Knock on Wood
The story and music of Stax records
1
Candy
bar
Pre show music
CDs of Stax 50th Anniversary
Tues (12 grades)
Wed (12 grades)
PH PJ PK
PO PS PT
1C 1F
1J 1L 1/2M
2A 2K
2L
Monterey
Pop
Festival
3J
3K 3M
4M 4/5Z
4T
5J
5S
1972
Academy
Awards
6J
6R
Stax
Soulsville
USA
Wattstax
Los
Angeles
2
Andy
Jack
Chris
Gerard
Justin
Brendan
Microphones
1 Handheld
2 Handheld
3 Headset
4 Headset
5 Headset
6 Headset
3
Jim Stewart (Young) T Jackson E W Bryn
Estelle Axton T Zakiya W Lydia
Jim Stewart (Old) T Andre W Sonny
The Staple Singers (I’ll take you there)
T Amy (Stella - Maile - Emily M) W Julia (Ines – Zali – Indi)
The Who: T Spencer, Sam, Will Smith, Alex K, Niamh
W Joel Nic Harry Oscar Buzz
The Staple Singers (If you’re ready)
T Indigo (Diamond China Matilda) W Oscar (Emma Sophie Nicola)
Candy man
T 1 Jarred 2 Xanthia
W 1 Maddy 2 Gabriel
The Staple Singers (Respect yourself)
T Myra (Grace, India Macleod, India McClure)
W Tenee (Imara, Zoe, Isabelle)
Booker T T Quincy W Cal
Linda Lyndell T Casey (Gemma/ India Macleod)
W Greta (Steph / Tara)
Isaac Hayes T & W Tom
Gloria Gaynor T Stella W Georgie
David Porter T & W Jonathan Lo
Amii Stewart T Eliza (Ella Stella) W Alex (Billie Tiana)
Jesse Jackson T Yves W Finn
Jean Knight T Izzy (Stella / India McClure)
W Bonnie (Anna / Jessica)
Jimi Hendrix T Josh (Alice & Niamh) (Izzy & Casey)
Diana Ross T Vanessa (Izzy / Casey)
W Annabel (Victoria / Jayne)
W Thomas (Jason & Jamie)
Aretha Frankin T Maile (Dene / Chiara)
W Anna (Sofia / Indigo)
Al Bell T Riley W Daniel
Otis Redding T Sam W Jackson
Starting all over again (T Remi / Lilly) (W Jessica C / Caitlin)
Memphis horns
T 1 Timothy 2 Angus 3 Charlie
W 1 Oliver 2 Nelson 3 Ethan
Angie Dickinson T Ingrid W CJ
Joan Blondell T Ana W Tully
Don Davis T Jack W Alex
Newsreader T Naomi (6J) W Safire (6R)
Rufus Thomas T James W Rami
Carla Thomas T Ursula W Amelia
Mayor of Memphis T Lachlan W Jasper
Anne Porter T Raphaella (2A) W Clancy (2L)
4
Soundtrack
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Hold on I’m coming
Last night
Soul limbo
You don’t know like I know
Never can say goodbye
Soul finger
My generation
Wild thing
I’ll take you there
(Sittin’ on the) Dock of the bay
Starting all over again
Green onions
Respect yourself
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Soul man
Mr Big stuff
Baby love
Theme from Shaft
Respect
Son of shaft
Time is tight
If you’re ready (come go with me)
Do the funky chicken
What a man
Lift every voice and sing
Knock on wood
Microphones
1 Announcer
2
3
4
5
6
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
Hold on (I’m coming)
Last night
Soul limbo
You don’t know like I know
Baby love
Never can say goodbye
Soul finger
My generation
I’ll take you there
(Sitting on the ) Dock of the bay
Starting all over again
Green onions
Respect yourself
Soul man
Theme from Shaft
Respect
Son of shaft
Time is tight
If you’re ready (come go with me)
Do the funky chicken
What a man
Mr Big stuff
Knock on wood (Original)
Knock on wood (Disco)
Announcer:
Welcome to tonight’s performance of “Knock on Wood”. May I take this
opportunity to remind you to turn off mobile phones and to refrain from
using cameras during the performance.
Item:
Hold on (I’m coming)
5
Cast:
Isaac Hayes
David Porter
Lights: Follow spots x 2
Grade 2
waiting P
Microphones
1 Isaac
2 David
3
4
5
6
Shared lines (and yeahs) in bridge. Isaac
Hayes first, David Porter second.
Blocking:
Curtain is raised after
the announcement
Isaac enters from OP
David enters from P
Both run back to band
during ending and
collapse to finish.
Candy
bar
Tom
Props:
Jonathan
Item:
Intro
6
Cast:
Old Jim Stewart
Anne Porter
Old Jim Stewart: It all started in Memphis Tennessee back in 1957.
Anne Porter: What started?
Old Jim Stewart: Stax records.
Grade 2
waiting P
Anne Porter: What’s Stax Records?
Microphones
1
2
3 Old Jim Stewart
4 Anne Porter
5
6
Old Jim Stewart: I’ll show you. This photo album is like a who’s who
of soul music.
Anne Porter: Who?
