script

“The Great Works Project: Season Six, Episode Eleven” by Thomas Typewriter

Puppet play, scripts, The Great Works Project scripts

———–<.thom.>———–

THE GREAT WORKS PROJECT

a puppet play in many parts

Season 6, Episode 11

by Thomas Typewriter

(c) 2025 jason arcand

———–<:type:>———–

FADE IN


From the center of a blank screen scrolls upward rapidly the following text: “06-11”. It enters from the bottom of the frame and moves up, pausing in the center before continuing upward. It exits through the top of the frame.


FADE OUT


The sound of TYPEWRITER KEYS CLICK CLACKING rings out from the darkness.


FADE IN


INT. THE HILLTOPS, EVENING
A rounded hill of scrubland stands at the juncture or overlap of vast rolling sand dunes of white, brown, and gold sand meeting a large primeval forest dotted with swaths of prairie flowers. A walking path runs across the Hilltops. Near the center of the Hilltops, just next to the path is a tall post made of irregular length boards roughly nailed together. Hanging from the top of the signpost is an elaborate stained glass lamp, currently lit, suspended on an intricate golden chain. Numerous vines of morning glories, runner beans, and trumpet vines grow up the post. A little further down the path from the signpost sits THOMAS TYPEWRITER, Z-MOUSE, and The GHOSTLY around a camp fire. All of them are eating pizza and drinking soda.
LS OF THOMAS, Z-MOUSE, AND GHOSTLY

Z-MOUSE
(to Thomas) “So what brings you around Thomas.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“I was working for Ophidia, and needed a break.”

CUT TO MS OF THOMAS AND Z-MOUSE

Z-MOUSE
“How’s that going?”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Good.”

CUT TO CS OF THE GHOSTLY

THE GHOSTLY
“Who’s Ophidia?”

CUT TO CS OF THOMAS

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“An animator and also my fiance.”

CUT TO CS OF GHOSTLY

THE GHOSTLY
“Oh. Congratulations.”

CUT TO MS OF THOMAS, Z-MOUSE, AND GHOSTLY

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Thank you. So I was working for Ophidia and it was just so boring. I don’t know how she can stand it but animating is not for me. The inside of my head was just screaming louder and louder. I needed a break. Closed my eyes and turned inwards. ”

Z-MOUSE
“I must admit I am surprised to see you here.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Yeah, me too. I really thought I was going to end up in the Writer’s Room. Speaking of the Writer’s Room, how is it going? Any progress?”


Z-Mouse shakes his head.

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Oh well. How about you? Why aren’t you at the meeting.”


Z-MOUSE
“The dreams were pulling me too strongly to stay awake. Next thing I know I am here.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“And where is here exactly?”


THE GHOSTLY
“This is the Hilltop. The spot where the Sands and the Valleys overlap. All travelers having survived thirst or flood find themselves here before moving onto the Fields.”

Z-MOUSE
“Hilltop? That’s the name of this place?”

THE GHOSTLY
“Truly.”

Z-MOUSE
“That makes your whole speech make more sense.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“So this is like a warning speech?”

Z-MOUSE
“Oh yeah, the Ghostly haunts this trail.”

THE GHOSTLY
“Truly, it is my burden to warn all travelers of the choices they must make when they venture beyond to the Fields.”

Z-MOUSE
“She appears to every traveler and delivers this light show and monologue. A real production. It is really quite a show. You should see it.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Could I?”

CUT TO CS OF GHOSTLY

THE GHOSTLY
“I don’t know. It’s embarrassing and I’d rather not. I’m enjoying this. Just eating some pizza and hanging out. I don’t get to do this kind of thing very often.”

CUT TO MS OF THOMAS AND Z-MOUSE

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Oh please.”

Z-MOUSE
“Don’t be embarrassed.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Pretty please.”

Z_MOUSE
“Pretty please with a cherry on top.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Yes, cherry on top. And I promise, we’ll do more eating pizza and shooting the breeze.”

CUT TO CS OF THE GHOSTLY

THE GHOSTLY
“Okay, I’ll do it.”

CUT TO MS OF THOMAS, Z-MOUSE AND THE GHOSTLY

Thomas and Z-Mouse cheer.

THE GHOSTLY
“Give me a moment to prepare.”

The Ghostly stands and fades out of view, disappears.

Z-MOUSE
(to Thomas) “You’re going to really like this.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“I hope so.”

TRANSITION FROM THE HILLTOPS TO THE TYPEWRITER ABSTRACT PUPPET STAGE HIGH-STAGE
THE CAMERA PANS UPWARD TO THE STARS MOVING ON TO THE DARKNESS OF SPACE.
DISSOLVE FROM THE DARKNESS OF SPACE TO THE HIGH-STAGE CURTAINS

HIGH-STAGE: CURTAINS CLOSED
The High-stage curtains part and the stage-lights turn on to the sound of A COMPUTER BOOTING UP revealing…


HIGH-STAGE: EXT. THE DOOR TO PANACEA’S OFFICE IN THE FLUTE MEDICALSHIP, EVENING
A long hallway spreads across the stage. The back of the stage is a metal wall, painted a light matte cream color. Horizontal stripes of yellow, blue and brown run the length of the wall. The yellow stripe runs across the center to a door in the center of the stage. The stripe of yellow follows the doorframe creating an effect of ringing the door.


PANACEA FLAUTO
(voice-over) “Medi-pod: Journal entry starting now. We have finished our examination and initial treatment of the two youths brought to us by the Count. They do show signs of injury consistent to previous cases of decompression and exposure to vacuum but not to the severity that they should have. Additionally they exhibit burns consistent to exposure to high energy. Possibility due to the proximity to the Ir-Ra and its corona.”


CEDAR WAXWINGS, in a Medi-pod rolls in from stage-left. In one hand he is holding a bag of food. He approaches the door and knocks on it.


PANACEA FLAUTO
(voice-over) “The fact that these kids even survived out there was remarkable. What were they doing out there? How did they end up in that Sat-bot? Did somebody save them, and if yes, who?”


Cedar Waxwings extends his arm and knocks a second time.


PANACEA FLAUTO
“Getting sidetracked here. Okay, medical journal. Alright where was I. Burns, right. Besides the previous symptoms they also exhibited minor abrasions and are currently unconscious. Their condition is not severe enough to warrant Medi-pods. (pauses) Medi-pods! Oh, what time is it!”


Cedar Waxwing knocks on the door a third time. He waits a few minutes and then knocks a fourth time. He waits a moment for a response and finally accepting no one is inside turns to leave. From off stage the sound of RUNNING FOOTSTEPS approaches. PANACEA FLAUTO runs in from stage-right.


PANACEA FLAUTO
“Wait!”


Cedar turns and waits for her. She runs over, places on hand on his Medi-pod for support and tries to catch her breath.


PANACEA FLAUTO
(severely winded) “Hate…running…so…much. Hey…Cedar…how…are…you?”


CEDAR WAXWINGS
“You okay.”


PANACEA FLAUTO
“Yeah, just winded.”


CEDAR WAXWINGS
“I brought you some dinner.”


PANACEA FLAUTO
“Thank you.”


CEDAR WAXWINGS
“Did you forget we were going to watch the next episode.”


PANACEA FLAUTO
“Honestly?”


CEDAR WAXWINGS
“Honestly.”


PANACEA FLAUTO
“Yes. Some new patients got admitted and I lost track of time.”


Cedar pulls out a container from his bag and hands it to Panacea.


CEDAR WAXWINGS
“So tell me about it.”


Panacea slides down to sit on the floor and opens the container. She takes a bite of salad.


PANACEA FLAUTO
“Oh, this is good.”


CEDAR WAXWINGS
“Thanks. You are always eating those salads with pine nuts, so I thought you might like this. You were saying new admits.”


PANACEA FLAUTO
“Yeah, so they found these two kids out in space.”


Cedar pulls out his food container from the bag.


CEDAR WAXWINGS
“Really?”


PANACEA FLAUTO
“Really.”


CEDAR WAXWINGS
“Then what?”


The stage-lights turn off with the sound of A COMPUTER BOOTING OFF. The High-stage curtains close.


TRANSITION FROM HIGH-STAGE TO THE HILLTOP


DISSOLVE FROM THE HIGH-STAGE CURTAINS TO THE DARKNESS OF SPACE


THE CAMERA PANS DOWNWARD FROM THE DARKNESS OF SPACE ACROSS THE STARS IN THE SKY AND THEN DOWN TO THOMAS AND Z-MOUSE IN THE HILLTOPS


EXT. THE HILLTOP, EVENING.
MS OF THOMAS AND Z-MOUSE
THOMAS TYPEWRITER and Z-MOUSE sit around a log fire burning on the top of a hill. They fidget with anticipation. The fire POPS then briefly flares.


THE GHOSTLY
(off-camera) “Listen well traveler, for having made it this far you are now faced with a choice.”


The flame of the fire dies down, casting Thomas and Z-Mouse into shadow. From out of the frame, stage-right, comes a spectral glow. Thomas and Z-Mouse turn their heads to look at the source of the glow.


CUT TO LS OF THE GHOSTLY
The Ghostly has appeared, floating in the air off to the side of the fire. She glows with a bright spectral energy.

THE GHOSTLY
“For you have survived what the world has given you. You have moved and made distance. Where you started is no longer where you are. Now comes the point where you will reach a fork in the road and must choose a path. But be aware one path leads…”

The Ghostly’s glow dims a little bit.

CS OF THE GHOSTLY


THE GHOSTLY
(as an aside to Thomas Typewriter and Z-Mouse) “And that is where most everyone says ‘Oh, thank you’ and keeps walking on. But if they were to stick around this is how the rest of it would go.”


CUT BACK TO LS OF THE GHOSTLY


THE GHOSTLY
“But be aware that one path leads to Abundance while the other leads to Self-Absorbtion. I am not able to tell you which path is ultimately yours to travel. Nor am I allowed to tell you how to discern which path is which. The steps you have taken before, to get here have determined that. But you have a few more steps to take before choosing, so please listen to this tale of the city that let it’s story become part of your last few steps…last few steps and ….and…and I don’t remember the rest.”

