CHARACTERS

TOM/RICK

ROY/HOTEL GUEST/FIRST CAMPER/MC

MEG/LEONIE

GWEN/HOTEL GUEST

JIM/HOTEL GUEST

CORAL/SECOND CAMPER

HARRY/HOTEL GUEST/THIRD CAMPER

VIC/HOTEL GUEST/FOURTH CAMPER/MISS LATROBE

SETTING

Summer 1967-68

ACT ONE

SCENE ONE

A school performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is coming to a close. The Mendelssohn soundtrack blares from a tinny loudspeaker. Kids dressed as fairies scurry about in garish light. The music ends and the fairies strike a tableau. One of them, TOM, steps forward and addresses the audience.

TOM: ‘If we shadows have offended,

Think but this, and all is mended,

That you have but slumbered here

While these visions did appear.

And this weak and idle theme,

No more yielding but a dream,

Gentles, do not reprehend.

If you pardon, we will mend.

And, as I am an honest Puck,

If we have unearned luck

Now to scrape the serpent’s tongue,

We will make amends ere long;

Else the Puck a liar call.

So, good night unto you all.

Give me your hands, if we be friends,

And Robin shall restore amends.’

Music again, the fairies scurry about and the curtain closes. It opens again and they are caught unready. They form a line and bow a few times, the curtain closes again and they wander off. ROY comes to the curtains. They open a little and he addresses the audience.

ROY: Well, I’m sure you all enjoyed the little show tonight. What a lot of little Chips Raffertys we’ve got here in our own school. Now there are a few people I’d like to say a few words of thanks to before we go tonight. Allan and Betty Shirlaw for providing the timber and so on at cost to build the settings. Joy Samuels and the Art Department for painting it all and making it look so terrific. Seymours for providing the cordials at half-time. Mrs. Walker for the luscious cakes, well done Lois. Mrs. Hutton, Mrs. Cooper, Mrs. Lummis and Mrs. Papa… Papalapa… Papalax… oh well, I’m sure she knows who I mean, ha ha ha… for making the outfits… Finally Miss Latrobe, the person responsible for getting the whole show together you’ve seen here tonight, as well as getting our debating team into the quarter finals. Thank you, Miss Latrobe. Well, that about wraps it up, so thank you all for coming and have a safe and happy Christmas and best wishes for nineteen-sixty-eight. Thank you.

He moves away, then remembers something.

Oh, and one more thing. A message from Charlie. Please watch the flowering beds as you leave the school, we lost quite a few at prize-giving night. Thank you.

SCENE TWO

Backstage. TOM and MEG.

TOM: You going away tomorrow?

MEG: We’re leaving really early.

TOM: Well… have a good time.

MEG: Where are you going?

TOM: Up the coast. Some beach.

MEG: Have a good time.

TOM: Bound to.