Books: Aria da Capo
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Edna St. Vincent Millay >> Aria da Capo
Since the production of Aria da Capo by the Provincetown Players, I
have received a great many letters from the directors of little
theatres, asking for copies of it with a view to producing it. Very
often, after I send the play, I receive a letter in reply asking for
some suggestions for its presentation, and enclosing direct
questions on points that have been difficult. It occurred to me
finally that it would be reasonable to make up a sort of informal
prompt-book to send about with the play; and it is that which is
printed below. It will be found incomplete and uneven, in some
instances unnecessarily detailed, in others not sufficiently so; all
of which is due to the fact that it was put together loosely, from
answers to chance questions, rather than logically, as an entity in
itself.
SUGGESTIONS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF "ARIA DA CAPO"
SETTING:
The setting required is simple:--a grey curtain, a long black table,
two slender black high-backed chairs, and a raised platform.
Instead of wings and back-drop the Provincetown Players cleverly
utilized painted screens, the heights varying from 6 to 10 feet,
these being set right and left of the stage in such manner as to
give the effect of depth and distance.
The table, six feet long and two feet wide, has thin legs and is
painted black.
When Pierrot and Columbine enter in the final scene, it is not
necessary that the table which Cothurnus has replaced shall entirely
conceal the bodies of Thyrsis and Corydon. Pierrot and Columbine
must ignore them until the lines indicate their discovery, no matter
how they may have fallen.
Particular attention must be given to the chairs in this set. They
are used to construct the tissue-paper wall, and, although
delicate, should be heavy enough to remain solid and steady, up and
down stage, without the possibility of an upset when Corydon strides
through the wall.
Near the footlights (actors' left) are two sofa pillows, used to
represent the rocks against which the shepherds lean. On the left of
the stage have another pillow, which Thyrsis places under his head
when he lies down to sleep. Use cloth or crepe paper for these
pillows, and have them of spotted black and white material, or of
any gay color except red or blue.
Cothurnus occupies a chair upon a platform, up-stage, centre, with
two or three steps surrounding it on three sides. Drape this with
plain heavy black cloth.
The table covering is important. Its width is equal to that of the
added height and width of the table. As it must be moved to cover
the bodies of Thyrsis and Corydon, it should be of sufficient weight
to prevent slipping. It will be well to experiment with this, to
ensure proper performance.
The cover should have black and white spots and striped ends.
The table is set as follows:--two large wooden bowls (at least seven
inches high and fourteen inches in diameter). One is placed at each
end of the table. That at Columbine's end should contain
persimmons, pomegranates, grapes and other bright exotic fruits.
Pierrot's bowl has confetti and colored paper ribbons, the latter
showing plainly over the edge. (If Columbine uses practical
macaroons, put them into this bowl.)
Near Columbine, place a practical uncooked artichoke; have this of
good size, and nail it to a wooden standard, painted black. At both
places there are tall white wooden goblets.
In the centre of the table there should be a curious, grotesque, but
very gay flower, standing upright in a pot of wood or heavy paper,
which will not break when Thyrsis drops it. Concealed at the root of
this plant there should be a small sack of black confetti, to be
used in the "poison scene."
The table should be set with nothing but these articles, and yet
give the appearance of bounty and elegance.
Place the table parallel with the footlights,--the long side toward
the audience.
Columbine's chair is at the actors' right, and Pierrot's
opposite--Columbine's hat hangs from her chair-top. Both chairs are
festooned with tissue-paper ribbons, at least ten feet long, to be
used later by the shepherds to represent their wall. These must be
of such a texture as to break readily when Corydon walks through,
and a prearranged transverse tear or two will assist in the prompt
breakage when he does so.
PROPERTIES:
Two white wooden bowls, one filled with fruits and the other with
confetti and paper ribbons,--one ribbon to be of cotton or silk, in
order to be not too easily broken by Corydon when strangling Thyrsis
Two tall white wooden goblets
One artichoke nailed to a standard
One flower in paper or wooden pot, the root wrapped with black crepe
paper (or use confetti)
Black and white tablecloth
Macaroons
Boots and prompt-book for Cothurnus (large flat black book)
Also, if desired, mask of Tragedy for Cothurnus
Crepe or tissue streamers of different colors, including no red or
blue, for wall.