The Ghostly’s glow dims and turns off.

THE GHOSTLY
“It has been centuries since I reached even this point and its all kind of fuzzy to me now.”

Z-MOUSE
“Good thing no one sticks around then.”

THE GHOSTLY
“I know, right.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Do you remember any of it?”


THE GHOSTLY
“Something about a great golden city in the past and elves. They did something or made some bad magic or talked to the dead and some got corrupted. They can’t get along and the city splits into two.”

Z-MOUSE
“Wow, I might of oversold this.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“You think. Oh, well. A break is a break and I am not going to complain. I’ve got pizza, soda, friends, and the love of someone who sees me. Life is good.”

The Ghostly returns to her seat around the campfire and picks up another slice of pizza.

Z-MOUSE
“I’ll toast to that.”

Thomas, Z-Mouse, and the Ghostly each lift up a can of soda.

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Salute!”

Z-MOUSE AND THE GHOSTLY
“Salute!”


THOMAS TYPEWRITER
(to self) “La vita è breve, ma l’arte è lunga.”

They each drink from the soda can and start giggling.

FADE OUT

today in the studio: June 22nd, 2025

today in the studio

today in the studio

today in the studio

“The Great Works Project: Season Six, Episode Nine” by Thomas Typewriter – a new script

scripts, The Great Works Project scripts

———–<.thom.>———–

THE GREAT WORKS PROJECT

a puppet play in many parts

Season 6, Episode 9

by Thomas Typewriter

(c) 2025 jason arcand

———–<:type:>———–

FADE IN


From the center of a blank screen scrolls upward rapidly the following text: “06-09”. It enters from the bottom of the frame and moves up, pausing in the center before continuing upward. It exits through the top of the frame.

FADE OUT
FADE IN


GRIGIO COLORI
(voice-over) “Fade-in to exterior of the Unroom Not.Seven. Long shot of the revolving door to the unroom Not Dot Seven.”


FADE IN


EXT. UNROOM NOT.SEVEN’S REVOLVING DOORWAY, TWIXTLIGHT


LS OF THE REVOLVING DOOR


The revolving door entryway to the Unroom Not.Seven sits center. The wall it is built into is not visible, giving the doorway the illusion of free standing. A bright round globe is attached to the invisible wall above the revolving door. The door itself is a cross shaped revolving door, made from two lines crossing at ninety-degree angles on a central round pipe. There are four sections in the door allowing up to four people to use the door at one time. Each section is glass panel with a horizontal hand hold or push bar mid-center. Above the push bar painted on the glass is the following symbol: “ .7 ”. The bottom of each interior glass panel has a rubber skirt. Semi-circular glass enclosures wing out from either side of the doorway. There is enough space between them to allow one person using the doorway to exit or enter at a time.


GRIGIO COLORI
(voice-over) “Pan inward from outside the Unroom to inside to the Typewriter Abstract Puppet Stage through a series of cuts.”


The sound of TYPEWRITER KEYS CLICK CLACKING drifts through the doorway.


TRANSITION FROM THE DOORWAY TO THE TYPEWRITER ABSTRACT PUPPET STAGE


PAN IN TOWARDS THE DOORWAY AND THEN INTO THE UNROOM NOT.SEVEN THROUGH A SERIES OF CUTS. EACH CUT IS ACCOMPANIED BY THE SOFT SOUND OF A PIECE OF PAPER BEING DRAGGED ACROSS ANOTHER.


INT. UNROOM NOT.SEVEN, TWIXTLIGHT
The unroom Not.Seven is a room of indeterminable size. In front of the doorway are semi-circular rows of grey carpet squares. They radiate out from a wooden disc sitting near a possible center of the space. The TYPEWRITER ABSTRACT PUPPET STAGE sits on the wooden disc, facing towards the grey carpet squares. The entire scene is softly illuminated by spindly metallic lamps at the end of the rows. The lamp’s cords snake off into the distance, of which you wonder the distance.


LS OF THE UNROOM FROM JUST INSIDE THE DOORWAY

PAN IN TO THE MID-STAGE AREA OF THE TYPEWRITER ABSTRACT PUPPET STAGE THROUGH A SERIES OF CUTS. PAN IN UNTIL PROPERLY FRAMING THE MID-STAGE. EACH CUT IS ACCOMPANIED BY THE MODERATE SOUND OF A PIECE OF PAPER BEING DRAGGED ACROSS ANOTHER.


MID-STAGE: CURTAINS CLOSED
The Mid-stage curtains part, and the stage-lights turn on with THE LOUDER SOUND OF A PIECE OF PAPER BEING DRAGGED ACROSS ANOTHER and also A CLICK OF A LIGHSWITCH TURNING ON, revealing…


MID-STAGE: A STACK OF PAPERS

CS OF A STACK OF PAPERS.

A tall stack of cells or paper illustrations for Ophidia Operahouse’s short film sit before the camera. From stage-left, THOMAS TYPEWRITER’S fingers come into view and grab the top sheet. They drag and lift the top sheet out of the frame. It makes the PAPER SCRAPING ACROSS PAPER sound we have been hearing before now.

CUT TO

MID-STAGE: INT. PENCIL CHICKS STUDIO, DAYTIME
A long desk runs across the stage while a drawing desk sits behind the long desk. On the long desk is a computer monitor, small desktop, keyboard, mouse, a scanner, a bin, and a large stack of papers. THOMAS TYPEWRITER sits at the desk moving pages from the stack of papers to the scanner. Thomas leans over grabbing the top page from a stack of papers to the side of the computer. He opens the scanner lid and places the paper inside. After closing the lid, he fiddles with the computer. The HUM AND WHIR of the scanner activating goes out. Thomas opens the scanner lid when it finishes. He removes the sheet of paper and places it in a bin to the opposite side of the desk. Behind him sits OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE at the second desk. It is an animator’s desk with full light table. Various pencils and squares and drawing guides sit on top of the desk. To her side is a shelf of pull-out bins. Various papers and extra drawing materials fill the bins. Ophidia focuses on her drawing, leaning over to finish a drawing while Thomas scans. As he scans his third piece of paper, Ophidia stretches in her chair. She gets up and walks behind Thomas, tenderly placing her hands on his shoulders. He reaches up one hand, the one not using the computer mouse, and places it on top of her hand.

OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE
“I’m going to stretch my legs and get a snack. You want anything?”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Something to drink would be nice, if your offering.”

OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE
“Oh, I am offering.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
(looking at Ophidia) “Then I am accepting.”

OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE
“Be right back then.” “Then I’ll be right back. “Be right back.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Okay.”
Ophidia exits stage-right. Thomas puts away the sheet he is currently scanning and reaches for a new one.

TRANSITION FROM THE MID-STAGE TO THE HIGH-STAGE

THE CAMERA DETACHES FROM PROPERLY FRAMING MID-STAGE AND PANS UPWARD. IT GLIDES UP AND OVER THE SETS, GLIDES OVER THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS, UPWARD AND UPWARD. ONCE IT REACHES THE TOP OF THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS AND THE HIGH-STAGE LOCATED THERE, IT STOPS PANNING WHEN PROPERLY FRAMING HIGH-STAGE.

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

HIGH-STAGE: INT. PANACEA FLAUTO’S OFFICE IN THE FLUTE MEDICALSHIP, EARLY EVENING.
Panacea’s office is a desk sitting in the middle of the stage with the back walls lined by filing cabinets of various heights. On top of each filing cabinet are multiple stacks of books and papers. Crammed between the stacks of books, in any open spaces are various rolled up medical charts, boxes, and medical equipment. There is one succulent emerging from the filing cabinets on the stage-left, its long leaves dropping out causing a splash of color in the office. Panacea’s desk is a large metal affair, covered in stacks of medical charts and paperwork. Two spare Med-scanners sit on the side of the desk amidst a collection of empty coffee cups. PANACEA FLAUTO sits at her desk, feet propped up, reading through a stack of files. She has a small black and white Vid-screen, in an antiquated case, sitting on top of the files in one of the pulled out filing cabinet drawers. The Vid-Screen is on but not actually set to a channel yet. It is displaying a static snow signal. There is a KNOCK ON THE DOOR from off-stage.

PANACEA FLAUTO
“Who is it?”

CEDAR WAXWINGS
(off-screen) “Cedar.”

PANACEA FLAUTO
“Oh, come on in.”

Panacea puts the folder away and starts to move the paperwork from her desk. CEDAR WAXWINGS, inside a Medi-pod, rolls into the room from stage-right. He enters holding a bag of food from the ship’s cafeteria.

CEDAR WAXWINGS
“I didn’t know which salad you preferred so I got both. Sorry if that is a problem.”

PANACEA FLAUTO
“That’s no problem. That was nice of you.”

Cedar sets the bag on the desk. Panacea reaches into the bag and pulls out two containers of salad and two cans of Nutri-Soda. She reads the labels on both salads and picks one.

PANACEA FLAUTO
“Did you grab any napkins.”

CEDAR WAXWINGS
“No, sorry. Was I suppose to?”

PANACEA FLAUTO
“That’s okay. I’ve got some in my desk.”

CEDAR WAXWINGS
“From all your desk dinners.”

PANACEA FLAUTO
“Hey, I have a lot of paperwork with this job.”

CEDAR WAXWINGS
“I can see that.”

Cedar holds up his hands in mock surrender. Panacea shakes her head but smiles. She reaches into a drawer and pulls out some napkins. She then turns to the Vid-screen and turns to Channel 200 “The Bird House”. The title credits for the movie “North by North by Northwest” play across the screen.

CEDAR WAXWINGS
(while trying to grab the other salad off the table) “So what’s on tonight?”
Panacea pushes the other salad to the edge of the desk, so as to be closer to Cedar’s reach. Cedar is then able to pick up the salad container.

PANACEA FLAUTO
“Soap Bubble Medical Theatre is on hiatus this week, so I thought we’d watch this oldie, North by North by Northwest. Ever seen it?”

