Performance: Victorian Pathfinder Rally Day, 2008
The brief given to Scott: A play that showcases the year's memorable Pathfinder activities
The brief given to Scott: A play that showcases the year's memorable Pathfinder activities
Cast:
• PF - Pathfinder (curious and initially cautious)
• CON - Conscience (Cheerful, obliging)
• MM - Memory mime (over enthusiastic mime actor)
[PF is walking across stage and a warning buzzer goes off causing them to freeze on the spot.]
Con: [calls out with authority]
“memory full, please free up some memory, say ‘Ok’ to continue.”
PF: OK? . . .
[looks confused and starts moving again] Where am I?
[Con makes his way to PF]
Con: This is your memory.
[Stretches arms out and spins around slowly as if pleased with the place]
PF: My memory?
Con: [with excitement]
Yes, your memory
PF: How did I get into my memory, I don’t understand?
Con: Well, it’s because your folder is full.
PF: My folder is full?
Con: Yes, your memory folder for Pathfinders 2008. . . It’s full.
PF: [very confused by now]
Sooo?
Con: Well, technically the 2008 pathfinder year hasn’t finished yet SOOOO, you have to erase some memories from this folder or no further memories will be saved.
PF: Right. And who are you?
Con: [ proudly]
I am your conscious
PF: My conscience? The voice inside my head?
Con: [flattered that he’s been heard of]
That’s me.
PF: Hmm – I didn’t think there was an actual person in my head
Con: [jumps like at a surprise party]
Yup. . . Surprise!
PF: Ok, then, how do I choose what memories to erase, I can’t even remember what I remember?
Con: Augh, that’s where this comes in handy.
[points to MM who is standing at attention]
PF: What is that?
Con: This is the media player – it plays back your memories
PF: So, like, I can go back and see anything that happened in my life here?
Con: [all serious and nerdy]
No, not technically, this is the pathfinders 2008 folder, only memories gained in your 2008 pathfinder year. You’ll need to visit the other folders to watch any other memories.
PF: OK, well, how do we start it up?
Con: [excited]
Well, it works on voice command. Just call out ‘Play’ ‘Pause’, ‘Fast Forward’ ‘Rewind’ and ‘Slow Motion’ and it will do it. To erase, call out “Erase Memory”.
[MM is standing at attention]
PF: Sweet! Let’s give it a go.
[commands] ‘Play!’
[MM acts out signing paper after paper]
What is this? This doesn’t look like anything that happened at Pathfinders.
Con: Augh, that’s because the media player only plays back “thumbnails” of the memory. Just a summary for quick reference.
PF: Ok, Well lets see.
Lots of signing of papers . . . this must be registration, hmm, I think we can delete this memory. Nothing exciting there.
[commands] “Erase Memory”
Ok, is that it?
Con: Well it has created a little room, but I’d highly recommend you erase some more incase something really exciting happens in the near future Imagine if your club won an award but you had no place to store that memory!.
PF: I see, Ok, ‘Play’ . . .
[MM acts out standing at ease, hopping and then writing something down and then playing soccer – looping through all three actions continuously]
Hmm . . . Augh, that looks like a normal club night.
See, there’s parade, that’s a way activity, yeah, and games. Yeah we can keep those memories, club nights were fun usually.
‘fast forward’
[MM does the actions quickly and then after a short times does the next actions quickly – which is tying a knot]
‘play’
[MM slows to normal speed]
Oh no, learning knots, that was hard. I think I’ll erase that memory.
Con: [comes in quickly]
Hey wait on, what if you need to use one of those knots in the future?
PF: Yeah, I know them know, what’s the problem?
Con: Well, if you forget learning them you won’t know them anymore!
PF: [says slowly as he figures out the implications]
And then I’ll have to learn them again, right
Con: Yup,
PF: Ok, we’d better keep those memories. I don’t want to have to learn them all over again.
“Fast forward”.
[MM ties knots quickly and then starts marching quickly until PLAY is called out where MM slows to normal speed]
“Play”
Oh marching practice!
“Erase”
[MM stands to attention again]
Con: [Jumps in quick, but too late]
Hang on . . .!
PF: what?
Con: Never mind
PF: [shrugs shoulders]
“Play”
[MM acts out 3 distinct activities of this year’s fair day]
Augh yes fair day
That was fun, I’ll keep that day in my memory. “Fast forward”.
[MM does fair acting quickly and then starts reading and then looking away to recite what was just read – in a continuous loop – quickly]
“play”
[MM at normal speed]
What is this all about, oh no, is this learning memory verses?
Looks like it. I hated that.
Eray. . .
Con: [just in time]
WAIT!
PF: What?
Con: [relieved they got in in time]
We’ll if you erase remembering these texts, you’ll forget the texts, and who knows, next time you’re in trouble, it might be pretty handy to remember what God has to say about something.
PF: Hmmm . . . ok. “Fast forward,”
[MM go fast with the reading and memorizing and then changes to setting up a tent and then pulling one down and waving hand sin the air hysterically – acted quickly]
“play”
[MM slows to normal speed]
Ooh this looks like camping,
Look, there’s where we pulled the pegs out of the girls tent. “Slow motion”
[waves hands in the air hysterically and pretending to scream in slow motion ]
he he, yeah keep these memories.
“Fast forward”
[MM goes fast and then changes to walking with a heavy load on the back – quickly]
“Play”,
[MM slows to a trudging speed]
What’s this? walking, tiring, pain.
Could this be expedition?
Looks like it.
Um, Can I erase just certain parts of a memory?
Con: Sure.
PF: Can I erase the pain of the heavy pack, the sore feet and legs?
Con: Definitely.
PF: ‘Erase pain’
[MM stops the slow hunched heavy load walk and stands upright, shakes head and starts cheerfully power walking on the spot]
Con: [looks impressed]
Hey, that was good, that is a whole heap of memory freed up. That may be all you need.
PF: Really? Cool. Well while I’m here- lets just see what else is in here.
“Fast forward”,
[MM goes fast then swaps to door knocking collecting money - quickly]
“play”
[MM slows down]
Door knocking – for ADRA, Yeah we got lots of money, keep that memory, “Fast Forward”,
[MM goes fast and then swaps to speed swimming monition]
“Play”
[MM slows to normal speed]
Oh Swimming Honor, keep that,
“fast forward”,
[swims fast again then swaps to counting badges on their chest - quickly]
“play”
[MM slows]
Counting . . . badges? Oh Investiture, That’s where I got all my badges, yeah keep that memory “fast forward”
[counts badges quickly and then slows to normal speed and does a mirror image of PF – being a copy cat]
What’s going on now? It seems to be copying me?
Con: We’ll, where were you when you memory filled up?
PF: Rally day?
[PF waves hands in a strange gesture and MM copies]
Con: yes, you’re looking at your live memory as it’s written.
PF: Hmm, weird,
[ PF pretends to be a monkey and MM copies] so is that it – I can go now?
Con: Yup, you have enough memory free to see you out the rest of the year.
PF: Nice . . . so will we meet again or just this once?
Con: [smug]
Once? Umm you do this every year.
PF: Well why do I not remember doing this before?
Con: That’s easy!
[walks off with mm and calls out over their shoulder]
“Erase memory of us meeting”
[PF freezes for a moment, then shakes their head and continues walking across the stage as they had started all along, but slightly confused as if something happened but they aren’t sure what.]