The Table
This document was uploaded by user and they confirmed that they have the permission to share it. If you are author or own the copyright of this book, please report to us by using this DMCA report form. Report DMCA
Overview
Download & View The Table as PDF for free.
More details
- Words: 909
- Pages: 7
THE TABLE By William E. Spear
Two Plus Plus Productions LLC Clinton, New Jersey www.TwoPlusPlus.com [email protected]
The Table
Page i
Summary A simple table with settings for six awaits its guests. But who are the guests and will they come? Perhaps, more importantly, can they come? Characters (in Order of Speaking) Narrator: Begins each verse with “There is a table, Which is set, . . .” and sets direction for the Voices. Army Voice:
Describes the locations of the table in dining rooms, dining cars, and diners.
Marine Corps Voice: Tells of the table’s circular shape as signifying an unending desire to know and believe. Navy Voice:
Speaks of the missing guests’ purity to act, protect, and engage.
Air Force Voice:
“The rose, surrounded by barbed thorns, is symbolic of each guest.”
Coast Guard Voice:
Tells of the bitter fates of the absent guests and tears wept by their families, and friends.
Civilian Voice:
Laments of an empty champagne glass which “will never sparkle without the brilliance of our guests.”
Theme The Table, which is drawn from the Missing Man Table and Honors ceremony, is offered as a monument to reflect upon the men and women who have “served the nation in a special and now unending way.” For more information, please browse to the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/ . Structure The description of the table and guests is built through a “call and response” format. The Narrator begins with “There is a table, Which is set, . . .” and, in separate verses, the Voices of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and a Civilian respond.
Page 1
The Table
1 2
Beat 1)
NARRATOR: There is a table
3
Which is set
4
Wherever people congregate.
5
Set for six
ARMY VOICE:
From upscale restaurants
6
To downtown soup kitchens.
7
From dining rooms
8
To dining cars
9
To diners.
10
Invitations have been sent to six guests
11
And their comrades of many thousands more.
12 13
Beat 2)
NARRATOR: There is a table
14
Which is set
15
With circular proportions.
16
MARINE CORPS VOICE: It signifies our intent
17
And unending desire,
18
To know
19
To understand
20
And believe,
21
That our missing guests
22
Will someday be present.
Needing to believe
Page 2
The Table 23 24
Beat 3)
NARRATOR: There is a table
25
Which is set
26
Draped with a tablecloth of white.
27
NAVY VOICE:
It symbolizes the purity
28
And virtue of our guests.
29
To act
30
Protect
31
And engage,
32
For the service of the country
33
In a unique and special way.
34 35
Beat 4)
Bound by faith
NARRATOR: There is a table
36
Which is set
37
With a vase and single red rose.
38
Protect and engage
AIR FORCE VOICE:
The rose, surrounded by barbed thorns,
39
Is symbolic of each guest.
40
Loved ones
41
And friends
42
Are keeping the faith.
43
The vase is bound with a red ribbon
44
Just as we are bound to our guests.
Page 3
The Table 45 46
Beat 5)
NARRATOR: There is a table
47
Which is set
48
And laden with lemon and salt.
49
Bitter fates and tears
COAST GUARD VOICE:
A slice of lemon drips upon
50
The bread plate of lives.
51
Bitter
52
Are the fates
53
Kept from the table.
54
And grains of salt are tears wept by
55
Absent guests, their families, and friends.
56 57
Beat 6)
No celebration
NARRATOR: There is a table
58
Which is set
59
With a champagne glass placed upside down.
60
CIVILIAN VOICE:
It holds no toast
61
And contains no celebration.
62
It is hollow,
63
Empty,
64
A void.
65
It will never sparkle
66
Without the brilliance of our guests.
Page 4
The Table 67 68
Beat 7)
NARRATOR: There is a table
69
Which is set
70
For guests who can not come.
71 72 73 74 75 76 77
Empty chairs
ARMY VOICE:
Upon the table rests a Bible offering
strength, MARINE CORPS VOICE: Faith, and a reminder of our country’s roots. NAVY VOICE:
Chairs beckon, but go unheeded, by our
absent guests, AIR FORCE VOICE:
They are comrades, loved ones, and
78
friends who are with us in spirit if not in
79
actuality.
80 81 82 83
COAST GUARD VOICE:
Each served the nation in a special and
now unending way. CIVILIAN VOICE:
All shall be remembered while we ask
questions and await answers.
84 85
Beat 8)
Toast to missing guests
NARRATOR: We raise our water glasses
86
In honor of America’s
87
Prisoners of War and Missing in Action.
88
We shall forever strive
89
To learn their fates
90
Because we will never forget them.
Page 5
The Table 91
ARMY VOICE:
92
MARINE CORPS VOICE: Nor the Marine Corps.
93
NAVY VOICE:
94
AIR FORCE VOICE:
So, too, does the Air Force.
95
COAST GUARD VOICE:
Their memories still burn with the
96 97 98 99
The Army will not forget.
We, the Navy, remember them all.
Coast Guard. CIVILIAN VOICE:
They were once Civilians and will
always be family and friends. NARRATOR: (WITH EMPHASIS) We must never forget . . .
100
(PAUSE; RESUME AS PREVIOUS) . . . That there is a
101
table, wherever people congregate.
