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After an oral reading of the story, we decided upon three scenes: The Time Safari Office, The Jungle Scene, and The Tyme Safari Office as Eckels finds it in the future he has altered. After brainstorming in our home groups for elements of the story, we moved into "jigsawed" groups (inter-groups) and pooled the information gathered in the expert group. After that we began to build scripts for the scenes below, with 3 groups providing different (entirely different!) interpretations of the Jungle Scene. It should be noted, that none of the students saw the text of the story, but rather created the scripts entirely from memory and their own notes. It should also be noted that the scripts comprise only part of a the Reading Theatre #1 project.
Starring:
Michael as Eckels
Danny as Travis
Stephan as Lesperance
Ariane as the secretary
Carolyn as Kacie
To the left of the entrance, there was a blue-topped
counter where a woman was sitting. She had shoulder
length-orange hair which framed her face, her
nose covered with freckles. She had eyes were green, and
sharp at the corners. She appeared to be hard
at work
Eckels: Is this for real? Can I really travel back in time and see dinosaurs?
Secretary: Yes you can. We have created a time
machine which allows us to travel back in time, as far
back as we want. Before you can go though you
must know there is a fee and you must also be a qualified
person too. Here, you can look at this brochure
while you wait.
Describe Waiting room.
The walls were plain, a vanilla or cream color.
There were pictures of calm farm animals standing on hilly,
green land with little farms in the back ground.
These pictures were placed perfectly. The hard, plastic
chairs, which were blue, sat along the perimeter
of the room waiting for their victims. The floor was covered
with a thin, blue carpet which matched the chairs.
Their were two small tables and a book rack in one
corner of the room, surrounded by the outdated,
tattered magazines. There were also two small windows,
each letting the sunlight flood the small waiting
room. The windows were framed by blue curtains, which
matched the rest of the room. I sat down in
one of the un-comfortable chairs and skimmed through the
brochure I had been handed.
Eckels: Wow! This looks interesting. What a neat idea. I wonder when I can go.
Secretary: You can go in and see Travis and Lesperance, the safari guides.
Describe office. AND 2 men
The office had a little more style to it, compared
to the waiting room. The walls were made of
stained-wood, so they were a dark brown color.
There was a tall, dark-blond haired man sitting behind the
wood desk which had a lamp and a pile of papers
on it. The other man was smaller, but he too had the
same shade of blond for hair. He was standing
up, blocking some of the light which was coming through the
blind on the window. Of course the man behind
the desk had a big, comfy looking black leather chair, while
in front, there were two plastic chairs, identical
to the ones in the waiting room.
Travis: Hello, I understand that you are interested in going on the safari?
Eckels: Yes, I really want to go and hunt dinosaurs. When can I go?
Travis: Well first we must find out if you’re qualified and explain the rules.
Lesperance: You must understand that this is
a dangerous trip and all the precautions are to be taken
seriously.
Eckels: Fine. When can I go? I want to shoot a dinosaur as soon as possible.
Travis: I don’t think you understand
how dangerous and serious this is! You must listen carefully
and follow our instructions. The first one is
we’re in charge.
Lesperance: You can only kill certain Dinosaurs and you must wait until we say it is all right.
Travis: You must stay on a path, and NEVER step
off the path. If you step on anything, kill or damaging it
there is a possibility of changing the future.
Do you understand?
Eckels: I think so, I know the possible outcomes of my mistakes.
Lesperance: Okay then, follow us and we will
take you to see Kacie. She will check out your gun and
make sure you’re qualified to take
the trip.
Travis: But, before we go, do you still feel
that you want to go? Do you want to do this? You must pay
now if you do.
Eckels: Yes. Here’s the check, it’s made out for $10 000.
Lesperance: Okay, follow us.
Describe "gun" room
I had been lead through a long white hall way,
with many blue doors on both sides of it. We stopped at the
third door on the right and went in. This room
had less character then the waiting room! The walls were
plain and white, there was a cheap, imitation-wood
desk where a woman, a brunette, with an athletic look
to her. She sat working on the computer. In
this room there was a blue door and a small window with a
blind blocking the sun. Along one wall there
was a bookshelf, filled with many volumes of thick books.
