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Faustus (new script)
(Enter from rear centre stage. All with books. Penny, Jenny,
Richard, Alex, Tina, Kevin, Chris, Sarah, Steve K., Liz, Steve
C. Marilyn, Claude, Mary, Brian: take positions on stage,
look at audience. Jenny, Claude, Sarah, Alex stand by
chairs; Penny raises her chair and Jenny, Claude, Sarah and
Alex sit. Andy and Jane place lecterns for Mary and Penny.)
Penny: Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome. We are a group of
sixteen players, each one of us holding a book. We ask you,
our audience, to watch while we tell you a story.
Mary: Not a story of battles or love or heroes
Penny: But a story of a man, an ordinary man
Chris: Are we not all ordinary men?
Mary (show the title of her book): The story of a man called
Faustus
All: Faustus
Penny: An ordinary man
Mary: We ask you to make careful judgments
All: Careful judgments
Penny: About what happens to Faustus, good or bad.
Jenny: Imagine now a library
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Penny: Shelves and shelves of books,
Mary: Imagine us as people who love books
(Everyone hold books close to their hearts)
Penny: Imagine us as scholars, professors, men and women
of learning.
(Brian walks across stage, shares his book with Marilyn)
Imagine us reading
All: Reading.
(everyone reads)
Penny: This is where the story starts, amongst books
Brian: Hundreds and thousands of books
Mary: Books as far as the eye can see
Penny: You can smell the pages, the ink, the bindings,
(breath)
You can hear the pages turning (turn pages)
Mary: Now we will tell you the story….. (Mary opens book)
John Faustus was born in Germany, His parents were poor
and working class. When he got older he moved to a
university town to be brought up by relatives.
Penny: He studied hard and became a scholar
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Mary: Then he became a doctor:
All: Doctor Faustus (everyone stops reading, looks at
audience)
Penny: Here is Faustus
Steve: I am Faustus
Penny: Here is Faustus, going to his study, sitting, reading.
( Wait for Tina to light the candle)
Penny: Here is his colleague, lighting a candle on his desk.
And by the light of the single flame, Faustus reads and reads
and reads.
(Steve starts to study. Everyone watches Steve)
Mary: Top of the class, studying theology. He gets bigheaded, becomes cunning and too ambitious. He has all the
golden gifts of learning but he is greedy for more.
Penny: His waxen wings did mount above his reach
And melting heavens conspired his overthrow.
Mary: He starts to study evil ways, prefers magic to truth,
wants more and more and more.
Steve, closes book, stands up: More books!
(everyone looks at Steve, when they call out their subject, go
up to Steve, show him the book or point at book, they love
their subjects. Steve shakes his head at every suggestion)
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Brian: science
Alex (go to desk, put book down, point, sign): History
Kevin: medicine
Tina: physics
Jenny: psychology
Chris: Mathematics
Claude: Geography
Marilyn: Language
Mary: Theology
Steve: Latin
Penny: Astronomy
Steve, walks to stage front: No, goodbye to those books.
(people shut their books one by one, starting with Mary. All
exit following Steve Canby, except Steve K. While people
exit ‘Goodbye to our books’. When people exit. Backstage
supporters remove lecterns)
Steve: Those books don’t give me power.
I shall go with magic
Books on magic
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TRACK 1 POEM RECORDED:
Faustus has taken the wrong turning
He does nothing with all his learning
He finds that it is all words:
He cannot get it right, he wants too much for himself
He is greedy and he wants more.
His clever mind tells him to do it,
A different path
A path of power
Just for himself.
– during the poem, Steve goes to bookshelves, takes books
and throws them on floor, then goes to the desk, sits on
books.
Enter Brian and Chris, smile at Steve and at audience, start
singing ‘The Lord’s My Shepherd’ (softly), both have the
pages of lines, circles, etc. Go to front, start laying symbols:
Lines, circles, diagrams, letters, characters)
Brian and Chris: This is what he wants.
(Sing quietly to the back of the chair, the revolve, smile,
watch.
Steve goes to front, starts gathering symbols)
TRACK 2
O, what a world of profit and delight,
Of power and honour is promised to me if I study magic.
TRACK 3
I shall command everything (Steve live: everything)
TRACK 4
I shall be more powerful than any man. (Steve: power)
TRACK 5
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I shall use my brain to become a mighty god.
(By now Steve should have collected symbols and holds
them up ..
Steve: a mighty god
(Enter Jenny, urgently)
Jenny: Stop, Faustus, (snatches symbols and throws them
away) do not read those, they’re dangerous. Think of good
things. (holds Steve’s hands).
Steve: You are right.
(Jenny exits, looking over her shoulder with concern. Steve
watches her go)
(Breathing starts. Go forward, Faustus. Steve starts to
gather symbols again. Goes back to desk, starts studying
again with relish)
TRACK 6
Steve: ‘Tis magic, magic that has ravished me
I will study nothing but magic.
Concerned colleagues
(enter Andy, Jenny, Tina, Kevin, Jane, Marilyn, Mary,
Steve…Steve K. still at desk. (Andy and Jane turn seats)
Jenny and Kevin take seats, stage left, Mary stands in
between them. Marilyn and Steve take seats, stage right,
Tina stands in between them. All of them study; all show
each other something in their books. Steve K. sighs, takes
off his glasses, cleans them on his sleeve. Everyone stops
reading and watches him.)
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Tina: What’s happened to Faustus?
Jenny: He’s changed.
Mary: He studies black magic.
