Da Bar Code

This is the introduction, please read to understand my play.


Exposition

Our class have been studying four scripts. They have been,
“Waiting for Godot,” by Samuel Beckett, “The Still Alarm,” by George S. Kaufman, “Trouble in the Works,” by Harold Pinter, “As you like it.” By William Shakespeare.
Our assignment is to write a script that shows what we understand by concepts explored by The Theatre of the Absurd and how the techniques were used by the writers we have studied. The setting, ‘plot’, themes and techniques are our own decision.
The Theatre of the Absurd resulted from a response of World War II. It took the philosophy of personal experience and made it more dramatic to create a style of theatre that presented a world that was not logically explained, it showed this world and type of life to be Absurd.
This type of genre of the theatre took quite some time to understand because it used techniques that were senseless to the theatre world.
The scenery was often unrecognisable and for the play to be even more confusing, the dialogue hardly ever seemed to make any sense. Some examples of “Absurd Playwrights” were, Samuel Beckett, Eugene Ionesco, and Harold Pinter.
For my concepts in my script I explore making peace, unawareness and confusion. My script takes place in a café in Heaven, so the idea of Heaven is also a concept that is very important in my script. The techniques that I am going to use to explore my idea are, “Needless repetition” and a small part of “The Fallacy of expectations”.
My two Characters in my play are famous artists. They are angels and they are Michelangelo Buonarroti and Leonardo da Vinci. They are known to dislike each other because they are both jealous of each other’s talent in Art.

God- Is just, He’s caring and sympathetic. He wants Michelangelo and Da Vinci to sort out their differences and to get along. (He plays a small part in the script).
Da Vinci-He is Educated, Intelligent, Artistically talented, jealous of Michelangelo, Powerful in Influential.
Michelangelo- Educated, Intelligent, Artistically talented, jealous of Da Vinci, was very family orientated, anxious. My script takes place in a café in Heaven called the “Pearly Gates”. They are sitting at the Bar drinking red wine. God thinks Michelangelo Buonarroti and Leonardo Da Vinci both deserve a permanent place in Heaven because they were such artistically talented men. But during their lifetime they were known enemies, and the fact that they were enemies stops them from getting a permanent place in Heaven. He organises them to meet at the Pearly Gates in heaven. While both received their invitation, both decided to arrive at the café a day earlier (without the other one knowing so they are both wanting to be better prepared then the other). Both are clean shaved, (to be more presentable then the other) making them both unrecognisable to each other.
The Scene takes place as both are sitting at the bar beside each other but both don’t recognise each other. They start a conversation about themselves each wanting to only talk of themselves, but what they say isn’t enough for both of them to realise who the other one is.



Da Bar Code



Characters
Michelangelo Buanarroti
Leonardo Da Vinci
Bartender

Café (Pearly Gates). Michelangelo is sitting at the bar sipping on some wine. Bartender is polishing glasses and is watching the whole scene. Leonardo Da Vinci enters and sits two seats besides Michelangelo at the bar.

