Brook Peter - The Prisoner

THE PRISONER

Peter Brook
and Marie-Hlne Estienne

NICK HERN BOOKS

London

www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Introduction

Peter Brook and Marie-Hlne Estienne

Somewhere in the world a man is sitting alone in front of a prison.

Who is he? Why is he sitting there in front of a prison? Is it a deliberate choice? Is it a punishment? As for those who are inside, what crime have they committed? And what do they think of that man, facing them, free? Is he mad? Is he a fanatic? A criminal? What punishment for what crime?

What sort of justice is this? Who decided it? The man himself? Why is he allowed to stay there? These are questions for those who control the prison, and for those who are locked up. Is the man looking for redemption? Has he visitors? Is he tempted to run away?

In The Prisoner we are attempting to penetrate the richness of all these themes.

July 2018

The Prisoner was first performed at Thtre des Bouffes du Nord, Paris, on 6 March 2018, with the following cast:

Hiran Abeysekera
Ery Nzaramba
Omar Silva
Kalieaswari Srinivasan
Donald Sumpter

It was a production of C.I.C.T. Thtre des Bouffes du Nord, Paris, in a co-production with the National Theatre of Great Britain; the Grotowski Institute, Wrocaw; Ruhrfestspiele Recklinghausen; Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven; and Theatre for a New Audience, New York.

The production received its British premiere at the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, as part of the Edinburgh International Festival, on 22 August 2018, before transferring to the Dorfman auditorium of the National Theatre, London, on 12 September 2018.

Characters

VISITOR

WOMAN

EZEKIEL

NADIA

MAVUSO

GUARD

FATHER, voice-over

MAN

GUARD 1

GUARD 2

VISITOR. I was for a while in a faraway country. Its capital in those days had magic, not the dreamlike magic of white walls and perfumes, but a rough brown magic, brown like the mud walls and the mud lanes, a magic of this world, rude and hard, enhanced by the quality of its people.

Once, walking in the market, I passed an old cobbler sitting cross-legged in his stall, pouring tea. As his hand was moving the cup to his lips, in an unbroken gesture, his movement changed its direction, and the cup was held out to me, an offering that was the natural answer to my indiscreet stare.

Another time I saw a dwarf sitting motionless. As I passed I paused to observe him from the corner of my eye. Long after his image remained with me as the embodiment of strength. For he was a man accepting totally who he was, where he was, what he was. A dwarf in infinity, like us all.

I heard about a remarkable man, whose name was Ezekiel like the prophet in the Bible. His house was hidden in the very heart of the market, and one day I found myself knocking at his door. A young woman opened and said

WOMAN. He is not yet back. Please come in.

VISITOR. I waited and waited. Afternoon became evening, tea was brought, the sun went down, and night fell. And suddenly he was there.

EZEKIEL. You look as though you come from afar. How can I help you?

VISITOR. I answered with my eternal question How to respond to the obscure intimations we have that beyond the everyday world there is in life something else. I went on using a metaphor In me there are many rooms, crammed with a jumble of unnecessary objects. He seemed to understand me, so I continued: Occasionally I seem to hear sounds. I dont know where they come from, or what they are

EZEKIEL. What sort of sounds? Could they come from the pipes? Have you called in a plumber?

VISITOR. I thought that he was making fun of me. But I realised that he was a practical man and was accustomed to giving practical advice.

When he heard that I was going to see an extraordinary forest with the most ancient trees, he told me

EZEKIEL. I know that forest very well. In the middle of your journey you will cross a desert, in that desert you will see a huge white building, this is a prison. You will stop and walk up a hill. There, you will see a young man sitting, facing the prison. He is my nephew. His name is Mavuso. He has committed an unspeakable crime. Go and tell him I sent you.

VISITOR. Why was that man sitting in front of a prison? Why did Ezekiel ask me to go and see him? And what was the unspeakable crime?

In EZEKIELs house years before.

A young woman, NADIA, is speaking to her uncle EZEKIEL.

EZEKIEL. Nadia, what are doing here, in the middle of the night?

NADIA. Tonight Mavuso came into Fathers house, he found us in bed together, in one anothers arms. He grabbed a statue and smashed Fathers head. Father is lying on the ground, dead.

At this moment there is a knock on the door

MAVUSO. Its me, Mavuso! Please, Uncle Ezekiel, let me in!

The door opens. In a corner of the room, on her knees, NADIA, MAVUSOs sister, tries to be invisible.

EZEKIEL. Your sister told me what happened Perhaps you want to tell me more.

MAVUSO doesnt answer He stares at his sister.

Punishment.

MAVUSO is lying on the earth. Above him EZEKIEL is holding a long pointed stick. He pierces MAVUSOs thighs.

EZEKIEL. You have murdered your father. This is the punishment you deserve, if you survive, you will still need to be punished.

He goes away, leaving MAVUSO bleeding on the ground.

MAVUSO is still on the ground. His legs are infected. NADIA arrives. She covers his thighs with ointment.

MAVUSO comes back home. EZEKIEL is waiting for him, with a GUARD.

EZEKIEL. I tried to punish you in our traditional way. Nadia cured you. I hoped that you would leave and find a new place elsewhere. But I knew that you would come back and I was waiting for you. Now you have to be tried, and judged.

MAVUSO. I came back because I want to be judged.

MAVUSO leaves with the GUARD, handcuffed.

The GUARD puts MAVUSO in a tiny cell.

GUARD. Here is your new home for twenty years of isolation. I hope youll like it.

He closes the door.

Enjoy!

MAVUSO is lying on the floor trying to sleep when he hears, from different sides, knocks and taps. He starts to answer and gradually the taps become like a dialogue.

The GUARD opens the door of the cell.

GUARD. You have a visitor. Come with me.

MAVUSO and NADIA are facing each other.

NADIA. It has been very difficult to come here, they did not want to let me in. But I succeeded. Mavuso, I have something very important to tell you.

MAVUSO. I have also something very important to tell you I love you. I always loved you. I love you in the way Father loved you, and you know it.

NADIA. And you killed him. I loved Father. He did not force me. You know that too. Here is what I wanted to tell you, Im pregnant.

MAVUSO. I think its better if you leave. Guard, come here, show her out.