On stage: Can we help him? He won’t listen. We should try
to help him. We must try. (lots of tut-tuts, oh, dears, etc.)
Mary: He has forgotten what we have learnt together.
TRACK 7
(Exit on RECORDED POEM, Jane and Andy take-off chairs:
We have learnt that you can make sense of
Knowledge through other people
You work on it
Think, you discuss it with each other
And learn together to pass it on.
That is knowledge
Learning from each other
You take the learning and use it in your own way
We link-up, the knowledge is shared: knowledge gets
passed on.
What is knowledge?
Brain, thoughts, sense, heart, soul, experience, feelings
They combine together to make knowledge. )
Magic circle.
(Steve C. and Alex behind mirrors. Steve at desk, looks up
from book, puts out the candle)
Steve: It is dark. I shall begin.
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(takes pages, lays out the magic circle on book shapes,
whilst Peet chants Latin)
Steve:
Come, spirits of fire, air, water and earth
Mephistophilis, come.
(Mirrors come in: Alex, Steve C. Steve K, arms out
stretched, eyes closed)
Steve: Mephistophilis, come.
(Looks in both mirrors, screams, horror, quickly into….
TRACK 8
RECORDED POEM:
He is looking in the mirror and he sees his reflection
The shadow of himself
And it is horrible
He sees only his bad ambition for power
He looks only into himself
And he sees only ugliness
He sees a double of himself
An image of what he has become
If only he would look closer, look away from his own self,
He would see others
But he looks only on himself
A cold, cold image)
Steve: No. Ugly. Change thy shape. I want a better image of
the devil. Now.
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(mirrors withdraw).
Steve: (Returns to desk)
You will obey me. Mephistophilis, come.
(Lights down, Andy and Jane remove magic circle and
books. Turn revolving stage to reveal Mephastophilis in
chair)
The dressing of Mephastophilis
Chris: I must make a visit, come, get me ready! (clap)
(Enter Sarah (mirror), Claude (file), Tina (jacket); Steve
(comb), Liz (duster), Marilyn (cigarette, holder and lighter):
Yes, Master. Yes, Master.
Chris: Do something with this (runs hand through hair).
(Sarah holds mirror, Steve combs hair. Chris studies mirror)
Chris: Good. Enough! (looks at shoes, frowns) Shoes and
nails!
(Liz starts to polish, Claude starts to file)
Chris: Enough. Change.
(Liz and Claude reverse sides)
Chris: Leave this one sharp (holds up ‘clawed’ finger)
Jacket!
(Tina steps forward helps Chris into his evening jacket. Chris
pleased with himself, admires himself in mirror)
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Do I look nice? Do I look good?
(wait until everyone agrees, Chris sits down, holds up 2
fingers, V sign)
Cigarette! ( Smoke!)
(Marilyn steps forward, puts cigarette holder and cigarette in
V sign, lights it for him).
Chris (stays in chair): Now I’m ready to catch a soul. Come!
Servants: Yes, master, yes, yes. (exits servants)
(Chris is pushed round on revolve. Cigarette got rid of)
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Chris, Steve, Brian join us for the bow.
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Mephastophilis appears to Faustus
(Turntable turns; Steve is at his desk. Stands)
Steve: Mephastophilis, come. You will obey me!
(Chris from the back of the chair)
Chris: I am here. Now, Faustus, what can I do for you?
Steve: I want you to obey me.
Chris: I can do nothing without asking my master, the great
Lucifer.
Steve: Who is Lucifer?
From now onwards, taped words for Chris
TRACK 9
Chris: Commander of all spirits (Chris spreads arms, high,
goes lower as speech goes on)
Once an angel
Who by aspiring pride and insolence
Was thrown down from the face of heaven.
Chris (live): Down, down, down
(Sounds of breathing off stage, Chris turns his back to
audience)
TRACK 10
And we that fell with Lucifer
Are forever damned with him
I am forever in hell and never am I out of it.
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Chris (live) I am hell. (Steve gets out of seat, walks to the
side of desk)
Steve: Where is hell?
TRACK 11
Chris: Hell hath no limits, nor is circumscribed in one self
place, for where we are is hell and where hell is, must we
ever be. (Chris turns, faces audience)
Chris (live): Hell is here (indicate place), here (hold head),
here (clasp heart), hell is everywhere.
Steve (goes to desk, picks up contract): If this is hell then I
am happy.
Chris: Faustus, turn away from this and I’ll be gone.
Steve: No, take this contract (go to desk, take paper, give to
Chris), give it to Lucifer. Come back at midnight; tell me what
he says.
(Stage lights dim, Steve and Chris exit)
The contract and devils’ orchestra
Enter Penny and Mary, bow to each other, Andy and
Jane present them with scrolls:
Penny: So Faustus has given Mephastophilis a paper. The
paper is a contract.
Mary: A contract that Faustus has written himself, to be
handed to the great Lucifer.
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Penny:
The contract reads:
Mary:
First, that Faustus may be a devil in form and substance.
Secondly, that Mephastophilis shall be his servant, and at
his command.
Thirdly, that Mephastophilis shall do for him and bring him
whatsoever.
Fourthly, that he, the aforementioned Mephastophilis shall
be invisible in Faustus’ house or chamber.
Lastly, that he shall appear to the said John Faustus at all
times in what form or shape soever he please.
Penny: In return, I, John Faustus, doctor, by these presents,
do give both body and soul to Lucifer, Prince of the East,
and furthermore grant unto him that when twenty four years
have ended, if the conditions written above have been
honoured, full power to fetch or carry the said John Faustus,
body and soul, flesh, blood, or goods, into their habitation
wheresoever.