CEDAR WAXWINGS
(pouring salad container into a drawer that opened on the front of his Medi-pod) “No, what is it about”

PANACEA FLAUTO
“It is about a young boy who decides to travel the world looking for new parents but is mistaken for a spy and pursued by shadowy agents.”

CEDAR WAXWINGS
“Sounds interesting.”

PANACEA FLAUTO
“It is. Just watch and you’ll see.”

They turn towards the Vid-screen as the opening sequence for “North by North by Northwest” plays.

NORTH BY NORTH BY NORTHWEST OPENING SEQUENCE:
INT. ATTIC PLAYROOM, DAWN
Open on a nondescript Attic that has been converted to a children’s playroom. The rafters have been covered in a medium-dark paneling with a the top half painted in white to increase the feeling of openness in the space. Green vines and leaves are hand painted along the edges of the white painted areas to add a soothing decorative element. A window is situated at each end of the playroom. The window facing the dawn has shafts of sunlight pouring through it, illuminating strips of the room. A short table with a train set sits in the center of the space. Around the room, various toy vehicles sit scattered among various buildings made of building-block toys. The selection of toys and buildings can vary but there will need to be a cab, a commercial plane, a crop-duster prop plane, a bicycle, a dogsled, a car, a cruise ship, a skyscraper with reflective windows, Mount Rushmore, a country manor, a mall, an igloo, and a hotel.

PROGRESS THROUGH A MONTAGE OF CLOSE-SHOTS OF THE TRAIN AND THE SPECIFIED TOYS AND BUILDING MODELS. EACH SHOT DISSOLVES INTO THE NEXT. END THE SEQUENCE ON AN ANGLED SHOT OF THE SKYSCRAPER.

MATCH DISSOLVE FROM THE IMAGE OF THE MODEL SKYSCRAPER TO A SHOT OF AN ACTUAL SKYSCRAPER. THE PLACEMENTS AND ANGLES OF THE WINDOWS NEED TO BE THE SAME BETWEEN THE MODEL AND THE REAL BUILDING. THE FIRST DETAIL TO COME IN WILL BE THE REFLECTION OF TRAFFIC IN THE WINDOWS. ONCE THE DISSOLVE COMPLETES HOLD THE SHOT TO SHOW THE TRAFFIC AND COMMUTERS IN THE STREET SCUTTLING BY.

CUT TO

EXT. HITCHLEH REIBEL CITY, RUSHHOUR
Hitchleh Reibel City is a large metropolitan city in the midst of rushhour. Countless people are getting off work and heading home for the day. They flood out of buildings at the heart of city, that stab at clouds, to huddle in buses, subways, cabs and cars that flow through routes branching like veins. The oxygen is leaving the city to be distributed to the outlying districts.

PROGRESS THROUGH A MONTAGE OF SHOTS OF PEOPLE LEAVING BUILDINGS, WALKING IN LARGE GROUPS DOWN STREETS, GETTING ONTO BUSES, GETTING ONTO SUBWAYS, GETTING INTO CABS, AND GETTING INTO TRAINS.

CUT TO CRANE SHOT OF GRANTWOOD AVE

NORTH NORTHERLY, a young child of around eleven dressed in a youth ice hockey uniform, is walking down the street.

IRIS IN ON NORTH NORTHERLY

CUT TO A MONTAGE OF NORTH NORTHERLY WALKING ACROSS VARIOUS STREETS AND BRIDGES AND PATHS IN THE CITY AS HE MAKES HIS WAY TO…

INT. THE ROSE & COMPASS MALL, DAYTIME
The Rose & Compass Mall is a large multi-story mall. Glass lined ceilings overlook three levels of shopping. Tiled floors lead to small landscaping beds, tranquil fountains, and a sensible layout of escalators.

FOLLOW NORTH WALKING ACROSS THE MALL TO THE MESSAGE CHAIRS THROUGH A SERIES OF MEDIUM SHOT AND LONG SHOT CUTS.

The Message Chair section of the mall is near the end of one wing of the Rose & Compass Mall. It is located in the common area outside the Old Timerz achor store. On one side can be seen a Skolnic’s Ice Crem Sandwich Parlor, a Huskyberry clothes store, a couple Satelite Soda vending machines and a few benches. The Messaging Chair section itself has four messaging chairs with accompanying coin operation slots. Three of the chairs are occupied by SOUTH SOUTHERLY, WEST WESTERLY, and EAST EARLY. South is a young girl of around ten dressed in a little league baseball uniform. West is a young boy of around ten dressed in a youth football uniform. East is a young boy of around nine dressed in a youth track outfit. They are all in the middle of a circle of chair messages. North walks up, puts some money in the unoccupied chair, and then sits down. The chair starts to shift and then vibrate as the messaging mechanisms kick in.


NORTH NORTHERLY
“Oh, I needed this.”

SOUTH SOUTHERLY
“Tell me about it. I had the worst day.”

WEST SOUTHERLY
“Sorry, but no way you had the worst. I had the worst.”

EAST EARLY
“With all due respect, your both wrong. I had the worst.”

SOUTH SOUTHERLY
“You two don’t know what your talking about. How about you North. You going to claim you had the worst and then we get into this whole one-upmanship thing.”

WEST WESTERLY
“I’d never do that.”

EAST EARLY
“You’d absolutely do that.”

NORTH NORTHLY
“I don’t get it. Just don’t understand.”

WEST WESTERLY
“Understand what?”

NORTH NORTHLY
“Why don’t they like me? I get perfect grades, pitch perfect games, and deliver a perfect Shakespearean soliloquy. What did I do wrong? These are all traits of values to others but not them.”

In the background of the frame, MALL CLERK enters searching for someone.

MALL CLERK
“Mr. Carlson? Mr. Arthur Carlson?”

SOUTH SOUTHERLY
“I stand corrected, your having a worse day.”

WEST WESTERLY
“Worse than mine.”

EAST EARLY
“Definitely.”

MALL CLERK
“Mr Arthur Carlson? Is there a Mr. Arthur Carlson present?”

North leans forward in the messaging chair and throws his arms up in exasperation.

NORTH NORTHLY
“I don’t understand! Owww.”

North recoils his arm and grips is shoulder wincing in pain.

SOUTH SOUTHERLY
“Are you okay?”

WEST WESTERLY
“That looks like it hurts.”

NORTH NORTHLY
“I might have thrown out my shoulder in the game due to the stress of my ongoing existential crisis.”

EAST EARLY
“At least its not an ontological crisis.”


The Mall Clerk sees North gestures and walks over to him.

MALL CLERK
“Mr. Carlson, I have been looking all over the mall for you.”

NORTH NORTHLY
“I’m not Carlson. “

MALL CLERK
“Sorry.”

NORTH NORTHLY
“Do you know somewhere I can buy some aspirin?”

MALL CLERK
“Second floor over by Ramblewoods is a drugstore.”

NORTH NORTHLY
“Okay. Thanks.”

CUT TO

MS OF THE SOFTLY-DRESSED MAN AND LOUDLY-DRESSED MAN

Down the hallway, near the escalator and maps, stand the SOFTLY-DRESSED MAN and the LOUDLY-DRESSED MAN. They are observing the Message Chair Area.

LS OF THE MESSAGE AREA FROM THEIR ANGLE OF VIEW

The events of North Northly walking up to the Message Chairs and speaking with the other children plays out. The Mall Clerk comes in and starts asking for Mr. Carlson. When North raises his arm they look at each other.

INSERT CS OF THEM NODDING AT EACH OTHER.

This should be enough to play in the background of the main scene as Cedar and Panacea eat lunch.

END OF NORTH BY NORTH BY NORTHWEST OPENING SEQUENCE

CEDAR WAXWINGS
“This is nice.”

PANACEA FLAUTO
“Yeah, it is.”

CEDAR WAXWINGS
“I meant the salad, but this is nice too. Can you turn it up?”

PANACEA FLAUTO
“Sure.”

She stands and leans over increasing the volume on the vid-screen. She then sits back down, steals a glance at Cedar and smiles. The stage-lights turn off to the sound of A COMPUTER BOOTING OFF. The light from the Vid-screen stays on. The High-stage curtains close.

TRANSITION FROM HIGH-STAGE TO MID-STAGE

THE CAMERA UNCOUPLES FROM PROPERLY FRAMING HIGH-STAGE AND PANS DOWNWARD. IT GLIDES TO THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS LOCATED BELOW THE HIGH-STAGE. IT CONTINUES PANNING DOWNWARD THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS. SOON THE TOPS OF THE MID-STAGE SETS POKE UP FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE FRAME. CONTINUE PANNING DOWNWARD UNTIL PROPERLY FRAMING MID-STAGE.

MID-STAGE: INT. PENCIL CHICKS STUDIO, DAYTIME
A long desk runs across the stage while a drawing desk sits behind the long desk. On the long desk is a computer monitor, small desktop, keyboard, mouse, a scanner, a bin, and a large stack of papers. THOMAS TYPEWRITER sits at the desk moving pages from the stack of papers to the scanner. Thomas leans over grabbing the top page from a stack of papers to the side of the computer. He opens the scanner lid and places the paper inside. After closing the lid, he fiddles with the computer. The HUM AND WHIR of the scanner activating goes out. Thomas opens the scanner lid when it finishes. He removes the sheet of paper and places it in a bin to the opposite side of the desk. Behind him is an animators desk with light table and a shelving of pull-out drawers. OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE enters stage-right carrying a tray with two drinks and a bowl of snacks.

OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE
“I am back.”

Thomas stops reaching for a new sheet and scoots his chair back, allowing Ophidia room to walk in. She sets the tray down on the computer desk.

OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE
(handing Thomas a glass) “This is for you.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
(taking glass) “Thank you.”

Ophidia retrieves a stool from off screen stage-right and sits down. She picks up the bowl and takes a bite. She then offers some to Thomas. He takes a small handful.

OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE
“So, hows it going.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Okay I guess. I never realized how monotonous animation was.”

OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE
“Yes, but I like it.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“No, I didn’t mean that as an insult. I am sorry if it was. I was just thinking that maybe it was a blessing in disguise that I lost the ability to draw or cartoon.”

OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE
“That is kind of dark.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Yeah, but not as much as it sounds. Just more of realizing this would not of worked for me. Also it makes you even more amazing in my eyes that you are able to do this. You are something special.”

OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE
“Aww, thank you. So, I watched this funny show last night.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“So we’re changing subjects. Okay. What was it?”

Thomas reaches for some more snacks.

OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE
“Campus Ladies.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“My mom was just going on about that show when I talked to her yesterday. How is it?”

OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE
“Funny.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“So what is it about?”

Thomas scoots his chair closer to Ophidia. She scoots her stool closer to Thomas.

OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE
“Well, these two older ladies decide to go back to college.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Like take night classes or move into a dorm full-time?”

OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE
“Dorm full time, in fact that is part of the joke. Like their roommate thinks they’re Moms dropping off their kids.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Really.”

Ophidia starts to giggle and Thomas moves in closer.

OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE
“Okay, so the ladies decide to go to a party down the hall, to try to meet people. They get blasted and stumble back to their room super late. They find their roommate crying and start tucking her in and kiss her goodnight. I laughed and laughed.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Did you now?”

Thomas takes a hold of Ophidia’s hand. She returned the gesture with her other hand.

OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE
“I did.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Then what happened?”

Thomas and Ophidia lean in closer to each other, about to kiss. The stage-lights turn off with the sound of A LIGHT SWITCH CLICKING OFF. The Mid-stage curtains close.

FADE OUT

today in the studio: May 6th, 2025

today in the studio

“The Great Works Project: Season 6, Episode 8” by Thomas Typewriter – a new script

scripts, The Great Works Project scripts

———–<.thom.>———–

THE GREAT WORKS PROJECT

a puppet play in many parts

Season 6, Episode 8

By Thomas Typewriter

(c) 2025 jason arcand

———–<:type:>———–

FADE IN

From the center of a blank screen scrolls upward rapidly the following text: “06-08”. It enters from the bottom of the frame and moves up, pausing in the center before continuing upward. It exits through the top of the frame.

FADE OUT
FADE IN

EXT. Y-APARTMENT, SUNSET
The darkness of the empty screen slowly starts to develop twinkles of starlight.

PAN DOWN FROM STARRY SKY ACROSS THE WARM COLORS OF A SUNSET

Y-MOUSE
(off-camera) “Beautiful.”

CUT TO

EXT. DECK OF APARTMENT Y, EARLY EVENING.
A wrought iron deck on the edge of the apartment with an art deco inspired metal railing. A deck chair and small table sit off to the side of the sliding door. The view from the deck looks out at sloping hills of late season autumnal trees. Fiery colors burst across the skeletal branches as the fall of leaves and march into winter continues. Y-Mouse sits on his deck watching the sunset, sipping from a tall glass of Seltzer Beer.

MS OF Y-MOUSE

He stares out in deep thought. After a moment, a GROUP OF CHIMES starts to chime. There sounds like six different chimes, each at a different pitch and interval. Through the window and glass doorway, six different colors blink: red, blue, orange, green, yellow, and purple. Each color blinks in intervals with one of the six different chimes. Y-Mouse turns his head to look toward the apartment.

CUT TO CS OF GLASS DOOR SHOWING BLINKING LIGHTS.

CUT BACK

Y-Mouse stretches and stands. He casually strolls into the apartment.

CUT TO LS OF Y-MOUSE FROM ACROSS THE GLASS DOOR

The deck’s sliding glass doors open onto a studio apartment kitchen/living room combo. The kitchen stands off to stage-left and the living room to stage-right. An L-shaped counter divides one area from the other. A wicker couch sits off the stage-right. Just out of frame is a small entryway with a thin table. Above the table hangs three coat hooks. On one side of the table stands the Narrator’s Door. To the other side of the table, down the short hall of the entryway is the door to the Y-Stairwell. Holding his drink, Y-Mouse walks in. He looks at the couch and sees the blinking colored lights coming from under the couch. He nods his head in understanding and walks into the kitchen. He opens a drawer and pulls out a notepad and pencil. He then walks to the Narrator’s door and steps through.

TRACK Y-MOUSE

PAN THROUGH THE NARRATOR’S DOOR

TRANSITION FROM THE Y-APARTMENT TO THE TYPEWRITER ABSTRACT PUPPET STAGE.

TYPEWRITER ABSTRACT PUPPET STAGE: NARRATOR’S BALCONY

LS OF THE NARRATOR’S BALCONY

CUT TO MS OF THE Y-MOUSE

Y-Mouse closes the door behind him as he walks onto the deck and sits on the edge. He looks over at the closed curtains of the High-Stage.

PAN OVER TO PROPERLY FRAMING THE HIGH-STAGE

HIGH-STAGE: CURTAINS CLOSED
The curtains for the High-Stage part. The stage-lights turn on to the sound of A COMPUTER BOOTING ON revealing…

HIGH-STAGE: EXT. THE FAR EDGE OF THE FOREVERCAGE
The vast immaterial unfilled echo is broken by two figures, one small and the other large. THE WARDROBE OF A THOUSAND AND ONE COSTUMES floats off to the stage-right of the center. A small model of THE SPACE EGG floats to the stage-left of the center. It slowly glides towards the Wardrobe.

CUT TO

INT. THE SPACE EGG
THE INNER-SPACE MAN sits in a sleek astronaut’s chair, working buttons on the console. In front of him sits a curved console and curved view screen. The console has a center monitor in the shape of a circle bisected by a long rectangle. This is the Space Egg’s text display. All of the Space Egg’s dialogue will scroll across the text display as it comes out of the speakers. Around the text display sit various-sized hexagonal buttons. The view screen sits on a curved wall coming off the console. It bears the same circle bisected by a rectangle design, only much larger. It is currently displaying the approaching Wardrobe of a Thousand and One Costumes. Uncomfortably Crammed into the small space behind the pilot’s chair sit BIFF THE RABBIT and ROCKEY THE PET ROCK. A stack of paper and crayons sits between the pair. Drawings of an egg in a detective’s coat and fedora and a giant radioactive monster can be seen in the stack of papers.

THE SPACE EGG
(voice-over?) “There it is.”

THE INNER-SPACE MAN
“Roger. See if you can use that gap in the doors we used last time.”

THE SPACE EGG
“Already on it.”

BIFF THE RABBIT
“What is that!”

THE INNER-SPACE MAN
“It’s a giant wardrobe.”

BIFF THE RABBIT
“I can see that, but why is it so large. When we pretend the Wardrobe of a Thousand And One Costumes is like maybe twice our size. Not the size of a mountain.”

THE INNER-MAN
“Wait, you’ve seen this thing before.”

BIFF THE RABBIT
“Yeah.”

THE INNER-SPACE MAN
“Interesting”

CUT BACK TO


EXT. THE FAR EDGE OF THE FOREVERCAGE
The model of the Space Egg is now very close to the Wardrobe of a Thousand and One Costumes. The wardrobe rotates so that we can see the front doors and the small gap at the bottom. The Space Egg flies into the gap.

TRANSITION FROM THE HIGH-STAGE TO THE MID-STAGE


THE CAMERA DETACHES FROM HIGH-STAGE AND PANS DOWNWARD. IT SCROLLS OVER THE BOTTOM OF THE HIGH-STAGE TO THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS BELOW. IT FOLLOWS THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS DOWN AND DOWN. SOON THE TOPS OF THE MID-STAGE SETS PEEK UP FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE FRAME. THE CAMERA CONTINUES PANNING DOWN, SLIDING OVER THE SETS UNTIL PROPERLY FRAMING MID-STAGE.

MID-STAGE: INT. PENCIL CHICKS STUDIOS, DAYTIME
The stage-lights are off but turn on to the sound of A LIGHT SWITCH CLICKING ON. A long work desk stretches across the stage. A computer, monitor keyboard, and mouse sit near the center of the long desk. Nearby sits a scanner. Behind the desk and off to the stage-right side sits a taller drawing table with an animation light table. Various bins filled with paper and drawing tools sit on a shelf near the drawing table. A taller chair is pushed into the drawing table. OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE stands just inside the doorway, having flipped on the room’s lights. THOMAS TYPEWRITER stands partially in the doorway.

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“I am glad to be helping but I am not sure how much help I will be. I really can’t draw anymore, not without my hand acting up.”

OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE
“That’s okay. I can handle the drawing for both of us. What I need is help on the computer.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“I can handle computers.”

OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE
“I know you goofball. Now, why don’t you come in here and I’ll show you what I need you to do.”

Thomas and Ophidia enter the room and sit down at the computer desk. Ophidia standing behind him and Thomas in the chair.

OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE
“Okay, the first thing you do is open this program here.”

She places her hand on top of Thomas’s over the mouse. A strobe light pules across the back of the stage and the sound of FABRIC ROUGHLY SCRAPING OVER FABRIC. Thomas quietly takes in a deep breath and then slowly exhales. The strobe light and fabric scraping sound stop. Ophidia gently guides his hand.

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Like this?”

OPHDIA OPERAHOUSE
“Yes, exactly. Just like that.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“I am glad I agreed to this.It feels good to working on art again, even if it is not my own.”

Ophidia gives him a quick kiss

OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE
“I am glad you said yes too. Okay, once that is open you are going to start scanning from the pile over to the side of you.”

Thomas and Ophidia freeze as the stage-lights turn off to the sound of A LIGHTSWITCH CLICKING OFF.

TRANSITION FROM MID-STAGE TO HIGH-STAGE

THE CAMERA PANS UPWARD. IT MOVES OVER THE MID-STAGE SETS TO THE CLOUD OF CURTAINS BEHIND. IT ASCENDS TO THE TOP OF THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS AND THE HIGH-STAGE LOCATED THERE. IT STOPS WHEN PROPERLY FRAMING HIGH-STAGE.

