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* "DRIVING THE SNAKES OUT" *

for theatre

Live length: 2 hrs 15 mins.

A Psychological Drama 

 

       "They say St. Patrick drove the snakes and toads out of Ireland, and that is why the place is free of them"

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*DRIVING THE SNAKES OUT  follows Elsie's  precarious mental journeys, as her mind lands on the pages of her journal. Dr, Shepps, her psychiatrist, found them after Elsie left us.

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Here is a sample. It is from the opening two scenes in Act One:

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[Stage, a funeral. Dark lighting]

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PRIEST: [Saying over Elsie's burial site. Shepps silently reading Elsie's journal at site]

 

                  Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus. Deus Saboath. Pleni sunt celi, et terra gloriatua. Hoasana inexcelsis. Benedictus qui venit in nominee Domini. Hoasana in excelsis.

 

[Looks down at grave]

 

But when ye see Jerusalem encompassed with armies then know that her desolation is close at hand. St. Luke 21: 20

 

[Looks at Shepps]

 

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with the saints. Revelations 22:21

 

SHEPPS: [To Priest]

 

This is all she left us... her journal

 

[Raises journal]

 

Here... see... she wrote this, too -- They say Saint Patrick drove the snakes and toads out of Ireland and that is why the place is free of them.

 

[Priest nods solemnly. They both bow. Lights fade into green, then darkness.]  

ACT 1, SCENE 2  

[Lights up and Elsie is on stage. She is wearing a white night gown and in the mist. Shepps is at Stage Left in a brighter light, earthly. Shepps is leaning on and looking out a window at her desk. She is wearing a doctor's coat and holding a journal.]  

ELSIE: [Stage Right. Green lit misty background. A deeper mist puffs up, then Elsie is there as ghostly presence. She is staring at then reading from her journal.]  

This is a very simple story really.

[Lights go out. Then the lights go up bright in Shepps’ office on Stage Left.]

SHEPPS: Oh, Elsie.

[Staring out the window at her desk Stage Left. Then reading journal as Elsie speaks. ]

ELSIE: [Reading from her journal. This is an identical copy to the one Shepps has. ]   

How should I have known he'd die like he did?

[Shepps is sadly shaking her head and looking at her copy of the journal as Elsie continues.] 

 How was I supposed to know that? People don't know that kind of thing. Not really they don't. Least ways, I didn't know. Like I said, how could I have known all that? There's no way of tellin' those things. I couldn't anyways. Not until Eric died before the baby. The baby came December 24th. The stars, I remember the stars shining, sparkling at me. You know -- the way they do -- But Eric was dead. 

[ Screen Centre Stage follows Elsie's description with images of stars and moon. ] 

 SHEPPS:          Yes Elsie.    

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