A musical based on the voyage of the ship, Brooklyn
(Adapted from My Father’s Field)
Melva Wheelwright
Rick Laurell
Wendy Wheelwright
Lance Wheelwright
Joy N. Hulme
Rick Laurell
Script
Contributors:
Thomas Johnston
Kenna McOmber
Lance Wheelwright
ã 2001, 2004
Act I
Scene I: Music fades into a background.
Lights are dim as sound of soft chatter is heard from students seated in a
college classroom. This can be depicted
with rows of chairs and a simple table for the professor’s books and papers,
set either upstage or to the side, leaving the center for the next part of the
scene.
Time of setting: modern day.
Lights come up as music chimes the hour:
Professor: (an elderly man with a droll sense of
humor, a rather comical yet endearing sort
of
character, taps on his desk to get the attention of the
class)
Students: (straighten
up and stop talking, open their notebooks to write)
Professor: Good morning! This is Senior History, where famous historians
are
trained. Anyone here want to become a
famous historian?
Student: I do!
Student:
And I!
All:
(general hubbub)
Professor: Anyone here want to bring to light an
important part of history that was
previously overlooked?
Student: Of course!
Student: Right here!
All: (general
noise of individual interest).
Professor: Good!!!!!
That's exactly the assignment for your semester paper. Find an event
that
occurred in America—something not generally known to the public, but
something that changed our country for the
better. You've got many years of
history
to consider.
So there is no shortage of material.
You have the entire semester to
write your project, so there's no shortage of
time. Furthermore, this will be your
ONLY graded assignment. So----, do it well.
Students:
(react with worry)
Student: (rises) How many pages must it be?
Professor: The number of pages does not matter. Only how well told.
Second
Student: But Professor, how could any
little-known event have historical
importance? Seems impossible to find.
Professor: Investigate. Ask questions. Read!
There's a story out there.
You'll find
it. Now off
with you. Take the rest of the hour to
search out a subject. I expect to
have your project proposal in two weeks. (He folds up his papers preparing to exit)
Third
Student: Two Weeks! But, professor!
Professor:
(gives them a Mona Lisa smile as he
leaves)
Animated music begins…Music No. 2: Idea for a Story
Students are leaving their classroom, heading for the library
Located center stage.
Students: WE NEED AN IDEE FOR A STORY.
WE NEED TO FIND SOMETHING
QUICK.
SOMETHING IN HISTORY? THAT IS THE MYSTERY.
Student_solo: IF I JUST HAD A CLUE WHAT TO PICK
Female
Librarian (coming across stage with cart
of books as they near her they each
grab a volume. This could be adapted from a kitchen serving cart.)
Students: SO LET'S CHECK SOME BOOKS OUT AT THE LIBR'RY
SURELY THERE'S SOMETHING
THERE WE CAN USE.
A STORY FROM OBSCURITY,
DON'T KNOW IT YET,
BUT THERE'S A LOT OF BOOKS
TO PERUSE.
Students divisi: HERE IS A BOOK ABOUT THE GOLD RUSH
(RAILROAD)
CHANGED EVERY THING IN THE
WEST (THE RAILROAD IS THE KEY)
BUT LOOK OUT IN THE BAY,
BOATS COMING EVERY DAY
SHIPPING'S THE ANSWER WE'RE
HERE TO SAY
(I
THINK YOU'VE GOT A POINT THERE)
WE HAVE AN IDEE FOR A STORY.
IT IS THE ANSWER WE TRULY
FEEL,
YES, WE HAVE A STORY NOW,
THIS WE UNDERSTAND.
THE RAILROAD, THE GOLD RUSH,
THE SHIPPING, THE WINE CRUSH
THE STORY OF THE CENTURY IS
RIGHT IN OUR….
Librarian: Shh, students! This is a library. (She processes each book to the rhythm and as
she turns to leave, the students form the expected but forbidden stage picture)
Students: --HANDS!!
Librarian:
(turns, and with hands on hips gives them a scolding look)
Students: (all exit except one—David
Boyd (or Danielle Boyd depending on the gender you
want to use)--who has no
book and no idea).
David: (shrugs, discouraged)
David: (discouraged) Yeah.
I’m supposed to find some little known historical event
that somehow changed our whole country.
