edited 01 September 23
Audience in two groups arrive from two sides of the circle of the rings
Two sets of Staves representing agricultural implements are pre-set in upright containers (not embedded in ground) on either side of acting area, lit.
1. SOUNDSCAPE OF WAR AND NARRATON
1 min 20 secs
30 secs. SFX war – drumming, bugling; horses galloping / clashing swords/ shouting; screaming
50 secs. NARRATION to set scene – over recording
‘In 1645 the English Civil War was in its 3rd year. Royalist and parliamentarian armies were causing havoc in the Dorset countryside. Press-ganging young men, stealing cattle, destroying crops and burning cottages. All over the West country people opposed to this most horrid and unjust war joined forces. They came to be known as Clubmen. In the month of May 4000 of them gathered here at Badbury Rings’.
SUB TOTAL 1 MIN 20 SECS
2. EFFECTS OF WAR ON COMMUNITY
Entrance Of WCT/Millstream
60 seconds
DRUM SOLO Live Drummer JACK appears, drum solo, during entrance of cast
- (To the music) performers enter through middle gap in rings, with partners, frightened : LAUREN & IZZY; SUE & ALAN; HAYDN & SHEILA; STEWART & EVA; DAVE & JANE; HEATHER; ANNEMARIE & GILL; JEFF & SHAINE; PIPPA & SANDRA; HELISHA & JACKIE; TUPPY & BARBARA; AMY & CLARE; ANNA & BABY; SAMMY & JOANNA; LUKE & WILL
- GILL & ANNEMARIE climb up steps (Stage right slope)
- WILL& LUKE climb up (Stage left slope)
- Spread out and move into counter-balance – push-pull tableaux. OBJECTIVE/MOTIVATION Helping; pulling out; struggle; rescuing; partner is falling; dragging to your level
SUB TOTAL 2 mins 20 secs
Making House/barn.
60 seconds
TAKING SHELTER
JACK improvises
4 people point to imaginary barn; LAUREN; GILL; ANNEMARIE; WILL
- 2-4 people create barn (with sticks at front (JEFF; SHAINE; HELISHA & JACKIE);
- Others behind, on either side of the barn
- Anna is in the middle – cowering
- SFX – WILL cues start burning of barn – fire – flicking hands, making sounds; slapping; wind sounds, etc.
- All fall to ground (disintegrate into ash on the group)
SUB TOTAL 3 MINS 20 SECS
Famine
1min 6 secs
SAM: Mournful SAX SOLO HERE
- Help each other up
- Making line across acting area.
- (CLARE at right end; STEWART at other end -stage left. ANNA is stage right end. EVA & AMY @ stage left.
- TIRED & Hungry, form lines facing audience
- From one end (St. right) Woman ANNA makes her way along line, asking for food for the baby
- Everyone shakes their head to decline and turns their back
- Woman reaches end other end and sinks down, desolate
SUB TOTAL : 4 mins 26 seconds
Soldiers press ganging – Sticky Shapes – tunnel effect
1 minute
- (JACK – the Drummer – descends steps – if practicable. Marches along front of line, drumming up support
- Actors move quickly – frightened again
- DAVE moves away
- ‘Sticky shapes’ touching – tunnel – All Step forward or backwards – Make tunnels (two body parts touching – hands; shoulders – a landscape for them to travel through
- From either end of line, sisters (AMY & EVA, from st left) search for each other, twisting their way through the landscape towards centre
- Parents – STEWART & CLARE step forward looking out
- EVA as young man reaches out arm to front to go and join army
- AMY tries to hold her back from behind: “Don’t go”
- STEWART & CLARE stretch across to stop her Trying to stop son forced to fight (e.g., dynamic as in last session – son pushing through, held back) “Unjust war!”
- DAVE with JANE close by, yells ‘We demand peace!” rings bell
- All turn
SUB TOTAL 5 mins 26 seconds
3. RESISTANCE – Entry of Pamphleteers (Additional Choir Members)
- SFX RECORDED Sound of bells – growing louder
30 seconds Bell sfx
- REST OF CHOIR (LYNNE; JACQUI; MIKE; PETE; CHRIS) enter in centre as if hearing the call, holding big banner, carrying leaflets in basket/bag.
- SINGING MEMBERS OF WCT ONLY – TUPPY, JEFF; JACKIE; JOANNA, TONY ?, JANE, SAMMY, WILL, LAUREN – join forces – ostensibly to look at leaflets, Forming ‘clump’ centre stage.
- NON-SINGING Actors move off from upstage with purpose forming a semi-circle – listening, facing upstage – some kneeling. Some -e.g., Gill. can be on hill/slopes
SUB TOTAL approx. 6 mins
Singing of the “Club Declaration”
1 min 18 seconds
- SOLO “What we believe in is largely forgotten” Then…
Sisters, brothers
what we believe in
is almost forgotten.
Famine and Desolation
will fall upon us
We promise what happens to one
Is accounted as the loss of all
We demand
just intentions,
fair provisions.
Compensation,
Reparation!
Song finishes
SUB TOTAL 7 minutes 18 seconds
Interaction with audience / Gathering banners for finale
2 minutes
- Chosen people walk to centre to obtain leaflets from baskets -especially those who’re going to inter-act with audience.
- They collect a few each, Step away and face downstage – act as if they are reading leaflet together. Go down to hand out to audience.
- Flag bearers will move off to pick them up (possibly at same time as leaflet handout.
- Full cast form back together with flags including WCT singers
- SFX Bells louder Singing continues – or humming through next sequence
ACTION (Simultaneously)
- One group of Clubmen go to fetch flags, banners from 2 settings on either side of acting area, hand them OUT –
- GILL & ANNEMARIE; HAYDN & SHEILA; HEATHER; PIPPA & SANDRA; HELISHA & JACKIE; AMY & CLARE; ANNA; SAMMY & JOANNA;
- Some bravely climb up the steps and onto top to position themselves with flags against horizon – they raise banners, staves, etc.
- Another group moves to front to hand out the leaflets STEWART & EVA; JEFF & SHAINE; BARBARA & TUPPY; SUE & ALAN; LAUREN & IZZY; WILL & LUKE; JANE & DAVE;
- While they do this, they speak to small groups (e.g. ‘My crops flattened by soldiers’ horses’ ‘ my house burnt’ ; ‘My livestock stolen; ‘My child / brother killed’ ‘My son forced to fight’ ‘My child starved’ ‘Come and join us’ ‘Speak/ Sing these words with us’
SUB TOTAL 9 mins 18 secs
SFX CUE JACK – solo drummer – all stop and chant together
15 secs
All speak words from banner ‘If you threaten to steal our cattle, be sure we will do you battle’
SUB TOTAL 9 mins 33 secs
SFX Recording Bells ringing fast
4. INTO FINALE – PROCLAMATION SONG
30 seconds
- Everybody hurries off – ‘It’s time, join us, Hurry’.
- urging each other to come and gather with flags
- All form a strong Tableaux for second song.
SUB TOTAL 10 mins
SONG 2: ENSEMBLE (some on top of Rings on either side; some on steps; some in centre
1 min 20 seconds
Come parson, come brewer, come brother follow me
We need to make a living, take a stand we all agree
Four thousand strong we’ll march as one
To defend our rights, to show our might
We will overcome, we will overcome!
For we come in peace, we mean no harm
Stop your plundering of our farms!
Stop your warring, vicious ways
Give us back our peaceful days!
With this merry band, we’ll preserve our land
And you’ll not take away our song –
So, stop this war, move, move along!
SFX Final Live drum solo
TOTAL 11 minutes 30 seconds
END