Mary:
This is the contract that Mephastophilis will take to Lucifer.
Penny:
Will Lucifer agree to it?
Will Faustus sign it?
Mary:
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This is the contract that, if he signs, could bind Faustus to
Lucifer forever.
(Enter Sarah)
Penny:
Who will rejoice at such a contract and who will weep?
(Exit Penny and Mary. Enter Sarah with violin and bow,
plays, it is a sad, whiny noise. Let Sarah tune up, Choir
enter, pick-up noise. Chris enters, conducts choir, Annette
starts to play, singers sing, Steve C on drum comes in.
Chris waves contract, puts it in pocket in inside of jacket).
Choir bows. All turn, lead off. Richard last of all.
The midnight hour
(The study: enter Steve, followed by Tina, sits at desk, starts
to study. Tina lights candle, exits)
Storyteller: It is nearly midnight. Faustus sits at his desk and
reads by the light of a single flame. He studies only the
devil’s words. It is nearly midnight and the library is empty
until another scholar comes to take a book.
(Enter Jenny, goes to book shelf, sees Faustus, sees what
Faustus is doing, goes straight to him)
Jenny: Faustus. Faustus. Faustus. (Steve hears but not
until the third time of hearing his name. Jenny closes his
book.)
Don’t read that book, Faustus. Think of good things.
Steve: You are right…I must stop.
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(Exit Jenny, Steve watches her go.)
Steve: She is right. I must stop now.
Breathing starts. Enter Marilyn, Tina, Kevin, Steve round the
desk, (+ backstage): Faustus, no. Don’t go backward,
Faustus. Go forward.
Everyone: Forward, forward.
Backstage: Think of honour and wealth.
Steve, rub hands together: Honour and wealth.
Backstage: What can hurt you, Faustus? Have no more
doubts.
All (whispered): no more doubts.
Steve: No more doubts. (stands). Mephastophilis, come.
Backstage: It is midnight.
All (whispers): Midnight.
(CHIMES twelve, building in sound and speed?)
Steve: Mephastophilis bring me good news from the great
Lucifer.
(Enter Chris)
Chris: I am here. I am here to serve you as long as you live.
You will pay with your soul.
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All: your soul, your soul….
Backstage: Lucifer says you must sign the contract in your
own blood.
All: blood, blood, blood….
Chris: Will you sign the contract?
Steve: I will.
Chris: Give me your arm so I can draw blood.
(Steve rolls up sleeve. Chris takes Steve’s hand and draws
the claw down Steve’s arm; Chris licks the top of his claw.
LOUDER NOISE from Steve. Chris catches the drips in ink
well with red ink, takes the pen and puts it into ink well
Chris: Your blood. Now sign.
(Steve goes to dip the pen, off stage: Stop, Faustus, do not
sign.)
Steve reacts.
Off stage: Leave, Faustus. Fly.
Steve: Where can I fly? I am damned.
Chris: Wait Faustus, I’ll get something to cheer you up.
(Walks to front of stage, to audience:
Chris: I will do anything to get his soul.
Marilyn, Steve:) Come!
(to Roy, Tina, Kev,
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(They all follow Chris out, exit. Chris enters again
immediately with Brian, Liz, Tina, Steve, Richard. He leads
them on stage. They lie down on floor. He walks to Steve,
says:
Watch!
(The dance begins:
People lie down: first chord, people push themselves up and
show tongues
Read off stage:
With long red tongues
We dance the devils dance
Second chord, people stand up:
We dance the dance of the devils crown
Third chord, people bunch together:
We dance the dance of the devils crown
To tempt Faustus and to trap his soul
Mad Dance, (enter Kev and Jenny/ Marilyn and Alex with
swizzle sticks), Brian exits to pick-up crown, as soon as he
re-enters, music changes to coronation music, fan out two
lines to form aisle. As Brian walks towards Faustus with the
crown…)
Annette sings:
Faustus waits for the devil’s crown
The devil waits for Faustus’ soul
Behold the golden crown
The crown upon his head
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(Silence)
Quiet music starts, underscoring POEM TRACK 12:
Power comes with a crown
Can make you look powerful
But this crown doesn’t make Faustus a king
It does not say much about power
A tilted crown
Does not make him a king, more of a clown
A crown to make him change his mind
It is another temptation:
Sign the contract.
- at the end of the poem, the mad dance starts again until
everyone has danced off.)
Chris: Now you can see what magic can do. Will you sign?
Steve: I will. (Annette plays one note, Steve picks up pen
and signs) Signed: John Faustus. (Annette a flourish, then
Steve hands contract to Chris)
Here, take the contract.
(Chris folds it and puts into inside pocket of jacket)
TRACK 13 RECORDED POEM:
Now Faustus is wanting all knowledge
But it takes a long time to achieve proper knowing
It doesn’t happen over night
There is a world out there
And if you really want to share with other people
Then it will not happen in a day or two, a week or month
It will take longer than twenty-four years
Longer than a lifetime
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But isn’t that what our lives are for?
You do not give up because wanting to know keeps you
moving on your journey
But Faustus takes the short cut.
For Faustus there is no turning back
And the contract is signed.
…during poem Steve takes off crown and Chris lays down
mask, they come to front of stage. During poem enter Mary
and Penny, lecterns put in place.)
Mary: Now Faustus has Mephastophilis as his companion,
Penny: his servant
Mary/ Penny together: his master.
