———–<.thom.>———–

THE GREAT WORKS PROJECT

a puppet play in many parts

Season 05, Episode 04

By Thomas Typewriter

(c) 2023 thomas typewriter

———–<:type:>———–

FADE IN TO BLACK

From the bottom of the screen scrolls up the following text: “05-04”. It moves upwards, pausing a moment in the center of the frame, then continues upward, exiting the frame at the top edge.

FADE OUT
FADE IN

LS OF THE TYPEWRITER PUPPET STAGE

The Typewriter Puppet Stage slowly appears under unseen lamps as they power on. The sound of TYPEWRITER KEYS CLICK CLACKING sounds out.

TRANSITION FROM THE TYPEWRITER ABSTRACT PUPPET STAGE TO MID-STAGE

PAN IN ON THE TYPEWRITER PUPPET STAGE
PAN IN ON THE MID-STAGE AREA UNTIL IT IS PROPERLY FRAMED

MID-STAGE: CURTAINS CLOSED
The Mid-Stage curtains part. The stage-lights turn on to the sound of A LIGHTSWITCH CLICKING ON revealing…

MID-STAGE: THOMAS TYPEWRITER’S APARTMENT’S LIVING ROOM, LATE AFTERNOON
A small table sits front stage, just stage-left of the center. Across the back of the stage rests two tall bookshelves, filled with various books, graphic novels, CDs, artwork, and houseplants. Off to stage-right stands a bookshelf half as tall, topped by houseplants. It is also crammed with books, graphic novels, CDs, and artwork. THOMAS TYPEWRITER enters through the front door hidden behind the center’s tall bookshelf. He emerges from behind the bookshelf and sets his mail down on a shelf. He takes off his shoes. He then walks over to the desk. Taking out a sheet of paper and a pen from a drawer, he stoops to write.

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
(voiceover) “To do: 1. Notify the landlord company moving out of the apartment. 2. Cancel cable. 3. Cancel phone line. 4. Close bank accounts 5. Get moving boxes to pack up belongings. Question: Do we need everything we have? 6. Give Ophidia a final answer to her question.”

Thomas exits stage-right.

TRANSITION FROM MID-STAGE TO HIGH-STAGE

THE CAMERA DISCONNECTS FROM FRAMING THE MID-STAGE AND PANS UPWARD. IT SLIDES OVER THE SETS TO THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS ALONG THE BACK OF THE STAGE. IT CONTINUES PANNING UPWARD ACROSS THE CURTAINS OF CLOUD TO THE HIGH-STAGE AT THE TOP OF THE CURTAIN. THE CAMERA CONTINUES ONTO THE HIGH-STAGE UNTIL PROPERLY FRAMING THE HIGH-STAGE.

HIGH-STAGE: CURTAINS CLOSED
The High-Stage curtains open and the stage-lights turn on with the sound of A COMPUTER BOOTING ON revealing…

HIGH-STAGE: INT. CORRIDOR 505 OF THE FLUTE
A long corridor stretches across the stage. Recessed light panels fill the curve where the wall meets the ceiling. Along the walls, thick lines of red, blue, yellow, and brown run along the wall. A fifth dotted black line runs underneath the other four. One line for each color. 505 is painted in thick black stencil lettering on the side of the corridor. PANACEA FLAUTO enters stage-left. She walks across the stage and stands facing stage-left. She is holding up her Medi-scanner. Panacea is holding the Medi-scanner in one hand and with the other hand she is holding the sensor wand. She is holding the sensor wand against the Medi-scanner in a way very similar as if it was a joystick. Three Medi-pods, containing LUCIDO OBSIDIAN, CEDAR WAXWINGS, and the brainbox of CARRO emerge stage-left. They move awkwardly and jerkily bumping into each other and the walls before resting in the center of the stage.

PANACEA FLAUTO
“Gentlemen if I may have a moment of your attention. The Flauto is a very large ship. To help you navigate the walls are marked with colored lines, each color denoting a different area in the ship. The red line leads to the Medical sections. The blue line leads to the residences or patient rooms. The yellow leads to the cafeteria and the observation dome. And the brown is for staff only.”

CEDAR WAXWINGS
“What is that?”

PANACEA FLAUTO
“Staff only means offices, supply closets, engineering. Things the patients don’t need to go to.”

CEDAR WAXWINGS
“No, not the brown line. The dotted line.”

PANACEA FLAUTO
“That’s not important.”

CEDAR WAXWINGS
“But where does it lead to?”

LUCIDO OBSIDIAN
“Yeah. Does it go anywhere?”

CARRO
“Maybe it’s a fold line.”

PANACEA FLAUTO
“Now gentlemen we should…”

CARRO
“Like the place where what looks like two things but are actually one thing overlap.”

LUCIDO OBSIDIAN
“Maybe it’s merely decorative”

CEDAR WAXWING
“Or graffiti.”

LUCIDO OBSIDIAN
“Seems too utilitarian to be graffiti.”

CARRRO
“I still say fold line. A ship this old could be a Caregiver. They have other versions stacked on top of it.”

LUCIDO OBSIDIAN
“That’s not exactly true.”

CEDAR WAXWINGS
“Oh yeah, then why do we have like eight bosses for a company owned by two people?

PANACEA FLAUTO
“Gentlemen. If we could get back on subject.”

LUCIDO OBSIDIAN
“I’m just saying they are not all like that.”

CARRO
“Wonder what makes up this space? Who else?”

CEDAR WAXWINGS
“Of course you’d jump to their defense.”

PANACEA FLAUTO
“Gentlemen.”

LUCIDO OBSIDIAN
“Now that’s not fair.”

CEDAR WAXWINGS
“Oh it isn’t now.”

Panacea, visibly frustrated, presses a button on the Medi-scanner. The center light on the top of each Medi-pod turns blue. The three go silent and Panacea drives them off-screen exiting stage-right. She follows behind them.
They exit stage-right. The High-stage lights turn off with the sound of A COMPUTER BOOTING OFF.

TRANSITION FROM THE HIGH-STAGE TO THE MID-STAGE

THE CAMERA PANS DOWNWARD, DETACHING FROM THE HIGH-STAGE AND MOVING TOWARDS THE MID-STAGE BELOW. IT GLIDES LOWER AND LOWER ALONG THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS. THE TOPS OF THE MID-STAGE SETS POP INTO VIEW AS THE CAMERA SLOWS COMING TO REST PROPERLY FRAMING MID-STAGE.

MID-STAGE: INT. THOMAS TYPEWRITER’S APARTMENT’S LIVING ROOM. MORNING
The living room stands dark. In the dim, we can make out three bookshelves across the back of the stage, at angles to each other. The stage-left and center bookshelves are tall and joined to each other. A gap separates the two from the third. It is shorter than the others. All three are loaded with books, graphic novels, music CDs, artwork, and houseplants. A beam of sunlight casts its way across the living room from stage-left. SONGBIRDS CHIRPING drifts in from off-stage. The stage-lights slowly rise as the sun rises on this new day. THOMAS TYPEWRITER enters from stage-right. He walks across the stage to stage-left. He exits. He returns eating a bagel. He walks back across the stage and exits stage-right. A longer moment passes before he reenters. This time he is dressed, with a jacket, hat and gloves. The bagel was in his mouth as he entered so he could finish putting on the jacket. He takes it out of his mouth and finishes the last bit. He walks over to his desk, the same desk he wrote the note on previously. He picks up the note and moves to leave the apartment. The stage-lights turn off to the sound of A LIGHTSWITCH CLICKING OFF. The Mid-Stage curtains close.
FADE OUT