By Jack Bowman ©2006
To be performed 28 October 2006 in Dayton Ohio
[The Red Queen Principle will be performed by two performers. One will portray Alice in Wonderland. The other will portray Lewis Carroll writing this section of “Through the Looking Glass”. Another performer is required to hand out the flyer. This third person can usually be recruited at the performance venue. A red clock that runs backward will be the red queen. A single sheet flyer will be given to each of the audience participants. (It will contain the math problem related to the Red Queen and Alice in the Garden with an Internet address) The props that are needed are; Alice’s clothes that somehow relate to Alice in Wonderland, preferably late nineteenth century clothing for Carroll, the red backward running clock, a large piece of chalk (made to draw on a sidewalk), a rock, a writing pad with pencil for Carroll, the flyer, a tape measure or ribbon marked in inches. The performance will take four minutes]
FIRST MINUTE
The performance will start with Alice drawing the squares. There will be 12 squares. Since it is on the floor, the audience will not be able to see this drawing. Alice will count and point to the squares when she finishes (THIS WILL PROBABLY GO INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE SECOND MINUTE). (This will give the audience an idea what is on the floor) At the same time Carroll is writing and tearing paper. He is reading (loudly) short phrases as he writes.
THIS IS NOT DIALOGUE – Each performer is speaking at the same time as the other. There are long breaks in each monologue therefore each performer is heard. Generally speaking; when Alice is doing her hopscotch and singing her rhymes, Carroll will stop reading aloud and look toward her.
CARROLL, “Alice thought it would be cool to talk to a real Queen.”
[Carroll tears off the sheet of paper, throws it to the ground, and reads as he writes a new one]
CARROLL, “She thought it would be far grander to have a talk with a real Queen.”
[Carroll folds the paper over and continues to write]
CARROLL, “Alice told the Queen that she was lost.”
[Carroll tears off the sheet of paper, wads it up, and throws it to the ground. He reads as he writes a new one]
CARROLL, “Alice explained as well as she could, that she had lost her way.”
[Carroll folds the paper over and continues to write]
THIS POINT IN THE PERFORMANCE IS ABOUT ONE MINUTE
SECOND MINUTE
CARROLL, “The Red Queen took a ruler and measured the squares with it. She then put pegs in the ground after each two squares.”
[Carroll tears off the sheet of paper and drops it to the floor]
CARROLL, “Said to Alice, While you are refreshing yourself I will just take the measurements.”
[Carroll folds the sheet over in the pad]
At this time about a minute and a half will have elapsed. Alice should be finished with her drawing.
ALICE says as she points to the twelve squares, “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve.” NOTE: THESE NUMBERS COULD BE RECITED IN FRENCH BECAUSE THE RED QUEEN TELLS ALICE TO SPEAK IN FRENCH WHEN ENGLISH DOES NOT WORK FOR HER. French; L'un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix, onze, douze. CARROLL continues his writing and reading aloud while Alice is counting.
ABOUT FIFTEEN SECONDS CONSUMED IN THE COUNTING
At this point (after the number 12) Alice points to the clock and starts her hopscotch. She places a rock in an end square. NOTE: THERE ARE TWELVE SQUARES BUT ONLY EIGHT WORDS IN THE HOPSCOTCH POEMS – SO ALICE COULD PLACE THE ROCK IN SQUARE NUMBER 12 OR OUTSIDE THE NUMBER 12 SQUARE.
EACH WORD IS SAID IN A SINGLE JUMP. THIS ENDS UP SEVEN JUMPS IF ALICE IS STANDING ON THE FIRST BLOCK OR SET. ALICE COULD START OUTSIDE THE ROW AND SPEAK WITH THE FIRST JUMP ONTO THE FIRST BLOCK OR SET. THIS WOULD MAKE THE EIGHT JUMPS.
CARROLL STOPS AND WATCHES ALICE AS SHE DOES HER HOPSCOTCH AND ALICE says;
The
Red
Queen
Waits
Near
The
Garden
Gate
IT APPEARS TO CONSUME ABOUT FIFTEEN SECONDS TO COMPLETE EIGHT JUMPS
AT THIS POINT THE PERFORMANCE IS ABOUT TWO MINUTES
AT THIS POINT THE PERFORMANCE IS ESTABLISHED
Alice has picked up the rock with the eighth jump. She now places it again and points at the clock. She then continues her hop scotching.
Pick
Up
Rocks
Red
Queen
Wears
Green
Socks
Carroll watches her again but then starts to ignore her and continues his writing. He pulls out his marked measure tape and begins measuring but only with his hands. He does not bend down.
CARROLL, “At the end of four yards it’s Hi but Goodbye”
Carroll tears out the sheet and drops it to the floor.
CARROLL, “The Red Queen turned for a moment to say ‘Good-bye’”
Alice has picked up her rock and now places it at another position. Alice points at the backward clock and begins a new hop scotching.
Knock
Knock
Pick
The
Flowers
Throw
The
Rock
CARROLL, “Alice never knew how it happened but exactly as the Red Queen came to the last peg, she was gone.”
Alice picks up the rock and throws it at the clock. She then takes it off the wall and continues to smash it with the rock.
CARROLL yells, “Red Queen Principle”
AN ADDITIONAL MINUTE AND THIRTY SECONDS HAS ELAPSED
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THIS MAKES THE PERFORMANCE THREE MINUTES AND THIRTY SECONDS - TOTAL
SKETCH OF THE HOP SCOTCH BOARD
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