Penny: There are twenty-four years before he gives himself
over to Lucifer
Mary: Body and soul
Penny: Flesh and blood
Mary: and in return
Mary/ Penny together: power.
Steve: Power.
Mary: The first thing Faustus asks for is a wife.
Steve: I want a wife.
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Storyteller: And Mephastophilis fetches him a wife.
(Enter Steve, Kevin and Richard Annette, wait for Chris to
join them. Chris goes to stage back to collect Alex, Steve
watches)
Group are led by Steve and Annette, followed by Kev and
Richard who make an archway with flowers for Alex and
Chris to go under. Steve K. offers chair to wife, he is pleased
and full of love. He circles Alex and then gently lifts the veil,
music: drum roll and equivalent from Annette. Steve
removes veil from Alex’s face: Uck!, Alex hisses, men hiss)
Chris: Do you like your wife?
Steve: That is no wife. She’s a whore. Away with her.
(Alex exits slowly, everytime he looks back, Steve shouts
‘go’!)
Chris: You see, you don’t want a wife. I’ll get you a different
woman every night.
Mary: Mephastophilis convinces Faustus that he doesn’t
need a wife and he tempts him with books.
(Chris go to pick-up big book)
Penny (with pace and excitement): Books to give Faustus
the power he wants. Books of spells to raise up spirits.
(Chris: there)
Mary (with pace and excitement): Books to make him rich, to
control the wind, the thunder and lightning.
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(Chris: there)
Penny: Books that tell him about all the planets of the
heavens, their movement and situations....
(Chris: there)
Mary: Books that show him all that grows on earth.
(Chris: there)
Penny (slow down): And then Faustus knows he has been
deceived.
Steve: You deceived me.
Chris: No, look, there....
Mary: But all Faustus sees are the joys of life that have been
taken from him. He sees all the beauty of the world and
knows that it is no longer his. He asks Mephastophilis: who
made the world? Tell me.
Steve: Mephastophilis, who made the world, tell me?
Chris: No. (close book) You must not think of this. You must
think only of hell, for you are damned.
Steve: Go, Mephastophilis, go to ugly hell.
Steve (comes to stage front): Is it too late?
Penny (nastily): It is too late.
(Chris exit)
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Mary (gently): It is never too late.
Penny: Ask for forgiveness and we will tear you to pieces.
Mary: Ask for forgiveness and no one will harm you.
Steve: Oh, help me, save my soul.
(Exit Penny and Mary. Turn revolving platform: enter Brian,
in devil’s chair )
All Brian’s movements, especially with wing. Tape.
TRACK 14
Commander of all spirits
Once an angel
Who by aspiring pride and insolence
Was thrown down from the face of heaven.
Brian walks to front of stage and smears make-up. Points at
Steve.
TRACK 15
Brian: I am Lucifer. You, I have your soul.
(Steve terrified, lie face down.)
TRACK 16
Brian: Think only of me, think of nothing but me. Lucifer.
Steve: I’m sorry. Forgive me.
TRACK 17
Brian: Sit (everyone: sit, sit...), here, Faustus, and I will show
you sin. Watch. (Chris enters with chair places it stage right,
front. Steve sits. Chris stands behind)
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The seven deadly sins
Brian indicates entrance of the sins. He sits behind and
above sins as if orchestrating them. (Sarah wheeled in on
chaise long, decorated with food, all the props the ‘sins’ will
need. Mirrors. With her: Alex, Richard, Steve, Tina, Jane.
Everyone acts each sin; one/two people take responsibility
for their particular sin)
In the style of drunken party, led by Andy (and other
microphone support?).
We are sin. Seven sins.
(Yeah, we are sin. Seven of us. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7)
You are sin.
(you, all of you sin. (Tina and Alex at mirrors), all of us sin)
Let us introduce ourselves.
We are pride.
(Richard as feature, yeah, number 1, we are pride. Better
than you, better than any of you
Mary, using a large handkerchief as if to ward off a nasty
smell: Yes, pride. Better than you (point to audience). We
look down on you.
We are covetousness.
(Two (V sign at audience) covetousness, that’s what we are.
Alex to front. He signs/group voices and signs: I want, I
want, I want everything.)
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We are wrath.
(Wrath, yeah, wrath. Brian comes off chair, into
wrath…….now back to my sins)
We are envy.
(We are envy. We cannot read so we will burn all the books.
Why do you sit while we stand? Come down, down, down to
hell with us)
We are gluttony.
(1,2,3,4,5 …the fifth sin is gluttony. We eat and eat and eat.
Richard pours Steve’s drink. Steve downs it, belches: Can
you give me more?)
Steve K: No!
Steve and all: Then the devil choke you.
We are sloth.
(Sarah scratches bottom. We try to count but drop-off in
middle, yawns, snores: 1,2,3,4,5,6. Sloth. Everyone drops off
around Sarah)
Wait,
(we all wake)
The seventh sin, lechery.
(we are lechery. Tina’s sausage, us do our bits, Tina waves
sausage at us, we all laugh.
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Tina: I love meat (Takes a bite out of the sausage)
Everyone: We all love meat.
Now you know us.
(us to Steve: now you know us. We are sin. Steve claps, sins
bow. Brian comes round to front)
TRACK 18 Brian: You like sin?
Steve: It feeds my soul.
TRACK 19 Brian: Hell holds many delights.
Steve: Thank you, great Lucifer.
TRACK 20 Brian: See you soon, Faustus. Remember; think
only of me.