102
Beat 9)
The End
Two Plus Plus Productions LLC Clinton, New Jersey www.TwoPlusPlus.com [email protected]
The Table
Page i
Summary A simple table with settings for six awaits its guests. But who are the guests and will they come? Perhaps, more importantly, can they come? Characters (in Order of Speaking) Narrator: Begins each verse with “There is a table, Which is set, . . .” and sets direction for the Voices. Army Voice:
Describes the locations of the table in dining rooms, dining cars, and diners.
Marine Corps Voice: Tells of the table’s circular shape as signifying an unending desire to know and believe. Navy Voice:
Speaks of the missing guests’ purity to act, protect, and engage.
Air Force Voice:
“The rose, surrounded by barbed thorns, is symbolic of each guest.”
Coast Guard Voice:
Tells of the bitter fates of the absent guests and tears wept by their families, and friends.
Civilian Voice:
Laments of an empty champagne glass which “will never sparkle without the brilliance of our guests.”
Theme The Table, which is drawn from the Missing Man Table and Honors ceremony, is offered as a monument to reflect upon the men and women who have “served the nation in a special and now unending way.” For more information, please browse to the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/ . Structure The description of the table and guests is built through a “call and response” format. The Narrator begins with “There is a table, Which is set, . . .” and, in separate verses, the Voices of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and a Civilian respond.
Page 1
The Table
1 2
Beat 1)
NARRATOR: There is a table
3
Which is set
4
Wherever people congregate.
5
Set for six
ARMY VOICE:
From upscale restaurants
6
To downtown soup kitchens.
7
From dining rooms
8
To dining cars
9
To diners.
10
Invitations have been sent to six guests
11
And their comrades of many thousands more.
12 13
Beat 2)
NARRATOR: There is a table
14
Which is set
15
With circular proportions.
16
MARINE CORPS VOICE: It signifies our intent
17
And unending desire,
18
To know
19
To understand
20
And believe,
21
That our missing guests
22
Will someday be present.
Needing to believe
Page 2
The Table 23 24
Beat 3)
NARRATOR: There is a table
25
Which is set
26
Draped with a tablecloth of white.
27
NAVY VOICE:
It symbolizes the purity
28
And virtue of our guests.
29
To act
30
Protect
31
And engage,
32
For the service of the country
33
In a unique and special way.
34 35
Beat 4)
Bound by faith
NARRATOR: There is a table
36
Which is set
37
With a vase and single red rose.
38
Protect and engage
AIR FORCE VOICE:
The rose, surrounded by barbed thorns,
39
Is symbolic of each guest.
40
Loved ones
41
And friends
42
Are keeping the faith.
43
The vase is bound with a red ribbon
44
Just as we are bound to our guests.
Page 3
The Table 45 46
Beat 5)
NARRATOR: There is a table
47
Which is set
48
And laden with lemon and salt.
49
Bitter fates and tears
COAST GUARD VOICE:
A slice of lemon drips upon
50
The bread plate of lives.
51
Bitter
52
Are the fates
53
Kept from the table.
54
And grains of salt are tears wept by
55
Absent guests, their families, and friends.
56 57
Beat 6)
No celebration
NARRATOR: There is a table
58
Which is set
59
With a champagne glass placed upside down.
60
CIVILIAN VOICE:
It holds no toast
61
And contains no celebration.
62
It is hollow,
63
Empty,
64
A void.
65
It will never sparkle
66
Without the brilliance of our guests.
Page 4
The Table 67 68
Beat 7)
NARRATOR: There is a table
69
Which is set
70
For guests who can not come.
71 72 73 74 75 76 77
Empty chairs
ARMY VOICE:
Upon the table rests a Bible offering
strength, MARINE CORPS VOICE: Faith, and a reminder of our country’s roots. NAVY VOICE:
Chairs beckon, but go unheeded, by our
absent guests, AIR FORCE VOICE:
They are comrades, loved ones, and
78
friends who are with us in spirit if not in
79
actuality.
80 81 82 83
COAST GUARD VOICE:
Each served the nation in a special and
now unending way. CIVILIAN VOICE:
All shall be remembered while we ask
questions and await answers.
84 85
Beat 8)
Toast to missing guests
NARRATOR: We raise our water glasses
86
In honor of America’s
87
Prisoners of War and Missing in Action.
88
We shall forever strive
89
To learn their fates
90
Because we will never forget them.
Page 5
The Table 91
ARMY VOICE:
92
MARINE CORPS VOICE: Nor the Marine Corps.
93
NAVY VOICE:
94
AIR FORCE VOICE:
So, too, does the Air Force.
95
COAST GUARD VOICE:
Their memories still burn with the
96 97 98 99
The Army will not forget.
We, the Navy, remember them all.
Coast Guard. CIVILIAN VOICE:
They were once Civilians and will
always be family and friends. NARRATOR: (WITH EMPHASIS) We must never forget . . .
100
(PAUSE; RESUME AS PREVIOUS) . . . That there is a
101
table, wherever people congregate.
102
Beat 9)
The End
Related Documents
The Table
May 2020 7
Table
November 2019 80
Table
November 2019 78
The Pulmonary Table
April 2020 5
Seat At The Table?
June 2020 10
Table
May 2020 28More Documents from ""
Mayonnaise In My Cake
June 2020 5
Swing For The Fences - Episode One
May 2020 11
Splendor In Midland - Episode One
May 2020 4
It Suits Her
May 2020 11
Off The Pipes
June 2020 5