Sheffe's+Place

=**Feeling Taos--A very short play**=



//Soft lighting across stage. There is a row of ten chairs across the front of the stage, one behind the other, facing stage right. Stage left are three tables arranged in a triangle pointed toward audience, at least one chair each. The Bus Driver sits in the front row chair, the Narrator sits about the middle, and the Kid sits a few seats behind the Narrator. There is a large screen behind the “bus” where pictures are projected. Lights should be low, lots of pink, brightening to sunny yellow by “yellow sun.”//



//[Sound: subtle background of low engine noise Backgrounds: pictures of southwestern places going by, or impression of forward movement done with lighting. These run only when engine noise runs.]//

//[Fade up engine noise]//

Narrator: Hides in your bones

All: hummmmm…

Narrator: sum of some hums…

All: hummmmm…

Narrator: half asleep

All: hummmmm… //[fade out voices]//

Kid: Mommy, are we in Taos yit? [pause] Mommy, are we in Taos yit? [pause] Mommy, are we in Taos yit?

Narrator: [reacts, addresses audience] This kid’s **gotta** be at **least** twelve, too old to ask that question over engine rumble, grumble of tires, higher burr of anemic AC every forty minutes from Colorado Springs.

//[Sound: brakes squeaking, engine sound cut All: rock forward and back together with the brake sound.]//

Narrator: Stop in every little town nothing grows in on gravel cement block buildings gray, gray dirt, sky blue, yellow sun.

Outside, tired people in a line to get on straggle on, one and two and one to meet another traveler.
 * Hot**. **As**. **Hell**.

//[Watches imaginary people get on and off.]//

Narrator: Some slump off. [//pause//] Nowhere near Taos yet.

//[engine hum starts again]// Kid: Mommy, are we…

Narrator: //[Reacts; said to Kid, who does not react Lights: dimmed, pink spot on Narrator]// Geez, **no**, kid, **you’re** not, **we’re** not, or we **are**, **look**! **that** building, over there, **that’s** Taos. //[pause]// [to audience] No, I didn’t, I said nothing to him. //[Bring up lights, fade out spot]// Miles and miles and miles from anywhere we stop.
 * Not**. //[pause]//

//[Engine stop, brakes.]//

All:[//rock forward and back together with brake sound. They get off at “doors” and go to tables, sit in chairs. Background: picture of shiny silver trailer-type truckstop diner.]//

Narrator: Flatware-silver gleaming diner--swear to God there’s nothing there, only diner



we ate dinner, me [//Gets up, looks into distance over audience heads//.]
 * terrified** the bus would leave without us.

Gravel reaches to the horizon--whole horizon--**way** too flat fresh jello in the fridge flat and empty.

All: [//get back on bus through “doors.” Engine sound resumes//.] Kid: Mommy, are we in Taos yit?

Narrator: [//not to Kid//] **Oh**. **My**. **God**. Deliver us from evil. [//pause//] Miles and miles and miles and the driver calls out [//cut engine noise, apply brakes//]

Driver:**Taos**, everyone get off who wants **Taos**!

Narrator: [//Not to Kid//] Goodbye, you silly kid, hope Taos drops blessings on you like guano out of a parakeet. [//Stands, speaks to audience. Fade background lights, bring up spot//]

Taos is walled, odd shapes and roundness,



creams and oranges, pinks and browns, ruddy adobe in wonderland jumbles. [//show colored shapes of these colors against background screen//] Not like home, but I never expected home and I’d like to stop and look around [pause] but we’re on our way to Albuquerque, and I will be **damned** if I will get stuck with **that** kid in **Taos**.

___