Uniting Nations 80th Anniversary Celebration of
PEACE – A DREAM UNFOLDING
1 ST D RAFT P LATFORM P ERFORMANCE S CRIPT
by David Woollcombe © Peace Child International September 26
th 2024
Cast
The Script requires 3 x lead cast members, generally one boy and one girl aged 16-25 + an Elder Storyteller aged, or made-up to appear, 60+. The lead Cast members can also be the choral soloists, or producers can select choir members to come forward to sing solos. There is also an SATB chorus of at least 40 people + an orchestra, organ, rhythm section or piano / synthesiser. There are also links to playback instrumental tracks which may be used if live musicians are not available.
Setting
Bare black stage with large screen at the back on to which images and Titles are projected. The 3 Lead cast members / soloists stand at 3 x Microphones at the front of stage with the Chorus and orchestra behind them. The Chorus can be on choral risers at the back but, as we encourage producers to involve them in the action of the show, especially in the inter-active discussions with the audience, they must be able to move freely about the stage. The orchestra, if you have one, is in front of the Chorus.
Research & Re-Writing
Like every Peace Child show, the cast are expected to re-write the dialogue, imagining that they, themselves, are the lead characters in the story. This 1st Draft Base Script is based on the UN Centenary Peace Child script and our Concept Note for a 3-part history on the Past, Present and Future of Global Collaboration. It is designed to promote discussions of UN reform in schools and communities from the 2025 80th Anniversary of the UN up to its Centenary in 2045. Much will change in that time, so it is essential that the cast performing it, or a Working Group that they appoint, update the dialogue to ensure they get across the most relevant key messages based on current, scrupulously verified statistics
Key Themes & Questions
The cast are free to choose whatever themes they feel to be most relevant to their generational challenge of Saving Life on Earth. This 1st Draft script is based on the key themes of the Peace Child source material: the original play, The Peace Book and Alpha Omega – the Oratorio. These include:
1. The Unifying desire of all living things to LIVE, and to preserve a Biosphere that supports life; 2. All peoples’ preference for Order not Chaos; Peace not Violence; Good not Evil; Truth not Lies;
3. The need for Human Rights, the Rule of Law + strong Global Institutions to deliver themes 1 & 2; So the key questions to ask young people setting out on their own, personal Peace Child journeys are:
1. What does the Future you Want look like?
2. What can you do with your life to help, not hinder, its creation?
THE PAST
The chorus and orchestra assemble on stage and tune up. Maybe show some fun videos as the audience chatter: Tears for Fears – Everybody wants to rule the world; Harry Secombe: If I ruled the world! The lights fade to black as a thin wind sound sweeps across the stage. The Elder Narrator comes downstage centre into a pale spotlight. S/he lights two candles on either side of their lectern – and reads:
Elder Narrator In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form and void. And darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said: Let there be Light! And there was Light. And God saw the Light, that it was good. And God divided the Light from the Darkness and he called the Light Day, and the Darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
Music continues under – building….
Out of the Darkness came Light
Out of Light came Life
Out of Life was born the Living World
Unto the Living World came Mankind
Music builds with the Choir joining in a massive crescendo – which falls away to silence
Mankind stood between Heaven and Earth – alone and naked – not knowing or understanding the world around him, for he was without knowledge of these things. And he cried out to Heaven from whence his Spirit came –
The two young soloists / Narrators come and stand either side of the Elder Narrator, and sing -
Song 1. IwhoamI
IwhoamI?Whatisthisworld WhyamIhere?
IwhatamI?Whatismycause? WhymustIbe?
Isthereareasonforliving Andhavingthisplaceofourown? Whatpowerconceivedme
Abandonedmetotheunknown?
We,whoarewe,whatisthisplace? Whyarewehere?
We,whoarewetobesolost Andallalone?
Isthereareasonforliving Andhavingthisplaceofourown? Whatpowerconceivedme
Abandonedmetotheunknown?
I,whoamI,whatisthisplace? WhyamIhere?
Girl Narrator Who are we? Why are we here?
Boy Narrator Is there a reason for Living?
Elder Narrator Perhaps to try to leave the World a better place than it was when we got here?
Boy Narrator Not much chance of that! We’re all too greedy, murderous selfish people!
Elder Narrator We ate of the Forbidden Fruit – we are all Fallen People!
Boy Narrator Cain and Abel and all that!
Girl Narrator No! We’re only here because our parents loved each other enough to create us!
Elder Narrator I would love to think that – but, for most of human history, it has been our greedy, murderous selfish side that has been in the ascendant: (reading – music starts and builds under)
It started with a stone, then came a stick Soon there was an arrow and a spear Then there came a club, a sword and a gun! –Soon bullets were flying everywhere!
Conflict raged all over the world
Hatred and envy consumed our minds!
