Drama Workshop: Ideas For Teaching Drama
OUT OF THIS WORLD
By Andrew McCann
ACT ONE: SCENE THREE
On The Plains of the Unknown Planet
(It is a desolate and barren wasteland, but for the mountains carving a silhouette against a red sunrise in the distance. )
(ENTER LUCY, JACKO and JANE stage left. They have been running and pause to regain their breath as they appear on the scene.)
LUCY I hope Sally's all right!
JACKO Knows how to look after herself does Sal. She'll be fine, just you wait and see.
LUCY You're just saying that to stop me worrying about her- but she's dead, just like Uncle! We'll never see her again! I hate this planet! I hate it! I hate it! I hate it!
JANE It won't do you any good getting all worked up like this.
JACKO Jane's right, you know. Sitting here and feeling sorry for ourselves isn't going to solve our problems.
JANE The best thing we can do is head for the space craft and find the Zenotrons.
JACKO You're right. They're our only chance- but keep your eyes open for the Krells, or we've had it.......Come on.
(They cross the stage, LUCY leading. She suddenly stops as if fighting an invisible assailant.)
LUCY Aaaaaaaaaaggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!
JACKO What's the matter, Lucy?
LUCY Ugggghhh! It's horrible! There's something slithering round my neck! I can't pull it off!
JACKO It must be your imagination. There's nothing there.
(LUCY continues to struggle helplessly.)
LUCY Get it off, Jacko! Please get it off!
JACKO But there's nothing there.........Ugggghhhhhh!!!
(JACKO begins to struggle,too.)
It's got me, now! It's like some enormous snake and it's wrapping itself around me!
LUCY I told you! I told you!
JANE (looking on helplessly) What's happening? I don't understand! There's nothing there at all!
JACKO Yes, there is. Whatever it is, it's invisible! Try to pull me out, Jane, before it's too late!
JANE I can't! It's pulling too hard! There's nothing I can do! Oh, it's got me, too!
LUCY I can't breathe!
JACKO Neither can I !
ALL Help! Help!
(They all struggle to pull themselves free.)
(ENTER 5TH and 6TH ZENOTRON, stage right)
LUCY Quick, help us! We're stuck!
(They cut LUCY free. KRELLS are heard off-stage left. )
1ST KRELL Look, they're over here!
5TH ZENOTRON Krells! We must run! Leave them!
JACKO No, no- Please don't leave us! The Krells will kill us!
(LUCY struggles to free herself from the 5TH and 6TH ZENOTRON, but they force her to go with them.)
LUCY I don't want to go without the others! Please save them!
5TH ZENOTRON It's too late! Come on! There's nothing we can do!
6TH ZENOTRON Come with us, or they will kill you, too!
(Exit 5TH and 6TH ZENOTRON, stage right, with a distraught LUCY )
(ENTER 1ST, 2ND and 3RD KRELL, who cross towards JANE and JACKO.)
JACKO Don't kill us!
1ST KRELL Have no fear! We mean you no harm!
JANE Please cut me free! This thing is strangling me!
JACKO Me too!
2ND KRELL You're caught in an invisible snake creeper.
3RD. KRELL We'll soon free you!
(THE KRELLS cut JACKO and JANE free.)
JANE Phew, that's better!
JACKO Thanks a lot. You came just in time!
(ENTER SALLY with more KRELLS, stage left.)
SALLY Thank goodness you're all right!
JACKO Sally, you're safe!
SALLY Yes, I am- and so's Uncle!
(ENTER PROFESSOR with more KRELLS.)
JANE What? I don't understand! I thought you were dead!
PROFESSOR Take my word for it, m'dear- I'm still very much alive!
JANE But I saw them kill you!
PROFESSOR Oh, poppycock! I only tripped and bumped my head, that's all!
JACKO Trust you to do a thing like that!
PROFESSOR I can be rather clumsy at times.
SALLY (suddenly concerned) Where's Lucy? We thought she was with you?
JACKO Oh, don't worry about her. She's in safe hands. The Zenotrons have got her!
SALLY Oh no! Not the Zenotrons!
JANE It's quite all right. They're our friends. They rescued her from the creeper!
PROFESSOR Oh, dear- Yes, I'm sure they did- but this is terrible!
JACKO I don't understand. What harm could possibly come to her?
PROFESSOR The Krells have told us the whole story. The Zenotrons are wicked people. If they have taken Lucy, she can only come to harm.
4TH KRELL Their motives are always evil.
1ST KRELL They were the inhabitants of a doomed planet.
2ND KRELL As we are humane, peace loving people, we invited them to share our planet, which is similar in many ways to their own.
4TH KRELL This wasn't good enough for them. Unwilling to share our world, they took our men away and turned them into slaves. They had begun to take the women away, too, but we fled into the hills.
5TH KRELL It is not in our nature to fight, but we have pledged to do all we can to destroy them and win back our freedom.
(ENTER 6TH KRELL)
6TH KRELL The girl and the space craft have been taken to the Zenotrons' Central Headquarters.
PROFESSOR We must find a way into there, if we are to rescue her and return to our own planet!
1ST KRELL Then we will help you!
PROFESSOR Glad to hear it! How do we get into the Central Headquarters?
1ST KRELL It's not going to be easy. The whole place is protected by a force field. It would mean instant death to anyone who penetrates it.
PROFESSOR A force field can only operate effectively above the surface. Where are the Headquarters located?
3RD KRELL Inside an extinct volcano.
PROFESSOR There must be caves and tunnels running through the mountains.
4TH KRELL The mountains are riddled with tunnels.
PROFESSOR Then that is the way we must go.
6TH KRELL You would never find your way through.
PROFESSOR Have you tried?
6TH KRELL No, but others have tried. None have ever returned.
7TH KRELL Only the bravest have ever entered the Caves of Argoth!
1ST KRELL There are many dangers!
3RD KRELL We Krells live in great fear of the Caves of Argoth.
1ST KRELL They were a burial place for Krellian Tribes many centuries ago.
6TH KRELL We dare not enter there!
PROFESSOR Oh, superstitious nonsense!
1ST KRELL The ancient Krells were black magicians of the worst possible kind.
2ND KRELL They lived wicked lives- and even in death, their evil lives on!
1ST KRELL They used powerful magic to protect their bodies from being disturbed
PROFESSOR Oh, fiddlesticks! It's just some ridiculous story that has been passed down from one generation to the next!
JACKO Do the Zenotrons ever go into the caves?
4TH KRELL They know how much the Krells fear the caves. It is unlikely that they will even guard the entrances to the caves, let alone go down into them.
PROFESSOR Then we will take them by surprise!
1ST KRELL You are brave and an example to all of us. I am afraid, but if you are willing to take that risk, then so am I. I will go with you!
(Other KRELLS offer to join them.)
KRELLS I will go too......So will I.....etc.
PROFESSOR Good, then it's settled!
1ST KRELL But first you must all rest and eat. You will need every bit of strength to prepare you for the journey ahead!
©Andrew McCann
Drama Workshop: Ideas For Teaching Drama