D'Carnaval (excerpt) by Paola Alexandra Soto

D’CARNAVAL A Play With Music Based on True Events

by Paola Alexandra Soto

Paola Alexandra Soto 601 W 138 ST #6A NY, NY 10031 Alexandra.Paola@columbia.edu

CHARACTERS ACTOR 1

ACTOR 2

ACTOR 3

ACTOR 4 ACTOR 5 ACTOR 6 ACTOR 7

Female, Dominican. Afro-Latina.

Transforms into CIGUAPA, a pre-colonial inhabitant of island and QUISQUEYA an enslaved woman in La Hispaniola.

White-male, Spanish. Transforms into PATRON, owner of the plantation in La Hispaniola and DIABLO COJUELO, a demon with a limp, cane, and whip. As well as, EL REY, the king of Spain. PADRE, a Spanish Catholic priest.

Female, Dominican. Patron’s wife.

PATRONA wife of Patron. Transforms into ROBA GALLINA, a woman who walks around with rollers in her hair, holding an umbrella, in search of her chicks.

Female, African. Transforms into LEGBA, NEGRA, and MAMA. Female, Dominican. NINA is the daughter of Patron and Quisqueya. She transforms into MUERE REBECA, and WOMAN. Afro-Latin, male. Transforms into CLAVO, Patron’s Overseer and TIZNAO. Male, Afro-Latin Dominican. Transforms into CIMARRON and PINTAO.

TIME & LOCATION “In Santo Domingo, this first city of the Americas” and first capital city in the “New World”.

PROLOGUE Lights up behind a white sheet that covers the playing area. A female figure appears behind it, she plays a maraca.

QUISQUEYA

GUARICHE GUAKIA BA AREYTO GUA-TUREY GUARICHE GUAKIA BA AREYTO GUA-TUREY

WOMAN That was beautiful. What an incredible song. Our women have within them the rhythm of the universe.

QUISQUEYA Thank you. It’s always great to meet someone who speaks Taino.

WOMAN What? Taino? You were singing in English.

QUISQUEYA That was a Taino song, the one we sing during the full moon ceremony. It’s about to begin. Is it your first time here?

WOMAN Why you ask?

QUISQUEYA Cause you keep looking around with a look of confusion on your face.

WOMAN Well, I mean, like, ummm, yeah, I’m not really sure where I am.

QUISQUEYA Where are you from?

WOMAN Where is you from?

QUISQUEYA I asked first.

WOMAN I don’t know you like that.

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QUISQUEYA Very true but you’re the one that showed up here, where I’m at.

WOMAN Yeah, but . . . where is here exactly?

QUISQUEYA What was it that you just said a moment ago? “I don’t know you like that”.

WOMAN Okay, well as not fun as this was. I got things to do.

QUISQUEYA So you’re not here for the ceremony.

WOMAN What ceremony?

QUISQUEYA The Full Moon Ceremony that we are celebrating tonight. Since you spoke Taino I thought you were here for the ceremony.

WOMAN Like I said I’m not Taino. And you were singing in English.

QUISQUEYA Is that were you are from England? You don’t have the accent.

WOMAN No I’m not English, I just speak it.

QUISQUEYA You speak English, Spanish, and Taino? That’s impressive.

WOMAN No I only speak English.

QUISQUEYA You are not speaking English you are speaking Spanish.

WOMAN I’m not speaking Spanish. We are both speaking English.

QUISQUEYA We are both speaking Spanish.

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WOMAN I don’t speak Spanish. I’m not a Latina.

QUISQUEYA What's a Latina?

WOMAN Well, I think we’re supposed to say Latinx or Latinxer now, but you know, it’s people who speak Spanish.

QUISQUEYA But you're speaking Spanish. I’ve never met a Spaniard that looks like you.

WOMAN I’m not a Spaniard. I’m an American.

QUISQUEYA What’s that? American.

WOMAN This is a confusing ass conversation.

QUISQUEYA I know right?

Woman walks off ends up walking back in from another direction.

WOMAN What is this place?

QUISQUEYA A plantation.

WOMAN Like for cotton?

QUISQUEYA No for sugar cane and Tabaco.

WOMAN So where is it?

QUISQUEYA What?

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WOMAN The exit door?

QUISQUEYA That way.

WOMAN I went that way. There was no door.

QUISQUEYA If you’re not here for the ceremony you should stay here until day break. Even with the full moon you don’t want to go out there in the middle of the night. It will be very easy to get lost.

WOMAN I’ll just get my phone and look up. Where’s my phone?

QUISQUEYA What’s a phone?

WOMAN Uh, what-what now?

QUISQUEYA A phone? Is that what you call it?

WOMAN Is this a joke? Am I like getting pranked? This is a prank isn’t it?

QUISQUEYA I don’t know you and you are not a child why would I prank you?

WOMAN This isn’t funny.

QUISQUEYA No it’ not.

WOMAN Do you have my phone?

QUISQUEYA First tell me what a phone is.

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WOMAN A phone. A phone.

QUISQUEYA Saying the word over and over again is not the same as telling me what it is.

WOMAN It makes calls and has a map and apps.

QUISQUEYA What’s an app?

WOMAN This is too weird.

QUISQUEYA You seem as lost as Cristobal.

WOMAN Who the fuck is Cristobal?

QUISQUEYA Cristobal Colon? You know the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.

WOMAN Maria? Is that your name?

QUISQUEYA No I’m Quisqueya. Cristobal Colon, the conquistador. You haven't heard of him?

WOMAN Do he live on one two five and second ave?

QUISQUEYA Where's that?

WOMAN Manhattan. Uptown. Harlem, USA. QUISQUEYA Where are all those places?

WOMAN It’s the same place with different names, in America.