Steve: Farewell, great Lucifer. Mephastophilis, come. (Exit)
TRACK 21 Brian (stare at audience): Remember, think only
of me. Come! (or try Brian with ‘Go!’ Seven deadly sins exit.
Brian sits back on throne, stares at audience during poem)
POEM RECORDED:
Mephistophilis and Lucifer close another door
Each door that shuts is a rejection for Faustus
Like a story never shared, a story never read
Keeping Faustus trapped in an ignorance of temptation and
trickery.
The doors of love and fellowship are slammed in his face
Like a dusty book that is never opened.
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INTERVAL
The monks feast
(Enter Mary and Penny, Andy and Jane put lecterns in
place)
Mary: Now Faustus has met the great Lucifer, he will
remember him and he will see him again in twenty four
years.
Penny: What will he do in this time of power and knowledge?
How will he use his power?
Mary: There are only a few stories of how Faustus used his
power.....we will show you three.
(Enter Steve and Chris, stand by side of chair.
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Penny: First Faustus travels the world with Mephastophilis
as his companion
Mary: his servant
Mary and Penny together: his master.
Mary: He travels to the top of tallest mountains to know the
secrets of the universe. (Steve and Chris to front)
Penny: He visits Rome as part of his journey to learn and
understand the secrets of the kingdoms of the earth.
Mary: But with Mephastophilis as his companion,
Penny: his servant,
Mary/Penny: his master,
Mary: He learns nothing but how to trick and tease religious
men celebrating St. Peter’s Holy Day.
Penny: This is the story of the Pope and the holy feast.
Exit Mary and Penny.
Enter monks, clergymen, religious bods. Chris and Steve
move to stage left :
Alex, Tina, Claude, Kev, Steve C. Richard do their mumbled
prayer, when they stop:
Steve: Can they see us?
Chris: No, we are invisible.
Steve: Great.
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(Hands together as if in prayer, Steve and Chris making fun
of monks, across stage to stage right, then Richard does
bugle)
Enter Brian as Pope.
Pope has arms out-stretched, enters on a fanfare. Sits in
devil’s chair placed in middle of line-up of monks.
Says a grace.....conversation with god in strange mumbles!
On ‘Amen’ everyone crosses themselves.
Liz comes out with napkins, everyone takes one, goes to
Brian holds in front, Kev and Claude collect, Kev ties under
Brian’s chin)
Sarah brings spoons. Everyone takes, Brian the big one,
make a thing of everyone looking at Brian’s spoon, their
spoon.
The feast begins. Slurping, belching, wiping chins.
Steve: The devil choke you.
Others: noises, look at each other, shrug. Sarah collects
spoons, Liz does knives and forks, like a conveyor belt.
Followed by Marilyn, to audience: ‘look at this nice sausage’;
‘It’s his sausage’; ‘Nice sausage’
Brian carves sausage. Everyone watches. Brian holds
sausage. Steve goes to Brian steals Fork + Sausage.
Everyone shocked, mouths open. Steve and Chris take bite
of sausage, chew extravagantly. Everyone except Brian
makes sign of the cross with their knives and forks to ward
off evil. Brian crosses himself, starts nonsense prayer.
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Steve puts fork in Marilyn’s bottom, she screams, everyone
screams, runs out. Brian throw arms into air: Oh, my god.
Marilyn drop tray and run off. Brian runs out last.
End with Steve and Chris laughing. Lights dim, Steve and
Chris stay on stage,
Chair for Tina and reins under chair, Clear tray, sausage and
knife
During poem: enter Tina with horse’s head, Annette, Penny
and Mary
TRACK 23 POEM RECORDED:
Faustus so much wants power
The Shall I? Shan’t I? arguments in his head
Are quickly ended because Mephastophilis is always on his
shoulder with another temptation, another trick
Temptations are everywhere
Remember: for Faustus there is no turning back.
Mary: This is the second story of how Faustus uses his
power. It is the story of the horse courser and starts, of
course, with Faustus
Penny: and Mephistophilis,
Mary: his companion,
Penny: his servant,
Mary and Penny: his master.
(Pause for Chris and Steve to complete movement)
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Penny: This story also involves some hay
(Mary and Penny indicate place where hay will go. Steve
and Chris go back. Andy brings hay in, drops. Exits)
Mary: And the horse courser himself.
(Again indicate. Enter Alex)
Penny: The horse courser is a dealer in horses
(Alex brings out cards, shows audience)
Mary: He buys horses cheaply
Penny: Sells them for profit.
Mary: He cheats those that he buys from
Penny: He cheats those to whom he sells.
Mary:He’s careful,
Penny: He’s clever
Mary: a cheat,
Penny: a charmer,
Mary: he makes money (Enter Andy. Shows money, gives
to Alex)
Penny: hand over fist
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(wait let Alex show money to audience, let him pull money
away from audience)
Mary: He is great puller of people’s legs
Penny: But is not used to having his own leg pulled
That is
Mary and Penny: until he meets Faustus
Mary: Exit the horse courser (indicate exit to Alex)
Penny: And let the story begin with Faustus and the hay
(magic scene with Steve, Tina and Chris)
Steve: I magic a horse from hay.
Tina makes the horse get up, look around. Steve beckons
the horse, loves it. Perhaps the cue for Penny to start is
Steve kissing the horse on the nose)
Penny: Enter the horse courser (Mary and Penny indicate,
enter Alex)
Mary: Inspects the horse
Penny, wait for Alex to pick-up Tina’s leg: Hoof
Mary: And fetlock
Penny, wait for Alex to go to Tina’s bottom: Buttocks
Mary: Tail
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Mary and Penny: Tail ! (Andy enters, picks up hay, looks at
Penny)
Penny: tail (indicates where Andy stands).