Librarian: Well, the whole country is hard to write
about. Why don’t you focus on the
West. I saw
several students with books on the Gold Rush.
David: The Gold Rush is hardly an unknown event.
Librarian: Let me see if I can help. (thinking) Something …(another
possibility occurs
to her) Or
…someone that changed the West.
Hmmm. (turns to him)
What about the early pioneers?
David: (not very excited about that) Covered
Wagons? What’s unique about covered
wagons?
Librarian: Who said anything about covered wagons? Come, (begins to move to the
side or wherever the two can be located as to not
interfere with action on center
stage. This will be their location for the remainder
of the play. This location is
where the 2 chairs and table from first part of
scene were placed, with lots of books
and papers on it) our library received a fairly substantial
collection of materials
lately—on pioneers.
I haven’t had time to get into them myself. Why don’t we take
a look. (she digs out a manuscript as she speaks) Ah, here’s something. (pointing
out various passages as she speaks)
David: (reading
over her shoulder)
Librarian: Pioneers that came by sea (hands him a
paper).
David: (not very impressed) By sea?
That is unusual, I admit, but I doubt their arrival had
much historical significance.
Librarian: They founded a town.
David:
(belittling her statement) Wow!
A town? Uhuh! (rolls his eyes,
looking even less
impressed with her suggestions) All pioneers founded towns.
Librarian: (points to a place in a second document.)
It was called Yerba Buena.[1]
David: (sarcastically) Now, that is a riveting subject, a real
winner. The Story of Yerba
Buena.
Librarian: The pioneers agreed with you, so they
changed the name… to San Francisco.
David: (nearly drops the papers,) What? I thought San Francisco was founded during
the
Gold Rush.
David
(looking more interested now):
Well, uh… (embarrassed) OK, you’ve found a little
known fact, but does it have impact? Would it make a good report?
Librarian: Oh--, that’s only the tip of the iceberg. There’s an even more interesting
aspect of this. (leans in, as if sharing an important secret) The people on the ship
were fleeing…. from terrible …(shakes her head as he interrupts, turns a page)
persecution…
David: (cuts into above dialogue) …hunger? Were they from Ireland? (after she turns the
page) Oh, persecution? Was that in Russia?
Librarian: No, …they fled…(builds up the suspense) from New York.[2]
David: (incredulous) What! New York! What are you saying?
Librarian: Have you ever heard of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints?
David: (puzzled) No.
Librarian: Better known as Mormons.
David: Oh----, Mormons! The people from Utah.
Librarian: In those days, they weren’t from Utah. Utah didn’t exist. At that time, 1840,
many of them lived in Illinois, but there were congregations throughout the
eastern states. They had been persecuted, you see, so many of them moved away
from the more settled areas of the country, searching for a place to call their own.
Eventually they purchased swamp land and started a city.
David: On swamp land? What little town could they build there?
Librarian: Would you call a settlement of over 15,000 people a little town?[3]
David: (surprised, admitting she is right)
15,000!
Librarian: Nauvoo, they called it. (still looking
thru papers) Here’s something that you
might use.
It’s a eye-witness account of the founding of that city. (turns it over,
reading back) written
by a man named Erastus Snow. (she
hands him the
manuscript)
Actors take
positions on stage as the dialogue introduces the Nauvoo Scene:
David: (reading) Summer in Nauvoo was like
being in the center of a percussive symphony.
Music
begins….
David: (continues without stopping) “The scraping echoes of the trowel
against brick and
stone….; the quick tap-tapping of blocks into
place….; the harsh, grating noise of
saws biting into …
Scene 2: Nauvoo
Street
(Lights
up on center stage)
Erastus: (matches above speaker, taking over the
speech eventually) the harsh, grating noise
of saws biting into …sweet-smelling lumber; …the
steady pounding of
hammers….(looking around joyfully) Organized
confusion-- like sweet music.[4]
Music No. 3: Nauvoo
(a dance)
. Music in imitation of hammering, tapping, fitting, setting, all
the sounds of building a city swells up in the background. Scenery can be suggestions of brick walls,
homes under construction. We see workers
building the start of this great city.
It is done in dance style. Women
bringing food to the workers, a few children carrying things in and out. People of the city are busy, busy,
busy. John Horner enters as strings
play a sweeping theme. He pushes
through the streets looking for the prophet, asking for him. Various people point the way. Bumps into Erastus.
