Azonto Theater Script Rough Draft!

Opening-Dark scene (no lights) with a lite drum based African melody playing in the background. One spot light shines on the narrator as he begins his tale. NARRATOR: LIL SISTER Here I introduce my brother Kwame, we are both children of our former King. My brother had been sent abroad to America to receive an education and degree. Since the cultures are rather different from each other, what were his ways at home now seem cruel and foreign. Due to the recent news of our father death, the elders, or openis, have requested his return to the village. He travels from America the long journey back to his homeland. [The scene lights up and we see a golden figured goddess standing tall on an elevated post gently waving her arms back and forth mildly humming to herself] FIRST ELDER (To Boucor/Deity with a panic in his voice) What shall we do now that our king has fallen? My goddess I fear the worst! SECOND ELDER (With some force in his voice) We must have a king to rule our land of Ghana. One male leader to continue our traditions and ways BOUCOR (Speaking majestically) calm yourselves, the answers shall come. I will consult with the gods. [She closes her eyes and starts to hum and meditate] SECOND ELDER (Grumpily) Well I am not very patient with this matter, time moves fast for a man of my age. FIRST ELDER (In an understanding manner) My old friend we are both of rip old ages, and must be sure our land remains in the hands on men we can trust [Both sit on the floor at the feet of their goddess in their old age and wait for her to return to them] BOUCOR

[Awaking calming then a bit of shock at the old men at her feet] I have the answers! Rise gentlemen have no fears the son of our fallen king will return and take our land to new heights! FIRST ELDER But what if he has been corrupted by the Americans, Who knows what madness he would cause with what he could do SECOND ELDER Or better yet, what he would change! Our traditions are sacred but misunderstood by western influences. They see us as barbaric wild dessert men, he will come back a foreigner to us! BOUCOR (With a tense voice) but these are the gods wishes, they told me so themselves. FIRST ELDER (Now basically arguing with the goddess) we cannot change our ways they have kept us alive this long. Further proof of their effectiveness is my old age! We must find someone else who agrees with our traditions and hasnt been corrupted by the western man!! BOUCOR (Now aggravated and angry waving her arms with furry and yelling at the men) DO YOU HONESTLY QUESTION ME?! ME AND THE GODS?! How dare you I ought to just tell them of your [The elders interrupting her thought before she even finished her sentence] FIRST AND SECOND ELDER No, of course we do not, never. We just got ahead of ourselves in panic. Forgive us gorgeous goddess [The elders grovel at her feet and beg for forgiveness] (With a ton of sass) I thought so. BOUCOR [She stands and crosses her arms triumphantly] NARRARATOR: LIL SISTER Discussions between our goddess and our elders went on for hours, but as always our goddess made them bend to her will and has claimed my brother King. I await the arrival of my brother with our mothers and wives of our fallen father.

[Scenery changes to an African dessert with animals and the wilderness of Africa and then Kwame walks on stage and is greeted by the women of the tribe. (Mother, sister, fathers wives] Mama, oh how I have missed you! KWAME [He stops and hugs his mother with tender love]

Minua, you have grown so beautifully. My dear little sister. [Again he stops and tenderly hugs her, when he finishes hugging his mother and sister he stops and introduces his wife] Mama, Minua I would like to introduce to you my wife, Kathy. MAMA It is so nice to meet you, though under such horrible circumstances. [She wipes away a tear from her eye and collects herself quickly and hugs her newly claimed daughter] KATHY I have been looking forward to this for a long time. Your country is beautiful so many new sights to see. [Kwame interrupts and address everyone] KWAME Ladies we have issues we must deal with before I officially become king, which is, I assume, why the elders have called me here. My education in America has taught me many things, but none more important than the rights you women are being denied. No women should have to endure a brutal and unnecessary procedure such as the one our culture regularly conducts. Genital mutilation of any kind is painful and can cause such dangers in the future. I hope to change this tradition before my dear sister need experience something like this. [He gently strokes his sisters face with a love that can only be found between siblings. Women in the background both cheer and cry with excitement, and to interrupt their joy walk on stage an elder] FIRST ELDER After speaking with our Boucor, we have come to crown you as our king. But you must keep on with our traditions until you are dead and crown another. KWAME Elders you must have realized by now that my education (with a funny tone in his voice) and wife (pointing to Kathy) would never allow me to do that. Polygamy is 3

something my wife would never accept and genital mutilation is not something I will ever endorse. ELDERS Didnt we know it (they sigh) we cannot change our ways, they have kept us alive. [A spotlight shines on the Boucor in the far back of the stage; she has a very sir look and is shaking her finger at the elders] ELDERS (Together) We only joke, our gods have claimed you king and for fear of our lives we dare not disobey the gods of our people. [Bowing to the new king, all the women begin to cheer] [Singing and dancing in unison] For all our sister, We are strong! For all our daughters, he fights for our rights! For all our mothers, We cant be wrong! For all our women we cant be wrong, we will live on and we will live strong! NARRATOR: LIL SISTER [All fades out and away a spotlight again shines on the narrator] Kwame changed the lives of the women of our village in Ghana for the better. He changes things before the wanted to start messing with me down there. Other women from other tribes heard what he had done and began to make changes in their own villages. A change has begun and lives are changed for the better, hopefully forever! WOMEN

Characters Narrator Lovell First_ElderCaleb puppet Second_ElderCalebpuppet Boucor Eli (sacred object) KwameGodwin MamaAngela KathyEleanor Little_SisterLovell(pl aying female)

using outdoor looking lighting SOUND-light African drum tunes throughout play to keep rhythm/tempo (done by narrator) SPECIAL_EFFECTSnone as of now 1. 4 Elements 15 seconds of unison action: womens song at the very end of the play Extreme tension: goddesses rage with the elders Music and sound Symbolic/scared object: boucor/goddess

Production Requirements PROPS-4bells,2 puppets, (max of 5 props) FRUNITUREChair/pedestal SCENE-African backdrop, outdoor dessert with bushes/animals [moving scenic background] COSTUME-paper Mache, newspaper, colored tissue paper, and string, cardboard LIGHTING-spot light on narrator when speaking, otherwise

2. 3. 4.