Tribe against tribe, friend against friend!
Nobody seemed to Care! [Youth Narrators: Or Love!]
A pattern soon emerged of things to come, Of the problems Man would face:
Tribes of men – not quite the same –Competing for the food
And the best bit of land
Starting off the game called War
Empires rose and Empires fell: The Death toll started to soar!
As each generation passing by Found new ways to kill:
• Battle ships and fighter planes
• Killer drones and cluster bombs,
• Mercenaries and terrorists;
• Cold wars and dirty wars,
• Underground and overground
• In the air – out in space….
WAR defined the human race!
Song 2. WAR
We'llfightourwaytodistanthills,abloodybattlehave We'llraiseourswordandkillthemall]
We'llraiseourcountriesflag!
We'llkillourbrothers,killourfriends, Killeachothertilltheend!
We'llkillourwomen,childrentoo, Killthemalluntilwe'rethrough
Killthemalluntilwe'rethrough.
Godsaveourland,longliveourflag, Ontothewarwego-praisetoourdead Butwhosayswe'reright,whosayswe'rewrong Honourandpride-tothiswebelong!
Ohcomeandsaveus! Ohcomeandsaveus! Ohcomeandsaveusfromwhatwedo! Ourworldisthrough!
Butwhocansaveus! Butwhocansaveus? Butwhocansaveusfromwhatwedo?
God-whereareyou?
Girl Narrator God?! Where are you??
Boy Narrator Forget about God! He – or She – was part of the problem!!
Girl Narrator God?! Surely Not??
Elder Narrator Religious imperialists slaughtered millions! Perhaps not as many as the Political Imperialists. But they didn’t follow the Peace teachings of their Prophets!
Boy Narrator Think about the Crusades! Or the Christian Missionaries – Bible in one hand, Gun in the other telling everyone My God is better than your God!
Elder Narrator Islam spread initially through military conquest – just like the Persians, the Greeks and the Romans before them. Empires forced people to collaborate –
Boy Narrator It got worse – with the Mongols, murdering and enslaving millions; the Ottomans, the British, the French – the Russians….
Elder Narrator Right up to the present day – the Germans with their idea of a 1000-year Reich!
Boy Narrator - murdering the six and a half million jews who stood in their way;
Elder Narrator Houtus murdering Tutsis in Rwanda – Burmese murdering Rohingas – a North Korean Emperor enslaving his people in a cult of personality.
Boy Narrator - and those same Jews now accused of genocide against the Palestinians whose lands they occupied;
Elder Narrator - and Russia trying to do the same to the people of Ukraine whose borders they signed a treaty guaranteeing. War – war – and yet more War!!
Girl Narrator STOP!!! (fiercely!) It has to STOP!! NOW(speaks – spitting with rage) Listen to Me! Heed the Words that I say! (music)
Song 3. ListentoMe
(Sings!) Weliveinoneworldsoourhomeisthesame Thesamesunisourfire,thesamecloudsgiveusrain Sowhateveryoudesireourfuture’sthesame
Saynotthatyou’rerighteous-northatyouaretrue! SaynotthatI’mred–northatyouareblue SayonlyweareFriends!–andwewanttoliveinpeace Inthishereourworld,Letallwarscease!
Soopenyoureyes,takethetruthasitstands
Wehavebutoneearthsowemustsharetheland
Thesamemoonisourlantern,thesameskyisourroof
Sowhateveryourreasons,comefollowthetruth
Saynotthatyou’reChristian,norMuslimnorJew
Saynotthatyou’reBuddhist,northatyou’reHindu
SayonlyweareFriends!–andwewanttoliveinpeace
Inthishereourworld,Letallwarscease!
Forwherewouldwegoifthisworldwedestroy?
Wehavebutonehome,thisworld,toenjoy!
Thesameearthfillsourhunger,andweallbreathetheair
Sochangeyourdesires,thisworldwemustshare.
Saynotthatyou’rerich,northatyouarepoor
Saynotthatyou’reless,northatyouaremore!
Sayonlywearefriends–andwewanttoliveinPeace
Inthishereourworld,letallwarscease!
Inthishereourworld,letallwarscease!
Boy Narrator That’s never going to happen!
Elder Narrator It is happening! It’s got to happen if life on earth is to survive! And it started happening long ago…
Girl Narrator How?! Who made it happen…
Elder Narrator Well – a Dutchman named Hugo Grotius is generally credited as the Father of International Law.
Boy Narrator Never heard of him! Who was he?
Elder Narrator He lived in the 16th and 17th Century – and wrote a lot books about Law and War!
Girl Narrator But what did he actually DO?!
Elder Narrator He was a famous philosopher and diplomat: he was arrested – escaped from prison in a trunk full of books – had 7 children! And gave us the idea that Law not War is the way to solve disputes.