Music volume needs to drop a little under this conversation, however actors need to
act as though the din is overwhelming.
John: Erastus!
Erastus: John?
John Horner. What are you doing
here?
John: I’m hoping to meet the President of the
Church—the Prophet, Joseph Smith. Is he
here? (longing
to do so) I’d like to shake his hand.
Erastus: (leading
him) Over there. I’ll introduce you to him.
(They find the prophet, moving off to the side so the choreography can continue)
Music fades down enough so we can hear them over the sound.
Erastus: This is Joseph Smith.
John: I'm John Horner. Came from New Jersey to shake your hand.[5]
Joseph: (they shake) New Jersey? That's a long way to come for a handshake.
When did
you arrive?
John: Just now.
I walked.
Joseph:
Then sit down and rest your feet.
John: Think I will. Thanks!
(as he says this, John sits down, removes his shoes, and we
see that the soles of his shoes
are worn)
Prophet: Planning to stay long?
John: Long as it takes to earn myself another pair
of boots. You see, (We
can see his
fingers through the bottom of his shoe.) my sole is in a sorry
state.
Prophet: Don’t worry. Saving souls is something we do around here.
(takes the boots and holds
them out. Sister Woodward comes by and
takes them.)
John: (To both of them) Oh, thank you. (Turning back to the prophet)
Actually, I was
wondering …(feeling awkward,)…uh, how you…
Prophet: (anticipating John’s question cuts in) Go on…
John: (getting up the courage) I’d like to
ask you something important—to me, anyway.
Sound: Nauvoo sound is slowly suspended. The dancers continue their choreography but
in slow motion.
Prophet: That is?
John: What do you think a young man like me ought
to know to succeed in life?
(During
the following section of music, the dancers begin to move, showing how to
listen to the voice of the spirit.
While some continue to work, some gather in prayer, others stop to say a
kind word to one who looks sad, visual acts of kindness and love)
Prophet: UPON THIS EARTH, SO I HAVE FOUND,
THERE’S CONSTANT NOISE,
DROWNS OUT THE SOUND
OF GOD’S OWN VOICE, SO SMALL
AND STILL.
YET THERE’S A CHOICE TO SEEK
HIS WILL.
CLEAR OUT YOUR HEART. CLEAR OUT YOUR MIND,
AND THEN YOU’LL START
TO HEAR THE STILL, SMALL
VOICE AND YOU WILL FIND
YOUR LOVE FOR GOD WILL START
TO GROW.
YOU’LL LOVE HIS WAYS. YOU’LL LOVE HIM SO!
A WARMTH AND CALM WILL FILL
YOUR THOUGHT
AS BY HIS SPIRIT YOU ARE
TAUGHT.
SO FOLLOW CHRIST, THE PATH
HE TROD,
TO FIND GOD’S LOVE. YOU MUST
BE STILL.
BE STILL AND KNOW THAT HE IS
GOD.[6]
(a couple of children can
come up slowly, Joseph can notice them, offer to hold one on his knee, then
sends them off to play on line below about choice)
Prophet: Your Heavenly Father loves you—oh, so very
much. You have NO idea
the depth, the comfort and healing of that
love. He wants all His children to
return
home to Him.
That is the only place of real happiness. And yet He loved us enough
to grant us choice.
We get to choose what we will do with ourselves—to choose
right from wrong.
This is Success. It’s not always
easy, because in some cases we must
chose between honorable goals[7]. My advice to you --Never let the enticements
of the world distract you.
(clapping the young man on the shoulder, looking
deeply into his eyes) John, the
measure of a man is not found in riches, but in his
heart.
Music of choir emphasizes
that this is true as they sing:
ALLELUIA,
ALLELUIA! BE STILL AND KNOW. BE STILL AND KNOW.
BE
STILL AND KNOW—GOD LOVES YOU SO!
(Joseph opens
up a Bible, points out something to him as the music completes)
Eventually the noise of the
city resumes, the following lines are exit lines.
Joseph: Well, duty calls. We have a city to build.
John: I’d like to stay here and help.
Joseph: Excellent!
(looks around, sees Woodward) Brother Woodward, come
here for a minute.
Sister
Woodward: (returns with soled shoes) Hope these will do!