HIGH-STAGE: THE GANTRY OF THE WARDROBE OF A THOUSAND AND ONE COSTUMES
Made of silvery metal, with tall handrails and pole lighting, the Entry Point gives a feeling of a cross between a dock or boardwalk and a spaceship. The long metallic dock joins to a pier-like space opposite the door. A series of round concentric rings, the walkway juts out from the center.

LS FROM GANTRY OUT TOWARDS THE DOORS OF THE WARDROBE OF A THOUSAND AND ONE COSTUMES

The bottom section of the door can be seen extending down from the upper corner of the frame. From the gap between the two doors, a small model of the SPACE EGG flies in. When it enters, two rows of lights slowly blink to life. They light starting at the end nearest the doors moving inward. The Space Egg follows the lights as they turn on.


CUT TO…

HIGH-STAGE: THAT PLATFORM BASE AREA IN THE WARDROBE
Weak lights click on and up brightening the walkway. It is a metal boardwalk with thin pipe rails. The entire space is of such a scope and size that the lights are not bright enough to illuminate the far walls of the space they have flown into. Two corridors branch out from the landing area, going left and right. Just beyond the boardwalk and corridors is an amphitheater-like space with descending rings of seats. In the center is THE LARGE MEMOCRYSTAL, an irregularly shaped crystal. It is the size of a boulder and appears to be made up of various-sized crystals. On the large crystal sits THE INFORMATIVE SCUTTLER powered down and sleeping.


LS OF THE SPACE EGG

THE SPACE EGG enters from stage-left and lands. It’s ring of light dims as it powers down.

CUT TO MS OF THE SPACE EGG

The top of the Space Egg opens up with A PRESSURIZED HISS. THE INNER-SPACE MAN sits in the pilot’s chair with BIFF THE RABBIT and ROCKEY THE PET ROCK crammed behind the chair. They all stand and stretch. The Inner Space Man exits the Space Egg first. He nearly tumbles down while exiting awkwardly, making a loud racket. Biff reaches for him but the Inner-Space Man waves him off while making a few hops to recover his balance.


CUT TO MS OF THE LARGE MEMOCRYSTAL PEDESTAL


The Informative Scuttler languidly perks one of its eye stalks up. The eye stalk focuses and the refocuses as it realizes the others have returned. It starts to power up.

CUT TO MS OF THE INNER-SPACE MAN AND THE SPACE EGG

The Inner-Space Man stands up, righting himself. Rockey moves to the edge of the Space Egg and Biff the Rabbit moves behind him.

THE INNER-SPACE MAN
(to Rockey and Biff) “Careful on that first step. Here, I’ll help”
The Inner-Space Man reaches up and Rockey jumps into his hands. He sets Rockey on the ground. He then reaches up to help Biff.

IRIS EFFECT FOCUSING ON BIFF

CUT BACK TO MS OF THE MEMOCRYSTAL PEDESTAL

It stands up in surprise. It quickly crawls down.

FOLLOW THE SCUTTLER

CUT TO MS OF THE BACK WALL OF THE WARDROBE.

The back wall of the Wardrobe looks like a long wall of dark green stained wood. The wood grain is still visible in large swirls. The floor has changed from the metallic flooring of the gantry to a dark polished stone. A triangular doorway is built into the wall. This doorway is one of many similar doorways stretching the length of the back wall. The doorway is edged by a nice scalloped edge that runs along the floor like a connecting ray between the triangular openings. Each doorway is a little larger than a scuttler. The Scuttler enters from stage-left and hurriedly moves into the nearest doorway. From behind the door CONVERSATIONS OF EXCITED CLICKS AND GEARS WHIRRING sound. The Informative Scuttler reemerges from the doorway dragging THE EMPAATHA KEY. It is a dual-sided key made from a crystal similar to the memocrystals, in colors of gold, silver, and bronze. The top of the key looks like an abstracted doorway. A pair of Scuttlers emerge holding the end of the Empaatha Key. A large group of Scuttlers follows the trio, flowing out of the doorway. In the group are four Scuttlers carrying THE CHOICE CRACTION. It is a squarish stone block composed of grey basalt-like stone. The entire surface is streaked with black obsidian-like crystals and white quartz-like crystals. In the center of the Knowtwhole is an opening made from two overlapping circles. The streaks of obsidian and quartz are visibly increased inside the openings. The parade of scuttlers exits stage-left.

CUT TO THE LANDING GANTRY

MS OF THE INNER-SPACE MAN, BIFF THE RABBIT, AND ROCKEY THE PET ROCK STANDING NEXT TO THE SPACE EGG.

BIFF THE RABBIT
“So, you’re saying all of this, this place, is in my imagination. Like we are physically in that abstract space.”

THE INNER-SPACE MAN
“That is our going theory.”

BIFF THE RABBIT
“That’s a lot to process.”

The group of scuttlers enters from stage-right.

THE INNER-SPACE MAN
“Yes, but there is more…” (pauses as he notices the scuttlers) ”Oh hey, Eggsey it’s our old buddy. What’s up….” (trails off)

They walk past the Inner-Space Man and approach Biff. The Informative Scuttler holds up the Empaatha Key while the others bow.

BIFF THE RABBIT
“Why are they bowing to me?”

ROCKEY THE PET ROCK
“Maybe it’s the noble way you carry yourself.”

THE INNER-SPACE MAN
“I don’t know. Normally they’re constructing things.”

The Informative Scuttler gestures for Biff to take the key.

ROCKEY THE PET ROCK
(whisper to Biff) “Don’t be rude. Take the thing.”

BIFF THE RABBIT
(whisper to Rockey) “How do I know they’re offering it to me. Maybe it is someone else’s”

Rockey steps forward towards the Empaatha Key. The scuttlers shift it back out of reach. He tries a few more times to touch the stone, but the scuttler crowd moves it out of reach each time.

ROCKEY THE PET ROCK
(whispers to Biff) “There. Does that convince you? Now, take it and say thank you. You’re starting to look silly.”

Biff reaches forward and takes the Empaatha Key.

BIFF THE RABBIT
“Thank you?”

The crowd of scuttlers now turns to the Inner-Space Man. They present to him the Choice Craction. He leans over and picks it up.

THE INNER-SPACE MAN
“Thank you?”

The scuttlers turn and all exit except the Informative Scuttler. It crawls back behind the Large Memocrystal.

THE SPACE EGG
“What was that about?”

THE INNER-SPACE MAN
“I don’t know.”

The Inner-Space Man moves closer to the Space egg on one side of the stage while Biff moves closer to Rockey on the other. Each examines the interesting gift they were given.

A LINE GOES UP IN THE CENTER OF THE SCREEN SETTING UP A SPLIT SCREEN

EACH SIDE OF THE SPLIT SCREEN PANS IN ON THE DUO IN THAT SIDE.

EACH SIDE OF THE SPLIT SCREEN PANS INTO A CS OF THE GIFT OBJECTS, THE EMPAATHA KEY OR CHOICE CRACTION, ON THAT SIDE OF THE SPLIT SCREEN


Hold for a few moments before the High-Stage lights turn off to the sound of A COMPUTER BOOTING OFF. The High-Stage curtains then close.

FADE OUT

today in the studio: March 11th, 2025

today in the studio

“The Not So Puppet Show: Season One, Episode Four” by Thomas Typewriter – a new script

scripts, The Not So Puppet Show

———–<.thom.>———–

THE NOT SO PUPPET SHOW

Season One, Episode Four

“The Broken Book of Beasties: Book 1, Part 2”

By Thomas Typewriter

(c) 2025 jason arcand

———–<:type:>———–

FADE IN


Title sequence plays

FADE OUT
FADE IN

INT. BORDERTOWNE MIDDLE SCHOOL LUNCHROOM, MID-DAY
A long cafeteria table spreads across the stage. Behind the table are tall frosted windows in utilitarian frames. Shapes of trees and a general daylight illumination can be seen through the frosted glass. In the upper portions are small round dents and circling cracks from various kids in the neighborhood next to the school shooting the windows with BB guns. Even though there is some daylight coming through the windows, the Lunchroom is bathed in strong fluorescent lighting. CHADWELL BAGPIPES, ANTWELL CONCRETE, MIKEWELL LETTERS, and ARROWELL RAILROAD are sitting at the table eating their school lunches.

LS OF THE GROUP

THOMAS TYPEWRITER enters from stage-left. He is carrying his metal lunchbox, decorated in characters from the “Peanuts” comic strip, and the latest issue of The Not So Zine. He sits down next to Chadwell. All four of the boys are friends and exchange hellos. Thomas opens his lunchbox and pulls out a bag of chips. He quickly eats all the chips. He then folds the bag flat and places it in front of him on the table. Chadwell, Antwell, Mikewell, and Aaywell all notice this and turn their heads to watch what Thomas is doing. From stage-left enters GREG RASHES. Greg is a tall, lean, blonde teen with acne in the grade above Thomas. He walks over to the area in front of Thomas, avoiding blocking Thomas from view.

CUT TO MS OF THOMAS AND GREG

GREG RASHES
“Hey, nerd.”

THOMAS TOPHAT
“I am not a nerd Greg. You will find my grades preclude me from qualifying as a nerd.”

GREG RASHES
“Whatever. Let me have your chips. I’m hungry.”

THOMAS TOPHAT
“Sorry, Greg. I already ate them.”

GREG RASHES
“What? But you did that yesterday and I asked you to not do that. How can I eat your chips if you eat them first.”

THOMAS TOPHAT
“I don’t know what to tell you, Greg. (flatly) I just can’t control myself when it comes to chips.”

GREG RASHES
“Me either. Okay. But tomorrow save them so I can take them.”

Greg exits stage-right.

CUT BACK TO LS OF TABLE

ANTWELL CONCRETE
“Thomas, what was that about.”

THOMAS TOPHAT
“It is just Greg trying to bully me into giving him my chips.”

MIKEWELL LETTERS
“And he just accepts that you ate them before he got there.”

THOMAS TOPHAT
“Yeah, he’s not a very good bully.”

ARROWELL RAILROAD
“I’d say so.”