Blocking:
Young Jim and
Estelle enter
immediately
from OP as the
couch is rolled
off stage.
Old Jim Stewart: Everyone.
Anne Porter: I don’t know anything about Stax records.
Old Jim Stewart: Stax is the company I made with my sister, your
grandma Estelle. Stax is from our names: S T from Jim Stewart and A X
from Estelle Axton. Anyway we started in an old movie theatre back in 1957…
2 Grade 4
children move
the couch in
black costumes
Couch movers
T
Ava
Oliver R
Candy
bar
W
Henry
Tom
Props:
Stax photo album
Couch
OJS AP
Item:
Movie theatre
7
Estelle Axton: I love this old theatre. It’s so…..
Jim Stewart: Old?
Estelle Axton: Right. Everything is just perfect.
Cast:
Estelle Axton
Jim Stewart
Booker T
Memphis horns x 3
Jim Stewart: Yes, I can see it now. (pause looking into the audience) What if
we rip out all of the seats?
Estelle Axton: What!
Jim Stewart: Well we don’t need them but we do need the space.
Microphones
1
2
3 Booker T
4
5 Jim Stewart
6 Estelle Axton
Estelle Axton: What about the floor? It’s all uneven.
Jim Stewart: That’s alright. It will help the sound not to bounce around too
much. We’ll have special acoustic properties unlike any other recording studio.
Estelle Axton: Knowing you Jim, it’s because it’s cheaper not to level the floor.
Jim Stewart: That too. Trust me on this one. We can always level it later.
Estelle Axton: It makes me nervous when you say “trust me on this one”.
Booker T: (entering from Prompt) I hope I’m not interrupting anything.
Estelle Axton: May I help you?
Blocking:
Jim walks
around excited.
Estelle is
stationary like
the rock of
reason.
Jim Stewart: I’m sorry. This is our new musical director Booker T Jones.
Booker T: Pleased to meet you maam.
Estelle Axton: (quietly) I thought you might have run this by me Jim.
Jim Stewart: Trust me on this one. This guy is amazing.
Booker T: Well I’d best get to work. (Memphis horns knock on the door) I’m
auditioning Brass players for the house band. That must be them now. (Horns
enter from OP as Jim and Estelle exit OP nearly colliding)
Candy
bar
Estelle Axton: Don’t mind me I’m just the owner.
Props:
Jim Stewart: Co-owner.
JS
EA
BT
Item:
Last night
8
Booker T: OK gentlemen, let’s try a simple blues.
Horn 1: What key are we in?
Cast:
Booker T
Memphis horns x 3
T Timothy Angus Charlie
W Oliver Nelson Ethan
Jim Stewart
Estelle Axton
Booker T: Let’s try it in G.
Horn 2: So what you really mean is that the horns should play it in the key of A major
because we’re Bb transposing instruments?
Microphones
1 Memphis horns
2 Memphis horns
3 Booker T
4
5 Jim Stewart
6 Estelle Axton
Booker T: Just play and leave the talking to me.
(Booker T hums and plays through “Last night”)
Booker T: Now to get this gig you’ve got to be able to dance.
(dance is shown and song is performed whilst Booker T plays with the house band)
Horn 3: Why would we have to dance if nobody sees us?
Booker T: I was just messing with you.
Horn 1: So did we get the job?
Booker T: Welcome aboard. We pay by the song around here rather than the hour
so it’s up to you to know your parts.
Horn 3: That’s fine.
(Jim and Estelle enter from OP)
Estelle Axton: Are you guys still here? We don’t pay by the hour you know.
Blocking:
Horns: We know.
Jim Stewart: Ignore her. I do.
(Estelle hits Jim with her handbag)
Props:
Handbag
Booker T: OK. We’ll see you all tomorrow. (all musicians exit OP)
Candy
bar
Item:
Cast:
Estelle Axton
Jim Stewart
9
Estelle Axton: I’ve got some plans of my own you know.
Jim Stewart: Like what?
Estelle Axton: Like, what if we take out this Candy bar and replace it with a record store?
Jim Stewart: A record store?
Estelle Axton: Why not? We make records don’t we?
Microphones
1
2
3
4
5 Jim Stewart
6 Estelle Axton
Jim Stewart: We sure do. I’m just surprised to hear you say it.
Estelle Axton: Why?
Jim Stewart: Because it’s so logical.
(Estelle hits Jim with her handbag)
Blocking:
Candy
bar
JS
Props:
Handbag
EA
Item:
Candy bar transition
10
Estelle Axton: Of course, some staff will have to go.
Jim Stewart: How are we going to do it? I’ve never fired anyone before.
Cast:
Estelle Axton
Jim Stewart
Candy staff x 2
T 1 Jarred 2 Xanthia
W 1 Gab 2 Madie
Estelle Axton: It’s easy. You just say “You’re fired”.
Jim Stewart: If it’s so easy. I’ll let you do it then.
Microphones
1
2
3 Candy 1
4 Candy 2
5 Jim Stewart
6 Estelle Axton
Estelle Axton: You’re the one who thinks you’re the big boss around here.
Jim Stewart: Fine, I’ll do it.
