Rehearsal Script TEXT BY / Kamarra Bell-Wykes, Ra Chapman and Matthew Lutton Copyright Notice This script has been made available to schools who have purchase tickets to see this production has part of the 2021 VCE Theatre Studies (Unit 3 & 4) Study Design. Schools may make up to 20 copies and distribute them to VCE students in their class, for this express purpose only. These copies must be made available to those students free of charge. Neither this pdf (digital document) nor its printed copies may otherwise be copied, distributed, emailed, stored or saved on a shared or public or school server or file service, in whole or in part, without the express prior written permission of Malthouse Theatre. This copyright notice must be preserved in its entirety on all copies. January 2021 BECAUSE THE NIGHT PROLOGUE The audience are asked to cloak their belongings and leave their phones behind. Audience are given a mask as FOH speaks to them individually: When you enter You can explore every room You can walk wherever you want Whenever want There is no correct way to experience this show Once you enter The only rules are: No speaking No phone And no touching the performers If you need help Or a guide At any time Approach those with the white mask They will help you Audience are invited into the one of the corridors that lead to either the “Gym”, “Royal office” or “The Bedroom” BRIEFING CORRIDOR When all the audience are in the briefing corridors, we hear the sounds of the forest. Then suddenly, sound of a tree falling, crash of a roof, footsteps and running. Then the sounds of going through a wormhole; travelling through a portal. Excited, energising sound. A voice is heard: As you venture into this town called Elsinore Explore every room Every crack To find the story Of how the country of Elsinore Became no more Follow the people Learn their stories Explore their homes Find the secrets The more you venture The more you will gain 1 BECAUSE THE NIGHT Welcome to Elsinore The King is dead A new Queen commences A prince is suspicious The workers rebellious And the forest Hungry The guides with the white masks open the door to Elsinore. The audience enter as the sound of the wormhole continues. When the guides with the white masks close the door, the sound stops, and the first scene begins. 2 BECAUSE THE NIGHT ACT ONE 1a Claudia and Polonius in Claudia’s Workroom. Claudia is moving a picture of the old King in the royal office. It’s heavy. She’s holding it as Polonius enters. POLONIUS Ma’am! (placing heavy picture on the ground) CLAUDIA I’m fine, it’s fine POLONIUS The attackers CLAUDIA Yes POLONIUS They were wearing costumes So, the counsellor couldn’t see their faces And the bottle It just came out of nowhere Smashed him on the back of the head But I believe/ CLAUDIA Who do you think it was Polonius? POLONIUS The crosscutters ma’am CLAUDIA The… Really? POLONIUS The strikes Are just the tip of the iceberg Now they’re hunting counsellors CLAUDIA I don’t believe that Polonius/ POLONIUS And the timber workers from the East North Are cheering them on My Queen If you don’t demand the mills re-open now/ CLAUDIA Do you have proof Everyone wears a costume during carnival POLONIUS The security footage/ CLAUDIA What does it show 3 BECAUSE THE NIGHT POLONIUS … When we have the security footage/ CLAUDIA (laughing) Right Well When we have it Let’s review it together And I’ll consider an appropriate response POLONIUS The King would have/ CLAUDIA Polonius I’m not the King Am I Therefore, I should not be expected to respond Like the King Should I POLONIUS Apologise ma’am We haven’t had a royal funeral Or coronation In a long time CLAUDIA I know And it was wonderful Thank you My coronation Not the funeral Well, the funeral was moving Beautiful And POLONIUS I will bring you the footage immediately ma’am CLAUDIA Thank you I will meet you In security Polonius exits. Claudia looks at the portrait of the King. CLAUDIA (Laughing) Fucking hell Claudia picks up a draft of one of her speeches and begins to edit and re-write the speech in silence. Polonius goes to the storeroom to collect the security tapes. As he walks down the corridor he can be heard saying: Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. 