Awakened by History
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AWAKENED BY HISTORY with Jagiellons, Radziwills and Sforzas “None of the inventions have overcome the man himself yet – his powerful love, his deceit or wealth craving. That is how we are all alike, those have lived up to us and our future successors.” Script for school play Erasmus+ Programme KA2 Strategic Partnership Project No. 2015-1-LT01-KA219-013409 Year 2015-2017 Dear teacher, We are humbly asking only for a little room on your desk and, if you are ready to achieve educational objectives in a different way, help your students to prepare properly before plunging into the depths of history, and later motivate your colleagues with love for HiStory. The educational script can be used as part of an educational process. It corresponds with aims of the basic History curriculum: History should help to develop the student’s ability to think critically, to strengthen the values and creativity. Historical knowledge should help students to become responsible and active citizens who are able to comprehensively assess the changes in people’s lives as much in the past and today, actively participate in society and public life, and to make well thought out decisions. Advice before reading the script and/or the organization of the school play: With your students analyse the historical facts marked with the symbol “i” or “i/p” in the scenario, footnotes in the appendix of this scenario. In the text a historical fact footnote is marked with an “i”. An “i/p” is marked with a historical fact footnote with a text with a picture. Dedicate this project work to the 16th century peculiarities of life: its politics, Renaissance culture, historical figures such as: Sigismund August, Bona Sforca, Barbora Radvilaitė, Lithuania Great Duchy nobles Radzwills. Advise for history and other subjects’ integration: English: to translate extracts of the script the analysing it against a professional translation and learn from it while reading the script in roles in English. Art Education: to create a project of scenography, analyse the Renaissance period and artists, paint a portrait of the Renaissance style. Technology: to explore the food culture of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, how to grow herbs, explore their tastes and use, produce objects of the scenography, properties, make models of Leonardo Da Vinci’s inventions. Social Education Programme: to analyse the behaviour of characters from values perspective, consider historical personalities’ traits. Choreography: to dance the Renaissance period dances in groups and couples. Music: to listen to the Renaissance period music. CHARACTERS: KEEPER, who is Stanislav Stančik [stanchik], a jester of the 16th century Krakow Court, traveling through time to protect the values of history and remembrance. BONA, the Queen of Poland, Grand Duchess of Lithuania, mother of Sigismund II Augustus. SIGISMUND, King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania Sigismund II Augustus. BARBARA, Queen of Poland, a noblewoman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Sigismund II Augustus’ wife Barbora Radziwill. SIMAS, a friendly boy with excellent communication skills, zealously learning in order to achieve his goal to become a soldier. TADAS, an emotional person, who likes to innovate and experiment. Tadas specially disagrees with Beatrice. He’s known the girl for a long time and is familiar with her good qualities, so Beatrice’s current behaviour saddens and infuriates the boy. BENEDIKTAS, the only child in his family and a pedantic boy. He studies a lot in order to fulfil his parents' expectations. MODESTAS, the youngest pupil, appreciates the facts and science more than relationships with peers. DONATAS, a friendly boy. After his parents’ divorce, has been really missing his dad and his best friend, a shepherd dog named Jim. Donatas has not been studying deliberately, causing, much pain and troubles for his mother, for whom he feels resentment. VĖJAS, a second year rookie, who is not studying and despises school. The boy has been left by his parents living with his aunt from the early childhood, is constantly spoiled with cash and gifts. VĖJAS aims to be a class leader. LUKAS, not very good at school, naughty but a kind-hearted from a poor large family. Lukas adjoins VĖJAS, who requires complete obedience. KARINA, a silent, reserved girl. Children avoid her and she avoids them too. Karina secretly likes Modestas. BEATRICE, a girl naturally beautiful. She picks with whom she communicates. Beatrice is trying appear cold, keeping a secret from everyone that she is nursing a seriously ill grandmother as well as looking after her farm. Tadas knows all about it, so the girl is avoiding him. VILIJA, careless girl, Beatrice’s friend. Vilija is not comfortable with her best friends’ attitudes toward the other