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2002
A SOUND OF THUNDER
Time Safaris Inc. Safaris to any year in the past. You name the animal. We take you there. You shoot it.
BUT DON'T STEP OFF THE PATH.
Chaos theory tells us that the flutter of a butterfly's wings in China can affect weather patterns in New York.
Small events can have far reaching consequences.
Do all the numbers add up, or is this Einstein's little joke?
DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? SAY YES
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THE IDEAS
CHAOS THEORY - Chaos theory attempts to explain the fact that complex and unpredictable results can and will occur in systems that are sensitive to their initial conditions. A common example of this is known as the Butterfly Effect. It states that, in theory, the flutter of a butterfly's wings in China could, in fact, actually effect weather patterns in New York City, thousands of miles away. In other words, it is possible that a very small occurrence can produce unpredictable and sometimes drastic results by triggering a series of increasingly significant events.
A SOUND OF THUNDER - by Ray Bradbury is the story we tell on the walkway above the stage.
Einstein's flea means the principle theory of general relativity, and baby flea means his theory which attempted to unify the laws of physics.
THE MUSIC SOUNDSCAPE
Music is a mix from "Einstein on the Beach" by Philip Glass and "Eternity" and "Do You Have A Question" by David Hirschfelder and David Hobson from the "INSIDE THIS ROOM" cd.
THE CHARACTERS
Einstein
A Sound Of Thunder characters include 3 tourists, 2 agents, 1 guide and 1 armorer
72 Dancers that portray the environment in the past AND a mathematical sequences, AND the life cycle of a butterfly through the caterpillar, butterflies in flight, courtship display, and bursting from the chrysalis stages AND a change in EVOLUTION.
THE STORY BOARD
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SEC |
TIME |
MUSIC |
SEC TIME
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STORY - Drama |
DANCERS |
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1 |
0.00 |
‘Eternity intro’ Eternity isn’t a long time Eternity has nothing to do with time Eternity is that dimension of here and now Which thinking in time cuts out
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30 |
Einstein on jetty, talking to himself |
Still, butterflies above head, still |
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2 |
0.30
0.48 |
Slow counting
Fast counting
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18
20 |
One butterfly appears, lands on his finger He flicks it off Lights come to show whole stage with Moving butterflies
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Butterflies begin to fly with wings flapping |
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3 |
1.08 |
Thunder Do you have a question? Do you have a question? Say yes!
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20 |
Butterflies sink to reveal the end tableau of the story, upstage on the 'office' rostra. |
Butterflies sink to the level of the jetty. |
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4 |
1.30 |
Fast count
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20 |
Tableau dissolves. |
Rise and then move to positions under the jetty, with butterflies flying around the edges for the majority of the action on the jetty.
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5 |
1.51 |
Slow Count
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40 |
The story begins, 3 tourists are looking for adventure. TIME SAFARI, INC. SAFARIS TO ANY YEAR IN THE PAST. YOU NAME THE ANIMAL. WE TAKE YOU THERE. YOU SHOOT IT. They meet the 2 agents who take their money.
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NUMBERS SEQUENCE All groups Maths sequence, in 4/4 6/4 and 8/4. Movements are repeated and added to, as also the numbers of dancers increase. The gestures come from counting in Auslan, (the deaf sign language) |
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6 |
2.30 |
Do you have a question? Do you have a question? Say yes! Do you have a question? Say yes! Do you have a question? Say yes!
Whats the meaning of the universe? Whats the meaning of a flea? Whats the meaning of the universe? Whats the meaning of a flea?
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50 |
The first tourist is sent off in the past with their guide and the armorer. They achieve their "kill" and return to the present and are congratulated. (1 m 20 s ) |
LINE SEQUENCE Groups 4, 5 (geometrical) 26 bars 4/4 A continuously moving line of joined dancers, making geometric shapes, like a kaleidoscope, ebbing this way and that as in a free landscape. |
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7 |
3.22
3.35
3.45 |
Its just there, that’s it. Its just there, that’s it.
