Christine, Edward, and the Cube
Hippopotamus Migration in Africa
Suzanne Parenteau (shacteau@earthlink.net)
Joshua Lerman (dancinbird@hotmail.com)
Two Tall Individuals
Treatment
This is a surrealist play about identity. It takes place out in the country, at a lemonade stand on the long dirt road. Three people successively pull up to the stand and we learn about them from the labels they have chosen to define them (i.e. Catholic, professional, athletic, etc). A young Child is there, wearing all white, attending the lemonade stand. He listens to the people define themselves and imagines them breaking out of their self-imposed limitations. Meanwhile, a Dancer in plain clothes is dancing in the field on the opposite side of the road from the lemonade stand. She is showing us that perhaps all that we are is exactly what we are being in each moment.
Cast List:
Child - Approximately 8-10 years old. Dressed in all white. Has a sweet, calmly, wise continence.
Dancer - Clothes are plain so that she wont fit into any stereotype (i.e. hippie, raver). She is very average; average height, weight, attractiveness. Joyful an free. Experiencing being alive, being the dance.
Trudy - Woman approximately 60 years old. Salt & pepper hair in a bun. Wearing blue sun-dress with white flowers on it. Habit of fondling her fake pearl necklace while she speaks. Fake, cheesy smile. He shoes are white flats.
Jared - Man, approximately 30 years old. Short hair. Good looking. Wearing athletic clothes (warm-up jacket and pants). Tough guy. Unemotional.
Harry - Male, approximately 25 years old. Messy hair. Corduroy pants . Jean jacket with button pinned to it. Serious, intellectual.
Screenplay
Country road. Lemonade stand on one side of the road with child attending it. Field on other side with dancer in it.
1) Field
A DANCER wearing plain clothes, who dances freely.
2) Lemonade Stand
A CHILD wearing all white. He is smiling brightly ‘cause he sees the Dancer.
3) Field
Dancer dancing lyrically, fluidly in field.
DANCER
The difference between a moment of action and the whole play.
Dancer continues to dance. In the distance a white, conservative, American car drives up and stops in front of lemonade stand.
4) Lemonade Stand
Car window rolls down to reveal TRUDY, a 60ish woman with salt and pepper hair in a bun and a cheesy smile. She looks down toward Child.
TRUDY(proudly)
I am Catholic
Trudy is suddenly leaning against back, left corner of car trunk with her hand on her jutted-out hip, then she is suddenly in driver seat again.
TRUDY
I am a mother of six.
Suddenly we see Trudy’s head emerge from underneath the car. She sticks her tongue out, then she’s back in the driver seat.
TRUDY
I mind my own business.
Trudy is suddenly in the trunk of her car with hands in prayer position and eyes looking skyward. Child looks up toward Trudy in driver seat.
CHILD
You have never known that.
Trudy drives away. Child pours more lemonade from pitcher into cups. Child looks out into the distance towards Dancer.
5) Field
Dancer is dancing freely. A little bit faster tempo to her dance now. Lemonade stand can be seen in distance, across the road.
DANCER
The difference between a moment of action and the whole play.
Dancer dances more.
6) Lemonade Stand
Child looking down road. Sound of a car pulling up. Child’s eyes. Red sports car is at lemonade stand. Car window rolls down to reveal Jared, a 30 year old man with a gold chain around his neck and athletic attire on. He sizes the boy up and does not smile.
JARED
I’m a professional.
Then Jared is standing on the roof of his car with legs spread and arms raised up like a ballerina. Suddenly he’s back in the driver seat.
JARED
I am athletic.
In back of Jared’s car, Jared is there, lying on the seat in fetal position. Then he’s back in the driver’s seat.
JARED
I am handsome.
Jared sitting on trunk of his car, contorting his face into weird faces.
7) Field
Dancer spinning. Jared in the distance sitting on his trunk.
DANCER
The difference between a moment of action and the whole play.
8) Lemonade Stand
Child looking at Jared in driver seat.
CHILD
You have never known that.
Jared hands Child a wad of cash. S/He looks very unimpressed with money. Sound of car leaving. Child throws money into the air.
9) Field
Dancer’s bare feet dancing in the grass..
10) Lemonade Stand
Child’s hands on knees underneath the stand. Sound of car pulling up.
11) Field
Dancer is dancing ecstatically. Little, old coupe in background where lemonade stand was. Dancer dances.
DANCER
The difference between a moment of action and a whole play.
12) Lemonade Stand
Child’s elbows on stand. Car window rolls down to reveal Harry, a mid-twenties man with messy hair, jean jacket, several buttons pinned to his jacket.
HARRY
I am creative.
The drivers door opens to reveal Harry wearing a too-too. Suddenly Harry is back in driver seat.
HARRY
I am sensitive.
Harry is pounding violently on roof of car, then suddenly back in driver seat.
HARRY
I am intelligent.
Harry lying on his back on the roof of his car, reading a book. Book’s cover says, "How to be Creative."
Child looking at Harry back in driver seat.
CHILD
You have never known that..
Child’s eyes
13) Field
Dancer dancing erratically as Harry’s car drives off in the distance.
DANCER
The difference between a moment of action and the whole play.
Dancer dances and runs all crazy away from the camera (like a child), does cartwheels.