(Jim rings on bell and the Candy bar staff come out)
Candy staff 1: Hello Mr Stewart. What can I get you?
Jim Stewart: One packet of potato chips please.
Candy staff 2: Here you go.
Jim Stewart: Thank you.
Blocking:
Curtain is
lowered as Jim
steps backwards.
Estelle waits
while the oneliners enter from
P.
(Jim walks back over to Estelle with his chips)
Estelle Axton: How’d it go?
(Jim has his mouth full of chips)
Estelle Axton: You didn’t say anything did you?
(Jim shakes his head still crunching on the chips)
Candy
bar
Estelle Axton: Well I suppose we’ll still be needing staff for the record store.
Props:
Potato chips
JS
EA
Item:
Soul Limbo
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Lucinda 4M / Livi 4T Estelle Axton
had turned the theatre’s concession
stand into the Satellite record shop,
welcoming anyone who wanted to buy
something or just listen. Her store
soon became the neighbourhood hangout.
Tui 4M / Dylan 4T During the
summertime she would put a little
speaker thing out there on the door so
we could hear it and we would dance
out on the sidewalk.
Lu 4M / Jasmine 4T Before that I had
to drive 20 minutes out to Sears to look
at records and all the records out there
were only country music.
Ben 4M / Bela 4T Mrs Axton had her
pulse on the creativity. She knew what
the dance beats were, she knew what
sounds were popular back then.
Amy 4/5Z / Courtney 4T She wasn’t
involved in the production in terms of
being in the studio, but all of her
influence went on in the record shop.
“Hey you guys need to listen to this.
This is the hot new beat, this is the kind
of song we’re going for”.
Estelle: That’s how you learned in the music
business. You talked to the person
that’s buying the product and that’s
how you knew what to make.
Props:
Xylophones x 3
Sign changes from “Candy bar” to “Stax”
Cast:
Old Jim Stewart
Anne Porter
Candy staff x 2
T 1 Jarred 2
W 1 Gab 2 Madie
T Yuot (2A)
W Jesse Creighton (2L)
Estelle Axton
(holding microphone during solos)
11
Old Jim Stewart: The funny thing was that I started
that company to record country music.
Anne Porter: I thought you said that Stax was the
who’s who of soul music.
Old Jim Stewart: It became a soul label because
that’s what the people wanted to hear.
Grade 2 boy: The beat don’t match my feet.
Conga line
T Eva 2A
T Annabelle Flett 2K
T Ravenna Pellizzari 2K
Staff 1: The beat doesn’t match my feet.
Grade 2 boy: Me neither.
Staff 2: Well why don’t you and your feet have a
listen to this.
Percussion
T
1 Laura
2 Bud
3 Anya
4 Elliot
5 Flynn
6 Ethan
7 Leon
8 Liam
9 Zac
10 Zali
11 ----
W
Mia
Danielle
Lloyd
Alejandro
Amy
Jesse
Arian
Shivam
Pollyanna
Lucy
Toby
W Grace H
W Jack
W Tuesday L
Xylophone solo
T Soara Leitch
T Camilla
T Philippa
Microphones
1 Storytellers
2
3 Candy 1
4 Candy 2
5 Grade 2 boy
6
W Elsa Foley
W Dana
W Patrick
Stax
Soulsville
USA
X1
Blocking:
Main curtain is
lowered after
song.
OJS AP
X2
X3
Item:
You don’t know like I know
12
David Porter: You don’t know like I know
Cast:
Carla Thomas
Rufus Thomas
Isaac Hayes
David Porter
Isaac Hayes: What that woman has done for me
6.
Mille 4/5Z / Adam 5S Isaac Hayes and David Porter were one of the greatest song
writing teams in music history.
Isaac Hayes: In the evening she’s my cup of tea
7.
Matilda 4T / Ruby 4T They were just two local kids from the neighbourhood who started
their careers at Stax.
David Porter: What?
8.
Diamond 4T / Shwshanni 6J They were with Stax records since the early days in what
was a very colourful neighbourhood, much like this one.
9.
China 4T / Nicola 4M Some Stax artists were family members who worked together to
record music in the studio.
David Porter: In the morning she’s my water
Isaac Hayes: Can you think of something better?
David Porter: No.
Rufus Thomas: We’ve come to check it out down here.
Isaac Hayes: Well Rufus, make yourself at home (both sit).
David Porter: Is that your lovely daughter there?
Rufus Thomas: This is Carla. She’d like to be a singer just like her daddy.
Isaac Hayes: Is that true little lady?
Carla Thomas: Yes sir Mr Hayes.
Isaac Hayes: Oh please, call me Isaac.
Entire cast
starts moving
towards wings.
Microphones
1 Lead vocal
2 Storytellers
3 Isaac
4 David
5 Rufus
6 Carla
OP
2,4,6
P
P,1,3,5
Microphone is shared with DO, CT
and RT during outro
Rufus Thomas: So what can you do for her?
David Porter: It depends if she wants to perform. You and Isaac are born performers but
some people like me are happy just to make the music and keep a low profile.
Isaac Hayes: Why don’t you sit back and have a listen to our latest song and see if you’d like
to be like David here or me.
Blocking:
The song
commences as
the others take
their seats.