Boy Narrator But – we’d had laws to govern human behaviour going back to the Ten Commandments…?
Girl Narrator Justinius, Jesus Christ, many many prophets and philosophers: the trouble was –we had no way of enforcing Emperors to obey them!
Elder Narrator We have the same problem today – individuals, families, communities and corporations all have to obey the law. All of them are punished if they disobey –but Emperors and all forms of national government can murder and maim and rob people – and we can do absolutely nothing about it.
Boy Narrator Until we strengthen those laws! (Music Starts)
Song 4. TheLaws
WherearetheLawswemustobey?
Wherearetherulestoguideusthroughourday
Wherearethewordsthatwillteachushowtolive
Wherearethesignstoshowushowtogive
Wherearethevisionstohelpourfailingsouls
Wherearethetoolsforrebuildingournewworld?
Thoushaltnotkill,
Thoushaltnotsteal
Thoushaltnothurtorforceyourwill
Thoushaltbewareoffoolishpride
Thoushaltbefairandtakenosides
Thoushaltdespiseallthatisvain
Thoushaltnotlie,orcheatforgain
ThoushaltkeepholythydayforGod
Thoushaltforgiveandthoushaltlove!
ThesearetheLawswemustobey?
Thesearetherulestoguideusthroughourday
Thesearethewordsthatwillteachushowtolive
Thesearethesignstoshowushowtogive
Thoushaltnothaveajealousheart
Shaltnotdesireyourneighbour’spart
Thoushaltbekindineveryway
Andthoushaltkeepatimetopray
Thoushaltnotcauseyourparentsshame
Thoushaltnotcurse,ortakeGod’snameinvain
AndthoushaltworshiptheOneTrueGod!
Thoushaltforgiveandthoushaltlove!
Girl Narrator Nice idea – but what happened when it made contact with reality.
Elder Narrator Well – the Dutch people did not forget about Hugo Grotius – the father of International Law. So, when Tsar Nicholas of Russia was looking for a place to hold an International Peace Conference in 1899, the young Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands offered to host it in the Dutch Capital, The Hague.
Boy Narrator And what did it achieve?
Elder Narrator Well – it set up the Peace Palace – the International Court of Justice – and agreed the Hague Conventions defining war crimes – later replaced by the Geneva Conventions.
Girl Narrator But the Peace Palace didn’t prevent World War ONE!?
Elder Narrator No – and the League of Nations didn’t prevent World War TWO.
Boy Narrator But the United Nations has, at least, prevented World War THREE!
Elder Narrator And why do you think that was? (they look blank) What happened two months after the Diplomats agreed the UN Charter in San Francisco on June 26th 1945?
Girl Narrator Hiroshima and Nagasaki – (music starts!)
Song 5. Fireball
Nine,eight,seven,six,five,four,three,two,one!
Pushthatbutton
Letitbedone!
Lookout–hereitcomes!
Fireball–burninginthesky
Buildingeverhigher,arewegoingtodie?
Fireball–risingfromtheground
Growingeverbrighter
Whyistherenosound?
Fireball!
Where’smychild,where’smyhome?
Where’sthestreetIusedtoknow?
Howcanitbe-?
Howcanacitydisappear?
Fireball!Fireball!Fireball!
WillIbetheonlysurvivor?
Lostinaworld–aseaofburningfire?
WillIbetheonlyone?
OhdearGod!–whathavewedone?
Nine,eight,seven,six,five,four,three,two,one!
LetitGo!
Letitbedone!
Lookout!!–hereitcomes!
Fireball!–glowingandalive
Pushingoutitspoison–nothingwillsurvive!!
Fireball!–burstingintoflames!
Mybodyisonfire
ButIfeelnopain-!!
Fireball!Fireball!Fireball!
An explosion shakes the theatre. A mushroom Cloud fills the screen. Then silence. Music starts. A small child walks down stage centre and sings. The soloists & Chorus build the song into a howl of protest.
Song 6. MrPresident
MrPresidentisittruewhattheysay, Youcankillalltheworldinlessthanaday?
MrPresident,canitbewhatitseems, Therewillbenomorelove,therewillbenomoredreams.
MrPresident,isittruewhatIhear Becauseofmen'sgreedwemustallliveinfear?
OhNo!(OhNo)It'splaintosee(It'splaintosee)
Butsohardtounderstand, Thatthisworldwealllove Isfadingaway,dyingtoday!
OhNo!(ohno)It'snotfair!(it'snotfair) Thatmankindshouldhavetheright Forthesakeoftheirgreed Theycantakethisaway WithoutaskingwhyOhNO!
MrPresident,isittruewhatIread, Theworldcouldbedeadwithaturnofyourkey?
MrPresident,Canitbewhatitseems Therewillbenomorechildren,nomorelove,nomoredreams?
