Artistic Discoveries in European Schoolyards

Bouke Oldenhof (The Netherlands)


Babel (Book of errors 1-7)

Babel [Boek der Vergissingen 1-7]

Text Extract


6 SECOND SPEECH NIMROD

Nimrod
Speech
Although I am aware that not everybody understands me, I have a message for all the inhabitants of Babel. The adults of before the Great Disaster spoke about languages. Now we know what they mean with that word. We speak two languages. Different languages, but we are one. Everything unites us: our past, our future and more: our city with our tower.
One Babel, Babel one. Setbacks are there for us to overcome together. Two languages don’t mean discord. The greater the differences that have to be overcome, the greater the unity. If the road to peace was as easy as the road to war, nobody would choose war. Our road leads to the future, everyday will take us farther from the past that brought us the Great Disaster. Peace, unity, happiness, prosperity, freedom in our city, our country, our world and all of that we see in our tower. One Babel, Babel one. Everybody a flower and a garden together. How proud we are of all our friends who build so hard at the tower. What a feast it will be when the tower is finished. We are building a tower because we know that everyday of our future will be richer and happier than the day we live in. Long live progress, long live the future.

Haran
Sorry.

Nimrod
Step forward. Haran, you work so hard at our tower, I have seen it! Let us all make an example of Haran who is working so hard at the tower.

Haran
I can only speak in these words, I don’t understand.

Nimrod
This city, this tower. Our Haran. I am so proud of you. Tomorrow somebody else perhaps, but today I am making you the centre of attention. Carry on like this. You are a beautiful young woman. Long live Babel, long live Haran, long live the tower.

Ylon
Bravo!

Haran,
You are welcome. I think.

Nimrod
The end.
Sem, where have you come from?

Sem
I am glad I don’t understand you. That is better than not getting any answers to your questions.

Nimrod
I don’t understand you but I am pleased to hear.

Sem
What are you going to do about it? What’ll happen to the tower?

Nimrod
I’ll have to think first.

(Nimrod hurries off)

Sem
Afraid I will ask you a question you’ll understand?

7. DESPAIR

(Nimrod to Ylon)

Nimrod
Do you understand me?

Ylon
Yes, I do.

Nimrod
I thought so. I understand you too. Fortunately. We mustn’t be desperate. Why do you keep silent?

Ylon
What should I say?

Nimrod
Yesyes. I’ll put my arm around you, because you are a good girl and we should hold each other. We are doing well.

Ylon
What are we doing well?

Nimrod
What do you mean?

Ylon
What are we doing well?

Nimrod
Good question.
Babel’s faith in itself is doing well.
You haven’t been very talkative lately.

Ylon
What good does it do me if you touch me all the time? Keep off.

Nimrod
I don’t mean anything wrong.

Ylon
I bet.

Nimrod
Sometimes it is difficult to talk
I mean: sometimes you don’t talk because there is nothing to say and sometimes you don’t talk because there is too much to say.

Ylon
Sometimes people don’t talk because they have nothing to say and sometimes they talk too much because they have nothing to say. I am not saying anything. Don’ t touch me.

Nimrod
No, of course, We are all, aren’t we. A little. How can I put this?

(silence)

Nimrod
We are all a little. Silent. That’s why I am so glad I can talk to you and that we understand each other.

Ylon
I can’t be understood at all because I am nothing.

Nimrod
But I get that, you understand, that’s why.
Good. Things are going well. And the tower. Ours. Together.
We’ll go on. We’ll go on.

(Exit Nimrod. Enter Sem with something Ylon wants)

Ylon
Sem, come here please, Sem.

(Ylon kisses Sem and takes what she wanted from him. Ylon off)

(English Translation: Barbara Sörensen)

Summary

The old King Nimrod, the only survivor of the Big Disaster, sees his town Babel growing and growing. Unity is no longer evident. So he decides to build a tower as high as the sky, as a symbol of prosperity and understanding.
What do young Haran, Ylon and Sem think of it? Haran is dreaming of a paradise regained, Ylon is desperate about the vanity of life, and Sem is looking for his own position to Nimrod and the others.
The ancient God, observing that the tower is being built, is irritated, and sends another language to the town of Babel to disturb the building the tower. Despite this friendship and love sometimes bring the inhabitants a bit closer together and the building of the tower goes on. Will it be finished?

Babel[Book of Errors 1-5] is a play for 12-14 years old kids, about the struggle between the longing for understanding and unity on the one side, and the eternal mistrust and the development of individual identity on the other. Humor and bitterness alternate in the playful fantasy based on the biblical story of Babel, written for the cooperation between Teatro Elsinor (Milano) and Theater De Citadel (Groningen). Although being played in two languages, both the Italian and the Dutch audiences can understand every word of the misunderstanding.


Rightholder:

© Theater De Citadel
info@citadeltheater.nl


Performances:

1st Opening Theater De Citadel Groningen (NL), April 13, 2011


Cast:
M: 2
F: 2