Travis was talking in a low voice with the woman,
Kacie. I couldn’t quite make out what he was
saying.
Kacie: I’ve checked his records, his
gun and it appears that he is qualified. I’ll go and set up
the machine.
She went through the other mysterious door in the room.
Travis: Are you afraid yet, do you want to back
out, do you feel you’re man enough, not a
coward?
Eckels: Are you saying you don’t think I can handle this? You think I am a coward?
Lesperance: It’s your last chance to back out and get your money back.
Eckels: Of course I’m not going to
back out! You both think I can’t handle this and think I
am a little sissy. Lets get going, I’d
like to leave as soon as possible.
Travis: Wait, I think that you’re forgetting
the first thing I told you and remind you again, you are
not in charge here, you listen to us! This isn’t
your regular hunt in the little back yard bush. This is the
ultimate hunt, there’s no step above,
mainly because of the risks involved.
Eckels: Are you trying to scare me? Do you think
I am not a man of experience? I’ve hunted
everything besides dinosaurs, just because you
are a chicken and don’t want to complete the trip
you expect me to back out?
Travis: This isn’t your average hunt,
I just want you to realize how serious this is before we get
there and you decide you’re scared
and want to turn back, it’ll be too late then.
Eckels: I’m not one who gets scared
too easily. I realize this is a big event and I know these are
serious matters.
Lesperance: I see you know what you want and
I believe you’ll be able to handle it. Kacie, is
everything ready to go?
Kacie: Yup, everything is good and I was just
talking to John. He reports good hunting conditions. As for
the machine everything is good and we haven’t
had any problems so far, why would it start now?
Travis: Are you nervous, want to back out yet?
Eckels: No, I want to go and get that T-Rex that she mentioned.
Lesperance: Let’s get going then.
Travis: You sit in that seat in the corner over there.
Describe inside of machine.
From the outside the machine, it looked like
an immense oven, covered with Christmas lights. Inside, the
little booth was identical of the seats in a
limousine. They were a wine or maroon colored leather and looked
comfortable. The walls, ceiling and carpet were
all the same color. There were dull lights which were well
covered, I’m guessing for safety reasons.
Secretary: Hope you have a successful trip, good luck.
Kacie: Bye, see you later.
Secretary: Is everything really all right? No problems?
Kacie: Well it’s not running 100% perfectly, but nothings perfect is it?
Secretary: Why did you let them go? Shouldn’t you have told them?
Kacie: It’s nothing serious besides
I feel that Eckels guy deserves to learn a lesson, the world
doesn’t revolve around him. They can
fix the machine if anything happens any ways.
Secretary: I guess he was a little high on himself.
Kacie: He was proud, too proud for his own good.
He doesn’t know what he’s gotten into
yet.
Secretary: You really didn’t care for
him did you? Well I suppose we’d better finish sending
them off, Eckels hasn’t backed out
yet.
Eckels: (ASIDE)HIS FEELINGS
Now I’m getting anxious, and nervous.
I can feel the beads of sweat forming along my hair-line. I
hope Travis can’t see my fear, I can’t
turn back now! I have to live up to my name, I
won’t let some person, whom I don’t
even know, drag it through the dirt! I couldn’t
leave and give Travis that satisfaction!
Travis- We are now about to enter the jungle. We have made a path. You are not to ever step off the path. NEVER. Not under any circumstances. Stay on the path. If you step off the path the future could be changed forever, so don’t step off the path.
Eckels-Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let’s go. I’m ready to go kill the greatest dinosaur of all. The Tyrannosaurus Rex Rex. It will be my greatest accomplishment yet.
Lesperance-Are you sure you’re ready? We can’t afford any mistakes. Are you sure you’re not scared?
Eckels- Scared? I’m not scared off anything. I have hunted the greatest lions on the Africa planes. Of course, I am not scared.
Kramer- Enough chatter. Lets go before we run out of time. You’re dinosaur will be dead before you step out of the time machine.
Open door to time machine and walk in to the jungle.
Eckels- Wow! That bird is huge. It’s almost as big as a house, and the grass, it’s so long.
Lesperance- Lets forget about the grass. The Tyrannosaurus Rex should be coming soon.