Tom sings to
the others
Stax
Soulsville
USA
RT
CT
Props:
Keyboard
IH
Item:
Never can say goodbye
13
Carla Thomas: I’d like to be like you Isaac.
Rufus Thomas: Glad to hear it.
Cast:
Isaac Hayes
David Porter
Carla Thomas
Rufus Thomas
T Stella
W Georgie
Isaac Hayes: Good for you Carla but remember, it’s not about the spotlight
but the royalties.
Carla Thomas: Royalties?
Microphones
1
2 Lead vocal
3 Isaac
4 David
5 Rufus
6 Carla
David Porter: Money. When you write a song you get paid even when
someone else performs it.
Isaac Hayes: We’ve written another new song that Gloria Gaynor wants to
record.
Carla Thomas: I could do it.
David Porter: We’ll write another hit for you Carla.
Isaac Hayes: We’ve already promised this one to Gloria. It’s going to light
up the dance floor.
Blocking:
Carla tries
to join in
Stax
Soulsville
USA
Props:
Mirror ball
Gloria
Item:
Soul finger
14
Cast:
Whole cast
Radio announcement: Thanks for
listening to Soul train right here with the
latest hit from Stax records “Soul finger”.
Microphones
1 Announcer
2
3
4
5
6
Dance leaders
Tuesday
Lucinda K
Tui L
Hilary R
Charlie H
Wednesday
Greta
Anna
Annabel
Bonnie
Props:
Blocking:
Grade 2,4 & 6
enter from OP.
Grades P,1,3 & 5
enter from P
Stax
Soulsville
USA
Item:
15
10.
Allie 5J / Arif 4M Now if you can imagine, nobody had ever
heard R & B music before. White kids had never heard it. You
can imagine what that did to us. It was like going to another
planet, a really good planet.
11.
Timothy 4/5Z / Oscar 5S When I came to Memphis everything
was segregated. There was not one thing integrated. Nothing.
From the cradle to the grave was segregated. And I never really
understood why the graveyards had to be segregated because
dead people get along just fine, they don’t bother nobody.
12.
Microphones
1 Storytellers
2
3
4
5
6
Grades P, 1
and 2 return to
holding room.
Callum L 6R / Luke 6R Once we were traveling with the band
and we stopped at a diner. There was a line for coloured people
and one for white people. I thought, “If I go with my friends in
the coloured line, I might get beaten up, but if I lined up with the
white people it would be a long ride home in the van with my
black band mates”. In the end I gave my friend $5 and said “Get
me a cheeseburger and a milkshake, I’ll wait in the van”.
13.
Remi 4/5Z / Mitchell 6J When we got to 1967 and went to
Europe and saw the reaction, we knew that we were onto
something. We knew that we were making a difference.
14.
Emily 4/5Z / Mei 5S To be treated like stars by the bell hops or
attendants at the hotels in London was new to us. We hadn’t
felt that or experienced that before. Like Dr King said: “Free at
last, free at last, thank God Almighty I’m free at last”.
15.
Ella 5J / Liliana 5S The Monterey Pop Festival was a real
highlight for us as there were over 50,000 people there. As well
as the Stax artists there were plenty of other big names such as
Jimi Hendrix and The Who.
Cast:
One liners
Grade 3 move
the stage into
place and then
waits OP.
Blocking:
Curtain is drawn
as one liners are
said about Stax
on tour.
Monterey
Pop
Festival
Props:
Microphone is passed from OP to P
Item: Monterey Pop festival
Microphones
1 Announcer
2 Lead
3 Back-up
4 Back-up
5 Back-up
6
Microphones
1 Announcer
2 Jimi
3 T Back-up
4 T Back-up
5
6
Microphones
1 Announcer
/ Back-up singer
2 Lead
3
4
5
6
Microphones
1 Announcer
2 Lead
3
4
5
6
Props:
Disposable instruments
for The Who
16
Cast:
Musicians from each
band.
Announcer: And now from Memphis
Tennessee, let’s make them welcome, it’s
“The Staple Singers”.
I’ll take you there
Announcer: Turning heads across the
Nation, it’s the wildest man on 6 strings,
Jimi Hendrix.
Wild Thing
Announcer: From across the
Atlantic, making history wherever
they go, it’s the voice of a new
generation. The Who.
My Generation
Announcer: For anyone else that would
be a hard act to follow, but not for our
next act. Please welcome the heart and
soul of the Stax record label, Mr Otis
Redding.
Dock of the bay
Blocking:
Monterey
Pop
Festival
Item:
Starting all over again
17
Old Jim Stewart: Otis Redding was loved all across
America so losing him and his entire band was a tragedy
felt around the whole country.
Cast:
T Remi / Lilly
W Jessica C / Caitlin
Old Jim Stewart
Anne Porter
Anne Porter: Did they ever find him?
Old Jim Stewart: No I meant losing him in a plane crash.
Microphones
1
2
3 Old Jim Stewart
4 Anne Porter
5 Singer
6 Singer
Anne Porter: Oh.
Old Jim Stewart: The other problem at Stax was that the
fine print of our distribution agreement with Atlantic said
that we had signed away our rights to everything we’d
released.