(Andy makes horse’s tail
Mary: The horse courser wants to buy the horse
Thinks he can get the horse for a song
Penny, wait for Alex to bring out money, hold it up: Offers
Ten, Twenty, Thirty, Forty
Mary and Penny together: Forty dollars!
Steve goes up to Alex, says and signs: No! I want fifty.
(argument over price, Chris interrupts)
Chris: Now Faustus, he is an honest fellow. Take forty.
Steve: Give me forty. (Holds out hand,…Alex spits in hand,
goes to shake Faustus’ hand)
Steve: Aggghhh, wait, .......
Mary: Wait, says Faustus, this horse is special, he will drink
of all waters, but ride him not into the water.
Penny: Not into water
Mary: Ride him over hedge or ditch, or where thou wilt, but
not into the water.
Penny: Not into water
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Steve: Not into water.
Shake hands. Reins handed to horse courser.
(Pose with horse, thumbs up, tapping hat or other place
where audience knows he keeps the money, twitch of the
tail, walks horse round, exits)
(Steve looks longingly after horse)
Penny: Now look at Faustus, already he misses the horse
even though it is just a trick.
Mary: Look at Faustus, how tired he is. Time runs fast and
the clock ticks on.
Mary, Penny, Chris, keep the following words going, almost
as a lullaby whilst Steve lies down and Andy puts leg into
place:
Rest, Faustus.
Sleep, Faustus.
Rest Faustus. Sleep.
Penny: And Faustus sleeps.
Mary: Enter the horse courser
All wet and crying
Penny, calls out: All wet and crying
(Enter Andy with water, looks at Penny)
Penny: all wet and crying.
35
(Andy throws water at Alex)
Mary: All wet and crying and moaning that he rode the horse
into the village pond
Penny: Ride him not into the water
Mary: And when he rode him into the water
the horse disappeared
Penny: Not into water
Mary: And when the horse disappeared, all that was left was
some hay (Andy hand hay to Alex, Alex throws down and
goes over to Steve to wake him)
Penny: Listen to him roar (Andy roars) listen to him roar:
Faustus diddled me, cheated me good and proper, I want my
money back
Listen to him roar (Andy roars again)
To Andy and Alex, Mary and Penny:
Shhhhh, you mustn’t wake him
Chris, taps Alex on the arm: Ssssssh, you must not wake
him.
Alex goes to Steve’s leg, goes to pull it, everyone, stage
whisper: no!
(Alex pulls off leg, moment of silence, everyone look at leg)
Penny and Mary: His leg, his leg
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Steve: My leg. My leg. Call the police. (Andy go off, pick up
police helmet, Alex gives leg to Steve)
Penny and Mary: Call the police.
Chris: Call the police. (Andy blow whistle. Enter quickly with
blue flashing light)
Alex signs : No, no, no. (Gives Chris loads of money.)
Everyone points off-stage: go!
Alex one last pose for the audience (relief) and exits)
Faustus: Is he gone?
Mephastophilis: He’s gone and we made …a lot of
money...count money.
Faustus: and I have my leg again. (dance a jig with Chris
that goes from fun to horror)
(Lights fade, Chris and Steve stay put, clear stage of hay,
leg black cloth. Turn chair, centre, put invite on chair. Up
with lights.)
Mary: This is the third and last story we have chosen to
show how Faustus uses his power. Again we see Faustus,
Penny: With Mephastophilis as his companion.
Mary: His servant.
Mary and Penny together: His master.
37
Penny: This is the story of the Duke and Duchess of
Vanholt.
Mary: This is the duke, a proud and honourable man.
(Enter Alex with Steve holding train)
Penny: He wants to meet Faustus. Is desperate to meet him.
He invites Faustus to his house.
(Steve takes invite from Alex. Hands it to Steve K.)
Mary: Will Faustus go?
Penny: Yes, because he needs to show off his powers.
Watch.
Alex welcomes Faustus.
Alex: Meet my darling wife, she is pregnant (indicates Mary).
Mary: she is pregnant?
Penny: She is pregnant.
(Enter one of us with padding, dress Mary.)
Penny: She looks pregnant.
(Steve escorts her to chair, gives her cup and saucer, etc.)
Alex: My darling wife (indicates Mary).
Steve: You look uncomfortable, you great bellied woman.
Mary: I am pregnant you know.
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Steve: Can I help you?
Mary: I would love some grapes but it is winter and I cannot
get any.
Steve, clicks fingers at Chris: Grapes.
(Enter Chris, holds them up, tantalising Mary, Mary can’t
take her eyes off them.)
Penny: Grapes.......in winter. How clever of Faustus.
Mary: Grapes! How clever you are.
Penny: What a good husband Faustus would make.
Mary: What a good husband you’d make.
Steve, tempting: Try one.
(Mary takes a grape.)
Penny (whisper): Oh, what beautiful juicy grapes.
Mary: Beautiful, juicy
Steve: Try another.
Penny: Those are the best grapes the duchess has ever
tasted.
Mary: The best grapes.
Steve: Take the bunch.
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Mary: Thank you.
(Turns to Alex, indicates that he should pay money to
Faustus.)
Penny: And the proud duke thanks Faustus and rewards
him for the help he has given his great-bellied wife.
