CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE KINDLING A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Master of Arts in English By Robert Michael Kane December 2012 The thesis of Robert Michael Kane is approved: ____________________________________ __________________ Dr. Charles Hatfield Date ____________________________________ __________________ Mona Houghton, MFA Date ____________________________________ __________________ Dr. Rick Mitchell, Chair Date California State University, Northridge ii DEDICATION To Christine with love and admiration iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My appreciation goes out to my Thesis Committee, Dr. Rick Mitchell, Dr. Charles Hatfield, and Professor Mona Houghton, for the time and constructive criticism they provided that helped me forge and better understand my work in its present form. In particular, Dr. Mitchell, whose expertise in experimental theatre found resonance in my own peculiar sense of whimsy, persisted in prompting me to sharpen the focus of my overly ambitious original concept. If I did not necessarily “cut to the bone” of my piece, at least his direction helped me to cut to its muscle. I fondly recall and credit my high school drama teacher, Ronald Zitzlsperger, for first kindling my passion for theatre and my favorite director, Barbara Schofield, for further stoking the fire. I acknowledge my debt to my students of English 155 for first bringing to my attention the Occupy Wall Street movement and to Friedrich Engels whose Marxist history of the Great Peasant War was the key to the direction my play would ultimately take. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the brilliant cast of the full reading of this play, Dan Berkowitz, Ann L. Gibbs, Aysha Wax, and especially to Christine Kane, for breathing life into my creation. And as always, my thanks go out to the feline members of my extended family, Teddy, Petal, Roscoe, Spunkmeyer, and Gustave, as my muses and for helping me understand the absurdity of the human condition. Moreover, my long walks with Teddy in particular resulted in many of the tunes that I concocted for the piece. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page…………………………………………………………………….….…ii Dedication……………………………………………………………............................iii Acknowledgments……………………………………………………………….……...iv Glossary……………………………………………………………………….………...vi Abstract………………………………………………………………………………..…x Cast of Characters…………………………………………………….………………….1 Epigraphs………………………………………………………………………………...2 Kindling………………………………………………………………………………….3 Act I……………………………………………………………………...…………..3 Act II……………………………………………………….………………….....…62 References……...……………………………………………………………….……..112 Appendix A: Sheet Music………………………………...………………………...…114 “If My Mother Was Not a Whore”………………………………………….…114 “I’m a Fine Fella”………………………………………….…………………..115 “Little Little Baby”………………………………………………………….…116 “The Royal Shit Is Pissed”………………………………….…………………118 “Whup, Shotsie!”…………………………………………...…………..……..119 “Indulgences”………………………………………….………………………120 “Boris (Jesus) Loves Me”………………………………………….………….124 “I’m Off to the New World”……………………….………………………….125 “Noblesse Oblige”………………………………………………………….....126 “Elegy for Boris”…………………………………………....………………...127 “Marauder, Marauder”……………………………………….………………..128 Appendix B: Play Reading Flyer………………...……………………...….