kids, ones that she would like to be friendly with. ADĖLĖ, a perfect girls and a rationally thinking student, respected by all classmates, a daughter of medical doctors, already aware that she is going to become a cardiologist. A friend of Liepa. LIEPA, a sensitive, caring, honest girl, a talented artist. A friend of Adėlė. Episodic character: KARPIS, a history teacher Teresė Karpienė MOTHER OF BENEDIKTAS HORSE HERD ARMOURED GUARD, which lives up A DOCTOR OF QUEEN BONA Action takes place in the museum where the teacher was teaching twelve students a lesson of history. Room set design types: a. hall scenography is used when the action takes place in one location; b. room scenography is arranged with the corridor and/or entrance/exit scenography when the action at the same time or in rotation takes place in both places. Decorations and properties' production and handling recommendations are in the Appendices. Sound and lighting solutions are indeterminate. Scenes divided by sign [ ] distinguish parallel actions taking place simultaneously or in different spaces. PROLOGUE The museum hall. Exhibited the Renaissance castle items – clothing, household items, weaponry exhibits, armour, and big flashy gold watch. A group of seven boys and five girls hanging around. All students. The Keeper. VĖJAS. (to Lukas). Go and take a look, and see if the teacher is coming. LUKAS. Take it easy. She's is on the phone (imitating teacher and waving). VILIJA. The Party business before election. This is going to take a while. BEATRICE. Listen up! Why don't we have some fun. A cruel historical battle just about to begin. You'll be the Turks ͥ (pointing at VĖJAS, Lukas, Donatas), and you – the fortress wall (pointing to the rest of boys). The Turks will conquer the castle, you'll be taken into slavery (pointing to the girls), and I'll be taken to the place where powerful and fabulously rich Osman ͥ sultan lives. TADAS. Yeah, dream on. I wouldn't move a finger. VĖJAS. (to Tadas) No one is asking you. We're flying hussars ͥ, flying to defend the castle. VĖJAS snatches a helmet and a knob from the museum exhibit of armour, the girls gasp, but soon begin to chuckle at a funny-looking boy who keeps going down and staggering towards them. TADAS. (to VĖJAS) You look more like a mole to me. Only without wings and with armour compressed head. VĖJAS hits Tadas with the knob. Since it is only a decoration it breaks in half. TADAS. (to VĖJAS) It didn't hurt me, but it will hurt you now. Tadas and VĖJAS fight, the girls surround them. At that time, Donatas whispers something to Lukas‘ ear, both laugh out loud. DONATAS. (to Benediktas) Benas, what was that thing called that the enemies used to destroy the gate? BENEDIKTAS. (stunned watches the boys who are pushing each other and turning over museum exhibits one after the other) Ram. And please, call me Benedik..... LUKAS. OK, saint Benediktas, you'll be a ram.. Donatas and Lukas snatch Benediktas at the waist, legs, turn him horizontally and carry him screaming towards the fighters and the observers‘ circle. DONATAS. Give up, you palefaces! LUKAS. The Turks are coming! MODESTAS (raises his eyes from the phone screen, shakes his head) That's an Indian slogan, blockheads! Donatas and Lukas, carrying Benediktas crashes into the circle of children, all fall apart on the floor, touching a large ancient Renaissance clock ͥ . It collapses with a bang. Suddenly the light goes off. Clock strikes aloud. MODESTAS (whispering) Sixteen.... It can't be. Those kinds of watches don’t strike sixteen, only twelve. It's technically impossible. ADĖLĖ. This clock wasn't working at all, you couldn't hear it ticking and the hands weren't moving either. LIEPA. Maybe it's special? After all, it's ancient. I don't like the darkness. Why is no one coming? Where did the teacher disappear? MODESTAS. Yes. Another fact unexplained by science. Darkness at 2 p.m. is not typical even during the winter time and our country entered the summer time twenty-two days ago. BEATRICE. Will you shut up?! VILIJA. Give a call to the teacher. LUKAS. Call yourself. Very smart to waste others‘ phones account. LIEPA. (calling voice) Teacher, where are you? Te-e-eacher! ADĖLĖ. And what's her name? TADAS. I have no idea. Everyone calls her just a teacher. Hey, who knows teacher's name? (children do not respond). ADĖLĖ. No way. (ironically). We're really cool students. There can be seen swinging lamp light shadows in the depths of the corridor, hollow coughing and approaching steps are heard. TADAS. Shhhhh. Silence! It's not the teacher. MODESTAS. Certainly, no. Firstly, steps are not similar to the ones high-heels usually make, and secondly, m-m-m, m-m-m ... BEATRICE. (covers Modestas mouth with the palm of her hand) I beg you to shut up. At least for once in six years! Elderly man enters the hall, dressed in an ancient worn-out coat and a cap, carrying the lamp.