The Druid & the Bard
Lights come up slowly to reveal a bare stage, undressed except for a backdrop on which is
painted the impression of an orchard; the painting is so light that it suggests a
water-colour. Two men enter, a young man dressed in a plain white robe, the BARD, and a
considerably older man dressed in a robe of six colours, the DRUID. They walk slowly to
STAGE CENTER, the slowness indicative of the older man' advanced years and the younger
man's respect for him.
BARD: Must the actor always play a role?
DRUID: What is an actor?
BARD: Must the actor always play a role, even off stage?
DRUID: The apple trees look sore tired this season. I've no longer the strength to prune
them properly.
BARD: Oh. Aye, aye. (Pause) What of the actor's contention that we are all actors, that
all intercourse whether within the dyad, the community, or merely with ourselves 'tis but
an act?
DRUID: Who put the words in the actor's mouth? The 'wright?
BARD: I think it was extemporaneous, miLord. (Pause) It was an improvisation class.
Copyright © Jon Hopwood | Year Posted 2009
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