Saturday, November 12, 2011

I Am a Masterful Scriptist!

So I have been super busy with school and work and life. And I realized something I'm not going to be able to update this blog with any sense of normality. So from here on out, no more promises of incomplete work to be posted at some ungiven time, and no more apologizing for not updating in forever. So without anymore blogy business, I have a post!


So this semester I have been taking a Theater Appreciation class. This would be great, I thought to myself, I already love theater so I'll just breeze through the class. Turns out that Theater Appreciation is more then just learning how to like theater.

So we've  done some interesting stuff and I thought I might share some of it with you. So the first thing I wanted so show off is the set I designed. Our task was to design a set or a pair of coustumes for a one act play  that we had written earlier. I used one of my CAD programs to whip something up real fast, Here's what I made:



This is what I wrote about it:
"When I was writing the short play “Artifact of Imagination” I knew that I wanted a feel that was a cross between Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider. Those two franchises have created a interesting genre, where archaeologists rush bravely into old forgotten temples to rescue the magical artifact before the evil bads or villain could lay their filthy hands on it. Saving the world, dodging traps, facing snakes and other heroic deeds.

The only scene in Artifact of Imagination, takes place in the villain's basement, which he uses for storing some of his less displayable items along with his equipment. To convey this I started with a cement floor and walls. Two plain wooden doors on either side of the stage provide exits.

Selves and crates contain artifacts as stage dressing, and one crate contains a sword rusted firmly into it's sheath. Canvas tents and other iconic archeology equipment would fill in the remaining spaces. The chair is a central point of focus in the play. While it isn't a complex item it is central to the plot. We start with Katie tied to it and later Dr. Steed it tied to it by Katie. So we have two main point for the chair to fill. First that someone can be tied to it, and second that it isn't too complicated (so it doesn't distract the audience)." 

This of course doesn't make much sense if you haven't read Artifact of Imagination. Artifact of Imagination was my submission for our play with a single scene with two characters who both want something. (For those of you who don't know, a beat is a way to signify a short pause. Such as "What? (Beat) NOOOOOOOOO!")

 
Characters:

Dr. Steed: An arrogant archaeologist. Well respected by the general populace but not his peers. It is known that he often hoards artifacts in his massive mansion and rumored that he will do anything to get his hands on anything over a few hundred years old.

Katie Brend: A new comer to the field of archeology and a recent graduate of University of Rostock. Katie has not had much luck finding a job that she can stand for more then a few months and was unemployed when she accidentally found the dig of the century, in her grandmother's back yard.

Scene: A partially lit cement room with doors on either side of the room and a few plain wooden crates in the foreground. In the background are more crates, canvas tents, shovels, and pickaxes.


Artifact of Imagination

(Dr. Steed is pacing behind a chair that Katie is tied to. Katie is unconscious.)

Katie
(Wakes up and groans.)

Dr. Steed
Ah, good you are awake.
(Walks around the chair.)

Katie
Where'm I? Who're you?

Dr. Steed
Surely you recognize me?

Katie
Oh, Dr. Steed! It's a please to meet you. My name is- (Beat) Um, Doctor, why am I tied up?

Dr. Steed
Because Katie Brend, you incredibly lucky girl, you have something that I want.

Katie
I do? I have something that a world-wide known millionaire archaeologist wants?

Dr. Steed
Yes!

Katie
If you're talking about my signed copy of The Hobit--

Dr. Steed
Do not play innocent with me, young miss! (Starts to pace.) I am sure that you know the item that I speak of. In your paper on the archaeological dig that you finished exactly 4 months and 9 days ago you mention on the third page that you removed an artifact that appeared out of place with the surrounding artifacts.

Katie
Yeah, there were a few things like that. Do you have a picture of it?

Dr. Steed
Arrg!
(Walks out the door on stage left)

Katie
(Frees herself. She then opens one of the crates. Inside she finds a sword in a sheath. She tries to pull it out but it is stuck.)

Dr. Steed
(Enters with picture and sees Katie)
You! Put. That. Down. Do you know how much that cost me--

Katie
(Brings sword, sheath and all, down on Dr. Steed's head, knocking him out. She drags him to the chair and ties him to it. She notices the picture that he was carrying and picks it up.)

Dr. Steed.
(Groans)

Katie
Dr. Steed, from this picture I gather that you are wanting the half of the fabled Oozamalakian pendent that I found.

Dr. Steed
Of course you silly girl, nothing else in that silly dig of yours was worth my attention. The pendent has the secrets of an entire civilization locked inside it. With the whole thing I could-- (Beat)

Katie
Go on.

Dr. Steed
I will not fall for that mental trap.

Katie
But I think you could do the evil mastermind monologue very well!

Dr. Steed
This is not one of your useless books! Knowledge is power. And the masses of information that pendent could unlock are incredible! The accounts, scattered across the world, all imply that if you can combined the two fragments then you will be able to accesses this gloriousness knowledge!

Katie
And you want this knowledge?

Dr. Steed
Yes!

Katie
And guessing from the fact that you kidnapped me you'll do anything for it?
Dr. Steed
Yes!

Katie
And you already have half of the pendent?

Dr. Steed
Yes! No. Why would you think that I have half of one already? Both halves haven't seen the light of day for hundreds of years. All we have are scattered accounts of people finding a half and disappearing.

Katie
This picture you grabbed. Who sent it to you?

Dr. Steed
Why should I tell you.

Katie
An exchange of information. A mutual increase in power.

Dr. Steed
What could you tell me that I do not already know?

Katie
I know something about this photo that you don't.

Dr. Steed
Fine, I agree. What do you know.

Katie
I'm not the one tied to a chair anymore Doctor. (Pause) That was an invitation to spill the beans.

Dr. Steed
The picture was sent to me by a man called Roechmen. Perhaps you have heard of him? Why would you want to know? You said yourself that you have the half of the pendent.

Katie
I've heard of Roechmen. If you'll excuse me Doctor, I have a reclusive archaeologist to find.

Dr. Steed
Wait. I gave you what you wanted, now what is that I do not know about that photograph?

Katie
This isn't a picture of the half of the Oozamalakian pendent that I found.
(Exit stage left.)


Dr. Steed
What? (Beat) Oh. Drat.

Katie
(Off-stage) Where are the bloody stairs.

Dr. Steed
I have not lost! You can look all you want Katie Brend, but you will never find your way out of my labyrinth of a basement!

Katie
(Enter stage left)
Or I could just try this door.
(Exits stage right)
Dr. Steed
Drat!

Well I think that's enough for now, until next time zombie killers!
Zombie Killing Technique #95: Ultra-short pulse lasers.