Anne Porter: What does that mean?
Old Jim Stewart: It means that suddenly we were a record
company without any records.
Blocking:
•Singers wheel the
couch on.
•Three grade 3s wheel
the couch off.
•Grade 3s remove the
stage as the singers
move from one piece of
stage to another.
Stax
Soulsville
USA
Props:
OJS AP
Item:
Green onions
18
16.
Microphones
1 Storyteller
2 Newsreader
3 Child 1
4 Child 2
5 Back-up singer 3
6 Mayor
Mille 4/5Z / Shwshanni 6J
When you listened to the
music that came out of Stax
you would think that Memphis
was this special oasis of intergroup love and affection and
coexistence and that type of
thing but it was really just the
opposite.
Newsreader: Memphis is now entering the 63rd day of the city sanitation
strike.
Grade 3 child 1: Some people think that collecting garbage is dirty work
and I suppose it is but that’s not why we’re striking.
Grade 3 child 2: We’re striking because we work hard all day for peanuts
instead of wages.
All Grade 3s: Yeah!
Blocking:
Grade 3s are already
on stage.
During “Green
Onions”:
1.
Back curtain
raised.
2.
Garbage props
brought on.
3.
3 cubes
brought on.
Rear curtain raised revealing back wall including scaffolding
Mayor of Memphis: We have an illegal strike here, but this city, like most
cities, is caught in the product of our times caused by what’s happening
countrywide.
Props:
6 x Brooms
8 x Garbage bins
17 x Placards
4 x Pipes
Cast:
Newsreader
Mayor of Memphis
Grade 3 children
T 1/ Lucas 2/ Angelica
W 1/ James C 2/ Georgia D
Child 1 and 2 exit P to give
their microphones to the
other 2 back-up singers.
All back-up singers enter
together.
Item:
Respect yourself
19
Cast:
Grade 3s
Mayor of Memphis
T “Myra”, Grace, India Macleod,
India McClure
W “Tenee”, Imara, Zoe, Isabelle
Mayor of Memphis: If there’s one man on this planet who can help us and
sort this mess out, it’s Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
Microphones
1 Lead singer
2 Announcer
3 Back-up singer 1
4 Back-up singer 2
5 Back-up singer 3
6 Mayor
Grade 3s: Dr King! x 5
(Gunshots are heard as all grade 3s run off stage using the closest exit)
(Main curtain is lowered)
Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, there will now a 20 minute interval. The
show will commence promptly at ?:?? (add 20 minutes to current time)
Thank you.
Blocking:
Rear curtain is lowered
as Grade 3s take the
nearest exit
Rear curtain still raised revealing back wall including scaffolding
Children hiding in bins
Frisbees during 4 bar mid section
T Dart (3M) Alain (3M)
W Portia (3J) Miranda (3J)
Item:
Intro of Al Bell
Act 2
17.
20
Grace 5J / Johnny 5S Everything changed. It had to. Gone were the heroes, the
stars, and all the records they’d made, yet among the ashes an ember still burned.
Cast:
Al Bell
Jim Stewart
Estelle Axton
Estelle Axton: These are troubled times Jim. I don’t feel safe anymore.
Jim Stewart: I’ve got a plan Estelle but I need you to trust me on this one.
Estelle Axton: I don’t want to hear it. I just don’t think you’re cut out to be a businessman.
Jim Stewart: I agree. That’s why I’m interviewing a new guy to run this company. I’d like you to meet Al
Bell. (calling to OP) Al. Could you come out here please?
Al Bell: Thanks for inviting me down Jim. This must be your sister Estelle.
Estelle Axton: Pleased to meet you.
Al Bell: Likewise.
Microphones
1 Storyteller
2
3 Jim Stewart
4 Estelle Axton
5 Al Bell
6
Jim Stewart: I’ll get straight to the point. You know what we’re going through Al. In the last 4 months we’ve
lost Otis Redding and now Dr King.
Estelle Axton: Thanks to that dodgy Atlantic deal we’ve become a record company without any records.
What can you do for us?
Blocking:
Storyteller in
front of
curtain.
Al Bell: Firstly. I loved the music Otis made. In my radio shows on the East Coast I played all of his stuff as
much as I could.
Estelle Axton: We all loved Otis.
Al Bell: As for Dr King, I had the privilege of hearing him speak many times. I have a vision for us black
people too you know. It’s about economic empowerment.
Stax
Soulsville
USA
Jim Stewart: How would you achieve this?
Al Bell: Why don’t you get all your artists together in here and I’ll show you.
AB
EA
Jim Stewart: Could everyone come out here please?
Props:
17
JS
Item:
Mr Big Stuff
21
Cast:
T Izzy
(Stella R / India McClure)
W Bonnie
(Anna / Jessica)
All Stax artists
Microphones
1 Back-up singer
2 Back-up singer
3 Jim Stewart
4 Estelle Axton
5 Al Bell
6 Jean Knight
Whole cast sings last chorus
Blocking:
Artists come in one
at a time checking
out Al Bell as they
walk past him.
Stax
Soulsville
USA
Props:
Item:
28 albums
22
Jim Stewart: I’d like you all to meet Al Bell.