14) Lemonade Stand
Child laughing joyfully, hysterically.
Harry’s car driving off into the horizon.
Child Smiling
CHILD
You have never known that.
Continuity script
Country road. Lemonade stand on one side of the road with child attending it. Field on other side with dancer in it.
Field
1) LS of DANCER wearing plain clothes, who dances freely. Lemonade stand is seen in the distance
Lemonade Stand
2) MS of CHILD wearing all white. He is smiling brightly ‘cause he sees the Dancer.
Field
3) ELS of Dancer dancing lyrically, fluidly in field.
4) CU of Dancer’s face.
Dancer: The difference between a moment of action and the whole play.
Dancer dances away from camera. In the distance a white, conservative, American car drives up and stops in front of lemonade stand, blocking camera’s view of lemonade stand.
Lemonade Stand
5) MS of car window. Window rolls down to reveal TRUDY, a 60ish woman with salt and pepper hair in a bun and a cheesy smile. She looks down toward camera, but not directly into it as if she is talking to Child and camera is on Child’s shoulder.
Trudy (proudly): I am Catholic
6) LS of Trudy leaning against back, left corner of car trunk with her hand on her jutted-out hip.
7) MS of Trudy in drivers seat. Same as shot (5).
Trudy : I am a mother of six.
8) MS from above as Trudy’s head emerges from underneath the car. She sticks her tongue out.
9) MS of Trudy in Driver seat. Same as shot (5).
Trudy: I mind my own business.
10) MS of Trudy in the trunk of her car with hands in prayer position and eyes looking skyward.
11) MCU of Child looking up toward camera as if Trudy is in driver seat and camera is on her shoulder.
Child: You have never known that.
Sound of car driving away. Camera zooms out and Child pours more lemonade from pitcher into cups. Child looks out into the distance towards Dancer.
Field
12) LS of Dancer dancing freely. A little bit faster tempo to her dance now. Lemonade stand can be seen in distance, across the road.
13) ECU of Dancer’s mouth.
Dancer: The difference between a moment of action and the whole play.
Dancer dances away from camera into an ELS.
Lemonade Stand
14) MS of Child looking down road. Sound of a car pulling up.
15) ECU of Child’s eyes looking directly into camera.
16) LS of red sports car..
17) MS of car window. It rolls down to reveal Jared, a 30 year old man with a gold chain around his neck and athletic attire on. He sizes the boy up and does not smile.
Jared: I’m a professional.
18) LS of Jared standing on the roof of his car with legs spread and arms raised up like a ballerina.
19) MS of Jared in driver seat. Same as shot (17).
Jared: I am athletic.
20) MLS camera looking into opened back door of Jared’s car. Jared is there, lying on the seat in fetal position.
21) MS of Jared in Driver seat. Same as shot (17).
Jared: I am handsome.
22) MCU of Jared sitting on trunk of his car, contorting his face into weird faces.
Field
23) MLS of Dancer spinning. We see Jared in the distance sitting on his trunk. Dancer is spinning closer to camera. She stops at a MCU.
Dancer: The difference between a moment of action and the whole play.
Lemonade Stand
24) MCU of Child looking toward, but directly into camera, as if Child is looking at Jared in driver seat and camera is on Jared’s shoulder.
Child: You have never known that.
25) MS. Camera is in passenger seat, facing out window with back of Jared’s head in shot as he is looking out at Child who is also in the shot. Jared hands Child a wad of cash.
26) MCU of Child. S/He looks very unimpressed with money. Sound of car leaving. Child throws money into the air.
Field
27) CU of Dancer’s bare feet dancing in the grass. They fall out of the frame of the shot a couple times.
Lemonade Stand
28) CU of Child’s hands on knees underneath the stand. Sound of car pulling up.
Field
29) LS. Dancer is dancing ecstatically. Little, old coupe in background where lemonade stand was. Dancer dances to up to camera to a MCU. Still dancing, looking at camera.
Dancer: The difference between a moment of action and a whole play.
Lemonade Stand
30) CU of Child’s elbows on stand.
31) MS of car window. Window rolls down to reveal Harry, a mid-twenties man with messy hair, jean jacket, several buttons pinned to his jacket.
Harry: I am creative.
32) MLS. The drivers door opens in stop animation to reveal Harry wearing a too-too.
33) MS of Harry in driver seat. Same as shot (31).
Harry: I am sensitive.
34) MLS of Harry pounding violently on roof of car.
35) MS of Harry in driver seat. Same as shot (31).
Harry: I am intelligent.
36) MCU of Harry lying on his back on the roof of his car, reading a book. Book’s cover says, "How to be Creative."
37) CU of Child looking toward, but not directly into camera, as if Child is looking a Harry back in driver seat and camera is on his shoulder.
Child: You have never known that.
38) ECU of Child’s eyes looking directly into camera.
Field
39) ELS of Dancer dancing erratically as Harry’s car drives off in the distance.
40) CU of Dancer
Dancer: The difference between a moment of action and the whole play.
Dancer dances and runs all crazy away from the camera (like a child), does cartwheels.
Lemonade Stand
41) MCU of child laughing joyfully, hysterically.
42) ELS of Harry’s car driving off into the horizon.
43) CU of Child Smiling
Child: You have never known that.