John: (amazed at the efficiency) Why, thanks!
Woodward:
(joins the group)
Joseph: This is John Horner. (They
shake hands) He’s offered to help
build the city.
John: I'm a farmer. (Sits and puts on boots)
Woodward: (rubbing
his hands together at the good news) Terrific!
John: The only problem is, I didn't bring any of my tools.
Woodward: That's no problem! You won't need a plow or shovel.
I’m going to make
you... (looks him over to see if he's fit) -- a
brick mason.
John: (astonished)
A what? A mason? You’re joking? Tell me you're joking!
Woodward: (shakes
his head) Nope (as he rushes John away)
Erastus: (follows after them, amused at John’s reaction)
Joseph
(waves them goodbye with a jovial laugh
and disappears into the crowd)
Lights dim down.
(Lights up on student and
librarian)
Scene 3: Library
Historical Collection Area
David: So why haven’t I heard about such a
prosperous city like Nauvoo?
I suppose they completed it.
David: Rebuilt?
That must mean that something happened to it. But what?
Librarian: (Digs through more manuscripts) There’s
got to be an answer.
David: I feel guilty, taking up your time like this.
Librarian: Don’t be.
This subject is intriguing. (They
keep digging)
David: (helping her, pulls out something
promising): Wait! I think I found
something.
It’s an executive order written in
the State of Missouri—some Governor named
Boggs signed it.
(skimming over the words, using his finger, muttering)
(suddenly puts the paper down in astonishment) You really won’t believe this. In
the United States, land of the free!
Librarian: (curious) Well, tell me.
David: His executive order gave permission for
people to kill Mormons on sight.
Exterminate them. Or drive them out of the state.[8]
Librarian: What’s the date on that?
David: 27th of October, 1838.
Librarian: Before they built Nauvoo.
David: (looking further) There’s more. Joseph Smith was arrested, taken to a jail,
then
murdered by a mob before he could go to trial. Huh!
Murdered while in protective
custody, no less.
Librarian: (still checking her document) It appears that mobs weren’t satisfied with
killing
the Mormon Prophet. You might find this diary entry enlightening. (hands it to
him)
Scene 4: Mob
Scene
Mob
Scene music and actions:
Music: begins
again, a plaintive tune.
A single candle
(or lantern) is lit in the center of a table.
Two wooden chairs on each side suggest the interior of a cabin. Sister Woodward walks her sick baby. Lights come up softly to illuminate
scene. Suddenly gunshots are heard
as the mob rushes the cabin through the audience. The husband and son about 10-12 years of age enter the room just
as the mobbers (perhaps 3 to 5 other men) burst through the door. The son grabs a chair for protection.
Woodward: Son, remember
what we were counseled. We're not to
resist the
mob.
Colonel Levi Williams:
That's right, sonny. We wouldn't
want anybody hurt now, would
we? (grabs the chair, throws it, then puts a gun
to Woodward's head)
You know and I know that Joe Smith is
the biggest liar of all time. Say it, Joe Smith
is a false prophet!
Son: You leave my father
alone. Joseph was a true prophet and
you killed him!
Mobster: One more word out
of you and your father's a dead Mormon (pushes
son
away).
Colonel Williams: Old
Joe's duped these poor people. Right?
(Mob man begins
to spread Kerosene around the room)
Mob: right!
Colonel Williams: When
Mormons are around, is your property safe?
Mob: No!
Colonel Williams: Is this
the kind of people we want in Hancock County?
Mob: No!
Woodward: We've promised
to leave as soon as spring arrives.
Sister Woodward: We've
already started packing.
Colonel Williams: Well,
ain't that a fine coincidence. We've
come to help you out. All
right, men, move 'em out (Mob begins throwing chairs out of house) Woodward,
you've got exactly two minutes to pack up and move out.
Family hurriedly
picks up what they can and exits. Mob
Leader takes candle, pretends to throw it into house. Sound: explosion, fire burning, rain pouring, children crying,
women trying to comfort them, mob shouts, etc. Refugees enact their grief in
front of curtain,are joined by other families with the mobbers eventually
driving them out.[9]
Music, organ music in prelude of the coming scene is heard:
the scene in New York is slowly coming into light on another part
of the stage People are quietly
gathering into the conference room consisting of a couple rows of chairs. Keep this scene to the side, opposite to the
library scene so the set for the Brooklyn can be readied for center stage.
