Act 1 (regular lines) Flashcards
Alena: He didn’t start counting again
Erik: But-
(To Erik) Alena’s right. Ready?
Jana: Eva I’m hungry
(To Jana) We’re going to play again
Miroslav: Empty or full?
Alena: I can’t see from here
(As you cross to Miroslav) it must be full. There weren’t any transport notices
Erik: I’m going to see what’s going on
We’re in the middle of a game.
Miroslav: we’re not allowed to go near the trains
Erik: Let me go!
You could get shot.
Erik: Don’t worry, I know how to hide
Okay, you hide and I’ll be it
Erik: that’s not what I meant!
Erik! (Run after him)
Miroslav: you’d better hide!
Alena: I’ve got a good spot
Come on Jana, you hide with me. (Run off SR)
Erik rushes in while everyone is saying their names
(Cross towards him) Are you all right?
Pavel: He means now you live in Terezin
Martin: yes but-
(To Gabi) life here is going to be a little different.
Miroslav: you sleep over there with everybody else
Pavel: When you can sleep
Nighttime can be scary
Gabi: where are the parents?
Some are in the camp
Jana: not ours.
No, not ours.
Mir: the guards have gone to process the new prisoners. I’m going to try to get Mrs. Kafkova
Be careful.
Pavel: you just have to remember the rules
Alena: which change everyday.
(You cross to middle box)
Miroslav went to get Mrs. Kafkova. We’re going to try to have school
Gabi: school?
Jana: it’s secret. They don’t want us to learn anything here.
So we have to be careful. Like hide and seek.
Martin: why do you go to school if you don’t have to?
Alena: just hurry up!
(To Gabi) follow me. (Start off SL)
Pavel: Did she tell you it’s against the rules? That you could get shot?
PAVEL! (Pah-vel)
Pavel: She has the right to know the truth.
(To Gabi) You’ll be safe.
Entering the school, to Gabi, line?
Keep an eye out for scraps of paper, old office forms, anything you can write on. Or with.
Pavel: just don’t let the guards see you pick them up.
(Surprised) you came.
Gabi: Do you have school everyday?
No. Sometimes it’s too dangerous.
Alena: you mean, she’s dead.
Mir: yes.
How? (Shot.) For what? (Does it matter) I WANT TO KNOW
Erik: No more school!
Mir: Erik!
(Crying) she was my friend.
Miroslav: Yeah! (jana giggles)
Hey Miroslav! (After this you do the box dance thing and then run to Jana’s hiding place)
Mir: they’d have come in by now
Pavel: you put us all in danger
(Holding Jana) what are we going to do?
Mir: …the school is what kept her going. And we’re going to continue it!
Pavel: what?!?
How? Who’s going to be the teacher?
Mir: later, we’ll go through the books and see who can teach what. Today, we’ll start with a history lesson.
No. Today should be for poetry.
Mir: Poetry?! We don’t have time for-
(Cut him off) Mrs. Kafkova loved poetry.
Pavel: history, poetry… You’ll get us all killed
PAVEL
Mir: Poetry?! We don’t have time for-
(Cut him off) Mrs. Kafkova loved poetry.
Pavel: history, poetry… You’ll get us all killed
PAVEL
Pavel: don’t worry. I won’t give you away. (He exits)
(To Mir) Maybe he’s right.
Mir: We’ve got to keep our minds alive! Read the poetry, I’ll stand guard.
Jana and Erik: We’ll read our poem!
Okay
Jana and Erik: (with great fanfare) the little mousie!
But quietly.
Jana and Erik finish their poem and everyone applauds. You move over to Martin and say…
Are you writing a poem?
No. Just drawing.
Do you want to show it to the others? (He shakes his head. You stand) Then who’s next?
Erik: Can we do our poem again?
Jana: Please?
Let’s give someone else a chance.
Alena: I wrote a poem.
Good. (You sit)
(Alena reads her poem and there is a negative response)
Jana: I don’t like your poem.
(You cross to front) Mine’s called “Birdsong”
(After Miroslav writes in his diary) Eva?
Yes?
(I miss mommy and daddy)
So do I.
Jana: where did they go?
I don’t know.
Jana: when will we all be together again?
I don't know (When?) Someday (When?) Soon (When?)
Jana: why did they take us away?
We've been through this (Why?) Because that's the law (Why?) Because we're Jewish (Why?) Because we were born Jewish. (Why?) Enough Jana!
Jana: Eva?
(Still annoyed) Yes?
(I love you)
And I love you (pat on shoulder)
Mir: Martin! Eva! I’ve got an idea.
(To Jana) Stay here.
Mir: Everybody! Martin, Eva and I are going to do a skit.
All: Hooray!
Shh! Not too loud.
(After skit, they’re talking about the film they’re going to “make”)
Alena: I’ll be a Nazi guard.
We don’t need guards.
(After film, you walk next to Mir.) the poem you guys say?
(Just you) I wish that I could fly away..
To somewhere very far from here.
Where grown-ups laugh and children play, and people do not kill each other
Maybe all of us
Ten million strong (join hands)
Will find that world
Before too long (drop hands)
Pavel: Who would read it?
Miroslav: Us. The other prisoners. It could be an inspiration. And maybe one day we’ll find a way to get a copy to the world outside.
(Excited) I wrote for my school’s newspaper
Mir: And I was the editor of mine.
You were?
Mir: We can do this Eva
Martin: We don’t have a printing press
We can hand-write the copies.
Pavel: Let the grown-ups do the fighting. We’re kids! (He walks away and there is a silence)
(Sobered, to Mir) Anyone caught doing this will be killed.
Mir: we won’t be caught.
(Look at Jana) I won’t put the little kids at risk.
Mir: after the first one, it’ll be each person’s decision.
(After a pause, agrees) It’s got to have a name.
Mir: I know! Vedem! “We are leading!”
I love it.
Mir: (races in) I found it! I found the underground room! I met Berthold Ordner, the blind artist!
I don’t believe it!
(Mir gives you a description of the underground room)
Did you take notes?
Mir: No, it was too dark
(Hand him scraps of paper) Do it now. Before you forget anything.
(Mir finishes reading his article) I can think myself away from this dirt and filth and travel to beautiful places.
It’s going to be a wonderful article
Mir: Have you finished your editorial?
Almost.
Mir: Tomorrow I’m going to start bringing it to the other barracks.
(Step to Mir) That’s to dangerous, you could get caught.
Erik: I want to write an article!
Jana: Me too!
Mir: About what?
Jana: I don’t know
We agreed not to put the little kids in danger.
Mir: We agreed that after this issue, it would be each person’s decision.
Jana is not going to get involved
Jana: That’s not fair! (She runs off)
Jana! (run off towards him)
Jana: Why can’t I work on the newspaper?
Because I dont want anything bad to happen to you
Jana: Because you promised Mommy and Daddy?
And because I love you