COSTUMES:
PIERROT: Lavender or lilac satin, preferably a blue-lavender. Care
should be taken that the lavender does not turn pink under the stage
lights. Pierrot's costume is the conventional smock with wide
trousers, with black crepe paper rosettes on the smock, wide white
tarleton ruff. Black evening pumps with black rosettes may be worn.
Black silk skull-cap.
COLUMBINE: Tight black satin bodice cut very low, with straps over
the shoulders, quite like the modern evening gown; very full
tarleton skirts of different shades of pink and cerise, reaching to
the knees; ruffled bloomers of apple-green tarleton, the ruffles
showing below the skirts; black silk stockings and black ballet
slippers, laced with green. Hat of lavender crepe paper, with
streamers of gay colors--including, however, no clear red or blue.
Hat should be small and very smart--not a _shepherdess_ hat. Columbine
should be made up to suggest a doll. As originally interpreted she
had short light hair, standing out bushily all over her head. Long
hair should be rolled under to give a _bobbed_ effect, or could be
arranged in obvious caricature of some extreme modern style, but
must look attractive, and must be blonde.
COTHURNUS: Plain toga of dull purple in some heavy, unreflecting
material which will fall into large folds, lined with sombre
flame-color; a garment with large purple sleeves, of which only the
sleeves were visible, was worn under the toga,--but the effect should
be classical; heavy boots should be worn, as nearly as possible like
the tragic Roman buskin; one end of the great toga is tied into a
rough hood which covers the actor's head; a mask may be worn, but it
is often difficult to speak through, and, if desired, the actor's
face may be made up to represent a mask of Tragedy.
THYRSIS and CORYDON: These costumes, in striking contrast to the
elegance of those of Pierrot and Columbine, should be very simple,
and very roughly made; short tunics of outing-flannel or some such
material-- fastened loosely over one shoulder,--one shoulder, as well
as most of the back and breast, exposed. Legs bare, or swathed from
the knee to the ankle in rough strips of the same material. Sandals.
Cloaks of heavier, cheap material fastened to the tunics in such a
way that they will appear to be simply flung over the shoulder, but
actually fastened very cleverly in order to avoid tripping the
shepherds, who are continually sitting down on the floor and getting
up again.
Thyrsis wears a dark grey tunic and cloak of raw bright red,--but not
a turkey-red, as this color will kill the blue of Corydon's cloak.
Corydon wears tunic of light grey and cloak of brilliant blue. There
must be no red or blue used anywhere in the entire play excepting in
the blue and red of these two cloaks. The two shepherds must be so
strong and vivid in every way that when Columbine comes in and says,
"Is this my scene or not?" it will seem to the audience that it is
she, not the shepherds, who is hopelessly out of the scene.
CHARACTERS:
PIERROT: Pierrot sees clearly into existing evils and is rendered
gaily cynical by them; he is both too indolent and too indifferent
to do anything about it. Yet in several lines of the play his actual
unhappiness is seen, --for instance, "Moon's just a word to swear
by," in which he expresses his conviction that all beauty and
romance are fled from the world. At the end of the play the line,
"Yes, and yet I dare say he is just as dead," must not be said
flippantly or cynically, but slowly and with much philosophic
concentration on the thought. From the moment when Columbine cries,
"What's that there under the table?" until Pierrot calls,
"Cothurnus, come drag these bodies out of here!" they both stand
staring at the two bodies, without moving in any way, or even
lifting their eyes. (This same _holding_ of the play is used several
times also by the shepherds,--for instance, always during the off-
stage interpolations, they stand either staring at each other across
the wall, or maintaining whatever other position they may have had
when the off-stage voice begins speaking, until the interruption is
over, when they resume their drama quite as if nobody had spoken.)
Columbine's "How curious to strangle him like that" is spoken
extremely slowly, in a voice of awe, curiosity, and horror. For a
moment the two characters seem almost to feel and be subdued by the
tragedy that has taken place. They remain standing very quietly
while Cothurnus speaks his final lines off stage, and for a moment
after he has said, "The audience will forget"; then very slowly
raise their eyes and exchange glances, Pierrot nods his head curtly
and says, "That's so"; they set their bowls gaily back on the table,
and the play begins again.