Leonardo- A red wine! (He asks demandingly, the bartender jumps into action and serves the red wine.)
Leonardo-About time! (Snapped Leonardo obviously in a hurry, Michelangelo turns his head slightly to observe Leonardo but Leonardo catches him looking).
Leonardo- I have absolutely no time for this! (He says irritably and gulps down his red wine- some of it spilling on to his clothing. Michelangelo realises Leonardo is talking to him and not quite realising what Leonardo means still pretends to understand and replies immediately).
Michelangelo-I know what you mean! Really no time to waste! (He says as Leonardo starts examining his nails, Bartender is staring at Leonardo too as he polishes the same wine glass over and over again.)
Leonardo-He invites me to Heaven to sort out personal business that I have absolutely no intention to do and then expects me to be happy about it? Ha! (He says as he throws his arms in the air and chuckles sarcastically. Michelangelo shakes his head and agrees with Leonardo).
Leonardo-And no one can say no to the Oh-So-mighty!
Michelangelo-The number one man!
Leonardo-The man of the men!
Leonardo and Michelangelo- (At the same time)-GOD!
(The bartender grunts at their conversation and shuffles uncomfortably behind the bar but soon gets back to polishing the same glass).
Michelangelo-Its my personnel business too, Not his, if I don’t want to sort it out then I don’t have to! But he might punish me in some way! (Leonardo nods his head in agreement).
Leonardo-He might send a swarm of bees after you!
Michelangelo- Or grasshoppers!
Leonardo-Ants!
Michelangelo-Mice!
Leonardo-Or how about gophers?
Michelangelo-Or Cats!
(Leonardo stops and looks at Michelangelo with a look of confusion and pity, Michelangelo notices the look on his face and the Bartender just shakes his head)
Michelangelo-I'm scared of cats okay?
(Leonardo nods his head in agreement and turns away).
Leonardo-I has got to agree with you though.
Michelangelo- What? About being scared of cats? (He asks hopeful)
Leonardo-No! About the possibility of God punishing people who do not attend his meetings! That’s the only reason why I’m here! (Michelangelo slightly upset and slouches down into his seat eyeing the bartender nervously).
Michelangelo-I don’t blame you! When he gets mad, well he gets mad! Everyone knows about it too!
Leonardo-Very mad, believe me I’ve seen it! (Lowering his voice slightly so that Michelangelo has to lean closer).
Michelangelo-Me too!
(They sit in silence for a few long minutes).
Leonardo-So where were you buried? (Michelangelo is slightly taken aback by the question and answers nervously).
Michelangelo-Well I died in Rome, but they buried me in Santa Croce, Florence.
(Leonardo nods his head and looks impressed; Michelangelo notices and continues to brag).
Michelangelo- I had a good life you know! Left a lot of memories and pieces of my passion around the world, so people would remember my name and me.
Leonardo-Wow, your life sounds so impressive! (Michelangelo grins and looks towards the bartender and immediately hides his face by drinking his red wine).
Leonardo-Well my memories and my passion are trying to be rebuilt right now. Apparently the people of the 21st Century are trying to build my inventions! (Laughs out loud as Michelangelo joins in and the bartender chuckles.)
Leonardo-Oh, but that’s not the funniest part! They are trying to figure my work out with those machine things called, Um, What’s that name again?
Michelangelo- Oh hang on I know what you mean! They are called Confusions.
Leonardo-No that’s not it, Contutours?
Michelangelo-Comluteras?
Leonardo-Camlutas?
Michelangelo-Confusions! (Shouts out) No wait I’m back at the beginning again.
Bartender-Are they not, Computers?
(Michelangelo and Leonardo both clap their hands.)
Leonardo-Yes my good fellow! Fantastic memory!
Michelangelo- Yes really something.
Leonardo-Anyway they think they can do art and figure out my work with these things! (He says as everyone starts laughing).
Michelangelo- I really don’t know what that world is coming to. (They shake their head in pity and sit in silence for a while only talking to get re-fills of wine from the bartender. The bartender could not believe that the two artists famous for disliking each other were sitting besides each other in a café in Heaven and were getting along remarkably well. Michelangelo eventually breaks the silence).

Michelangelo-There was this man I hated on Earth though!
Leonardo-Oh? (Hardly paying attention as he examined his nails).
Michelangelo- yes, he was very talented, made me question my talent myself!
Leonardo-No! (He said surprisingly as Michelangelo jumped with surprise and the Bartender leaned closer with curiosity).
Leonardo-I also disliked a man; he also made me question my talent myself! (Michelangelo and Leonardo stare at each other for a while and Leonardo smiles at Michelangelo who smiles back. They both look away).
Leonardo-I respect that man though, I respect his work too. Even though I often question my talent around him I still respect him, I mean I have too! (There were more moments of silence as the Bartender stood in confusion).
Leonardo-Well it is getting very late, I really should be getting on. (Leonardo gets up to leave the café and as he reaches the door he turns around and looks at Michelangelo).
Leonardo- Ciao Michelangelo! (He waves as Michelangelo waves back and smiles.)
Michelangelo-Arrivederci Leonardo!
(The Bartender stands confused and as soon as Leonardo leaves he looks demandingly at Michelangelo).
Bartender- What is going on?
Michelangelo-Oh nothing really.
Bartender-What do you mean nothing really? You knew each other all along. (He says and throws his apron onto the floor as Michelangelo starts walking towards the door and the bartender follows).
Michelangelo-No we didn’t know each other ALL along just somewhere in between. (Bartender throws his arms up in the air)
Bartender- And you decided not to tell me?
Michelangelo-Well I couldn’t really could I? Not in front of him anyway! (They start to walk together down the road).
Bartender- So what did you think of him anyway? Not so bad for a four century old ghost eh?
Michelangelo-Oh what’s a few years? (Michelangelo grins
Leonardo-You know you’re not so bad yourself Michelangelo, How old are you now?
Michelangelo-Four centuries and forty-one years! (Says gladly as Bartender whistles a low impressive whistle. They continue to walk down the road together, the café now out of sight showing only green fields)
Bartender-One more thing I couldn’t help but notice the way you kept on looking at his fingernails, why?