MrPresident,won'tyouhearoursmallplea? Forthemillionsofchildren,throwawayyourkey?
OhNo!(OhNo)It'splaintosee(It'splaintosee) Butsohardtounderstand, Thatthisworldwealllove Isfadingaway,dyingtoday!
OhNo!(ohno)It'snotfair!(it'snotfair) Thatmankindshouldhavetheright Forthesakeoftheirgreed Theycantakethisaway WithoutaskingwhyOhNO!
MrPresidents,it'satimetobebrave! Announcetotheworld,thiswillbeaPeaceDay TheFirstPeaceDay!
THE PRESENT
Boy Narrator So a couple of false starts with the Peace Palace and the League of Nations – but Hey! Third time round, we got lucky with the United Nations, right?!
Elder Narrator Not exactly!
Girl Narrator It’s made a lot of promises – about human rights, ending poverty, health for all, school for all and to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war” but –
Elder Narrator It hasn’t been the rousing success we all hoped it would be!
Boy Narrator And your generation certainly has NOT left the world a better place than you found it!
Elder Narrator True – but we’ve done a pretty good job of quantifying just what’s wrong with it:
Song 7. WORLD
World–lookatthewayweare
Lookatthethingswedo
Lookatthewordswesay
Life!–lookatthewaywelive
Lookatthelovewehad
Lookatthethingswe’vemade
Gone,goneareallthoselovelydays
Goneareallthepeacefulways
Allthat’sleftisoldandgrey
Andourworldisfading
Ourworldisdying–today!
Can’tyouseethetideischanging?
Don’tyouknowthattruthisfading?
Peoplecomingoutfromunder
Slowlyrisingtothethunder
Listentotheshoutingpeople
Brokenchurches,brokensteeple
There’snooneforthemtofollow
Everyone’saGodtomorrow
Can’tyouseetheworldisdying?
Repentantpeopleallarecrying
Lawandorderhasbeendrowned
Chaosrulesandhasbeencrowned!
World–lookatthewayweare
Lookatthethingswedo
Lookatthegamesweplay
Life!–lookatthewaywelive
Lookatthethingswebuild
Lookatthelovewe’vekilled
Gone,goneareallthoselovelydays
Goneareallthepeacefulways
(Diminuendo)Allthat’sleftisoldandgrey
(Diminuendo/ralentando)Andourworldisfading (Softly)Ourworldisdying–today!
Girl Narrator Dying?!! TODAY??!! – you have to be kidding me!?
Boy Narrator It can’t be as bad as all that?!
Elder Narrator Well it is, actually!! Over-consumption combined with global carelessness about pollution, biodiversity loss and carbon emissions – in a word: Human GREED! –means that a dead planet is where we’re heading. That’s the direction of travel!
Girl Narrator Why don’t we know about this?
Boy Narrator 12 years I’ve spent in school – working hard, doing everything the teachers tell me – but this is the first time I’m hearing about all this!
Girl Narrator I mean – we hear about climate change, and we’re told to look after nature and not chuck our rubbish in the street but – a Dying Planet?! That’s crazy!
Boy Narrator It means we’re going to have to find another?
Girl Narrator I don’t want to find another! I like this one!
Boy Narrator So do I?
Elder Narrator So do we all: we just all have to do a better job of looking after it!
Boy Narrator Too right we do!
Girl Narrator I don’t want to die! I want to live a Full Life –
Boy Narrator – have a job, a family, friends, parties, adventures –
Girl Narrator Love Affairs!! (softly) I want to Live! (music starts: she sings)
Song 8. IwanttoLive
Iwanttolive,Iwanttolive
Therighttolivemylife Iwanttosearchfarandwide
Havetherighttowonderwhy Iwanttoflythroughtheair
Likeabirdinthesky, Iwantthechancetoshowtheworld
WhatIambeforeIdie.
Iwanttobe,Iwanttosee Aworldthat’sgoodandfree Iwantahome,someonetolove
Tosharetheirlifewithme Iwanttohaveandtohold Achildofmyown Iwanttolive,Iwanttolove
Therighttogrowold..
Boy Narrator (to the Chorus) What about you guys?! – Do you want to Live? – or do you have a total Death Wish?! Which is it? Death? (NO!!) Life? (YES!!) Sing it to me!
All(SingUptempoVersion) Wewanttolive,wewanttolive
Therighttoliveourlives
Wewanttosearchfarandwide
Havetherighttowonderwhy Wewanttoflythroughtheair
Likebirdsinthesky, Wewantthechancetoshowtheworld
Whatwearebeforewedie. We-want-to–live!!
Boy Narrator So there you have it! Everyone wants to live!
Girl Narrator (to the audience) I bet you guys do too, don’t you?! (get a big YES!!)