Kramer- Look, here it comes. His toenails are as big as the Empire State building. This has to be one of the biggest dinosaurs I’ve ever seen.
Dinosaur- ROAR!!! What are you doing here? This is my jungle and nobody passes by here unless the go through me first.
Travis- We are here to kill you. Eckels wanted a challenge so we are giving him one. You just happen to be that challenge.
Dinosaur- Why me? There are plenty of dinosaurs in the jungle.
Lesperance- Well, you are the king of the jungle. You can’t get a bigger challenge than that, can you?
Kramer- Besides, you are going to die soon any ways. We are just speeding up the process. It’s not our fault you were chosen. Eckels wanted a Tyrannosaurus Rexrex.
Dinosaur: So, it’s your fault. Now maybe you would like to die. ROAR!!!!
Eckels: Aaaaahhh!!! Please don’t hurt me. It’s not my fault. It was all Travis. It was his idea.
Dinosaur: ROAR!!!!
Eckels screams and runs off.
Travis: That idiot! He will ruin the future. Oh no! The dinosaur is chasing him. Quick, someone shoot it.
Lesperance: Look! He’s dead. Eckel’s dinosaur is dead and he’s not even here to see.
Kramer: I wonder where Eckels is?
Travis: Well, we better find him before he ruins something else.
Lesperance: Let’s check the time machine. He’s probably sitting there crying like a baby.
Walk to time machine.
Kramer: Well Lesperance, it looks like you were right. He is crying like a baby.
Eckels: I wasn’t crying. I was just…..
Travis: That is beside the point. There are now three bullets inside the dinosaur. Someone will have to retrieve them. If there is no objections I think Eckels should get them.
Eckels: Me! But, I …What if he eats me?
Travis: He’s dead moron. Now GO.
A little while later…..
Eckels: I got them. They’re all here. Can we go now?
Travis: Yes, but I want you to realize
that if you changed the future, if anything is different I will shoot you
myself. I will make sure you never get to screw anything up again.
Now, let’s go.
Starring:
Melissa as Lesperance
Katherine as Travis
Heather as Eckels
Jean-Marc as the Dinosaur
Sabrina as the Butterfly
Les: "See this path here, the one we's be steppin'
on? Y'all don't wanna be
steppen' off now, ya hear? It's one hell of
a drop!!"
Eck: "Ah! Hell's bells and all shells! This ain't
nothing compared to that
time I fell off that darn hay-mountain!
With all them trees a swoopin'
over our heads and them green-like swampy thangs
ain't scarin' me one bit!"
Trav: "Woh! That's a mighty fine dinosaur there!
I can't wait to be blowin'
the head off that son of a gun!!"
Les: "Them's the ones we's gonna be a shootin'
at. 'cause them's gonna
croak any 'ol how."
-->Enter dino majestically.
Dino: "ROAR! I'm the king of the jungle, and nobody's taking me down!"
Eck: "God darn it! That things a shit load of
green, y'all are on your own
now sonny."
-->Eckels passes his gun to Lesperance and stumbles
away backwards.
Les: "I thought you's wasn't afraid of nothing?"
Trav: "Just like y'ain't 'fraid of the dark!!"
Dino: "I'm going to tear your weak little limbs
from your scrawny little
pink bodies!"
--> Eckels runs away without realizing that he had stepped off of the path.
B-Fly: "I am the symbol of change. I am all that
is good in the world. I am
all of the colours in the rainbow. <flutter
flutter> I bring you love…"
--> SQUISH!!!!!!!
Eck: "I reckon that I gone an' got some 'ol bug
guts on my foot utensils…
I'm gonna have to be a scrapin' it off…
-->Eckels looks up and sees the dino…
Eck: "Maybe later.."
--> Eckels runs into the machine
Trav: ":Let's be a terminating this green-like thing!"
--> Lesperance puts down his glass of water and
starts shooting at the dino.
-->The dinosaur falls to the ground beneath
him.
Dino: "My life is over, ohh. My career is over
with!! I am as dead as a
doorhinge, I.. I ..I.."
-->Dino dies
-->Travis and Lesperance walk up to the machine
after having removed their
bullets form the dinosaur's body. They see Eckels
huddled over and
whimpering in the bottom of the machine.