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QUISQUEYA Same thing happens on this island. Some call is Hispaniola, others Kiskeya, Santo Domingo, La Vega.

WOMAN So we’re on an island okay. But how did I get here? And if we're not speaking the same language how do we understand each other?

QUISQUEYA I don’t know.

WOMAN Actually I think I came from this way.

She walks off in the direction she’s looking at. Woman walks back in from a different direction.

WOMAN Fuck! I got it. I know.

QUISQUEYA This is really strange. Must be the full moon.

Woman starts running off in one direction and running back on in another.

WOMAN Fuck! Okay, so you’re named after the island?

QUISQUEYA What?

WOMAN Do you not understand me now?

QUISQUEYA I didn’t hear the question.

WOMAN You said before the name of the island is Quisqueya and your name is Quisqueya QUISQUEYA Yeah I was born here so my parents named after the island.

WOMAN I’ve never heard of it.

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QUISQUEYA Maybe you know it by a different name? That’s the problem with the colonizers they keep changing the name of everything.

WOMAN I have bigger problems right now. Like how to get out of here.

QUISQUEYA Yeah a lot of us are trying to do the same thing.

WOMAN That’s not what I mean.

QUISQUEYA You have the same birthmark as me. See? WOMAN And? QUISQUEYA That’s weird.

WOMAN It’s just a birthmark.

QUISQUEYA But it’s the exact same one, we just have it in different places.

WOMAN That’s what you think is weird? Not a perfect stranger showing up in the middle of the ceremony.

Music begins to play.

WOMAN What is that?

QUISQUEYA The beginning of the ceremony.

AY MAMÁ LEGBÁ, AYUDANOS AY MAMÁ LEGBÁ, ENSEÑANOS AY MAMÁ LEGBÁ, AY MAMÁ LEGBÁ YO SOY OGÚN BALENYÓ, Y VENGO DE LOS OLIVOS A DARLE LA MANO AL ENFERMO, Y A LEVANTAR LOS CAIDOS.

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SCENE I In the darkness Actor 2 and Actor 6 are heard from the back of the audience but not seen.

ACTOR 2 LLEGO LA LOQUERA D’CARNAVAL ACTOR 6 D’CARNAVAL CREW IS HERE ACTOR 2 PARA ENSEÑARLE COMO SE HACE ACTOR 6 WE GONNA SHOW YOU HOW ITS DONE ACTOR 2 & 6 EN LA ISLA DE FANTASIA WE GOTTA GET DOWN, TO GET ON UP ACTOR 2 BIENVENIDOS A CARNAVAL ACTOR 6 WELCOME TO CARNAVAL The sound of a drum begins to play from behind the audience. Actor 6 enters playing the drum. A parade of people dancing, playing instruments, and singing fill the space. Actor 2 is last in line. He takes his time as he interacts with individual people, including jokingly threatening to hit them with his whip.

ACTOR 2 COMO SI TUVIERA EN LA DISCOTECA ACTOR 6 LIKE WE WAS IN THE CLUB WE AIN’T IN NO LIBRARY ACTOR 2 NO ESTAMOS EN LA BIBLIOTECA APLAUSOS, LO QUE ME ENTIANDAN ACTOR 6 CLAP THOSE WHO UNDERSTAND US

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SOMETIMES ALL WE GOT TO GET US THRU IS A LITTLE JINGLE AND WIGGLE. ACTOR 2 Que lo que amigos, enemigos, y compais, yo soy el diablo cojuelo.

ACTOR 6 Friends, e’tranger, this is the limp devil, and I am the tiznao.

ACTOR 2 BIENVENIDOS A NUESTRA ISLA, UN PARADISO ACTOR 6 WELCOME TO OUR ISLAND, IT’S A PARADISE ACTOR 2 DEJEN SUS PROBLEMAS Y LAS PENAS A FUERAS ACTOR 6 LEAVE YOUR CARES BEHIND LEAVE YOUR WORRIES OUTSIDE ACTOR 2 COMO SI FUERAN DEMONIOS DEL DIABLO LA VIDA ES NADAMAS QUE UN CARNAVAL. ACTOR 6 CAST THEM OUT LIKE DEMONS FROM THE POSSESSED YOU ARE NOW PART OF THE CARNAVAL, OUR YEARLY RITUAL. ACTOR 2 (To Actor 6) You’re only supposed to be translating.

ACTOR 6 (To Actor 2) That’s what I’m doing.

Actor 2 takes a whip from around his belt, unravels it, and cracks it in the air. Everyone stops.

ACTOR 6 Hold up, nobody said nothing about a whip.

ACTOR 2 I spoke with the director about it and she said I could try it out for today’s run-thru.

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ACTOR 6 Where is our dear leader?

ACTOR 5 Taking a call.

ACTOR 2 Again?

ACTOR 7 She has a lot of projects. I heard that she’s a rising star among young directors on the island.

ACTOR 5 I don’t think you should use the whip until we have all had a chance to talk to her about it.

ACTOR 2 Why not? It’s cool. I found one of the really old school ones.

Luckily, my uncle had it.

ACTOR 5 Why does your uncle own a whip?

ACTOR 2 Cause he used to play the Diablo Cojuelo way back in the day.

Most of the men in family have it’s a tradition.

ACTOR 4 Are all the masks ready?

ACTOR 1 Yeah, I worked on them last night. Here.

Actor 1 hands out masks.

ACTOR 1 THIS AIN’T JUST A PARTY THIS IS THE RECREATION OF A TALE ACTOR 2 Is that the part that we are taking it from?

ACTOR 6 Did y’all know that some of the oldest masks have been found in archaeological sites throughout this island? And were made of clay more than a thousand years ago.

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