Boy Narrator Everyone wants to live! No one wants to die! So why does the UN allow its member governments to build these nuclear weapons that could destroy us all AND allow the rest of us to eat, drink and make so very merry with the planet’s environment that we’re slowly killing all life on the planet anyway?!
Elder Narrator Well…. It’s complicated…!
Boy Narrator Not complicated at all! It’s a matter of life and death so -
Girl Narrator Choose life!!
Elder Narrator I would! We all would but – you see – the UN was set up by the nations who won the Second World War and they reserved for themselves the right of Veto.
Girl Narrator How many were there?
Elder Narrator Five!
Boy Narrator Five countries have the right to veto decisions made by the other 188?
Girl Narrator That was 80 years ago!! Why didn’t they change it?!
Elder Narrator Because no one wanted to start un-picking the UN Charter. “If it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it!”
Girl Narrator But it is broke – it’s very very broke!! Our world is dying!!
Boy Narrator I can’t believe that FIVE superpowers are intent on killing all life on the planet!
Girl Narrator They’re all led by men!
Boy Narrator Oh – so it’s my fault now, is it?! Super Simple!! Blame the Patriarchy!!
Elder Narrator No – blame the Superpowers: the past, present and wannabe Imperial Powers. Why don’t you ask them?
Boy Narrator We shall - (music starts: the two soloists and choir sing)
Song 9. Superpower!
Whatyougonnadonow–Superpower?! Whereyougonnahide?! Wherewillbeyourland?!
Whatyougottasaynow–Superpower?! Who’llbethefoolinyourmasterplan?!
Whereyougonnarunto–Superpower?!
WhathaveyoudonetoGod’sPromisedLand?! Whathaveyoudonewiththisbeautifulworld?! Whereisyourguidingstar?!
WhathaveyoudonewiththisGod-givengrace?! Whodoyouthinkyouare?!
Yeswhodoyouthinkyouare?!
We’llwakeuponemorningandtheworldwillbegone Withallofourbeautifuldreams
Wehadsomanychancesbutwethrewthemaway Andnowwe’vesoldoursoulstotheDevil’scourse
Howdidwelosecontrol?!
Andhowwegonnapaythetoll?!
Whereyougonnarunto-Superpower?!
Whereyougonnahide?!
Wherewillbeyourland?!
Whatyougottasaynow–Superpower?! Who’llbethefoolinyourmasterplan?!
Whatyougonnadonow–Superpower?!
WhathaveyoudonetoGod’sPromisedLand?!
Whereyougonnarunto-Superpower?! Superpower
Elder Narrator I can’t speak for the Superpowers, but I suspect they might quote back at you the old Roman saying: “Si vis pacem, para bellum!”
Girl Narrator “If you want peace, prepare for war!”
Elder Narrator Exactly!
Girl Narrator But that’s so WRONG!!! If you want Peace – Prepare for Peace!!
Boy Narrator You really want to take us back to the age of Empires! With 5 Imperial Powers fighting each other to rule the rest of us!?
Girl Narrator No Army’s ever going to defeat climate change!
Boy Narrator No one’s ever learned how to nuke poverty!
Girl Narrator We have to stop this madness …
Elder Narrator You do – my generation failed: it’s your turn now.
Boy Narrator Where do we start?! Any ideas?!
THE FUTURE
Elder Narrator You want my advice?
Girl & Boy Narrators Yes!
Elder Narrator Start with the United Nations: it’s the only place we have – and it’s lasted 80 years, where the League lasted just under 20
Boy Narrator But – you said the UN is not up to the job! It’s pole-axed by the P5!?
Girl Narrator It’s climate change Conferences have been taken over by the fossil fuel industries! It’s peace-keepers are in the hands of the biggest arms-exporting industries.
Boy Narrator It’s Human Rights agencies are run by countries that sponsor terrorism –
Girl Narrator - and the nuclear-armed states refused to even join the discussions on the Treaty to Prohibit all nuclear weapons….
Elder Narrator Yes – but it has just convened a Summit of the Future – and its member States all agreed a Pact for the Future, one component of which is a Declaration on Future Generations.
Girl Narrator So - ?
Elder Narrator Here in Wales, we passed a “Well-being of Future Generations” Act ten years ago to future proof every piece of legislation that comes our of the Senedd.
Boy Narrator So – now the UN has caught up with Wales. Why is that any kind of answer to our problems??
Elder Narrator It’s not the final answer – but it opens the door to an answer: because it means that all the World’s Governments have ‘resolved to ensure that present generations act with responsibility towards safeguarding the needs and interests of future generations.” In other words, we have signed a treaty with ourselves to leave the world a better place than we found it!
Boy Narrator But that’s just a piece of paper gathering dust in a bottom drawer….
Girl Narrator Even if they wanted to make it happen, where would they begin?