Jean Knight: I’ve heard about you.
Cast:
Al Bell
Jim Stewart
Estelle Axton
All Stax artists
Al Bell: (Stepping down) Well no offence darling but I’ve never heard of you.
Jean Knight: No offence taken!
Al Bell: I’m from New York and we just don’t get to hear you guys up there. Otis
was the only one who broke through.
Microphones
1
2
3 Jim Stewart
4 Estelle Axton
5 Al Bell
6 Jean Knight
Estelle Axton: So what’s your grand plan Mr Bell?
Al Bell: How many artists are represented here?
Jean Knight: (pretending to count) 28.
Al Bell: Well I’d like each of you to record your own album.
Jim Stewart: 28 albums?
Al Bell: 28 albums. We’re in the business of making records aren’t we?
Estelle Axton: I don’t know about this.
Blocking:
All artists
disperse
except for
Isaac Hayes
and David
Porter.
Al Bell: If you want me to work here you’ll have to trust me on this one.
Estelle Axton: Not you too!
Jim Stewart: I think it’s a good idea. We’ve got to do something.
Estelle: If he stays, I go.
Al Bell: What needs to go is this small time attitude and I’m here to make it happen.
Estelle Axton: That’s it! You can have it! You two dreamers belong together.
(Estelle storms out P)
(Some artists go after Estelle to comfort her. Others have stars in their eyes)
Props:
Artist: My own album.
Stax
Soulsville
USA
Item:
Soul man
23
David Porter: Don’t worry Mr Stewart. We’re gonna make this work.
Cast:
Isaac Hayes
David Porter
Jim Stewart
Al Bell
Jim Stewart: Well. I hope so.
Al Bell: We might just be the first company to be run and owned by a
black man and a white man working together.
Isaac Hayes: Now I get it. I’m not a black man or a white man. I’m a
soul man.
Microphones
1 Isaac Hayes
2 David Porter
3 Jim Stewart
4
5 Al Bell
6
Grade 1 start
making their
way towards
the stage.
Girls OP
Boys P
Blocking:
Al Bell and Jim Stewart stay
on stage sitting on the silver
cubes.
Isaac Hayes and David
Porter exit P after their
song.
Stax
Soulsville
USA
Props:
Item:
Baby love
24
18.
Microphones
1 Diana Ross
2 Storyteller / Both back-up singers
3 Jim Stewart
4 Don Davis
5 Al Bell
6
Romahn 5J / Na Young 6R
Stax threw open its doors to
capture the sound of the
street. Feeling was all that
mattered. Meanwhile, up
north up in Detroit, another
label was packaging R & B
for crossover appeal.
Cast:
Al Bell
Jim Stewart
Don Davis
T Vanessa (Izzy / Casey)
T Annabel (Victoria / Jayne)
Al Bell: I’ve arranged for Don Davis to visit.
Jim Stewart: From Motown?
Blocking:
All three men exit OP
passing the entering
singers (OP) on their
way.
Don Davis: (entering from OP) The one and
only.
Jim Stewart: I respect what you’ve done there
in Detroit Don but we have our own sound down
here.
Al Bell and Jim
Stewart carry off the 2
silver cubes.
Don Davis: They sound like famous last words
to me.
Al Bell: I’ve invited Don here because he knows
how to market soul music to white people too.
It’s a bigger market and we need in.
Don Davis: That’s right Jim you’re going to have
to trust me on this one. I make records which are
heard around the globe.
Don Davis brings on
the microphone stand
and then exits OP.
Stax
Soulsville
USA
DR
Props:
Chair with wheels.
Item:
Theme from Shaft
25
Isaac Hayes: I’ve been asked to write my first soundtrack.
Cast:
Isaac Hayes
David Porter
All Grade 1
David Porter: Do you need any help?
Isaac Hayes: I actually thought I might try something new and feature a guitar on this one.
Microphones
1
2
3 Isaac Hayes
4 David Porter
5
6
David Porter: So you’re going solo?
Blocking:
Isaac and David enter
from P.
Isaac Hayes: No, I’m just doing this one on my own. (David exits P)
(To the band) I need hi-hats playing at the tempo of my walk.
Grade 1 enters with
girls from OP
boys from P.
(Song starts as Isaac walks around)
Yeah, keep it funky.
Props:
Afro wigs
Tuesday
Girls
Tuesday
Boys
Wednesday
Girls
Wednesday
Boys
Ella
Finlay
Isabella
Macoy
Asha
Angus
Maddy
Zac
Charli
Charlie
Lucy
Patrick
Willow
William
Bronte
Sebastian
Claudia
Tyler
Phoebe L
Hugo
Entry:
Aurora
Entry:
Quentin
Entry:
Romy
Entry:
Luke C
1.
2.
3.
4.
Circle walks
Dodgem cars
High 5 / low 5
Stair formations in
groups of 3
Grade 1 exit and
remain P
Stax
Soulsville
USA
Item:
Academy Awards 1972
26
Cast:
Tuesday:
Voice over: Welcome back to our coverage of the 1972 Academy Awards.
And now, making the presentation for “Best original song” please welcome
Angie Dickinson and Joan Blondell.
