Heroines of Chaos

Eco Drama: Stage Play for schools, adults, colleges and theaters.

Student forum: Climate Change, Global Warming, Politics, Planning, Ecology, Economics.

Free script for several actors.

Version 5.0
School strike for climate change. Protest.
School strike for climate change solutions.

BAND ROTUNDA IN TOWNSHIP PARK – DAY.

Zsófi stands alone, by the path in front of the rotunda, holding up a placard: ‘SCHOOL STRIKE FOR WEATHER’ (cf. Greta Thunberg). Delbee stands at side of stage.

Hi. As you see, my grandmother did street protests. Here she is in the local park, at the band rotunda.

(Delbee exits. A woman, INNA, enters, carrying a placard ‘I STAND WITH UKRAINE’. The woman stops some meters from Zsófi, gives a small wave and raises her placard.)

(TIME PASSES. Both protesters move from one leg to the other. People come and stroll by without paying attention. Soon, a press photographer arrives. He wears a bulletproof vest and takes photos of Zsófi. Eventually, Inna and Zsófi exchange glances.)

Coffee?
Gladly.

(Inna and Zsófi exit.)

( SCENE LIGHTING OFF : BLACK-OUT : Black-out)

(END OF SCENE)

INSIDE A COFFEE SHOP – DAY Inside an old warehouse/factory unit that has been converted into a coffee shop. A bar-table.

Zsófi and Inna are standing, leaning on the bar-table, on which are two china coffee mugs. Their placards are stacked aside.

So, my family’s from Prokhorovka, near Kursk, in Russia.

(Inna is suddenly grief-stricken. Zsófi touches Inna’s arm to console her.)

They were turfed out by the Fascists in nineteen forty-three.

(Inna wipes away her tears.)

I'm so sorry: as a young girl, I was brought up near Chop, on the Hungarian border.

(TIME PASSES: Zsófi and Inna continue talking, chatting, animated.)

( SCENE LIGHTING OFF : BLACK-OUT : Black-out)

(END OF SCENE)

FARMHOUSE ONE: VERANDAH – NIGHT [AS BEFORE]

Zsófi and Inna are leaning against the balustrade, staring out into the night. A light comes on in the darkness, then goes off again. Delbee stands at the front of stage, to one side.

And we're back at the farmhouse again.

(Delbee exits.)

Altan sleeps out under the stars.
Is that what you want, Zsófi?
Not sure if I can do this, I'm just a girl.
Is this the first time, Zsófi?

(Zsófi giggles.)

Of course not. It’s like: I do want to be happy. It’s the chaotic weather gets me down.
Zsófi, why worry?
Because it matters, to me, to my generation. It’ll fuck everything up.
When I was a young girl, in Soviet times, the future looked very black. But it all came right in the end.
You’re not taking me seriously, Inna.
Are you sure, dear girl, that you’re not just upset about losing your mother?
It’s not that.

(Inna sighs.)

Zsófi, can you put it to one side for now?
Not really. Inna, I’m just so angry, because people don’t listen. They just don’t want to know.
It was like that in Soviet times, Zsófi. Till Chernobyl.
The nuclear accident?

(Inna nods, and takes both Zsófi’s hands.)

Nuclear idiocy, more like. Out there are evil men, who don’t want people to know the truth.

(Zsófi nods. They seem to have reached some mutual understanding. Inna gives Zsófi a good hug. Inna opens the farmhouse door, and gestures Zsófi inside.)

( SCENE LIGHTING OFF : BLACK-OUT : Black-out)

(END OF SCENE)

SAME GIRLS’ SCHOOL: PROJECTOR ROOM – DAY. A high table, on which stands a projector. Two charts are on display, one for summer, the other for winter. Both represent the Weather forecast for 2090: changes in mean temperature compared to present day. In general, summer temperatures rise by three to four degrees, but much less near the East coast on the island closer to the pole. Winter temperatures rise less.

Zsófi, in school uniform, is leaning against a high table by the projector, busy making notes, glancing up at two charts.

