FICTIONAL FENCES/REAL WALLS:PLAY VERSION

FICTIONAL FENCES REAL WALLS
1. PROJECTION: A projected, live,talking head of a distinguished 40ish year old woman with a French accent, reading the text,offstage, live.
At the place where it says REAL WALLS(seven times) in the text,the image and reader change to a male priest(real) with a French accent, reading those seven texts about REAL WALLS(1-7).
2. ON STAGE: In the middle of the stage a 6'x6'x12' beam hangs horizontically 4 feet from the stage floor by wires and ropes or chains, whatever the director decides, as long as it can swing freely forward and back and strkie a large reverberant sheet of metal or a gong hanging on stage (rear).Velcro is placed 7 equidistant places on the opposite side of the beams so that picket "boards" can be attached to the "fencepost" during the play.
3. FRONTSTAGE: Fourteen picket boards, seven on one side of the stage, seven on the other side...maybe the 14 can be colored two different colors, director's discretion.The pickets are equidistant and lying on the floor, sculpturally. Velcro is attached to the mid point of the four foot picket planks so they can be attached, one by one, to the beam by the actors during the play.
LIGHTING:beam lit gong lit pickets lit actors lit all at discretion of director..make it dramatic.
ACTORS:STAGE RIGHT: AN OLD MAN wearing an old man mask, old clothes, padded on his back so looks like a hump,usinG a walker, he shuffles.STAGE LEFT: FEMALE: A police officer, highly decorated, and very tight clothes,officious, authoritative, big boots,walks like a jerk.
ACTION: Both actors walk out slowly with eahc holding smallish electric chainsaws that are on.They walk toward each other menacingly. When they come to center stage,they turn slowly and go to their respective "corners" where at the front of the the stage, on each side, are very beautifull pillows, so georgeous. They turn off their machines when they get there and lay their chainsaws on the respective pillows.The text begins and they walk to the front of the stage and at each REAL WALL....they each put one of the pickets on the "beam" and then together push the beam toward the gong, making a beautifull sound. They do this seven times.At the end of the play after the WAILING WALL is read and the last picket placed and gong rung,the actors go to the pillows and pick up their chain >saws, walk toward each other, bow and walk off stage, very, very slowly. Just as they reach the curtain on their respective sides, a female and male Jewish CANTOR come from the audience singing a chant/song of peace...The image where the face was fades and an advertisement for CONFESSIONS WILL NOW BE HEARD ONSTAGE BY FATHER ___________(name). Each time a confession is heard, the priest and penitent( this happens onstage but placed so nobody can hear the confession,just see what is happening)....The two actors will stand by the beam so as to hit the gong, each time a CONFESSION finishes, thereby celebrating the penitent and the sacrament.The Cantors chant until all the confessions are heard and anybody who wishes can take final bows...audience members, Cantors, >penitents....Fabulous food is brought onstage for all to enjoy.>>if you have questions:>>lindamontano@hotmail.com


FICTIONAL FENCES/REAL WALLS
Linda M Montano
Dear Uncle Pierre,
Happy holidays! Hope you are staying warm this winter in freezing, snowy
Canada. Jacques and I are both fine and enjoying unseasonably warm
weather here in Southern California. Of course we miss living in the
Montreal area , but this weather is a fabulous change and our French
accents a novelty for our clients and friends!!