Angie Dickinson - Ingrid
Joan Blondell - Ana
(INTRO BANTER)
Wednesday:
Joan Blondell: And the nominations are:
Angie Dickinson: “The Age of Not Believing,” from Bedknobs and
Broomsticks, Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, music and lyrics.
Microphones
1 Joan / Angie
2
3
4
5
6
Angie Dickinson - CJ
Joan Blondell - Tully
Joan Blondell: “All His Children,” from Sometimes a Great Notion, Henry
Mancini, music; Alan and Marilyn Bergman, lyrics.
Angie Dickinson: “Bless the Beasts and Children,” from Bless the Beasts
and Children, Barry DeVorzon and Perry Botkin, Jr., music and lyrics.
Joan Blondell: “Life Is What You Make It,” from Kotch, Marvin Hamlisch,
music; Johnny Mercer, lyrics.
Angie Dickinson: “Theme From Shaft,” from Shaft. Isaac Hayes, music and
lyrics.
And the winner is:
Isaac also enters
from P when his
name is called.
Together: “Theme From Shaft,” Isaac Hayes, music and lyrics.
Lights: Follow spots x 2
Props:
•Academy award sign change
•Lectern
•Cue cards
Blocking:
Angie and Joan
enter P.
1972
Academy
Awards
Item:
Academy Awards 1972
27
Tuesday:
Isaac Hayes: I came here with my Grandma tonight. This woman raised me so
I’m so proud she could be here with me tonight.
Angie Dickinson - Ingrid
Joan Blondell - Ana
I am also proud to be the first African / American musician to receive an Academy
Award and I hope to be the first of many.
Wednesday:
I’m very proud to be associated with the Stax record company and I’d like to thank
all of my friends there. Our first big star at Stax was Mr Otis Redding so I’d like to
introduce Miss Aretha Franklin to sing a song Otis wrote called “Respect”.
Microphones
1 Isaac
2
3
4
5
6
Angie Dickinson - CJ
Joan Blondell - Tully
We’re finally starting to get a little bit of respect and I would say it’s about time, for
the times, they are a changing. Otis, this one is for you.
Blocking:
Aretha and her
singers enter P.
Isaac, Angie and
Joan exit P
1972
Academy
Awards
Isaac
Props:
•Lectern
•Cue cards
Cast:
Isaac Hayes
Item:
Respect
28
Cast
Tuesday: Maile (Dene / Chiara)
Wednesday: Anna (Sofia / Indigo)
All grades start moving
towards the stage.
Grade 2, 4 and 6 OP
Grade P,1,3 and 5 P
Microphones
1
2 Aretha
3
4
5 Back-up
6 Back-up
Blocking:
Aretha and her
singers enter P.
Isaac, Angie and
Joan exit P
Singers remain
on stage after the
song until curtain
has lowered.
1972
Academy
Awards
Props:
Item:
Wattstax intro
(set / up)
Microphones
1 Storytellers
2
3
4
5
6
29
19.
Lucinda 4M / Minsoo 4M The African / American community in
Watts has been scarred by riots in the mid 1960’s leaving 34 dead.
20.
Tui 4M / Emily T 4/5Z In August 1972, Stax organised a benefit
festival of peace and music in Los Angeles. Tickets were only $1.
21.
Athok 4M / Ruari 6R It drew more than 100,000 people, a fifth of
the city’s black population.
22.
Jay Hun 4M / Pip 4M All the great music has soul, it’s just that Stax
has more than so many others.
23.
Hilary 4M / Finlay 6R At Stax records, forget skin tone. The only
tone that mattered came out of your instrument.
Cast:
Entire cast
Blocking:
Curtain is drawn as
one liners are said
about Wattstax
concert.
Stage is brought on
by Grade 3
Wattstax
Los
Angeles
Props:
Staging x 13
Item:
Wattstax concert
30
Microphones
1 Announcer
2
3
4
5
6
T
MDC
W
SEN
“Son of shaft” (set up music)
Announcer:
Time is up, band is ready, “Time is tight”.
Microphones
1 Lead singer
2
3 Back-up singer
4 Back-up singer
5 Back-up singer
6
1.
Time is tight (Grade 4)
2.
If you’re ready (come go with me) (MFFF)
3.
Do the Funky Chicken (Rufus Thomas) Preps
T Joanna Angus W Caitlin Asgard
Microphones
1
2
3
4
5
6 Rufus Thomas
4.
Microphones
1 Lynda Lyndell
2
3 Back-up singer
4 Back-up singer
5
6
Props:
Wattstax concert
Cast:
T Casey
(Gemma/ India
Macleod)
W Greta
(Steph / Tara)
What a Man (Crowd claps rest 2 rest 4)
Wattstax
Los
Angeles
Blocking:
Children sit
facing the
stage from
either side.