CHADWELL BAGPIPES
“Well, if he tries anything we’re with you.”

MIKEWELL LETTERS
“Yes.”

ANTWELL CONCRETE
“Yes.”

ARROWELL RAILROAD
“Maybe. Anyways, what does everyone think of using my map for Zonepoints today?”

Arrowell pulls out a notebook and flips it open. Chadwell and Antwell lean in and start discussing it with him. Thomas lets out a gentle and soft sigh to himself. Mikewell notices and looks at Thomas. Pulling a sandwich out from his lunch, Thomas starts to read the Not So zine. Mikewell is unsure of Thomas’ mood but ultimately joins the others in looking at Arrowell’s notes.


CUT TO MS OF THOMAS EATING HIS SANDWICH AND READING THE NOT SO.

CUT TO CS OF THE NOT SO ZINE

TRANSITION FROM THE BORDERTOWNE MIDDLE SCHOOL TO THE BOOK OF BROKEN BEASTS
FADE INTO THE NEXT

———–<.thom.>———–

THE BROKEN BOOK OF BEASTIES

“Book I: A Book by Any Other Cover”

Part Two of Three

By Thomas Typewriter and Primo Operahouse-Typewriter & Secondo Operahouse-Typewriter

(c) 2XYZ thomas typewriter

————-<:type:>———–

FADE IN


TITLE SEQUENCE


The title “The Broken Book of Beasties” appears far off in the dark screen, written in bright red flowing script. The word Beasties, unlike the rest of the title, is written in a thick slashing font. The title flies towards the camera and past the edge of the frame. The dark screen is filled with a shimmer as the following text appears in white block letters: “Book I: A Book by Any Other Cover”. It fades away in a shimmer. In the absence appears the following test: “Part Two.”


PAN DOWN


The dark screen fades to light grey as the “Part Two” slides off the top of the screen from the camera panning


TRANSITION FROM TITLE TO THE TRILIBRIS


INT. THE ALCOVE AT THE BACK OF THE TRILIBRIS’ MAIN ROOM, DAYTIME

The Alcove is a dark wood wall decorated with gold and brass metal in long blocky snaking patterns illuminated by two torches. In the center of the alcove is a podium holding THE CODEXIAN. The Codexian is a thick book, with covers of a purple stone and thick leather binding. The front cover has a vertical row of three circles made from gold wire on the binding side. The other side is a snaking angular pattern similar to the patterns on the alcove walls. The pattern snakes down to two horizontal lines across the bottom portion of the front cover. It is currently open to the middle of its binding with THE GREY MOUSE off to the corner looking in at the illustrations on the page.

MS OF THE CODEXIAN


CUT TO CS OF THE CODEXIAN


Golden scroll-work forms a border around a central image across the two pages. Inside the border is an image of THE BAKER leaning on her counter looking forlorn. The image is done in a style combining woodblock prints and illuminated manuscripts. Small hands of THE GREY MOUSE enter the bottom of the frame followed by the head and body. The Grey Mouse is leaning over the page.

THE GREY MOUSE
“Squeak”

THE CODEXIAN
(voice-over) “That is funny. It almost sounded as if you asked why she was sad.”

THE GREY MOUSE
“Squeak.”

THE CODEXIAN
(voice-over) “Oh, you did. I’ll unpack that later. Back to the story and your question, maybe the Baker was sad because they had spent so much time fleeing and surviving that they had forgotten how to live. Or maybe something simpler. While she was a good baker and well respected in the community, baking was something she never considered very glamorous.”

THE GREY MOUSE
“Squeak.”

THE CODEXIAN
(voice-over) “I understand that makes no sense to you and how amazing bread is, but if you could lean off the page I can continue the story.”

The Grey Mouse moves out of the frame.

THE CODEXIAN
(voice-over) “Thank you.”

The page turns. The illustration shifts between a series of images of The Baker mixing dough and baking bread.

THE CODEXIAN
(voice-over) “The Baker would find her mind wandering to certain thoughts repeatedly. I used to be someone who mattered. I used to be the best bookbinder in the city. Now I bake bread. Now I don’t know my value. Anyone can bake bread. Where is the specialness in that.”

The page turns. The illustration shows The Baker at her counter. At this point, the illustrations start to show some basic animation. Where before they would fade from one static drawing to another, each picture now has a little bit of animation in each sequence. The Baker leans on her counters and sighs. The sigh appears as a written sound effect on the page. The Baker then starts to think, with her thoughts written out in thought bubbles over her head. The Codexian narrates her thoughts as they write across her thought balloon.

THE CODEXIAN
(Voice-over) “I used to be one of the best. Now I just make bread. Bread. Ugh. People used to come from all over the city to buy one of my spell books. I was respected. I was important. I was a true artist. Now, what am I? I make bread. Ugh. So common. So pedestrian. What is the value of a common thing? More importantly, what is the value in those who make common things?”


The thought bubbles fade away and the Baker leaves her counter. The empty counter fills the page momentarily before the Codexian continues the story.


THE CODEXIAN
(voice-over) “And so she would have continued self-flagellating if not for a simple moment.”

It changes to The Baker at her counter. A MOTHER and YOUNG DAUGHTER enter the shop. The Baker waves hello. The Mother approaches the counter and purchases one loaf of bread. She breaks off a bit of the heel of the loaf, steam rises from it, and hands it to her daughter. The image shifts to the daughter eating the bread, closing her eyes, and smiling. The illustration shifts to the Mother shocked at the smile quickly shifting to smiling and turning to speak to The Baker.

THE CODEXIAN
(voice-over) “The mother said something so simple it cut through all the Baker’s doubts and disappointments. She said this is the first time she’s smiled since the fleeing. Thank you. You have no idea how much that is worth to me. How much better that makes my day.”

The Mother and her daughter leave the bakery. The illustration shifts to the Baker at her counter visibly moved and affected by the Mother’s words.

THE CODEXIAN
(voice-over) “The Baker, as the mother and her daughter left the bakery, realized that maybe there is something worthwhile in baking bread. She also realized that as great as she felt about her current situation now, she was still dwelling on the past. It was a poison and she needed to let go.”

The page turns. The new page shows an illustration of The Baker at the front window of her bakery. She rotates the open sign to close. She then locks the door before walking to a table in the back room. The table is laid out with bookbinding tools and supplies.

THE CODEXIAN
(voice-over) “The Baker decided she would make one last book and then move on, putting that part of her life behind her.”

In a series of vignettes, the Baker makes a book. Note that the Baker incorporates some extra steps not usually included in bookbinding. The prestigious bookbinding career she has been remembering was binding spell-books. She rubs each page with various herbs. Once all the pages are rubbed, she places the remaining herbs in a pan and burns them. The ashes she mixes with oil into a paste. She then messages some of the paste into the leather cover and binding strings. She then continues building the book. At the end, she pulls back the oil and ash mix. She dips a small brand into it and then heats it over a flame. The oil flares with streaks of red, blue, yellow, orange, and green. Then she presses the hot brand onto the cover of the book. Smoke rises from where the brand touches the leather. When she removes the brand, the Baker sees that five colors are leaking from the brand into the leather: red, blue, yellow, orange, and green. She sees the bleeding colors and is surprised. She runs her fingers over the colors and the book starts to shimmer. The Baker disappears from the room in a flash of light.

THE CODEXIAN
(voice-over) “The Baker soon discovered that the world has a way of surprising you.”

The page turns. The Beastlands fill the new page. A landscape of orange grass and prairie fills the foreground while in the background blue mountains, green forests, red forests, and yellow sand dunes spread out. In the bottom corner of the illustration, a sparkle appears fading out becoming an image of the Baker. She looks around, confused as to what just happened.

CUT TO CS OF THE BAKER

THE BAKER
“Well, this is a surprise.”

CUT BACK

Hold a moment as The Baker stands in the vast new realm. The page turns to reveal a closer image of the Baker standing with the orange grassland behind her. She is looking around with a face of pure joy. In the grass behind her comes a “rustle” sound effect. The Baker turns to look for the source of the noise. From the grass emerges a Furocerous. It is a large rhino-like creature covered in very thick fur. The fur is longer on the head and shoulders than the rest of the body. It charges towards the Baker. The fur on its head stiffens into a kind of plate armor. The Baker screams in surprise and fear with the words of her scream drifting out across the page. The illustration cuts to a close-shot of the Furocerous running. It then cuts to a medium-shot of the Baker backing up then falling down and scrambling backward. She pulls up the spellbook in a feeble attempt to shield herself. The illustration then changes to the Furocerous colliding with the Baker and her spellbook in a bright flash of orange light.

The page turns and now the illustration is of a long shot of the outside of the Bakery. There is a flash of orange light. The illustration shifts to the inside of the Bakery. The Baker materializes in the air in a flash of orange light and flies backwards against the display. Her spellbook goes flying in another direction. The Baker shakes her head and slowly gets up. She checks her body for injury and does not find any. She starts to laugh to herself.

THE BAKER
“Did that just really happen? That is too wild.”

She walks over to the spellbook and retrieves it from under a table. The spellbook looks different. She examines the changes. The front cover branding now has a line of orange in it. She then opens the book and sees an image of the Furocerous surrounded by a circle of runic patterns and scroll-work.

THE BAKER
“Wow.”

She runs her fingers over the image. The illustration changes to a close-shot of the spellbook’s page. She then runs her fingers in a circle along the scroll-work and runes. The image shifts to a very close-shot of her fingers moving over the ink. The SCAPING OF HER FINGER OVER THE PAGE follows. Thee ink starts to softly glow orange. The orange light starts running up her fingers, creating a brighter and brighter glow. The illustration shifts back to the bakery. As the Baker runs her fingers over the page a spectral glowing version of the Furocerous explodes out and into the bakery display pushing it back. The spectral disappears. The Baker looks back and forth between the spellbook and the display case. A large smile spreads across her lips. She starts to run her fingers over the page again. The illustration cuts back to the longer shot of the Bakery from outside. A bright orange light flashes out and then the entire bakery shakes.

