Thomas Quinn – Solo Performance

I have added more to my script and I feel it is now almost finished apart from a few things that I may change closer to the time. A lot of my script is my own words and my own memories so I feel they come across better when improvised around the basis of the text. The reason I feel this way is because if a story is rehearsed too much word for word it loses its meaning and it begins to sound like it is not real but a made up piece. Below is my finished script I hope to use come the performance.

Rain Rain Go away

Scene starts with black, sounds of rain and wind becomes audible and gets to a comfortable level. The lights begin to come up slowly. A blue/green wash that mimics the movement of water and the ocean, gets brighter until it is a dull glow.

(Character (me) begins to come into view standing in the centre of the floor)

M: I remember when I was young…so many memories. It’s funny that being stuck inside, with the sound of the rain, relaxes you somehow, makes you think. Water has so many effects it can be calm and relaxing, cleansing, or powerful and destructive, I suppose it can affect your mood. Speaking of memories I can think of several that have left an imprint on my mind, many good, a few bad, but I will always remember one more vividly than the others. It is the first I can recall, and it is something I go back to now and again.

(The sound of the rain softly, the lights still mellow. Character looks around the audience, then sits on the floor)

M: I couldn’t have been any more than 3 years of age; I was at my grandparents for the day, as I often was. My grandfather, a great lover of animals decided to take me to the pet shop to look at the animals. I know that I get my love of all creatures from him. We arrived to the shop after a short drive in the sun. The shop was alive with the sounds of birds squawking, and dogs barking. As usual my grandfather made his way over to the tropical fish, a personal favourite of his, but I was more interested in the little furry creatures, and no, before you ask, I mean hamsters, not the little old man behind the counter.

(Stops for a few seconds, and close my eyes, as if to think, and then get back up and continue the story)

M: Anyway, I was looking at the hamsters, and I found them so fascinating that I wanted to know what they felt like. After all they were very fluffy, so I decided that I would be a good idea to push my finger through the bars of the cage to find out, and boy did I find out! The hamster came over, sniffed my finger and then sunk his little teeth into my little finger. I howled like a wolf, which seems appropriate now looking back, after all I was in a pet shop. So my grandfather drags himself away from the fish, to come and see what damage has been done, other than the several ruptured ear drums of the animals. I had a little blood blister; it didn’t even break the skin. My grandfather told me that the hamster was just saying hello, we laughed, and I have loved animals ever since… (Cue volume of sound rise a little bit, change lighting)

(The sound of the water picks up again, sounding slightly louder but still comfortable the lights become brighter, blue/yellow, and I stand up and stretch)

M: Ah! It’s almost that time of year again! The sun will be coming out, days are longer, and nights are shorter. It’s this weather that reminds me of being a boy of 14, care free and happy. We used to spend the day outside playing football. Sometimes we would get the bus to the beach and stay in my friend’s parent’s caravan. Those were the days…

I can remember running along the grass, barefoot, feeling the grass beneath me. There was a warm breeze that seemed to blow a smile onto your face. It’s funny that isn’t it?  The elements again up to their old tricks, making us feel a certain way. That summer was special for me because it was the last summer I had before it was down to serious study for my GCSE’S. We made every moment count then, nothing to restrain us… not like now…it’s different now days…

(Cue lights change to a darker blue/red hue, sound get again slightly louder)

The last four or five years of my life have been a big change, compared with what I’m used to. I left school a year early, and decided to take a BIG risk with my career choice, I was studying to become an engineer, I had the necessary exam results to proceed. I got slightly fed up with maths and physics and so on, and I decided that I would chance my arm with this drama business; you know acting and the like. Needless to say I was nervous about breaking the news to my parents, but after a few weeks of deliberation, I spilled the beans as it were.

My parents were apprehensive at first, but after some discussion I managed to convince them that I was serious about this and I would make something of it. So I left school, I went all the way across town and had no friends I knew, and no real experience of this topic. I had somehow managed to pass the audition, and spent 2 years in that place. Needless to say it wasn’t as fun as id thought.

I managed to get out and then decided to head across the water to “broaden my horizons” as the saying goes….. Been here 3 years…. I enjoy it, the place is great, but it’s not home….I miss my family, I miss my friends, and if it wasn’t for the fact that I finish in 2 days, I don’t know what I’d do…

(Cue lights change to deep red; music gets louder, so I have to raise my voice)

It hasn’t been easy here you know… people think imp this happy go lucky guy, that I’m so calm, and so relaxed. I get angry too, I get upset, I get stressed, and I’m kind of getting like that now even talking about this… You hear that rain outside? Yea it was relaxing before now it’s just fucking annoying, seems to be just getting louder as if it’s trying to drown me out.