Elder Narrator They’ve made commitments! Dozens of them – to make a “world without nuclear weapons…” a world without “structural inequalities.” Where there is “gender equality, food security, climate justice, a clean, health and sustainable environment, quality education for all, universal health coverage….”
Boy Narrator Promises, promises!!
Girl Narrator The UN has been making those same promises for years!
Boy Narrator It never delivers on them …
Girl Narrator - what was that stat about the Sustainable Development Goals? Only 15% achieved by the target date of 2030…
Boy Narrator Carbon emissions, far from decreasing, are increasing by 14% a year!
Girl Narrator What should any one believe in the UN?
Elder Narrator Because it’s all we’ve got! OK – my generation has failed you, but that doesn’t mean you have to fail your grand-children! Accentuate the POSITIVE!! Look at all the incredible inventions my generation is passing on to you: the digital revolution which allows you to communicate for free to people everywhere! The technologies that will allow you to replace fossil fuels, eradicate poverty and hunger, provide water and food for all, incredible advances in health and care services – and the technologies to negotiate peaceful resolution of all conflicts.
Boy Narrator They haven’t worked yet!
Elder Narrator No – but they can! And they will if – unlike the old emperors – you prepare for Peace! Human Beings are inventive beings. Necessity is the mother of Inventions – and, as you have learned, the necessity will become painfully acute in your lifetimes! But – if you trust to your inventiveness – you will Learn how to succeed!
Song 10. Inventions
Makeawheel,thenspinningitround Itmaycarrytheworld
Makeafire–yesbuildingithightill Itburnstotheground
Makeabladeandcallitaspade Todigthroughtheearth
CreaturesofInvention–yesweareMan!
Headingfordestructionwithourownhands
Nothingcanstopus
We’llmakeourownstardust
Nothingcanstopus…
Sospinthatwheel,fasterandfaster
Itwillcarryusfar
Stokeupthatfire,yeshigherandhigher
Tillitburnstothesky
Makeabow,putinanarrow
Letitflythroughtheworld
WeareCreaturesofInvention–yesweareMan!
Headingfordestructionwithourownhands
Thewheelsareallturning
Thefiresareallburning
We’relivingforlearning
Learning,learning,learning…
Elder Narrator (Speaking with the Chorus as the song fades:) Learning, Learning, Learning. Don’t you see? It is in Your hands to learn how to survive – just as it is in your hands to learn how to destroy yourselves..
Boy Narrator Seems like we’ve done a pretty good job at learning to destroy ourselves!
Elder Narrator Yes – we have! We’ve been very stupid, haven’t we?!
Girl Narrator And yet – who are we? The paragon of animals – or the quintessence of dust?!
Boy Narrator I don’t believe we were put on earth to destroy it?
Girl Narrator Are you a Christian?
Boy Narrator Does it matter?
Girl Narrator No. It matters that you believe! That you believe that some spirit put you on earth
Boy Narrator For me, it’s what gives Life meaning.
Girl Narrator Me too – however bad life gets, however madly I, or the planet, gets messed up –there is a spirit out there looking out for us…. (Music Starts)
Song 11. Ibelieve
Ifthesunlostit'sshine–andthetreesstartedtodie!
IguessI’dstillbefullofhope–andyes,Iknowthereasonwhy!
Ifthewindgrewtooold,andtheseasstartedtodry
YesIwouldstillbefulloflove–don’task–don’taskmewhy!
IstillbelieveinGod
IstillbelieveinusHispeople!
Andifyoureallywanttoknow IstillbelieveinthisHisworld
Sodon’tturnyourheadaway-don’tgiveuponwhoyouare
Justkeeplovingmoreeachday-andtheworldwillshineforyou!
Iguessit’sallinthemind–whatyoufeeliswhatyousee Sowithinyourheartjustsingthesewords Comesing–comesingwithme!
WebelieveinGod WebelieveinusHispeople! Andifyoureallywanttoknow WestillbelieveinthisHisworld
WebelieveinGod WebelieveinusHispeople! Andifyoureallywanttoknow Ibelieve - Yeswebelieve Ibelieve - Yeswebelieve WebelieveinthisHisLAND!
Boy Narrator So – what happens now?!
Elder Narrator Now – I leave you: you know what you have to do – you have identified your generation’s challenge: now all you have to do is to get your generation to rise to it!
Girl Narrator But – you’ll help! You won’t desert us!
Elder Narrator Of course not: as long as I draw breath, I will be here to help you but mortality dictates that I will not draw breath for ever! You must learn to do this on your own! (S/he watches – backing away slowly, as the spotlight fades on the lectern.)
Boy Narrator Where do we start?!
Girl Narrator We can start with that Declaration (she’s holds it up) – I’ve been reading it! If every kid on the planet knew that their government had committed to all this, we could hold their feet to the fire and make sure that they deliver it!
