The Future Looks Back

This is the first draft of a play to be performed on the Village Green at 3pm Fair Saturday. Your input is invited .

1. Would you like to be a performer in the play? The present cast is below and you can see there are vacancies… Or you can replace someone, too…
2. Activist goals that you hope will be accomplished in the next 25 years. Please add them in the comments so they can be included in the script.
3. Any other suggestions, etc…?
4. Comments can be made below, and can be emailed to TGM@peak.org, or call me at 541-521-7208
5. Rehearsals will be needed, prolly starting June 14. Are you excited??

The Future Looks Back

Actor 1: Vacant
Actor 2: Vacant
Actor 3: Sam
Actor 4; Karla
Actor 5: Adrian
Actor 6: Sara
Actor 7: Omo
Actor 8: Diane
Actor 9: Kim
Actor 10: Tim
Actor 11: Kaitlyn
Actor 12: David (no speaking lines)

MC Intro, Actor 10 (Tim):

 “Greetings. The Community Village is a space dedicated to education, information access, and networking for progressive social change. For 50 years we’ve worked to build a spiritual center manifesting the Village Vision of love, peace, trust, justice, cooperation, equality, and social service. By believing in dreams, thinking of others, valuing differences, and experimenting with new ideas, we’ve worked together to expand our consciousness, growing beyond the Fair into the world at large. What will the next 25 years bring?”

Actor 10 leaves the stage

Scene 1

Actor1 (?) walks onto the stage, dressed in something futuristic. Looks around at the Village approvingly.

“Wow. After all my years on Council (in the Village), it still feels like the old days of 2026 when I first started my (Council) job. So many great friends have come and gone, so many great things we all worked for together have become reality. I love it.”

Actor 2 (?) enters the stage, kinda sneaks up behind Actor 1 and touches them on the shoulder. They jump and both up then laugh and hug.

Actor 2:

“Surprised you didn’t I?”

More laughter.

Actor 1:

“Yes, you did. How are you? Wow, you still look great after all these years!”

Actor 2:

“Thanks, you too. I sure do miss Fair every year, but I’m so busy with my 6 kids…”

Actor 1:

“I bet! We’ve managed to get a lot done since you were last here. Those folks in Green Earth booth worked their butts off on wind farm development, with new wind farms – you know, the kind that doesn’t even have to spin or have huge blade things. There’s even one over at Energy Park. It was pretty hard getting over the backsliding from 2026-2028 when that old orange guy was in charge, but we did it as a community, together!”

Then Actor 3 (Sam?) comes running up the Green and gives them both hugs. They all smile and do a little dance, singing a bit of the Teddy Bear song.

Actor 3:

Oh, it’s so good to see you, Actor 2. You, too, Actor 1. The 2 of us have been at it this whole time, right up to this year 2051. How time flies, eh? You know, in those 20 years Wild Edibles was a great help with the emerald ash borer issue. Yup. They developed a crazy unique way to harvest the borers and, working with Health and Healing booth, made a kind of organic stew with them that we now serve at the Village restaurant.”

Actor 2:

“Really? Is it yummy?”

Actor 1:

“Well…”

Just then Actor 4 (Karla) enters the stage.

Actor 4:

“Yes it IS!! It tastes kinda like mushrooms, with a hint of curry and red peppers. I love it. Amazingly, it also helps with my rheumatism and back pain. “ Groans…

Actors 5 & 6 (Adrian and Sara) come on the stage together.

Actor 3:

“Look, it’s Adrian and Sara… How was the honeymoon?”

laughter and smiles.

Actor 6:

“It was awesome.”

Actor 5:

“Yes it was, though it did take us 20 plus years together to make it happen. Hawaii was great, Ecuador was awesome, and we really liked the 6 hour trip to the moon and back. Wow.”

Actor 6:

“You liked it more than I did…I had a real hard time being weightless, floating around, hanging on to you for dear life! But the view…the view was awesome.”

Actor 5:

“We heard about this ride from the folks at Life Long Learning. Yes. They have over the years worked with energy park folks to develop a solar powered orbiting slingshot thingy that created a lot of G’s at first, but was very smooth for the rest of the trip. And it launched right here from the Fair’s SCOF lot. Who would’ve imagined that 25 years ago?!”

Actor 7 (Omo) and Actor 8 (Diane) enter from behind.
Actor 7 and Actor 8:

“Hey everybody! Surprise!”

All the other Actors:

“Hi, Hey, Howdy”

Actor 7:

“Diane and I thought we would come by and share some of the activist goals the Village successfully fought to enact over the years. For example: lasting peace in the Middle East and Ukraine, elimination of nuclear weapons throughout the whole world, widespread use on non-violent communication techniques,

Actor 8:

“Online digital privacy that is now protected, more and more creative movements and grassroots concepts rising in the world, the vast and still growing network of intentional communities, the growth of a beyond religion, spiritual connection of love we can all feel, and the unwavering acceptance of the Rainbow community LGBTQ+.

Actor 9 (Kim) rolls in and pipes up

Actor 9:

“Reinstatement of DEI policies in the USA, open heartedness and readily available assistance devices for people differently abled, an end to harmful, forced drugging. We all done good, together!”

Actor 11 (Kaitlyn) has walked up during Actor 9 talking
Actor 11:

“Hi Kim and everyone!”

All:

Hi”

Actor 11:

I’ve been a Villager since I was very, very small. I have witnessed firsthand all the effort and time everyone in the Village has put in, not just here onsite, but in their daily lives in the world, to help this planet and all of its inhabitants –  creatures and plants of all kinds – survive and thrive. It is truly amazing. And we still have more to do, together. (all nod in agreement) Let’s all have a great Fair!”

All pat each other on the back and smile, nodding…

During this last speech from Actor 11, Actor 12 (David), dressed in something dark and scary, has slowly approached the stage. Now he walks from right to left, and as he passes each person, they slowly fall to the ground into a deep sleep. A few seconds pass. Then a loud noise shatters the silence and all the folks wake up and stand together looking confused. Actor 10 then enters from the back, walking through the crowd of council folks and faces the audience.

Actor 10:

“I’m afraid what you have just experienced is but a dream, a hope, a future we all work for and desire deep in our hearts, for us, our friends and family, for the world. Can we do it? Can we make our dreams and hopes come true? What do you say?

YES WE CAN … together:  YES… WE… CAN

The Village sings the Teddy Bear Picnic all together.