight comes back on on Josephine & Madonna onstage back to audience, says ending to response, blackout
Blackout remains
J: “I am the child, Josephine. My mother was saved from the tomb of this river when I was still in the womb. You spared her from this river where she lost her mother. Our mothers were the ashes and we were the light. our mothers were the Embers and we were the sparks. our mothers were the flames and we were the blaze.”
RANDOM LINES TO INCORPORATE
“Let her flight be joyful, and mine and yours too.”
STAGE LAYOUT AND DESCRIPTION
Escaping through Massacre River
For the very opening scene, we will take 3 triangles from School of Rock and cover them in blue fabric, to look like a river. They will be staggered across the stage, providing cover for the mom to put on “wings of fire” (just a costume piece) and emerge from the blood stained water. To show the blood from the massacre, we may add red fabric to the triangles.
The Home
The majority of the skit will take place in the home of the three girls. There are 3 “sections” to the house: a bedroom, a dining area, and a play area. To the left is the bedroom. This is where personal conversations between the Madonna and the mother take place. Stage right is the play area, where the Madonna interacts with Josephine. In the middle, the mother and daughter meet. The play area has a couch and some toys - worn, cloth dolls. The dining room is just a wooden table and chairs. We will use colorful blankets and set pieces to make each section look more abstract and bring attention to the “fire” aspect of the skit.
The River
A few times in the skit, the mother brings Josephine to massacre river to pray. The set for this will be very simple, bringing back the blue fabric to show the river. This time, there is no blood.
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