As I said on the phone last week, we are both still grieving aunt
Helen's death and although coming to your town for the funeral this
September provided some closure, we are still sad. I've just finished
Joan Didion's newest book about the deaths of her husband and then her
daughter and I must say, her writing is very therapeutic. You might
check it out at the library if you are interested.Or if you like, i'll
bring you a copy.
For me, losing aunt Helen was like losing a dear, sweet second mother
and I remember our visits to your cottage every summer - boating,
swimming,picnics, and those wonderfull re-runs of 16 mm movies on friday
nights. Wasn't it 15 summers that we spent there in your generous and
hospitable family home?I remember also how you would come there from the
city the last week of August for fantastic farewell parties around the
bonfire. What fun and what great toasted marshmellows!
REAL WALL 1:AVILA ,SPAIN;Avila's 11th century walls are the most
important and best preserved of the Spanish medieval walls circling
(trapazoidally) medieval Avila.J.Martin.
Now we have only the memories which feel fleeting and precious since the
death of your sister.Luckily she had you to take care of her these last
7 years; years when you could give her emotional support, pay her bills,
shop, manage the constant flow of helpers and best of all, cook your
famous, delicious gourmet cuisine for her, even to her last meal.Your 40
years as a professional social worker must have prepared you for some of
what you faced while caring for her and it is an amazing coincidence
that your retirement corresponded with aunt Helen's needs. My words
falter when trying to thank you and I know you will treasure that
challenging but truly transforming time together.
REAL WALL 2:YORK,ENGLAND/strong>; York has the longest and best preserved town >>>>walls in England, estimaged as weighing 100,00 metric tons. The walls are 3.4 kilometers long and there are five main "bars" or gateways and
45 towers. There are also the famoous York ginnels, medieval shortcuts,
within the city walls.J Martin.But Uncle Pierre, besides grieving your loss, you've had some terribly upsetting things happen lately. Your phone conversations have been almost entirely about your property issues and we are so concerned that we are planning to come back there next week. Don't worry,we both have frequesnt flyer miles because of our jobs and credit card offers, so the expense is not a problem. Jacques talked with some lawyer friends of ours here about your situation and we found out that you are going to need some professional help . Uncle Pierre, your temperament has always been reticent and shy and for those reasons the driveway situation needs our strong intervention. Your conversations indicated that the worry has already affected your health because of the stress just as aunt Helen's health was compromised by their rude misuse of her property. Basically communication broke down between her and her neighbors and she was too afraid to say something to them and their kids who used her driveway as a playground, motorcycle passageway , training area for bikes,scooters, skateboards and later on as an extended basketball and soccor court. You inherited her house, but you also inherited her headache!
REAL WALLS 3: MONTEPULCIANO, ITALY; Montepulciano is a walled Tuscan town founded in 319BC. It was an Etruscan town before conquered by the Romans. The main walls were built for defense by the Medicis in the 16th century and are well preserved. Ther original walls are much older.J Martin.
You said that when she had back up signals that beeped loudly installed on her car, she thought her problems were over and that she would feel comfortable using her own property, but thoughts of hitting one of their 6 kids playing there, really drove her BP higher than it should have been given her heart condition.You learned about this while she was sick and now YOU HAVE TO FIX THE MESS!I too wish that she hadn't been shy and could have spoken to them .Was that because they were both high-powered lawyers and he's an assistant DA in Montreal? Was she too scared to speak up?Too indebted to them because they pulled her car out of a snowbank one year? What a stress, uncle Pierre!.Now YOU are lying in bed, staring at the ceiling all night, seeing too many doctors because of medical complications,and thinking of selling that wonderfull cottage that she left you as a gift of her gratitude!Are you honestly considering a move to Southern France? I guess I would do the same if I were you.
REAL WALL 4:CARCASSONE, FRANCE; Nowhere outside Carcassone will you find such a complete example of 6th, 7th and 8th Century walls in Europe.Carcassone, a town of 46,500 people is located 808 kilometers outside Paris, on the edge of the Carthan country, a landscape littered with romantic castle ruins.J Martin.Uncle Pierre, I wish that there was an easier way to handle this. In California we have a service called mediation. It goes like this: both parties meet at the same time with a trained mediator/counsellor and talk about what is going on with them in a safe and proactive atmosphere.Truly, I wish that your neighbors would do that. But >>>>according to what you have said, they are both arrogant , bullish and what is yours is theirs! They would not be suitable for this kind of problem-solving. So that is why we are coming next week and see how we can intervene and help. Do you have a lawyer yet? One that can be neutral and isnt friends with them? We are both so angered by your stories and can't stand that they arestepping all over you, aggravating you at a time when you are still grieving for your sister, taking advantage of your non-combativeness and trying to trick you out of your property line and rights because of your age.We call the combination of all of the above ELDER ABUSE here in progressive, ultra-democratic , and for-the-people California!Not to get you all hyped about lawsuits but............................OK, now, getting to the facts. I will leave blanks here for you to >>>> fill in all of the things that you have told us over the >>>>phone. We have written them down too and will compare our lists >>>>when we get together.
1._________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________.
2.______________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ .
3.______________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________.
4.______________________________________________________________.
REAL WALL 5:LUCCA, ITALY; Lucca is surrounded by 16th century walls. In the 19th century , trees were planted and now the ramparts can be walked or cycled. It's approximately three miles around the oval walls. J Martin.
I could go on and on with listing things they've done, but as I said, I have all of these things you told me on my computer.The tiniest details are important in case we need them and the fact that they have no fence around their above ground swimming pool is also something i've noted as well as checking out the legality of having their portable basketball hoop, 2 feet from your property which eventuates in their basketballs going into your yard 5 times out of 10! The rudeness infuriates me and i'm 4000 miles away!OK, I'll stop ! You can start looking for surveyor's numbers and the building inspector's number and get some fence companies out there if you can to give you some ideas and prices. Plus you must get a lawyer. Maybe one of the law professors at the university in Montreal might help you recommend one of their students?I'll go online also and see what I can find.A lawyer can put an end to the worry and fear that you are having,fear that you may pull INTO your driveway and meet a 6 year old on a tricycle or a rollerblading teenager, or a speeding motorcycle! Don't they know that things get very complicated insurance-wise and other ways if somebody is hurt on your property even when you have told them not to>use it? LIABILITY!!!!!!!
REAL WALL 6: RHODES, GREECE;The medieval walled city of Rhodes, population 6000, is surrounded by medieval walls withseven gates, a moat and castle. The Knights of St John found safe haven inside the Roades walls in 1309 when they were forced from the Holy Land.J Martin.
So here is our plan. We know that there are lots of issues here: trespassing, liability, damage, surveys, complicated feelings because they were actually very good friends with aunt Helen! But let's not be sentimental and GET DONE what has to be done! We will choose a fence; one that will withstand Canada's winters, tons of snow and their vehicles banging into it due to their anger that they've lost access to your property!Your helpers, The Lone Ranger and Tonto will soon be there in a few days and this will soon be over, uncle Pierre and hopefully our intervention and presence will keep them from taking further advantage of your age and your reluctance to confront authoritative bullies.Don't you feel better already? Remember it was Robert Frost who said, "Good fences make good neighbors." You really have bad neighbors and we are coming from California to help you make a fabulous fence. The good neighbor part is in God's hands, not ours.Maybe when this is settled peacably, we will feel comfortable enough to bring our children there next summer for toasted marshmellows and home movies!Love,
Your neice.....
Maggie
REAL WALL 7: THE WAILING WALL;This is the holiest shrine of the Jewish world. The western wall is part of the retaining wall supporting >>>>the Temple mount built by Herod in 20BC.After the destruction of the second temple in 70AD, Jews were not allowed to come to Jerusaleum until the Byzantine period, when they could visit once a year on the anniversary of the destruction of the Temple and weep over the ruins of the Holy Temple. Because of this, the wall became known as The Wailing Wall. LINDA MARY MONTANO