Pierrot in such lines as "Ah, Columbine, as if it mattered!" speaks
with mock saccharine tenderness; but in such lines as "If you were a
fly you would be dead by now!" although he speaks very gaily his
malice must be apparent almost even to her; Columbine bores him to
death. When he says, "I'll go and strum the moon!" he is for the
instant genuinely excited and interested; he is for this moment like
a child, and is happy.
COLUMBINE: Pretty and charming, but stupid; she never knows what
Pierrot is talking about, and is so accustomed to him that she no
longer pretends to understand him; but she is very proud of him, and
when he speaks she listens with trustful admiration. Her
expression, "I cannot live without" this or that, is a phrase she
uses in order to make herself more attractive, because she believes
men prefer women to be useless and extravagant; if left to herself
she would be a domestic and capable person.
COTHURNUS: This character should be played by a tall and imposing
figure with a tremendous voice. The voice of Cothurnus is one of
the most important things in the acting play. He should have a voice
deeper than the voice used by any of the other persons, should speak
weightily and with great dignity, but almost without intonation, and
quite without feeling, as if he had said the same words many times
before. Only in his last speech may he be permitted a comment on
the situation. This speech should be spoken quite as impressively as
the others and fully as slowly.
CORYDON and THYRSIS: These two characters are young, very simple,
and childlike; they are acted upon by the force that sits on the
back of the stage behind them. More and more as their quarrel
advances they begin to see that something is wrong, but they have no
idea what to do about it, and they scarcely realize what is
happening, the quarrel grows so from little things into big things.
Corydon's first vision of the tragedy is in "It's terrible when you
stop to think of it." Thyrsis' first vision comes when he looks into
the pool; in seeing the familiar reflection he is struck by the
unfamiliarity of one aspect of it, the poisonous root; for the first
time he realizes that this man who is about to kill with poisoned
water his most beloved friend, is none other than Thyrsis
_himself_,--"'Tis I!" The personalities of Thyrsis and Corydon are
not essentially different. They develop somewhat differently,
because of the differing circumstances.
When Columbine goes out for the first time she takes with her her
artichoke and her wine-glass, also a couple of macaroons, which she
nibbles, going out. This helps to get the table cleared. The other
articles are removed by the shepherds when they prepare the stage
for their scene, in this manner: at the cue "Sir, we are always
ready. . . . Play the play!", Corydon and Thyrsis come down stage,
Corydon to Pierrot's end of the table, Thyrsis to Columbia's;
simultaneously, first, they set back the chairs against the wall,
Pierrot's left front, Columbine's right front; next they remove the
two big bowls and set them in symmetrical positions on the floor,
left front and right front, in such a way that the bowl of confetti
may be the mine of jewels for Corydon, and the bowl of fruits, the
punch-bowl, may represent the pool of water for Thyrsis; then,
taking the table by the two ends, they set it back against the wall,
right; next, while Corydon places the two pillows from the left wall
on the floor to represent rocks in their pasture, Thyrsis removes
from the table everything that is left on it except the
tablecloth,--this should be only Pierrot's wine-goblet and the flower
in its pot. (The flower is to represent later the poisonous weed
which Thyrsis finds, the wine-goblet a drinking-cup beside the pool,
the flower-pot a bowl in which to mix the poison and bring it to
Corydon.) The two shepherds do this setting of their stage swiftly
and silently, then seat themselves at once, in easy but beautiful
postures, and remain for a moment looking off as if at their sheep
while a complete silence settles over the stage and house,--a
_pastoral_ silence, if it is possible to suggest it--before they
begin to speak.
When Columbine comes in, looking for her hat, she picks up the hat
from her chair, now in the centre of the stage near the footlights,
in a direct line with Pierrot's, which is centre back, just in front
of Cothurnus,--the shepherds having set them in these positions, back
to back, in order to have their aid in weaving the wall. After
taking her hat, Columbine stands looking at the shepherds to see
what is going on. They do not look at her. After a moment Thyrsis,
slowly, with his eyes steadfastly on Corydon's, says, "Take it, and
go." When Columbine comes in in the final scene, she is wearing the
hat. She takes it off, however, as she sits down again at the table,
so that the second beginning of the play may recall as vividly as
possible to the audience the first beginning.