…………129 v GLOSSARY GERMAN COMMON (RECURRING) WORDS ach: oh [awkh] alles: all/everything [AWL–lus] bitte: please [BIT-tuh] danke: Thank you [DONK-uh] den: the [dane] der: the [dare] es: it [es] gut: good [goot] halt: halt/stop [halt] hundert: hundred [HOON-dirt] ist: is [ist] ja: yes [yaw] jung: young [yoong] mit: with [mit] nein: no [nine] Scheisse (Scheiße)! Shit! [SHY–suh] sehr: very [zare] so: so/thus [zoh] und: and [oont] unter: under [OON-tr] veilleicht: Perhaps… [fee-LYE’kht] von: from/of [fawn] SPECIFIC WORDS AND PHRASES (Page# Where first encountered) Hören Sie. (3): Listen (hear me) [HOOH–run zee] Blut! Blut!...Ich habe dein blut… (4): Blood! Blood!...I have your blood… [bloot bloot … ikh HAW-buh dye’n bloot…] Wahrhaftig! (4): Truly/ Really/Indeed [var-HOFF-tik] Nichts! Nichts! Nichts! (5): Nothing! Nothing! Nothing! [nikhts nikhts nikhts] ... guten tag. Wie gehts? (5): Good day. How are you? [GOOT-un tawk. Vee gates] Schade. (5): What a pity/Too bad [SHAW-duh] Gott von Himmel! (6): God from Heaven [gawt fawn HIM-ml] ...GUTES... (6): good [GOOT-us] Was ist das? (7) [...ist das? (48)]: What is that? […is that?] [vaws ist daws] Mein … Gott (7) // Ach, mein liebe Gott! (58) my God // O, my dear God [(awkh,) my’n [LEE–buh] gawt] Ach, meine Liebe. (20): Oh, good gracious!/ Oh my dear! [awkh, MY-nuh LEE-buh] … ist mein Haus. (21): …is my house (place) [ist my’n house] Wo ist mein...(22) [Wo ist Brucht? (76)]: Where is my... [Where is Brucht?] [voh ist my‘n... // voh ist brrrukht] ... für Sie, gnädiges Fräulein. (26): …for you, gracious maiden [few(r) Zee, guh-NAY-dih-gus FROY-line] vi Gott verdammt (27) God damn it [gawt fr–DAHMT] wollen Sie? (27): Will you? [VO–lun zee] Dirndl (27): a young girl [after a type of peasant girl dress] (sarcastic) [DUrN–dl] Entschuldigen Sie, bitte! (27): Excuse (me), please [ent-SHOOL-dih-gen zee, BIT-tuh] Niemand. Nichts. (28): No one. Nothing. [NEE-mahnt. nikhts] dummkopf (28): blockhead; idiot [DOOM-kawpf] Schiesse (Schieße), das war ausgezeichnet! (30): Shit, that was awesome (excellent)! [SHY–suh, daws var OWS-guh-ZYE’kh-net] Blöde stinkfotze. Dumme Kuh! (34): stupid stinking cunt. Idiot (dumb cow) [BLOOr-duh SHTINK-faw-tzuh. DOOM-muh koo] Deine Mutter schwitzt beim Kacken! (36): Your mother sweats when she has to take a shit! [DYE-nuh MOO-tr schvihtzt bye‘m KAW-kun] das ist der… (38): that is the… [daws ist dare…] Guten morgen. (40) Good morning [GOO-tin MORE-gun] Ich bin hier! (41): Here I am. [ikh bin hee(r)] Herr Prince? (42): Mr. Prince? [hare (Prince)] gutes Deutsch (43): good German (speech/language) [GOOT-us doytch] Liebling. (51): Darling. [LEEP-ling] Ich bin müde. (51): I am tired. [ikh bin MEW-duh] Kommst du zuruckt! (56): Come back! [komst doo TSUH-rrruhkt] ein fettes schwein! (56): a fat pig [eye’n FETT-us schwy’n] Grüss (Grüß)Gott, mein Herr. (57): Greetings (to God), sir. [grrews gawt, my‘n hare] mein Freund (57) my friend [my‘n froynt] Herr Brucht (57) Mr. Brucht [hare brrrukht] Es ist gut, ja? (58) It is good, yes? [es ist goot, yaw?] Jesu ist … (59) Jesus is [YAY–zoo ist] Ist das alles? (59): Is that all? [ist daws AW-less?] Meister (59): master [MY-str] Bundschuh (60) the league of the (tied) shoe (symbol and name of a loosely organized peasant revolutionary confederation of the 15th and 16th centuries) [BOONT-shoo] Es ist mein... (60): It is my... [es ist my‘n] Verhurtes Drecksgör. (66): Slutty “dirt“ girl [fare-HOOr-tuhs DRREKS-giw(r)] Wasser unter der... (66): Water under the... [VAS-sr OON-tr dare...] Zeig mir