NationPrologue

Daphne: I had to get back something terrible happened.

Mau: if I didn’t get back in thirty days

Daphne: 9 months

Mau: they came and fetched you and you’d never be a man. Not a real man

Daphne: the British monarchy would fall and then where would the Empire be?

Mau: everyone would know you’d failed and you’d never get a wife

Daphne: everyone must know I’m a royal and obey my command

Mau: f you did she’d be one none of the real men wanted with bad teeth and smelly breath.

(Mau finds an axe and a tree with markings where the other Boymen have shown their strength.)

Mau: (taking the axe and swinging at the tree) the next boy to pull this out will deserve to be called a man. MEN HELP OTHER MEN!

BANG (there is an enormous roar as the volcano erupts funky lighting loads of noise casually destroying the set Daphne on the ship and Mau on the island. For a moment they see each other and make eye contact)

Mau: Hello….. (Mau collapses)

Daphne (as echo): Hello… hello repeat till he sleeps

Scene 2 – the new world

Just the sound of the tide Mau settles to sleep

Voice of the ancestors: What are you doing Mau?Mau is restless in his sleep This is no time to sleep there is lots to be done

Mau: who are you?

Ancestor: I am the Ancestor... You must restore nation

Mau: But I don’t know how?

Ancestor: you must restore the culture

Mau: How do I do that? I am not man I did not complete the ceremony the volcano came and destroyed Nation …..

Ancestors: You must defend the Nation! You must do the things that have always been done!

Mau: but there is just me….everyone else is dead. I’m nothing. I know nothing. I am not man.

Ancestors: everything the Nation was, you are. While you remember the Nation lives

(Mau collapses again the ancestor leave a mug with the enscription Sweet Judy on it next to Mau with an orange in it Mau wakes with a start looks at it with curiosity tries to sound out the letters but pronounces them all wrong grandfather bird (puppet controlled by Daphne) appears and circles like a vulture).

Mau: Go on then have it Grandfather bird the ancestors said you were good luck so I cant shoo you away. (the bird squawks hops over and rolls the orange with its beak turning round to motion its head to follow).Ohh why not there is nothing else to do here( he follows the bird until it suddenly disappears) Hey wait !!! They look like footprints but…they have no toes. Strange?( looks up and sees a large sail)

Ancestors : You have not restored the culture. You have not restored Nation. Send the dead to sea to become dophins.

Mau: I’m dead ancestors I have no soul I never became man.

Ancestors: You’re not good enough to be dead.

Mau turns round to head back except the grand father bird is blocking his path.

Mau: What? (For a moment boy and bird stare at each other the bird pecks his foot and squawks).

Mau: oh all right ( the bird flies off as Mau heads to the ship wreck)

Scene 3 – Finding Ermintrude/Daphne

There is a sound of indistinct singing from the rubble of the ship

Mau enters tripping over rubble on the way drawing attention to himself from a figure all in white who ha appeared

At the same time

Mau : (to audience)I’m not alone , there is a trouserman girl.Daphne: I kn-know how to use this!!!

Daphne: One more step and I will pull the trigger….(Mau looks at her blankly) Don’t think I’m afraid I’m not!!! (Mau innocently steps towards an object that has caught his eye) Do you not understand I am from the British royal blood line? I'm 138th in line to the throne so you will obey me…(change of tone) My father will be hear soon

Mau:ahhh so she wants me to have the metal thing

Mau reaches out to tke the gun.daphne scrams pulls the trigger and closes her eyes. There is a small pop a few sparks? Daphne drops the gun at her feet.

Mau: you have no toes!!! (Daphne doesn’t respond, he bends down spicks up the gun start sniffing it ) pheww

Daphne: must be a local custom???

Mau: (satisfied he knows what its for looks at the gun Daphne and the exit) thank you for his gift of fire!! (Exit)

Daphne: I’m sorry what? Wait where are you going?

Scene 4 Etiquette

Daphne: where is my box…. (Rummaging around the wreck, she finds a book and then the writing box) Now lets see what my Book of etiquette Suggests (reading)

“ When inviting a young gentleman to afternoon tea one must always have a chaperone present” well that’s a shame there is no one they have all died… it doesn’t say they have to be alive …. “One must be appropriately dressed and serve scones buttered with Clotted cream and then strawberry jam, well I don’t have any jam or cream But I could try to make scones. I shall write him an invitation.(opens her box gets out a quill and a fancy invite.) well I'm not at government house anymore….the wreck of the sweet Judy. To… I don’t know his name ..bah blah blah…the honourable miss Ermintrude Fanshaw. I dubt he will be able to understand …. I shall draw a diagram he might understand that…(she draws. Puts everything away picks up another orange and tiptoes to where Mau is sleeping leaves him the note and the orange then runs away)

Ancestors: Who is guarding the Nation? Where is our beer?

Mau: I don’t know!!! I don’t know how … the women made beer. Another orange? (looking at the invitation) what the ???? (turns the nvite over to the drawing side) “When the sun is just above the last tree left on little Nation, you must throw a spear at the big wrecked canoe??Well okay maybe I shall though why I just don’t know. Now about the beer the women used to make beer from maniac roots. It makes a good beer or a deadly poison what decides that is the song. Maybe there is some left in the women’s place… (goes off to find beer as grandfather bird comes in and once again plays with the orange Mau comes in with beer and leaves in coconut which the bird promptly drinks then flies off in a drunk fashion possible into tree)

Scene 5 – Afternoon teait is evening Mau finds a spear and throws it at the wreck

Daphne: (off stage) do come in It’s a bit of a mess I'm afraid