FADE OUT
TRANSITION FROM THE STORY INSIDE THE NOT SO TO THE CAFETERIA
FADE IN

INT. BORDERTOWNE MIDDLE SCHOOL CAFETERIA, MID-DAY
A long cafeteria table spreads across the stage. Behind the table are tall frosted windows in utilitarian frames. Shapes of trees and a general daylight illumination can be seen through the frosted glass. In the upper portions are small round dents and circling cracks from various kids in the neighborhood next to the school shooting the windows with BB guns. Even though some daylight is coming through the windows, the Lunchroom is bathed in strong fluorescent lighting. CHADWELL BAGPIPES, ANTWELL CONCRETE, MIKEWELL LETTERS, and ARROWELL RAILROAD are sitting at the table leaning in to look at a notebook Arrowell is holding. THOMAS TOPHAT sits to the side of them reading the Not So zine.

CS OF THE SCRIPT IN THE NOT SO ZINE

CUT TO LS OF THE GROUP AT THE TABLE

Chadwell and Antwell are writing some notes on Arrowell’s Zonepoints map. A TEACHER’S WHISTLE blows from off-screen. Everyone except Thomas gathers up their lunches and belongings. Antwell, Mikewell, and Arrowell exit stage-left. Chadwell stands and walks over to Thomas, tapping Thomas on the shoulder. Thomas looks up and Chadwell points off-stage stage-left.

CHADWELL BAGPIPE
“Lunch is over. If you would rather read than play Zonepoints, that is okay. You can keep score instead of playing.”

Thomas nods yes. He gathers up his belongings and exits stage-left with Chadwell.

FADE OUT

“The Great Great Works PRoject: Season Six, Episode Seven” by Thomas Typewriter – a new script

scripts, The Great Works Project scripts

———–<.thom.>———–

THE GREAT WORKS PROJECT

a puppet play in many parts

Season 6, Episode 7

an intermission

By Thomas Typewriter

(c) 2025 jason arcand

———–<:type:>———–

FADE IN


From the center of a blank screen scrolls upward rapidly the following text: “06-07”. It enters from the bottom of the frame and moves up as if in fast-forward. It exits through the top of the frame. It is then followed by “an intermission” scrolling up from the bottom of the frame. It moves upwards, momentarily pausing in the center, then exiting the top of the frame.

FADE OUT
FADE IN

INT. SUNKEN LIVING ROOM OF BIFFINGHAM’S HOUSE, DAYTIME

DISSOLVE FROM BRIGHT WHITE THROUGH THE RANGE OF COLORS TO LS OF BIFFINGHAM THE RABBIT AND ROCKINGHAM THE PET ROCK SITTING IN FRONT OF THE TELEVISION

The Living Room is a rectangular room with two of the walls opening onto the nearby hallway and stairwell in the center of the house. The room has a sunken floor with two steps leading from the floor level to the sunken floor. These steps are along the two sides of the room open to the hallway and stairwell. The other two walls have dark wood paneling with small horizontal windows along the top of the wall. Big round pendulous lamps hang from the ceiling bathing the room in a soft yellow light. A couch runs along one of the paneled walls while two corduroy recliners sit across from the couch in front of the steps. The television is on the other paneled wall. It is a large box built into a wooden cabinet. Tall rabbit ears, along with various photos of Biffingham and his family, sit on the top of the television. BIFFINGHAM THE RABBIT, a rabbit boy dressed in corduroy overalls and bearing an uncanny semblance to Biff, sits on the shag carpet in front of the television. Next to him sits his pet rock ROCKINGHAM THE PET ROCK. The television is currently tuned to Channel 2 and the ongoing broadcast of “The Babysitter Tales.” The show is in the middle of a commercial break between acts.

CUT TO MS OF BIFFINGHAM AND ROCKINGHAM

BIFFINGHAM THE RABBIT
“I wonder what will happen in today’s episodes.”

ROCKINGHAM THE PET ROCK
“I don’t know, but we’re about to find out.”

PAN TO SIDE ONTO THE TELEVISION

TRANSITION FROM SUNKEN LIVING ROOM TO COMMERCIAL

PAN IN ON TELEVISION

FADE OUT

GOODWIFE HONEY CHEWBARS COMMERCIAL

FADE IN

CS OF A CASCADING FLOW OF HAYGRASS STEMS

NARRATOR
(voice-over) “Goodwife Bakery, the flavor you know and trust, so trust us. OR when something new comes, trust those you trust when they tell you it is good. ”


A waterfall of falling haygrass pours past the screen. A snack bar emerges from the flow of Haygrass. It moves through the center of the screen towards the camera. The bar is rectangular and made up of compressed haygrass.

DISSOLVE TO…

CS OF A CASCADING FLOW OF CARROT STEMS

A waterfall-like flow of tumbling carrot stems falls across the screen. From the center of the flow emerges the rectangular snack bar. It is now made up of compressed haygrass, carrot, and carrot stems. The bar flies out of the flow and up towards the camera.

DISSOLVE TO…

CS OF A CASCADING FLOW OF SUNFLOWER SEEDS

A pouring of sunflower seeds moves across the screen. From the center of the cascade emerges the snack bar. It is now made up of compressed haygrass, shredded carrots, compressed carrot tops, and scattered sunflower seeds. Note that the bar needs to be more haygrass, carrots, and carrot tops then sunflower seeds. Biff and the other Rabbits can digest sunflower seeds but in modest quantities.

DISSOLVE TO…

CS OF POURING HONEY

Long streams of golden honey flow past the screen. From the center of the honey emerges the snack bar. It is made up of compressed haygrass, shredded carrot, compressed carrot tops, and sunflower seeds same as before except it is now coated in honey. The bar hovers in midair in the center of the screen.

NARRATOR
(voice-over) “New Goodwife Bakery Honey Chewbars. Available now.”

FADE OUT

TRANSITION FROM THE COMMERCIAL TO THE BABYSITTER TALES

THE BABYSITTER TALES TV SHOW

FADE IN

INT. KITCHEN OF THE HOUSE OF GLOOM AND ILL-TIDINGS, MID-MORNING
Description goes here- Now what does the kitchen look like. So we are looking straight at the oven wall. The kitchen is squarish with the oven in the corner. It is an older-style brick oven, while the rest of the kitchen looks a little more modern, but still cottage-like. A sink lies on the counter on the left of the screen. A large window sits over it. Cabinets line the wall with the oven. There is also a small fridge. Cabinets also line the wall next to the oven. A small wooden table sits in the center of the room. There are various braids of spices hanging from the ceiling. The right side of the screen has a wall with shelves holding plates and dishes. There is also a broom. That wall also has a doorway. It is that doorway the GLOOMARELLA THE GLOOM WITCH enters through. ROD POCALYPSE, Gloomarella’s infant son, sits in a high chair on the far side of the table facing the camera. He fidgets waiting for his mother’s return. GLOOMARELLA THE GLOOM WITCH enters from the doorway near the refrigerator. She is carrying the small cage bearing THE TADPOLE. Rod starts to fuss and make noise when the Gloomwitch returns.

ROD POCALYPSE
(repeating in a shout) “Food! Food! Now!”

GLOOMARELLA THE GLOOM WITCH
“I know honey, I know. I’ll have your bottle ready in just a moment. (to self) So tired. When will this kid ever sleep.”

She opens a cabinet over the refrigerator placing the Tadpole inside. She then moves to the next cabinet, a full-length cabinet, and opens it. Gloomarella pulls out a coffee mug and a baby bottle. She then reaches into the fridge and pulls out a jug of milk. She returns for the counter and reaches for the baby bottle but yawns deeply. She rubs her eyes and then picks up the coffee mug. She fills it with milk. She places the jug on the counter. She then fills the baby bottle with coffee. Putting the cap on the bottle she grabs her coffee mug. Bringing both over to the table, she sets the bottle down on Rod’s highchair ledge.

GLOOMARELLA THE GLOOM WITCH
“Oh, I almost forgot.”

She picks up the baby bottle and moves it out of reach. She stands and removes a box of “These Are Circles” cereal from a cabinet behind her. She pours some cereal onto the high-chair tray. Rod starts to eat the cereal. Gloomarella returns the box of cereal. She sits back down at the table and grips her coffee mug two-handed, wrapping her two hands around the mug. Rod starts to drowse off. She notices this and starts to nod off also, allowing herself to close her eyes and rest. He falls asleep in his high chair while Gloomarella falls asleep in her chair. After a few very peaceful moments, there is a LOUD CRASH from outside. Rod startles awake and begins to wail. Gloomarella bolts upright. Her hair frizzles out with angry magical energy.

GLOOMARELLA THE GLOOM WITCH
“Those raccoons! I’ll curse them! I’ll curse them to several layers!”

She races out of the room. Rod calms down. He eats some cereal and reaches for his bottle. It had fallen over, the tip coming just within reach. He pulls it over and drinks it down. He makes a sour face, then starts to vibrate. The coffee kicks in instantly. He begins to rapidly bounce and vibrate in his high chair. The highchair shakes around the kitchen, knocking pots and pans and spices off the walls. As he bounces around the room we can see in the window over the sink the swirling of dark clouds and thunderbolts. Multiple lightning strikes that cast a negative reverse light strike down over the front yard and then the sky clears. Rod increases speed and force bouncing around the room until abruptly he stops. The high chair comes to rest. Rod makes a pained face, there is a loud wet noise as he fills his diaper. It balloons out to comical levels. His face relaxes completely. GLOOMARELLA reenters the kitchen.

GLOOMARELLA THE GLOOM WITCH
“We won’t have any more disturbances from those raccoons any more.”

She walks over to her coffee and starts to drink it. She spits it out.

GLOOMARELLA THE GLOOM WITCH
“Ughhh. This isn’t coffee. Now where did I put my coffee.”

She turns and looks around the room noticing Rod and his overfilled diaper.

GLOOMARELLA THE GLOOM WITCH
“Wow, that is one full…”

Rod’s diaper EXPLODES covering everything in feces.