(Business with purse…when Chris has the purse…)
Penny: The duke asks Faustus how he managed to get
grapes in the middle of winter, and Faustus explains about
the earth’s climate. (EXIT Chris, Steve and Alex)
The duchess sits as she always does thinking of food and
drink and her very, very, very long pregnancy. She sits and
thinks until all the grapes have gone.
Mary: Husband!
Enter Alex, hands her cup and saucer, takes her arm, pats
her stomach wearily.
Alex leads her off.
Penny: But for Faustus the time ticks away,
(Brian starts to tick)
using up the days,
the hours,
the minutes, he has left.
(wait for backstage workers to enter and stand by the
revolving stage, Steve Knight on revolve)
Penny: We have shown you three stories of how Faustus
40
used his power and it is time to return to the library, the
place where our story started.
(Wait for platform to turn)
Concerned colleagues
Now Faustus’ colleagues come to study their books…
They read and read and read. (Exit Penny as Jenny, Marilyn
Claude, Andy, Steve, Mary enter)
(Brian’s tick gets louder and faster, Tina runs on stage, tick
stops when she arrives on stage)
Tina, beckons to group: Come here. (people gather round) I
think Faustus is going to die?
Marilyn: What makes you say that?
Mary: He is giving away all his things.
Steve: He’s all right. He goes out all the time
Claude: He goes to parties
Jenny: Drinking
Marilyn: eating
Generally, on stage:
Something is wrong. Faustus is wrong. Can we help him?
We will try.
41
Jenny (strong and determined): I will help him
(Everyone exits except for Jenny, who goes over to
bookcase, looks at books. POEM, people exit while played,
ENTER Chris, stand by book shelf, paring nails with big
knife)
(TRACK 24) BUT READ LIVE: whilst poem is read, Jenny
circles Steve, she takes him by the hands.
POEM:
Does Faustus value his soul?
He does not understand about his soul
He has no knowledge of what it is.
A soul is all of a person
It is your own, your identity
Your self, your love, your life, your faith, your honesty,
It is about your knowledge
Your sense
And it is developed through being with other people.
Jenny, holding his hands or shoulders, to Steve: Oh,
Faustus, what have you done?
Steve to Jenny: You are right. What have I done? Despair
and die.
Chris (gives Steve the knife, smiling): Do it then, die.
(Steve puts knife to his throat)
Jenny (strong): No, Faustus, live. Live.
Steve, look at knife, look at Jenny: You are right. (throws
knife away, gets up, holding Jenny’s hand starts to walk off
stage. Chris, angry, grabs Steve, pulls him back, pushes him
on floor. Jenny goes behind Faustus’ chair)
42
Chris, angry: You are a traitor, Faustus, you go back on your
word. I shall tear you to pieces.
Steve: I am sorry. It is her fault (points at Jenny). Punish her,
not me. (cowers behind bookshelf)
Chris: I cannot touch her soul but I can hurt her body.
Steve: Do it!
(Jenny starts to run, Kev comes out from one side, Richard
the other, catch Jenny, hold her, Jenny is facing the
audience. Steve picks up the knife, circles Jenny, as he
passes in front of her….)
Jenny: Faustus, you are a fool.
(Steve takes knife to Chris, gives it to him,…)
Steve to Chris: Do it!
(Chris steps forward with the knife and shows the cutting of
Jenny’s throat. Jenny slumps and then, slowly, she lifts her
head and looks up, Richard and Kev lift their hands and
release her )
Jenny: I fly to my god
(Jenny stands free…then she walks very slowly, head held
high, exits centre backstage)
Chris to Steve: Happy now?
Steve: No, I want more. Mephastophilis, I want a woman. A
beautiful woman.
43
Chris: Whatever you desire. Here she is….(Clicks fingers,
chaise is wheeled in, it is obvious to everyone but Faustus
that there is no one there)
Steve: You are beautiful. Let me kiss you. (he gets onto
chaise. After a long kiss! he lifts his head.) You will be my
only love. Give me my soul again.
(the devils wheel the chaise out, Chris follows with a grin at
the audience)
TRACK 27 POEM RECORDED:
Tricks are about lies
Because a trick is not a true thing
It is made up like a different sort of story
Crude and wicked
And it is the opposite of glory
Tricks will take away the last of the things
That Faustus can love.
Concerned colleagues
(enter: Steve C. Marilyn, Kevin, Mary, Andy and Jane. Tina
and Steve K. Faustus sits at desk, Tina lights candle,
scholars surround him. When he slams book, they all look at
him)
All: Faustus
(Steve gets out of desk)
Steve C., goes to him: Are you ill?
All: Faustus, what’s wrong?
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Steve: I would tell you but he holds my tongue.
All of us: Pray, Faustus, pray.
Steve: I cannot. They hold my hands.
All: Who, Faustus?
Steve: Lucifer and Mephastophilis. I gave them my soul.
All: Oh, my God. (deeply shocked)
Steve: It is too late. Farewell, my friends.
All: Farewell, Faustus. (all exit, touch Steve as we go. Steve
lays his head onto his big book)
The eleventh hour
(Chimes, eleven o’ clock. Steve lifts his head as if from
sleep, listens, when chime stops….)
Steve: I have one hour left to live.
(takes book back to shelf, takes off gown, folds it on chair,
snuffs candle, takes glasses off puts them on table, comes
stage front, looks up)
Steve: Stars stand still.
Storyteller, off stage: But the stars still move, time runs, the
clock will strike,
The devil will come, and Faustus must be damned.
