Massicotte - The Clockmaker

The Clockmaker Stephen Massicotte Playwrights Canada Press Toronto Canada My life goes on like clockwork and I am fixed upon the spot where I shall end it. Charles Darwin Blessed are the forgetful: for they get the better even of their blunders. Friedrich Nietzsche We are sinful not merely because we have eaten of the tree of knowledge, but also because we have not eaten of the tree of life. Franz Kafka Foreword The two jokes ascribed to Heinrichs father in The Clockmaker belonged to my stepdad. A seemingly simple man, I didnt think much of him while growing up. Maybe it was just me being a little shit or maybe its the universal law of stepdads.

After his passing several years ago, I gave our relationship a lot of thought, which eventually led to the writing of this play. My stepdad had an excellent work ethicboth at his job and at homealways improving and maintaining our house, yard, car, camper, and fishing boat. He only read National Geographic (from cover to cover), curling it up and bringing it to the paper mill in his lunch box. He had an appreciation for Hockey Night in Canada , Bond movies (the Sean Connery ones), and M*A*S*H reruns. His real passions were camping, fishing, and his family. He died fishing (we buried his ashes in his tackle box), and when I went through his nightstand I found all (and I mean all) of the Christmas, birthday, and Fathers Day cards wed ever given him.

Most admirable, to me, was his sense of morality and fairness. I never once witnessed him favouring his natural-born children over his children by marriage. And when he caught us doing the same stupid things that everyone else was doing, he informed us that Just because everyone is doing it, doesnt make it right. He had no religious views and I never heard him mention God or the supernatural, and it made me realize that morality had an entirely different source than religion leads us to believe. To him, work, family, and fishing were quite enoughno flashy speeches (as I am guilty of), he just tried his best to live fully. My belief in organized religion ended when I discovered that my Roman Catholic mother couldnt receive Holy Communion because she was divorced, but not until my stepdad died did I finally do away with God.

I dont miss him one bit, but I do, very much, miss my old man. My stepdad had one other joke, not included in The Clockmaker . On a wintry spring day, over breakfast, hed look out the window and say, Hey, theres a robin on the fence post. Wed lookno robin. April Fools, hed say. I dont know why we looked, since his April Fools joke never changed.

Maybe attribute this to childhood gullibility. Maybe to the fun of playing along. Or, maybe, to our knowledge thatdue to the actual existence of robins (unlike, say, gods, angels, demons, etc.)sometimes, when someone points and we look at the fence post, there really is one there. Sometimes a pretty bird, most times not, but always a shame to miss for not looking. As far as I can tell, thats life. Stephen Massicotte January 13, 2009 Cast and Crew The Clockmaker was first produced at playRites 09, Alberta Theatre Projects annual festival of new Canadian plays, in Calgary in February and March 2009, with the following company: Monsieur PIERRE - Tyrell Crews Heinrich MANN - Christian Goutsis ADOLPHUS - David Keeley FRIEDA - Esther Purves-Smith Directed by Bob White Set Design by Scott Reid Costume Design by Jenifer Darbellay Lighting Design by David Fraser Music Composed by Kevin McGugan Sound Design by Kevin McGugan Fight Direction by Haysam Kadri Production Dramaturgy by Vicki Stroich Assistant Direction by Jamie Dunsdon Production Stage Management by Dianne Goodman Stage Management by Marcie Januska Assistant Stage Management by Heather Rycraft Characters Monsieur PIERRE Heinrich MANN ADOLPHUS FRIEDA Playwrights Note The symbol indicates a trailing off of the speakers thought.

The symbol indicates the next speaker cutting off the present speakers dialogue. The symbol // indicates an overlapping of speech with the next characters line of dialogue. The symbol = indicates the character speaking at the same time as the previous character. scene I there A wooden table serves as a desk, with wooden chairs to the left and right of it. A single light source hangs above the table. In the darkness, a metal door opens and closes, then the clicking footsteps of two men are heard.

The footsteps seem to walk a good distance before entering the pool of light around the table. When they enter, they do so from a direction that favours neither of the chairs. They are both suited men; one carries a hat and coat. The one with the hat and coat, the smaller of the two, is Herr MANN. The other is Monsieur PIERRE. PIERRE Take a seat.

Ill get your file. MANN A seat? Thank you. Monsieur PIERRE moves off into the dark, leaving Herr MANN to decide which of the chairs is PIERREs and which is his. PIERRE (off) I trust your journey was uneventful? MANN Uneventful, yes. Which? Where would you like me to sit? MANN ascertains the direction from which Monsieur PIERREs voice travelled and chooses to seat himself in the chair on the opposite side. I slept the whole way.

Ive always been like that, since I was a young boy. Any journey longer than a quarter of an hour puts me directly to sleep. I believe it has something to do with the rhythm of the movement within the inner ear, the vestibular apparatus. Soothing. I wasnt too healthy a boy and didnt sleep well. So, often my father would take me for a ride in the trolley.

Id nod right off. Then, hed gently carry me inside and put me to bed. Its stayed with me to this day. I cannot stay awake in moving vehicles Monsieur PIERRE re-enters the lighted area from a different direction from where he had exited. He is now behind the chair in which MANN is sitting. PIERRE I believe it has something to do with the inner ear.

MANN Trolleys, ships, trains really? Yes, the rhythm of the movement. Oh, excuse me. MANN stands quickly to proffer Monsieur PIERRE what evidently was PIERREs chair. Monsieur PIERRE sits and places a thin file folder on the table in front of him. MANN hesitates to sit in the other chair. PIERRE Herr Mann, you understand that giving false statements Monsieur PIERRE looks up at MANN and sees that hes not sitting.

MANN sits quickly. To his mortification, he discovers that one of his chairs legs is a quarter of an inch shorter than the others. MANN shifts his weight on the chair, trying to ascertain whether the chair sits like this or like that, and every time he does so, a knock resounds. Are you comfortable? MANN Im not uncomfortable. PIERRE Why should you be uncomfortable? MANN I am quite comfortable. Pause. MANN Yes. MANN Yes.

PIERRE Herr Mann, you do understand that giving false statements is a serious transgression of regulations MANN I am not the most comfortable I have ever been. PIERRE And would seriously call your case into review? MANN I understand perfectly. I was being honest about the chair. Its no armchair, is it? But it is quite well-suited for what its forsitting. PIERRE Would you like me to get you another chair? MANN This is a very good chair. Sturdy. Pause. Knock. Knock.

PIERRE Here is a form. It is required that you fill it out before we proceed. Monsieur PIERRE places an eighth of a sheet of paper in front of MANN. On top of that he places a small pencil with no eraser. MANN takes up the pencil and reads the paper. He looks at the sheet, puzzled; turns it over, finds nothing on the back, and turns it over again.

He mouths three words, then begins carefully writing his answer. In a few moments hes finished. MANN Finished. PIERRE Finished? My pencil. MANN Yes, thank you. Your pencil.

Wouldnt want to steal your pencil. PIERRE Are you the kind of man that would steal a mans pencil? MANN No, no, Id never steal a pencil. PIERRE Its only a pencil. MANN Its the principle. PIERRE It is indeed the principle. But its only a pencil.