Slows
Do you have a question? Say yes. Do you have a question? For you and me, I’ll say yes!
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55 |
The second tourist is sent off in the past with their guide and the armorer. They achieve their "kill" and return to the present and are congratulated. (1 m 20 s )
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LEAP SEQUENCE Groups 1, 2, 3 25 bars 4/4 A sequence pattern where the basics are consistent but the entrances come in a random number, but still creates an ever changing pattern on the floor. An illusion of butterflies flying out and in from the centre line. |
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8 |
4.16 |
Whats the meaning of the universe? Whats the meaning of a flea? Whats the meaning of the universe? Whats the meaning of a flea?
Its just there, that’s it. Its just there, that’s it.
Its just there, that’s it. Its just there, that’s it. Your own meaning is that, you are there.
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30 |
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PAIRS SEQUENCE Group 3 (radius and circles) 20 bars 4/4 Two points which are joined but move randomly around each other to form conjoined circles in a geometric pattern. Movement in harmony with another being. |
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9
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4.45
5.10 |
change rhythm and sound
How can we say no To anything in the world? Brutality? Stupidity? Vulgarity? Do you have a question?
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42 |
The third tourist is sent off in the past with their guide and the armorer. They show stupidity in nearly walking straight off the path, brutality in that they try to kill the first thing they see, and vulgarity in being not what they portray.
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AGONY SEQUENCE Group 1, 2 20 bars 4/4 A sense their is a change coming. A united front in the pattern being unison, but foreboding in the twisting style of movements, pausing briefly at intervals to show a hovering, reminiscent of a butterfly. |
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10 |
5.27
5.59 |
Operatic type voice – slower Do you have a question? Say yes. Do you have a question? Say yes. Do you have a question? For you and me, I’ll say yes
Whats the meaning of the universe? Whats the meaning of a flea? Whats the meaning of the universe? Whats the meaning of a flea?
Its just there, that’s it. Its just there, that’s it.
Its just there, that’s it. Its just there, that’s it. Your own meaning is that, you are there
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64 |
As the beast approaches, it is larger than they expect, they panic and try to run away, out of harms way. The guide is forced to kill the animal. The tourist stumbles blindly off the jetty into the past world.
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ALL GROUPS Run, gesture, fall, butterfly, X Sequence
The tension increases as in Auslan we ask : DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION SAY YES
Suspense as we wait for the climax. |
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11 |
6.31 |
Fast numbers
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50 |
The guide and armorer retrieve the tourist and they return to the office to find the sign: TYME SEFARI INC. SEFARIS TU ANY YEER EN THE PAST. YU NAIM THE ANIMALL. WEE TAEK YU THAIR. YU SHOOT ITT. They look at the agents, the other 2 tourists, they've all changed. The third tourist looks at their shoe, and picks a squashed butterfly from it. They sink to their knees as the guide raises their gun.
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A mass ripple effect is set off by the tourist falling. The butterflies panic in a wild flinging sequence, only to settle down and hover at jetty level, leaving the group 1 dancers repeating the agony sequence until they are in the hovering state. |
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12 |
7.20
7.37
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Music change Do you have a question? Say Yes! Do you have a question?
Thunder |
20 |
A SOUND OF THUNDER |
Mesh comes off faces of group 1 dancers. |
THE SET
A floor cloth into a backdrop with a tessellated butterfly design, cut away upstage left with a rostra representing the TIME SAFARI office backed with a moving fractal design. From the rostra, a circular curving pathway, suspended above the floor, travels to downstage centre.
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Overhead diagram.The rostra (office) is upstage left. From it a jetty snakes its way down stage to represent the antigravity pathway.
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THE PERSONNEL
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THE IMAGES
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CONGRATULATIONS
Well done to all the CAST CREW and SUPPORT people on achieving
FIRST PLACE
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