1b 4 BECAUSE THE NIGHT Hamlet and Ophelia in the Gym Ophelia, sweaty and focused is going hard at a training dummy in the gym. Mirrors and large painting of King Hamlet line the walls. Hamlet enters. HAMLET Ophelia/ OPHELIA /Just a second HAMLET Last night You saw something didn’t you? Ophelia trains harder. HAMLET What was it? What did you see? Hamlet grabs Ophelia to stop her training. HAMLET You know you can talk to me OPHELIA I know Hamlet I know Hamlet runs his hands over her bruised arms. He kisses them tenderly. They embrace and kiss. HAMLET Don’t shut me out It’s you and me remember OPHELIA Yeah You and me HAMLET Did you see him again? Ophelia gives a reluctant nod. HAMLET In your dream? Did he speak OPHELIA It was confusing The forest It was/ HAMLET /Did my father say something? Anything? Anything that might help us/ 5 BECAUSE THE NIGHT OPHELIA /I don’t know if any of this is going to help us Hamlet Grab a kick shield Let’s train/ HAMLET /Ophelia please Please Tell me I need to know OPHELIA He did say something … HAMLET What? Ophelia, tell me Ophelia looks up at the camera. OPHELIA No Not here Meet me at the swings When I finish I’ll meet you there Hamlet embraces Ophelia tightly. HAMLET Love you Fi OPEHLIA Love you too Hamlet leaves and Ophelia continues to train. Hamlet goes to the playground. He sits in the playground. Ophelia continues to train, but then stops. She stares at herself in the mirror. Stares at the King’s picture. Then exits. 1c Gertrude and Laertes in Gertrude’s Room. Gertrude is dressing. Humming. She spots the Kings portrait amongst the flowers GERTRUDE Don’t look at me like that Life is for the living dear I must look my best For our new sovereign Gertrude’s dress is open at the back. Laertes enters LAERTES Holy fuck! 6 BECAUSE THE NIGHT Shit (he turns around) I thought you’d be dressed I’m sorry I didn’t/ GERTRUDE Oh, calm down Laertes Just a bit of décolletage Zip me up, will you? (he does) Death and buttons make mortals of us all (Gertrude takes a form from Laertes) What’s this? LAERTES Purchase order for you to sign/ GERTRUDE Another one? You’re sweating like a pig! LAERTES Running this carnival isn’t easy GERTRUDE Always happy to do a favour Laertes When done in return/ LAERTES Gertrude My Queen Ophelia and I/ We don’t GERTRUDE Last night she seemed/ Different/ Sunken Sullen And the way Hamlet clung to her/ Both staring at our new Queen/ LAERTES A coronation on the back of a funeral/ GERTRUDE Yes, we’re all grieving It’s not just that The way Hamlet Has been He’s LAERTES In love? GERTRUDE Not himself Forget it! I’ll talk to her myself Woman to woman Well queen to woman They’re not married yet 7 BECAUSE THE NIGHT LAERTES Alrighty then/ (He indicates to the cheque) GERTRUDE Of course As soon as you fetch Ophelia for me Laertes Now Laertes rushes to find Ophelia. He goes to her bedroom and calls out for her. She’s not there. Laertes gives up and comes back to find Gertrude but she’s no longer in her room. Gertrude looks at a picture of the dead King. She picks up a portrait of Hamlet when he is a child. Puts it down and leaves the room swiftly. 8 BECAUSE THE NIGHT 2a Claudia and Polonius in the Security Room. Claudia is watching the screens – looking at images of Elsinore. Polonius enters with a VHS and puts the footage in, and presses play. POLONIUS The footage is conclusive ma’am Members from the Crosscutters Union Wearing pig masks Attacked the counsellor … They have overstepped … And My advice Is that you demand they return to work Now Re-open the mils Herd them back Before CLAUDIA Polonius… These are kids POLONIUS No, my Queen They look like kids But that is just their disguise CLAUDIA Polonius These are kids I know what teenagers look like Drunk yes but/ POLONIUS This is an attack On a counsellor And it will escalate The crosscutters are clogging the streets They are/ CLAUDIA: What are they saying? POLONIUS Ha! It’s outrageous CLAUDIA Polonius POLONIUS They want to own it … The land they are living on 9 BECAUSE THE NIGHT … CLAUDIA They want to take care of their own POLONIUS They don’t know how CLAUDIA Perhaps a bottle to the head is exactly what the counsellor needed POLONIUS Ma’am! CLAUDIA The carnival is about change Shaking off the winter Is it not Beyond the fireworks Pigs Booze … I know The King didn’t endorse all these festivities And I know you wanted it cancelled entirely POLONIUS Out of respect to our lost King CLAUDIA But should we not offer the people of Elsinore Some hope That Elsinore could change To become a safer Healthier/ POLONIUS The King knew the crosscutter influence would escalate CLAUDIA If we hear them out Would that not Reduce the pressure POLONIUS No It will embolden them CLAUDIA If we invited them in POLONIUS (laughing) You cannot be serious We do not open the door To these thugs … We deal with them We CLAUDIA How much land are they asking for? POLONIUS My Queen I don’t know 10 BECAUSE THE NIGHT What to say We supported you To take the throne But this is … An unexpected Tact … My counsel is that you/ CLAUDIA Let everyone be merry For a night On us Polonius Then let’s consider Who is Elsinore? And what she might become I would like to hear what the crosscutters have to say Claudia distracted by the video POLONIUS … I will need to speak with the counsellors And/ CLAUDIA Who is that? POLONIUS It’s Hamlet