Boy Narrator So – Job ONE: get every kid on the planet to read the Declaration
Girl Narrator Job TWO: get every kid to tell their parents and friends about it!
Boy Narrator Job THREE: get everyone to persuade their governments to deliver on it!
Girl Narrator How do we do that?
Boy Narrator Hmm?! That’s the hard part….
Girl Narrator How about we do a School Strike for Peace: skip school and give ourselves online lessons about all this stuff that we never learn about in school but which are absolutely crucial to our very survival?! I mean – did you know about those “technologies are that will allow you to replace fossil fuels” – she mentioned?
Boy Narrator No. Do you know the “technologies to negotiate peaceful resolution of conflicts”?
Girl Narrator Of course not! No one ever sat us down to teach us that….!
Boy Narrator So – this is our chance to learn the things that will help us make our world a better place than we found it!
Girl Narrator - to make it safe and comfortable for future generations!
Boy Narrator For our children, grand-children, great-grand-children…. On and on for ever!
Girl Narrator Peace – a Dream Unfolding
Boy Narrator (asking the chorus) Our generation can unfold a few more pages, can’t we?
Chorus Members (severally) – Yes? – what do you mean?
Girl Narrator Will you join our Strike for Future Generations?
Boy Narrator Turn around if you will! (He – and all the chorus – turn their backs to the audience)
Girl Narrator You see – we all want to live; we all want Life on Earth to survive and get better for future generations. Every politician was a child once: none of them really wanted to grow up to be emperors with a death wish. Most of them want the best for their children and grand-children. The power of youth changed them:
A child from the Chorus comes forward and sings to the audience:
Song 12. ChildforaDay
The child sings:
Iwasachildwhoranfulloflaughter
Iwasachildwholivedforaday
Myeyesfullofsunshine
Myheartfullofsmiles Iwasachildforaday.
The Chorus turns and sings with the child; the Girl & Boy Narrators EXIT
Wewerethechildrenwhoraninthemorning Wewerethechildrenwholaughedatthesun
Wholistenedtothosewhospokewiththeirwisdom
Weweretheoneswewouldsay.
We'regettingolderastimegoesby
Alittleoldereveryday
Wearethechildrenofyesterday.
The men of the Chorus sing: Wearethemenwhoworryofnothing
Wearethemenwhospeakwithoutaim Wholistentonooneyetspeakoftheirwisdom
Weweretheoneswewouldsay.
We'regettingolderastimegoesby
Alittleoldereveryday
Wearethechildrenofyesterday.
The child sings:
All sing:
Iwasachildwhoranfulloflaughter Iwasachildwholivedforaday
Myeyesfullofsunshine
Myheartfullofsmiles Iwasachildforaday.
We'regettingolderastimegoesby
Alittleoldereveryday
Wearethechildrenofyesterday.
As the song finishes, the year 2025 appears on the screen at the back and scrolls fast forward through the final verse stopping at 2070. The Girl & Boy Narrators ENTER wearing grey wigs, looking 45 years older. They stand either side of the Child soloist:
Child Soloist So – you did it?!
Girl Narrator We did
Boy Narrator And today, UN Day - October 24th 2070, we celebrate the UN’s 125th Birthday –with the organisation stronger than ever – and our world fitter for you and your children and grand-children.
Child Soloist I don’t have children or grand-children?!
Girl Narrator No – but you might one day
Boy Narrator And you’d want them to have a safe, peaceful world to live on, wouldn’t you?
Child Soloist Of course. But how did you do it? How did you persuade those superpowers to give up their Veto and their Nuclear Weapons?
Girl Narrator By making them keep their promises to you and Future Generations;
Boy Narrator It took a long time! All our lives in fact.
Girl Narrator We had to look at everything – how the UN worked, how the staff were chosen, how it was funded. When we started, we the people didn’t pay a penny for it: the Governments paid for all of it – so we realised if the UN was to respond to the needs of normal people like us, we needed to contribute to the funding of it. For nothing – nothing is more important to any of us than leaving you a world that is safe and peaceful for you – and your children when you have them.
Child Soloist Thank you!
Girl Narrator No – thank you! For without the idea of you coming to join us on this planet – we wouldn’t have bothered, would we?
Boy Narrator No. You gave us a purpose in Life! Finally – I understood: who am I!
Girl Narrator So – who are you? What is your role in life?
Boy Narrator To be a peace-maker, a promoter of sustainability, and to be good Ancestor!
Child Soloist Thank you for being a Good Ancestor! We couldn’t survive without you!
Girl Narrator You must be one too, for the Dream is still Unfolding! Today let’s just celebrate the UN’s Birthday – and wish it another 125 happy, peaceful years!
Boy Narrator Surely you’re not going to make us sing “Happy Birthday?”
