The Concert.
(An empty concert hall in a city in the United States several hours before a concert that evening.)
(A homeless man enters and looks around. He sees the stage set for the concert. He walks up to the stage at its middle and looks out over the audience seats. All is quiet and empty. He thinks to himself. Then he raises his arms and, with his ragged jacket flapping about him, he begins as if to conduct the orchestra in a great symphony. A shaft of sunlight shines in and illuminates a seat right in the middle of the auditorium. The man sees it. Stops conducting. Walks to the seat and tries it out. He tries and tries to get comfortable, but can't. He rises and takes off his ragged coat to show his only new piece of clothing. A clean white shirt he had gotten that afternoon from Goodwill. He sits back down, stretches once again in the sunlight, and goes to sleep. TIME NOW SPEEDS UP. Members of the orchestra arrive and start to tune. The audience begins to gather - slowly at first and then rapidly. The men are in suits and tuxedos, the ladies in expensive gowns. The man is soon surrounded by the audience. They do not notice him and he sleeps on undisturbed. The conductor begins the concert with the now complete orchestra. The playing is, of course, also sped up. At the 5 minute point, the music is sad and the ladies take out their handkerchiefs to wipe the tears back. At about the 7 minute point, the music ends and the audience applauds wildly. The audience starts to leave as does the orchestra. A few people linger, then everyone is gone except the sleeping man. The lights dim so only the man can be seen clearly in a spotlight. TIME RETURNS TO NORMAL. He moves, yawns, stretches, rubs his eyes. He gets up, retrieves his coat which had fallen on the floor, and carefully brushes it off. He puts it on with great elan and care despite how dirty and ragged it is. He walks up to the now empty stage and peers into the rows of chairs and music stands. He turns to the auditorium and raises his arms to conduct again, but stops, shakes his head, and rubs his belly. Then he turns and disappears out the same door he entered by into the now dark night.)
(The lights go completely out on stage and the curtain falls.)
© Sherman K. Poultney June 1992
(A homeless man enters and looks around. He sees the stage set for the concert. He walks up to the stage at its middle and looks out over the audience seats. All is quiet and empty. He thinks to himself. Then he raises his arms and, with his ragged jacket flapping about him, he begins as if to conduct the orchestra in a great symphony. A shaft of sunlight shines in and illuminates a seat right in the middle of the auditorium. The man sees it. Stops conducting. Walks to the seat and tries it out. He tries and tries to get comfortable, but can't. He rises and takes off his ragged coat to show his only new piece of clothing. A clean white shirt he had gotten that afternoon from Goodwill. He sits back down, stretches once again in the sunlight, and goes to sleep. TIME NOW SPEEDS UP. Members of the orchestra arrive and start to tune. The audience begins to gather - slowly at first and then rapidly. The men are in suits and tuxedos, the ladies in expensive gowns. The man is soon surrounded by the audience. They do not notice him and he sleeps on undisturbed. The conductor begins the concert with the now complete orchestra. The playing is, of course, also sped up. At the 5 minute point, the music is sad and the ladies take out their handkerchiefs to wipe the tears back. At about the 7 minute point, the music ends and the audience applauds wildly. The audience starts to leave as does the orchestra. A few people linger, then everyone is gone except the sleeping man. The lights dim so only the man can be seen clearly in a spotlight. TIME RETURNS TO NORMAL. He moves, yawns, stretches, rubs his eyes. He gets up, retrieves his coat which had fallen on the floor, and carefully brushes it off. He puts it on with great elan and care despite how dirty and ragged it is. He walks up to the now empty stage and peers into the rows of chairs and music stands. He turns to the auditorium and raises his arms to conduct again, but stops, shakes his head, and rubs his belly. Then he turns and disappears out the same door he entered by into the now dark night.)
(The lights go completely out on stage and the curtain falls.)
© Sherman K. Poultney June 1992
posted by skip at 3:37 AM
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