deine Pflaume, Muschi Lecker. (66): Show me your pussy (lit. plum), pussy licker. [zye-k meer DYE-nuh FLAU-muh, MOO-shee LEH-kr] Brucht the Gross’ (Grosse) (67): the big (great) [brrrukht / grrohs (GRROH-suh) Gut genug. (68): Good enough [goot guh-NEWK] Verzeihen Sie, bitte (69): I beg your pardon; let me pass, please. [vare-TSYE-un zee BIT-tuh]] zu machen (69): …to make [tsoo MAH-kin] Bruchtchen (74): little Brucht (term of endearment) [BRREWkH-chin] Jawohl (75): Yes, sir; yes, indeed (formal) [YAW-fohl] Was? (76): What? [vaws] Wunderbar (77) Wonderful (sarcastic) [VOON-dr-BAWr] vii Page 85-86 Verdammt du: Damn you [fare-DAHMT doo] du verdammter arschgefickter Hurensohn.: you damn assfucking son of a bitch [doo fare-DAHM-tr AHRSCH-guh-FIK-tr HOO-run-TSOHN] Missgeburt (Mißgeburt): abortion; monster; bastard [MISS-guh-BOOHRT] Drecksack: dirtbag [DRREK-zahk] Kackbratze: shithead [KOCK-BRRA-tsuh] Arschgesicht.: assface (butthead) [AHRSCH-guh-ZIKHT] So ein Beschiss (Beschiß): What a crock of shit (Such a crock of shit) [Zoh eye’n buh-SHISS] Was ein Schwanzlutscher: What a cocksucker [vaws eye’n schvahnz-LOOT-schr] Leck mich am Arsch: Lick my ass (lick me on my ass) [lek mikh ahm ahrsch] Mutterficker: motherfucker [MOO-tr-FIH-kr] Der Teufel wird los sein.: the shit’s going to hit the fan (lit.: the devil will be wrong) [dare TOY-ful virt lohs zye’n] Verdammte Scheisse (Scheiße): Damn shit [Fare-DAHM-tuh SHY-suh] Verpiss (Verpiß) dich und fahr zur Holle: fuck (piss) off and go to hell [Fare-PISS dikh oont far zoor HOH-luh] Arschloch: asshole [ARSCH-lohkh] Das ist nicht gut. (87): That’s not good. [daws ist nikht goot] Eine Minute. (93): One moment (lit. a minute) [EYE-nuh muh-NOO-tuh] Ich sehe es nicht! (95): I don’t see it! [ikh ZAY-uh es nikht] Ich kann es nicht sehen! (95): I can’t see it! [ikh kawn es nikht ZAY-un] Schnell. (98): Quickly [schnell] Ich weiss (weiß) nicht, (99): I don’t know. [ikh vise nikht] Es ist sehr... (103): It is very... [es ist zare] Wie lange? (103): How long? [vee LONG-kuh] Ich habe es vergessen. (103): I’ve forgotten it. [ikh HAW-buh es fur-GUESS-un] OTHER VOCABULARY Page 5: Grosse Scheidegg: a mountain and (by association) the mountain’s pass in Switzerland. [GROH-suh SHY-dek] Pages: 59: Waldo leader of and, by extension, alternative name for the Waldensian reform movement [VAHL-doh] Westphalia a region in Germany [Vest-FAH-lya] Zwinglian adjective formed from Zwingli, Swiss leader of a religious reform movement [TSVING-glee-un] von Heidelberg from/of the town of Heidelberg [fon HY-dle-BURK] Muenzerian adjective formed from Muenzer, leader of a radical religious movement [Mewn-ZARE-ee-un] Mittelswittel name of a fictitious German town [MIT-tls-VIT-tl] Anabaptists members of an evangelical Christian sect [ANN-uh-BAP-tists] von Gräuber from/of this fictitious German town [fawn GROY-br] viii Page 72: Dieter Schmidt: a fictitious person’s full name [DEE-tr schmiht] Margrave of Bindenberg Title of an official of this fictitious German town [MAR-grrayv / BIN-din-BURK] Franz Grüber: a fictitious person’s full name [frrawnts GRREW-br] Mayor of Ausschlag: mayor of a fictitious German town [OWS-schlahk] Till Euermann (Eggman): a fictitious person’s full name [til OY-er-MAHN] Page 73: Wittenberg famous university town in Germany [VIT-tun-BUrK] Page 74: Hans und Willie: first names of two offstage characters [Hahnz oont VIL-lee] SLAVIC WORDS Niet! (9): no [Russian] Pok’ojny.