TRANSITION FROM THE SHOW TO THE VIEWERS

THE CAMERA PANS OUT FROM THE RESTFUL FACE OF ROD POCALYPSE

CONTINUE PAN OUTWARD AS THE EDGE OF THE TELEVISION SCREEN COMES INTO THE SHOT.

INT. SUNKEN LIVING ROOM, DAYTIME
Biffingham and Rockingham sit on the floor in front of the television, giggling.

CONTINUE TO SLOWLY PAN BACK FROM THE TV AND INTO THE LIVING ROOM, PAST BIFFINGHAM AND ROCKINGHAM UNTIL SHOT BECOMES A MS OF THE DUO WATCHING THE TV.

Biffingham turns to look at Rockingham.

BIFFINGHAM THE RABBIT
“I really thought more would happen.”

ROCKINGHAM THE PET ROCK
“What, you didn’t like the exploding diaper. One good laugh and I am satisfied.”

BIFFINGHAM THE RABBIT
“Sure, that was funny, but not much else. Sometimes I think we have more fun when we’re doing our own stories.”

ROCKINGHAM THE PET ROCK
“Well, they are good stories.”

BIFFINGHAM THE RABBIT
“What do you say that when this episode is over, we go play?”

ROCKINGHAM THE PET ROCK
“Sure. What do you want to play?”

BIFFINGHAM THE RABBIT
“Mindgames and Headcheese?

ROCKINGHAM THE PET ROCK
“Sure.”

BIFFINGHAM THE RABBIT
“Cool.”

Biffingham turns back to look at the TV.

FADE OUT

The Great Works Project: Season Six, Episode Six script – a new script by Thomas TYpewriter

scripts, The Great Works Project scripts

———–<.thom.>———–

THE GREAT WORKS PROJECT

a puppet play in many parts

Season 6, Episode 6

By Thomas Typewriter

(c) 2025 jason arcand

———–<:type:>———–

FADE IN

From the center of a blank screen scrolls upward rapidly the following text: “06-06”. It enters from the bottom of the frame and moves up as if in fast forward. It exits through the top of the frame.

FADE OUT
FADE IN

INT. THE SPACE EGG, MAYBE/MAYBE NOT DAYTIME

FADE IN TO A SERIES OF RAPID CUTS OF THE INNER-SPACE MAN, BIFF AND ROCKEY IN THE INSIDE OF THE SPACE EGG AS IT FLIES AT A VERY FAST VELOCITY

The interior of the Space Egg is a circular space filled mostly by a pilot’s chair and control panel. The center of the space is filled with a molded pilot’s chair, currently seating THE INNER-SPACE MAN. His long white beard and hair flip around due to the Space Egg’s current velocity. In front of him is a semi-circular control panel. The center of the panel bears a long display shaped like a rectangle with a circle in the center. Should the Space Egg speak, the dialogue also scrolls across the center display like an LED sign. Various sized semi-translucent hexagonal buttons used for piloting the ship are set across the remaining area of the control panel. Above the control panel is an ovoid-shaped display screen. The entire interior of the Space Egg is designed as some combination of children’s toy and sci-fi movie. Behind the pilot’s chair is a small space, into which BIFF and ROCKEY are currently crammed. They are pressed back into the wall due to the Space Egg’s rapid acceleration. Crayons and pages flutter in the gap between them.

CUT TO


HIGH-STAGE: INT. BIFF’S BEDROOM, DAYTIME
A bed sits center-stage dividing the stage in two. On the stage-left side of the bed, a window sits under a small slant of roof. Posters of various characters from the Cosmic League comic book series and Babysitter Tails television show are hanging on the wall between the bed and window. On the other side, stage-right side, of the bed sits a nightstand topped by a small lamp. Past the nightstand is the bedroom door and the small second-floor landing. BIFF THE RABBIT and ROCKEY THE PET ROCK are hiding under the bed. THE SPACE EGG hovers in the center of the room while THE INNER-SPACE MAN approaches the bed.


THE INNER-SPACE MAN
(leans down to look at Biff and Rockey under the bed) “Well gentlemen, care to leave the confines of this reality?”


CUT TO CS OF BIFF AND ROCKEY UNDER THE BED


BIFF THE RABBIT
(to Rockey in a whisper) “Their trans-dimensional nature might be our best chance to get out of this script. (to the Inner-Space Man) Sure.”


ROCKEY THE PET ROCK
“As long as we can bring our drawings and crayons.”

THE INNER-SPACE MAN
“I wouldn’t have it any other way. You never know when a good drawing will save your life.”

CUT BACK

Biff and Rockey get out from under the bed. They gather up crayons and drawings from the room, placing them into Biff’s backpack, which was under the nightstand.

ROCKEY THE PET ROCK
“We should put in the story that the Soft-boiled Detective and the Big Bag Bug are visited by two robots.”

BIFF THE RABBIT
“Okay, but what do we call them?”

ROCKEY THE PET ROCK
“The Deuce Machines.”

BIFF THE RABBIT
“That might work.”

The Inner Space Man lifts Rockey inside the Space Egg. Then he helps Biff, before climbing in himself. The Space Egg closes. It starts to hover before flying across the threshold of the front of the High-stage and out of the frame.

TRANSITION FROM HIGH-STAGE TO MID-STAGE

THE CAMERA PANS DOWNWARD MOVING FROM THE HIGH-STAGE TO THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS. IT CONTINUES MOVING DOWNWARD ALONG THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS.


The Space Egg quickly enters and then exits our view as the camera races past its descent.


THE CAMERA CONTINUES PANING DOWN THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS, REACHING THE TOPS OF THE MID-STAGE SETS. IT SLIDES OVER THE SET TOPS, DESCENDING UNTIL FRAMING MID-STAGE.

MID-STAGE: INT. THE RETRO SCREEN 10, EVENING
Four descending rows of theatre chairs fill the stage, with each row higher than the one in front of it. A set of decorative wall lamps can be seen hanging above the back row of chairs. The lamps are at full brightness. THOMAS TYPEWRITER enters from Stage-left behind the top row and then proceeds to exit stage-right. He reenters in the third row from stage-right walking to stage-left and exiting. He repeats this zig-zag walking through the second row and then into the first row. He sits down in a center chair in the first row. The decorative wall lamps dim and the stage goes darker. Thomas reaches down and pulls out a tub of popcorn topped with whipped cream with a cherry on top and a large soda with a crazy straw from under his chair. He starts to drink the soda. From the top of the screen, the SPACE EGG floats down. It slowly turns right, then left surveying the scene. It exits stage left. Thomas leans over trying to eat the cherry topping his popcorn sundae.

OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE
(voice-over) “And here is where the magic occurs.”

Thomas looks around trying to figure out where the voice is coming from. The decorative wall lamps dim to black, transitioning the stage to darkness.

OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE
(voice-over) “Thomas. Thomas! Are you paying attention?”

CUT TO

MID-STAGE: INT. PENCIL CHICK STUDIOS, DAYTIME.
The sound of A LIGHT SWITCH CLICKING OFF punctuates the transition to the Pencil Chicks Studio. A long desk spreads across the stage. It has a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and scanner on the desk. A stack of papers sits next to the scanner. Behind the long desk is a drawing table with an animator’s lightbox at an angle to the desk. The long desk has a simple office chair while the drawing desk has a padded high stool. A doorway sits to the stage-left side of the desk. OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE stands just inside the room, while THOMAS TYPEWRITER stands in the doorway. She is looking back at him.

OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE
“I said this is where the magic happens.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Sorry, I drifted off there. Biff and Rockey popped into my head for some reason. Okay, so you were saying something about magic.”

OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE
“I was saying this is where the magic happens. Over there is my drawing desk, and next to it my supplies, paper, pencils, etc. The computer is where I scan and compile the images. Up above is where I store everything else. There is more, but we’ll get into it once you’re a little more familiar. I didn’t want to overload you on your first day. I am so happy to be doing this with you.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Me too.”

They kiss.

OPHIDIA OPERAHOUSE
“Maybe I should show you what to do before we’re too distracted.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Couldn’t hurt.”

TRANSITION FROM MID-STAGE TO THE WINGS

THE CAMERA SHAKES LOOSE FROM PROPERLY FRAMING THE MID-STAGE AND TURNS SLIGHTLY SO THAT THE MID-STAGE CURTAIN IS VISIBLE. THE CAMERA MOVES TOWARDS THE CURTAIN ITSELF BECOMING ENTANGLED. IT TURNS DOWNWARD AND MOVES DOWN AND OUT OF THE CURTAIN INTO THE WINGS.


EXT. INNER CORRIDOR OF THE WINGS


LS DOWN INTO THE INFINITY OF THE WINGS

The Wings extends out to infinity. It is a storage space for the Helping Hands to store all the different scenery and locations used in the plays that are put on in the Typewriter Abstract Puppet Stage. It is a central open inner atrium with four outer walls. Each outer wall is a series of storage areas housing a different scene location. On the nearest bin is the RETRO SCREEN 10 set. The SPACE EGG flies out from the storage area for The Retro. It flies up the center of the open corridor gaining speed, flying out of frame.


TRANSITION FROM THE WINGS TO THE HIGH STAGE


HIGH-STAGE: THE FAR EDGE OF THE FOREVER CAGE


FRAME THE HIGH-STAGE A LITTLE FURTHER PANNED OUT THAN USUAL, SO AS THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS IS VISIBLE EDGING THE HIGH-STAGE.


From the bottom edge of the High-Stage, the Space Egg flies up. It hovers and twists in the air, rotating to face in towards the High-Stage. It flies forward and into the High-Stage disappearing into the distance.

PAN UNTIL PROPERLY FRAMING HIGH-STAGE.


THE WARDROBE OF A THOUSAND AND ONE COSTUMES drifts in from stage-left. A small model of the Space Egg enters from stage-right. It flies over to the doors of the Wardrobe, ultimately entering through a small gap between the doors. Where the two doors meet along the bottom. The High-Stage curtains close at the sound of A COMPUTER BOOTING OFF.

FADE OUT