(The end-of-class school bell rings. Pause. Then: KNOCK, KNOCK! Tamara enters, wearing school uniform. Tamara carries her satchel. She studies the charts.)

Science, eh?
Weather projections for two thousand and ninety.

(Zsófi walks over to the temperature charts.)

This one‘s summer, the other one winter. It should get warmer here.
Cool, eh.
Actually, not cool. Hot.

(Zsófi switches the projector to show two rainfall charts for 2090. In summer, the North Island will be distinctly drier; and in winter, some parts will be drier; but much of the South Island will be forty percent wetter.)

Rainfall: summer and winter. Here in Te Matau a Maui it'll get drier.
What's with all this rainfall down south?
Drought in summer; flooding in winter. Or just plain vanilla weather chaos.

(Zsófi switches the projector again to show a graph of global CO2 emissions around COVID period.)

Carbon dioxide emissions during COVID. Worldwide.
Wow. They went right down, eh!
Yes, it looks like that. But in fact, they only fell eleven percent.

(Zsófi begins packing her stuff up. Tamara smiles.)

( SCENE LIGHTING OFF : BLACK-OUT : Black-out)

(END OF SCENE)

SAME CARPARK – DAY [AS BEFORE] AT THE GIRLS’ SCHOOL.

No-one on stage.

(The two girls enter on one side, and carry their bags to the UTV on the other side.)

Cherries need frost. Up here, we barely get one frost day per year now. So we use chemical sprays instead.

(They reach the UTV.)

Whatever.
Whereas down in Otakou, it’s cooler, so there’s no need.

(Zsófi goes to the driver’s side, and Tamara goes to the passenger side.)

Where’s Otakou?
On the other island. Closer to the South Pole.
So what?
Who knows? Maybe there’s a tipping point in the weather.
Ya know, they said that was all a hoax.
Who told you that? Where’s the evidence?

(Tamara looks puzzled. Zsófi thinks what to say next.)

We’ll find out one day – our generation.

(Zsófi walks round and gives Tamara a hug.)

I’m just worried about the orchard.
Ya know, I just don’t feel it, Zsófi. I just want to do stuff, somethin’ excitin’.

(Zsófi frowns.)

But will we get enough rain this year, next year?
Shit, Zsófi, just grow date palms and olives instead.

(Zsófi blows a raspberry, exasperated.)

( SCENE LIGHTING OFF : BLACK-OUT : Black-out)

(END OF SCENE)

FARMHOUSE ONE: VERANDAH – DAY

Zsófi and Tamara stand in deshabille. On the table are mugs, and a teapot. Delbee stands at the side of stage.

We're back at the farmhouse again: three months later.

(Delbee exits.)

There’s a street protest coming up, do you want to come, Tamara?
Sure. I'd love to.

(Zsófi stops to think.)

It’s no good coming just to be with me. Your heart has to be in it.
I just want to see what all the fuss is about.
Okay. On that basis.

(Tamara nods agreement.)

Look, I know it’s hard for you. You were brought up to believe in God and Money. Give it time.

( SCENE LIGHTING OFF : BLACK-OUT : Black-out)

(END OF SCENE)

BAND ROTUNDA IN PARK – DAY [AS BEFORE]

Zsófi is on the rotunda, holding a microphone, delivering her rousing speech. Tamara watches from the front row. Delbee stands at the front of stage, to one side.

Hi. In those days, there were SCHOOL STRIKE street demonstrations all around the world. Teenagers in school-uniform and young people filled the streets, marching in protest, calling for action to counter weather chaos. Some held placards entitled: THERE IS NO PLANET B.

(Delbee exits.)

... Who is to blame? Not us consumers. It’s the suppliers, the companies, the politicians. The bankers that finance them. If nothing else, they have mislead us.

(The crowd, and Tamara, applaud wildly. A man wearing a PRESS body-armor vest takes photos via a long range lens, pointing it at Zsófi.)

( SCENE LIGHTING OFF : BLACK-OUT : Black-out)

(END OF SCENE)