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Steve: Damned.
(The sound of Brian’s tick. George chimes the half-hour)
Storyteller: Half the hour is past.
Steve: Have mercy on me.
Storyteller: Fair Nature’s eye, rise, rise again and make
Perpetual day, or let this hour be but
A year, a month, a week, a natural day,
That Faustus may repent and save his soul.
Steve: Save my soul.
(George chimes twelve; Steve goes down onto his knees.)
Steve: O, midnight has come.
Storyteller: Now body turn to air, Or Lucifer will bear thee
quick to hell.
(Brian enters, left, Chris {Kev behind him} enters right, they
look at Faustus)
(Both Chris and Brian move slowly towards Steve)
Steve, look at Brian: No, Lucifer.
Steve, look at Mephastophilis: No, Mephastophilis. I’ll burn
my books!
(Steve collapses face down: Chris and Kevin take him by the
ankles and drag him off.
46
47
Enter Penny, Tina, Claude, Steve C. Mary, Alex, Marilyn
All with books, Penny opens to read, everyone else keeps
their book closed and to their hearts. The rest of us enter
from behind, except Brian, Chris and Steve
POEM LIVE read by Penny
The strength of a story is your own involvement in it
Some stories are empty
But we think this one is full of meaning
We want to get to the glory of a story
To never cheat by only reading the last page
But to take each page as it comes until we reach
The heart of the story,
And then it will help us to find its power and we must learn its
meanings
A story is like our lives
With a beginning, a middle, an end
We have entered Faustus’ world and made a journey
through his life
Now we hold Faustus’ story in us and it will make us all
think,
About the involvements of all human beings and their lives
Our courage, our weakness, our strengths and
determinations
Let us keep the story of Faustus somewhere in our minds
(Penny closes her book and everyone else holds them out,
offering them towards the audience. We all say together ‘in
our minds’)
Chris, Steve, Brian join us for the bow.
48
END OF EXTRACT FOR THE EGG
THEN……
Enter Penny, Tina, Claude, Steve C. Mary, Alex, Marilyn
All with books, Penny opens to read, everyone else keeps
their book closed and to their hearts. The rest of us enter
from behind, except Brian, Chris and Steve
POEM LIVE read by Penny
The strength of a story is your own involvement in it
Some stories are empty
But we think this one is full of meaning
We want to get to the glory of a story
To never cheat by only reading the last page
But to take each page as it comes until we reach
The heart of the story,
And then it will help us to find its power and we must learn its
meanings
A story is like our lives
With a beginning, a middle, an end
49
We have entered Faustus’ world and made a journey
through his life
Now we hold Faustus’ story in us and it will make us all
think,
About the involvements of all human beings and their lives
Our courage, our weakness, our strengths and
determinations
Let us keep the story of Faustus somewhere in our minds
(Penny closes her book and everyone else holds them out,
offering them towards the audience. We all say together ‘in
our minds’)
50
The monks feast
(Enter Mary)
Mary: Now Faustus has met the great Lucifer, he will
remember him and he will see him again in twentyfour years.
What will he do in this time of power and knowledge?
How will he use his power?
There are only a few stories of how Faustus used his
power.....we will show you one.
(Enter Steve and Chris, stand by side of chair.
Mary: First Faustus travels the world with
Mephastophilis as his companion
his servant
his master.
He visits Rome as part of his journey to learn and
understand the secrets of the kingdoms of the earth.
But with Mephastophilis as his companion,
his servant,
his master.
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He learns nothing but how to trick and tease religious
men celebrating St. Peter’s Holy Day.
This is the story of the Pope and the holy feast.
exit Mary.
Enter monks, clergymen, religious bods. Chris and Steve
move to stage left :
Alex, Tina, Claude, Kev, Steve C. Richard do their mumbled
prayer, when they stop:
Steve: Can they see us?
Chris: No, we are invisible.
Steve: Great.
(Hands together as if in prayer, Steve and Chris making fun
of monks, across stage to stage right, then Richard does
bugle)
Enter Brian as Pope.
Pope has arms out-stretched, enters on a fanfare. Sits in
devil’s chair placed in middle of line-up of monks.
Says a grace.....conversation with god in strange mumbles!
On ‘Amen’ everyone crosses themselves.
Liz comes out with napkins, everyone takes one, goes to
Brian holds in front, Kev and Claude collect, Kev ties under
Brian’s chin)
52
Sarah brings spoons. Everyone takes, Brian the big one,
make a thing of everyone looking at Brian’s spoon, their
spoon.
The feast begins. Slurping, belching, wiping chins.
Steve: The devil choke you.
Others: noises, look at each other, shrug. Sarah collects
spoons, Liz does knives and forks, like a conveyor belt.
Followed by Marilyn, to audience: ‘look at this nice sausage’;
‘It’s his sausage’; ‘Nice sausage’
Brian carves sausage. Everyone watches. Brian holds
sausage. Steve goes to Brian steals Fork + Sausage.
Everyone shocked, mouths open. Steve and Chris take bite
of sausage, chew extravagantly. Everyone except Brian
makes sign of the cross with their knives and forks to ward
off evil. Brian crosses himself, starts nonsense prayer.
Steve puts fork in Marilyn’s bottom, she screams, everyone
screams, runs out. Brian throw arms into air: Oh, my god.
Marilyn drop tray and run off. Brian runs out last.
Enter: Mary: There goes the pope’s sausage!
End with Steve and Chris laughing.