Les: "I thought you wasn't bein' all chicken-like!"
Trav: " Ahh, you be a surrenderin' to your weaker
side.."
Eck: "NEVER!!"
Eck: "Okay, maybe just a tad."
Les: "You be a steppin' on one of them butter-flutter things ain't ya?"
Eck: "So, y'all wouldn't give a shit if this
huge hunk 'o dino came a
rushin' up to you ? All ya would'a been bustin'
your brain over, was if
y'all could save your butt, not some butter-flutter
thang!!"
Trav: "Now you gone an' screwed up the a future!"
Les: " Eckels, you's screwed it up, the least
you could do is stop huggin'
my foot!"
-->Eckels: "Sorry y'all. Y'all know that I didn't mean nothin' by it!"
Les: "Jsut admit to your weak side, just admit
your not as good as you's be
claimmin' to. Now you's be messin' up my, i
mean, our rich and happy future!"
--> Lesperance makes an advance towards Eckels.
Trav: "Damn it, now y'all 've gone an' smushed the symbol of change man!"
Eck: "It's all over with, there ain't nothin' you can do about it!"
Les: " Oh yeah?"
--> They both put up their fists…
Trav: " This is all a endin' right now! No more
of this 'ol horsin' around.
It's all in the past, there ain't nothin' y'all
can do, it was an
accident.. forget it ever happened."
Eck: "Yah, I knows that I been a low-life scum sucker… aww"
Les: " Sure y'ain't that abd, we'll be figurin' somethin' out…"
--> :Lesperance clicks the gun….
Looking out through the window of the time machine,
Eckles noted the lush
green jungle and the swamp lying so close to
it. He though it was
picturesque for the modern era of 2055. He knew
that there was no way that
he could find anything so beautiful at home.
Travis: Everybody out of the machine. We have a dinosaur to kill.
Everybody gets out and survey’s the landscape.
Travis: Now that were all here, I would like
to lay down the rule’s for this
expedition. First and foremost, no one steps
off of that metal path over
there. If anybody does they will answer to me!
Eckles: What will happen if we step off the path?
Will the boogey man come
and get us?
Esperance: If you step of the path you may damage
something that is vital to
history remaining the way it is. If you step
off the path, you could kill an
animal that other’s need to thrive. If those
animals die, other’s will and
so on and so forth until you have destroyed
one of your grandparents or
something else important like that. And no the
boogey man will not get you.
Krammer: How exactly is that metal path supposed
to take us to our
destination without touching anything?
Esperance: It’s anti-gravity metal.
Krammer: Oh!
Travis: Let’s go.
Everyone steps onto the path and it start’s floating
toward’s the point of
encounter. Suddenly a huge T-REX comes out of
nowhere.
Krammer: Look at the size of that thing, it’s
bigger than my apartment
building!
Eckles: TTThat is ttthe bbiggest tttthing I hhhave evver seen!!!
Travis: No one’s getting cold feet now! Start shooting!
Everyone starts shooting except Eckles who is
so scared out of his mind he
walks and walks and doesn’t notice anything.
Dinosaur:RRRRRRAAAAARRRRRR!
Travis: Everyone keep shooting, it’s getting closer.
Suddenly there was a tremendous bang and when
Travis turned around to look,
there the dinosaur was on the ground, dying.
Travis: Good work everybody!
Esperance: I think our ignorant friend Eckles
has done something rather
rash.
Travis: Eckles I told you not to step of the
path. What are you doing over
there?
Regaining his senses, Eckles turns around and
realizes he’s in mud up to his
ankles.
Travis: I warned you not to do that. If you have
done anything bad, let’s
just say I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes.
Now here, catch this knife and
go, take the bullets out of that dead T-REX
and bring them over here.
Going over to the REX, where big golden flies
were starting to amass, Eckles
took one sniff of the beast and nearly passed
out. Shoving the knife inside
the wounds he started to take out the bullets.
When he had taken all of them
out, he brought them back to the platform.
Travis: Everybody back into the machine.
In the machine, Eckles took one whiff of his
blood-stained hands and
promptly passed out.
coming soon
