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Open Skies ZERO:
Prelude to a New Life

Scene 13

[Stage right, land.  75% of stage left is water (water cut-outs).  Front of row boat sticking out stage right, standing beside boat are Balin and Robert.  In boat (not necessarily visible yet) are William, TT1, TT2, Robert, RT1, RT2, RT3, Boy1, and Boy2.  Behind all that is the big duck*, also on shore.  Beside big duck are Randall and Red.  Inside duck are Angel, Sarah, Moose, Cage, Old man, and Small boy.]

Balin:  [facing stage right, yells]  ALL ABOARD!

[Sound of a lion roar, and sounds of land crushing, earthquakes, etc.]

Balin: [at same time as Red's next line]  Oh crap, time to go!

Red:  [at same time as Balin's previous line]  Well, this is it!  Let’s go!

[Occasional sound of lion roar continues as well as continuous land crushing sounds. Balin and Robert push the rowboat into the water and hop in as Red and Randall push the duck into the water and get in.  Everyone can improvise freely here.  The rowboat boys tend to have more like war cries, "AAhhhs", etc.  while duck passengers tend to have more tailored to their own personalities (i.e. Cage would be excited, Sarah cautious, Randall and Moose excited but underplayed., etc.)]

Balin:  Come on boys, let’s do it!

[The rowboat boys row and aren't moving.  The duck moves forward slowly off stage left over the next few moments.]

Balin:  Harder, boys!  Faster!  [looking around frantically, and looking as the duck exits stage right, sounds of destruction are getting closer]  Faster, darnit!

[Sounds get closer/louder.  All boys looking over stage right as if something is getting closer.]

Robert:  RRROOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!  LET’S GO!

[Crushing sound, boat's front end tips forward and exposes that the ship just got crushed*.  The part of the boat tips and all the boys are thrown into the water.  They frantically try to swim stage left, but don't go anywhere.  They all end up back on shore, laying down. Balin stands up and looks around, scared, and runs off, exiting stage right. William stands up and walks amongst the other boys, singing, while the crushing sounds continue:]

Play

William: [singing]

Where we go from here
I’m not sure but it’s clear
The end is near

The end times are upon us
We’re standing at the doorstep
To oblivion

We’re standing on the edge
And we will
Stand our ground

[The water cutouts extend to cover entire stage, covering the boys, and they exit stage discreetly.  The duck enters back in via stage left (as if a camera facing the stage was panning right).]

Cage: [pointing stage right]  Look!

Sarah: [straining to see that far away]  Is that Balin all the way up there?!

Angel: He’s climbed all the way up that tree!

Red: Ha!  He might just make it after all!

[The sound of an eagle squawks overhead, and the crew looks up as a rolled up letter drops from the sky. Angel catches the letter and reads/sings it:]

Play

Angel:  Wake up.  Open your eyes and see the dawning of the day.  Stay in my arms and we’ll traverse shadow and pain.

[Red is looking over her shoulder and butts in to read/sing.]

Red:  And when they come to you and say that you’re not good enough.

[Cage is looking over her other shoulder and continues the reading/singing.]

Cage:  We’ll laugh in their face and say, “What’s good enough?  All that we wanted was to live!”

[They all break out into song.]

Angel + Sarah: [singing]

Wake up!
Open your eyes and see the dawning of the day!
Stay in my arms and we’ll traverse shadow and pain.

Red + Old man + Moose: [singing]

And when they come to you
And say that you’re not good enough

Randall + Cage + Small boy: [singing]

We’ll laugh in their face and say
“What’s good enough?
All that we wanted was to live!”

[This repeats, with the first line "Wake up!" overlapping with the last word "live!".  As Duck slowly exits stage left and music is fading out, white light slowly intensifies and woman's voice can be heard:]

Woman 2 voice:  PUUUUUSSSSSSHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

[Sounds of giving birth, light intensifies.]

Woman’s voice:  nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn…aaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!

[Light is as bright as possible, baby cries, light decreases to reasonable level now.]

Woman 2 voice:  It’s a girl!

Woman’s voice:  We’ll call her… Sky.

END

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*Production Notes: The big duck doesn’t necessarily have to be solid production-wise, could be like a big two-dimensional duck with a circle missing from the middle, and all the passengers on a rolling platform, visible through the middle of the duck.
The crushed rowboat can be achieved by having it already built with one end crushed, just to where it won’t be exposed on the stage until that point.