I can’t wait to leave, I’m sorry but I’ve had enough, All I do is go to class, go to rehearsals, then go home and do more work, I hardly ever go out, and I’m stuck in this fucking tiny room. I don’t like clubbing; I don’t like dancing, so there no reason to go anywhere, then there is the money problems of students. If I even have money, everyone else seems to have none, and vice versa…. It’s so annoying it makes so angry I just want to SHOUT! RAIN I LOVE YOU BUT FUCK OFF!!

(Cue lights out to black, music goes silent, and then slowly fades up to a comfortable level, lights up blue wash to me sitting on the floor again)

 

I always like walking in the rain, so no one can see me crying….

FADE TO BLACK, LET SOUND FADE OUT SLOWLY DURING BLACK

 

END.

As the title suggests, I have listened to lots of the ASMR videos on YouTube, and although they are extremely relaxing and soothing, I do not think they are what I want to use in my piece. I think the idea I have previously stated is more in keeping with what I want.

Do however try and listen to the ASMR tracks yourself and I will stand by the fact that they are the best solution to a sleepless night I have ever come across. I also found that sitting in the dark with your eyes closed listening to it can make stress levels dramatically fall.

I have written a preliminary script that I hope to build on for my final piece. This encompasses the idea I have spoken of previously about moving through emotions and lights together with the sound of rain throughout.

Script so far

Scene starts with black, sounds of water lapping the edges of the room, and dripping begin to become audible, and get steadily louder until they are at a comfortable level. The lights begin to come up slowly. A blue/green wash that mimics the movement of water and the ocean, gets brighter until it is a dull glow. There are the effects of little fish darting around the room quickly, stopping for a short moment, only to dart off again.    

 

(Character (me) begins to come into view standing in the centre of the floor)

M: I remember when I was young…so many memories. I can think of several that have left an imprint on my mind, many good, a few bad, but I will always remember one more vividly than the others. It is the first I can recall, and it is something I go back to now and again.

(The sound of the water lapping softly, the lights still mellow. Character looks around the audience, then sits on the floor)

M: I couldn’t have been any more than 3 years of age; I was at my grandparents for the day, as I often was. My grandfather, a great lover of animals decided to take me to the pet shop to look at the animals. I know that I get my love of all creatures from him. We arrived to the shop after a short drive in the sun. The shop was alive with the sounds of birds squawking, and dogs barking. As usual my grandfather made his way over to the tropical fish, a personal favourite of his, but I was more interested in the little furry creatures, and no, before you ask, I mean hamsters, not the little old man behind the counter.

(Stops for a few seconds, and close my eyes, as if to think, and then get back to the story)

M: Anyway, I was looking at the hamsters, and I found them so fascinating that I wanted to know what they felt like. After all they were very fluffy, so I decided that I would be a good idea to push my finger through the bars of the cage to find out, and boy did I find out! The hamster came over, sniffed my finger and then sunk his little teeth into my little finger. I howled like a wolf, which seems appropriate now looking back, after all I was in a pet shop. So my grandfather drags himself away from the fish, to come and see what damage has been done, other than the several ruptured ear drums of the animals. I had a little blood blister; it didn’t even break the skin. My grandfather told me that the hamster was just saying hello, we laughed, and I have loved animals ever since…

(The sound of the water picks up again, sounding closer but still calm. The lights become brighter, bluer, and I stand up and stretch)

M: Ah! The clear sky, It’s that time of year again! The sun is coming out, days are longer, and nights are shorter. It’s this weather that reminds me of being a teenager, care free and happy. We used to spend the day outside playing football. Sometimes we would get the bus to the beach and stay in my friend’s parent’s caravan. Those were the days

 

Use four elements/emotions. 1). first memory. 2). happy. 3). nervous/anxious 4). Angry. Think of a story for each one.

Get a story for each one.

First memory use a drip that turns into a trickle.

Happy – something by the beach, nice summers day.

Nervous – slightly sloshing water and interior monologue of some sort.

Angry – choose a few thinks that piss you off. E.g (housewife) I clean, I cook, I bake. And have that rhythm building to a sound of a storm. Faster and faster as you get more angry.

Stop – dark blue light, silence then gentle lapping and have something that says “Thats me” or something.

Once decided a thing for each one you can then replace it with poems, text and phrases etc.

I have thought long and hard about what exactly I want to convey in my piece. I have decided on the theme of emotions and memories, but also how they relative to colour and sound, particularly the sound of rain. This will come together with me selecting my earliest memory, and building from there selecting another memory to convey happiness and then one for sadness and ending with the theme of anger which I want to light with a deep red colour, as it is known to represent anger. The sound of the rain will get progressively louder as the piece goes on and will end in a burst of anger and a complete snap out of the light and sound, coming back to the calm blue colour.