Item:
I am somebody
Microphones
1 Lynda Lyndell
2 Jesse Jackson
3
4
5
6
31
Cast:
Jesse Jackson
T Yves W Finn
Linda Lyndell: And now will you please welcome to the stage the Right Reverend Jesse
Jackson. (applause)
Jesse Jackson:
Being here today, it’s easy to feel a sense of destiny and a sense of belonging. (applause)
Today, we’re making history because we have strength and unity. People may put us down,
but nobody can keep us down. (pause)
Tell me if you feel it. (yeah)
Show me that you mean it. (applause)
If you really mean it, then repeat after me:
I am (echo), somebody. (echo)
I am (echo), somebody. (echo)
I may be young (echo), but I am (echo), somebody. (echo)
I may be poor (echo), but I am (echo), somebody. (echo)
I may be unskilled (echo), but I am (echo), somebody. (echo)
I may be unemployed (echo), but I am (echo), somebody. (echo)
I may be misunderstood (echo), but I am (echo), somebody. (echo)
One day we will all treat each other as equals.
Join with me as we sing “Lift every voice and sing”.
(Entire cast stands and faces the audience).
Props:
Blocking:
Cast facing
JJ
Wattstax
Los
Angeles
Item:
Lift every voice and sing
32
Cast:
All
Lift every voice and sing
'til earth and heaven ring
Ring with the harmonies of liberty
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listening skies
Microphones
1
2
3
4
5
6
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun
Blocking:
Curtain closes at
the end of the
song.
Let us march on 'til victory is won
Lift every voice and sing
Boys exit P
Girls exit OP
'til earth and heaven ring
Ring with the harmonies of liberty
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listening skies
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun
Let us march on
Let us march on
Let us march on 'til victory is won
Props:
Wattstax
Los
Angeles
Item:
One liners (Demise)
33
Don Davis: That concert was a highlight for Stax but it was all downhill from there. Clive Davis
from CBS got involved and we just got in over our heads.
24.
Ariel 5J / Amelia 6J We got involved in things that had nothing to do with music. We even
bought the Memphis Grizzlies Basketball team.
Mayor of Memphis: I just couldn’t imagine Stax going under. To me Stax was like the Bank
of England or the Rock of Gibraltar.
Microphones
1Storytellers
2
3
4
5
6
25.
Joe 5J / Na Young 6R In the days when it was all closing in, the guy who kept our books and
stuff went to get the cheques and he came back and said “There are no cheques”.
Cast:
Jim Stewart
Al Bell
David Porter
Isaac Hayes
Don Davis
Rufus Thomas
Amii Stewart
Newsreader
Mayor of Memphis
Storytellers
Jim Stewart: All this was a snowball effect. I put what money I’d received from the sale of the
company back into it plus I pledged my personal assets, but it was not enough. Too little, too
late.
Amii Stewart: I saw Jim get really hurt over this because it hurt his children. When you give
away your children’s fortune, you hurt for them.
26.
Ben 4M / Liza 4M We started watching the demise of everything, slowly. They started coming
onto the lot and pulling cars and foreclosing homes and stuff like that and we knew it was on.
Isaac Hayes: I really didn’t realise what was happening until it was too late. I had a change of
fortune.
David Porter: Sometimes growth and ambition can wreck a company. You know, you push
one domino and they all fall.
27.
Helena 4/5Z / Hyeon Kyu 6R A lot of people lost their homes, they lost their families.
Newsreader: The offices of Stax are closed. A lot of other problems have plagued the
company. A judge yesterday officially declared the company “Bankrupt”.
Blocking:
Microphone is
passed along
from OP to P
Rufus Thomas: A lot of people were depending on Stax for a living. All the workers that we
lost. It was just a sad thing like we were at a funeral or something.
Al Bell: After the close of Stax and after some time had passed, several years, I would drive
back to Memphis Tennessee and I would just stare at that vacant lot and I would just cry. All
that we had worked for and lived for was gone.
Props:
Microphone is passed from OP to P
Item:
One liners
(optimism)
34
28.
Cast:
Booker T
Storytellers
Ella 5J / Nic 5S
As a young person going into record stores, you saw
“Stax” labels everywhere. If you wanted to be an artist, you wanted to be a
part of that train.
Booker T: The wealth of experience is priceless. It’s priceless and it’s mine.
Microphones
1 Storytellers
2
3
4
5
6
29.
Rory 5J / Emily T 4/5Z Stax lost everything but a quarter of a century later,
those same songs were sold for tens of millions of dollars.
30.
Conor 5J / Minsoo 4M In the end the studio was rebuilt to original
specifications, and next door the Stax Academy gives neighbourhood kids
the same opportunity that Stax records did in its day.
Blocking:
A wireless
microphone
is passed
from Op to
P.
Props:
Microphone is passed from OP to P
Item:
Finale / Curtain call
Knock on wood
Microphones
1 Lead singer
2
3 Back up singer
4 Back up singer
5
6
35
Amii Stewart
Intro
Grade 1s
Step bounce
V1
Grade 3s
1,2,3, bounce
Chorus
Grade 2s
Twisting
V2
Preps
Swimming
Chorus
4s
Piggy back
Breakdown
5s
Mexican wave
Bridge
6s
1.
2.
3.
V3
All
Storytellers
Singers
Actors
Chorus
Ending
Props:
Cast:
T Eliza (Ella Stella)
W Alex (Billie Tiana)
Blocking:
Boys enter from P
Girls enter from OP
Stax
Soulsville
USA
36