Page 254 - Musings 2020

7

Stage Fright

Pranav Dinesh Kumar 2017A4PS0121P, Jayanth Tummalapenta 2017A7PS0075P, Roshan
Roy 2017ABPS1172P, Akash Palrecha 2017B4A30559P and U Aswathy 2017ABPS1051P

CHARACTERS

Joshua aka ‘The Enigma’: The Magician, 30 years old
Valerie: his wife, 25 years old

Jonathan : Joshua’s best friend, 30 years old

Michael: Joshua and Valerie’s child, 5 years old
Anchor

SETTING

A small square auditorium (80x 80ft) seating 700 people, with 1 main entry point towards the
back and 4 side entry points, with 2 on either side of the auditorium. A wooden elevated
rectangular dais(60x20ft) in the front of the stage, 20 ft from either side of the room. 10 ft in
front today the stage, the rows of seats start and continue for 20 rows and 35 seats in each
row. A centre path splits the two sides of the auditorium. On the dais, 3 ft. left from the centre
of the stage, 4 feet from the stage boundary, there is a man-sized mirror. Six feet to the right
of the mirror is a table with the usual peculiar set of a magician’s tools: A big handkerchief, a
magician’s hat, a matchbox. 1 foot behind the table are two chairs, one of them, half-broken.
The setting is lit up by three-stage lights, one of them flickering from ages in operation. There
are 2 ropes hanging just above the mirror.

BEGIN.

Anchor: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome on stage the greatest showman on Earth, The
Enigma!

(The lights dim and amidst the theatrical pyrotechnics and stage-smoke, Joshua ‘The Enigma’
appears on the dais. The spectators clap politely.)

The Enigma: (smiling cockily) A very good evening to you, ladies and gentlemen, boys and
girls. I hope you believe in magic because the events you will witness here tonight appear to
be inexplicable.

(He walks to the edge of the dais and quickly jumps off, only to levitate, defying gravity.
However, the audience lets out subdued, scattered applause as to most of them, the ropes
carrying the magician are apparent. The Enigma performs a pirouette in mid-air and jumps
back onto the dais to take a bow.)

The Enigma (winks): This is just the beginning, my friends. I promise you that by the end of
tonight, each and every one will lose track of where reality ends and witchcraft begins.

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