Scene 5: A Conference in New York
Pratt: (standing before the audience) My dearly beloved brothers and sisters of
New York.
Despite the banner of freedom which flies above this
land, we are a people
no
longer protected under its promised liberty.
We have endured one continual scene
of the most horrid and unrelenting persecutions…for
the last sixteen years. Even
now our people in Nauvoo suffer atrocities at the
hands of evil men.[10]
Crowd: (murmurs of dismay)
Pratt: (voice heard behind enactment) Nauvoo is being
abandoned.
Crowd (further reactions, some people are tearful)
Pratt: There is no
choice. We must leave. Sell your property and personal belongings
so you can prepare for the journey. We’re leaving the United States, heading
west.
Man: What about folks who
can’t afford a wagon and team?
Pratt: Elder Samuel
Brannon has been appointed to preside over those who can’t afford an
overland journey west. I’ll have him tell you the plan himself.
Brannon: (stands and addresses the
group) We have chartered a ship, the Brooklyn. You
adults can travel all the way to the
west coast for only $75 a person. The
children--
for half that. The ship has two decks and the hold is so large that it will
carry freight
of all kinds. Between the decks, laborers are now building 32 state rooms with
bunk
beds and a skylight that will open for
fresh air and light. Those who wish to
go
should contact me immediately. We sail on January 24th for California.[11]
Scene 6: Library
(Lights on library.) People in Conference scene need to quickly remove their chairs.
David: So that is how these forgotten pioneers came
to leave New York.
Librarian: Here’s a passenger list. The passengers all appear to be from the
East Coast.
Oh, remember that young man, John
Horner? He’s on board—with a wife.
David: But why were they sailing
to California? I thought the Mormons
went to Utah.
Librarian: Know any seaports in
Utah?
David: Oh---, duh! I walked into that one. (attempts to cover his embarrassment by
digging through
documents, holds one over his red face, then notices what it is)
Hmm. What is this? (holds it up)
Look. Here’s a description of their departure. It says…(reading) On February 4,
1846, the Brooklyn slipped out of
port in New York. On the banks of the
Mississippi River that same day,
other members of the church were facing
expulsion from their beloved city,
Nauvoo.
Librarian: The same day you say?
David: Yes!
(reading) It was the middle of winter--a winter so cold that soon
the
Mississippi River was covered with
thick ice, which became the roadbed for many
loaded wagons.
Lights come up slowly.
On stage we see a suggestion of a ship, deck rails along apron on
far side may suffice, Center stage is
to be set up as the hold of the ship, suggestion of “staterooms” created with
doorframes, a few cots can be seen inside them. Use tan colored sheets attached to the frames to serve as
“doors”. In the front of the frames are
a few removable benches set end to end to appear as though they are one long
bench. A suggestion of a table to eat
on can be created with a single board (1x12) with legs in front of the
benches. Some large crates or kegs set
at the extreme right and left would add ambiance to the scene. At the mention of passengers below,
some can enter with a few pieces of luggage.
Seen prominently along front are John, Elizabeth, Glover, Brannon, with
Capt. Richardson doing his duty) [12]
David: (continues
without stopping) The
Brooklyn Pioneers and the Illinois pioneers were
leaving their homes, searching for
a place where they could worship God.
Librarian: At that time the West was another country,
part of Mexico. (suddenly realizes
the implication) They were
leaving America, looking for a land of freedom!
David: Aboard the Brooklyn, the passengers huddled
on the decks, watched as the ship was
towed through New York harbor, gateway
to the land of liberty. For them, this
was
not a land of liberty, but a land
of persecution.[13]
(taps
that page with an enthusiastic motion)
No question about it, I’ve found
my research topic! There’s a gold mine of information here!
Set change: As soon as the following scene gets
underway, quietly turn the library area into a cooking station…a few platters
on the table, a pitcher or jug for water, tray filled with mugs, etc. Remove the chairs. Have a couple of actors dressed as cooks stand near the table
ready for serving dinner.
Scene 6b Ship Brooklyn
Elizabeth: (taking
husband by the hand as he stands gazing over the rail) Come away
John. We need to get settled in our room.