Girl Narrator No – let’s just sing!
Song 13. SING!
Sing! Idowishtheworldwouldsing! Idowishtheworldwouldsay Howtheylovetoliveandplay Howtheyneedeachother'sPeace! Thatisallwewanttohave, Thatisallwewanttoshare Letusliveourlivesinpeace
Ohletusgivethislifeachanceto-
Love!-loveisallIneed, LoveisallIwant, Loveiseverywhere
Peace!-PeaceisallIwant, PeaceisallIneed, Peace-everywhere!
Comeintomyjoy!
Love!-loveisallIneed, Comeintomypain! LoveisallIwant, Comeyoubeafriendofmine, Loveiseverywhere! I'llbethesame!
Comeintomyjoy!
Peace!-PeaceisallIwant, Comeintomypain PeaceisallIneed, Comeyoubeafriendofmine!
Peace-everywhere!
(Repeatx2)
I'llbethesame!
T h e E n d
DiscussionAfterwards: If time allows, do invite the audience and chorus to stay behind and ask questions of the cast and Peace Child staff who are in attendance.
SPARES:
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its labourers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. The cost of one modern heavy bomber is 30 modern brick schools, 2 electric power plants serving 60,000 people or 2 fully-equipped hospitals. A single fighter plane would buy half a million bushels of wheat. A single destroyer would pay for new homes for more than 8,000 people. This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.
President Dwight D Eisenhower, April 12 1953, Washington DC
Song 8. MilitaryIndustrialComplex
It’samilitaryindustrialcomplex, Isn’titsad,theworldisquitemad!
Afashionablenationalcontest, Thebiggestthebest,theEastandtheWest!
APetroleumenergycomplex
Suchasorrowfulsight,everyone’sright!
We’reoutheretryingtomakeyousomemoney Wherethemoneyallgoes–Nobodyknows!
Oh!whatahopelesscaseitis, Noonereallycares.
Oh!whatacrazyworldthisis–Noonecanwinthisrace!–
(because)Thebiggertheybuild Thefastertheygo Thegreaterthebang Spellstheendofman–!
It’samilitaryindustrialcomplex, Isn’titsad,theworldisquitemad! Afashionablenationalcontest, Uncontrollablehorribleshambles–Suchasorrowfulsight,everyone’sright!
Song 9. IhaveaVision
Ihaveavision, Ihaveadream Ihavetheanswer Orsoitseems. Don'tyouseethetruth, Tofightisnotright, Weshallhaveourrainbow, Wewillhaveoursunlight! Ifweunite!
There'sawayyousee,wherenoonegetshurt There'sawaywithloveifyoutry! Thereishopeandfaithtokeepyoualive Inyourdarkestday,justpray!
Reachoutwithlove, Gatherallyourcourage, Reachoutwithlove, Seekabrighterday!
Loveasoursword, Peaceasourweapon Reachoutwithlove! Letuswinthisway!
MartinLutherKinghadavision! Hehadadream
Hehadtheanswer,orsoitseemed! Heknewthetruth-tofightisnotright Wecanhaveourrainbow, Wecanhavethesunlight! Wemustunite!
Anewworld, Anewlight!
Anewworld, Anewlight!
Anewhope!
Anewlight-
Reachoutwithlove, Gatherallyourcourage, Reachoutwithlove, Seekabrighterday!
Loveasoursword, Peaceasourweapon
Reachoutwithlove!
Letuswinthisway!
Ihaveavision,
1. Scene FOUR
The Story-teller comes downstage centre. She opens her Story-book and reads in a school-mistressy way as the cast act out what she describes like characters in a 2-dimensional cartoon; S-teller
Song 15: WAR!
We’ll fight our way to distant hills, A bloody battle have We’ll raise our guns and kill them all]
We’ll raise our countries flag!
The troop separates – five to stage right; five to stage left. They point their guns at each other. The boy and the girl run down between them, begging them: “NO! – NO!! Don’t do it!” They sing on, relentlessly.
We’ll kill our brothers, kill our friends, Kill each other till the end!
We’ll kill our women, Children too, Kill them all until we’re through Kill them all until we’re through.
God save our land, long live our flag, On to the war we go – praise to our dead But who says we’re right, who says we’re wrong Honour and pride – to this we belong!
The Boy and the Girl move round, one to each side, pleading with them to stop. The troop are oblivious of them. The troops kneel, take aim – and unleash a volley of gun-fire; each troop goes down, writhing in agony. The Boy and the Girl watch in horror as the soldiers rise up from the ground, singing:
Oh come and save us! Oh come and save us! Oh come and save us from what we do! Our world is through!
But who can save us! But who can save us? But who can save us from what we do?
Officer 1 (sings) God – where are you?
Youth 2 Happy now?!