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• 15 Steps : ONE-ACT PLAY, excerpt 1 , ONE-ACT PLAY, excerpt 2 , ONE-ACT PLAY, excerpt 3 , ONE-ACT PLAY, excerpt 4

15 Steps, translated by Gwynneth Dowling

ONE-ACT PLAY, excerpt 1

Context:

From the top of her 15 steps, Julia talks to her husband about Tárheos, the city they are waiting to travel to. Suddenly, her inconsequential talk is interrupted by the voice of Julia offstage.

Sample text

JULIA: (She puts the binoculars down again, takes off her sunglasses and rubs her eyes, seemingly tired.)

What was the name again?

ANDRES:

Whose name?

JULIA:

The city.

ANDRES:

Tárheos

JULIA:

Tá-re-os.

ANDRES:

That’s it. With an ‘h’.

JULIA: (Interested.)

Where?

ANDRES:

I bet it’s in the south.

JULIA:

No, the ‘h’. Where’s the ‘h’?

ANDRES:

The ‘h’? Oh, I see. After the ‘r’.

JULIA:

Tár- ‘h’ -eos?

ANDRES:

Yes.

JULIA:

Strange. Why not Táre- ‘h’ –os?

ANDRES: (Half-heartedly.)

Something to do with the lexicon, I suppose.

JULIA:

Or T- ‘h’ -áreos. (Pause.) It doesn’t matter.

She looks back out to the horizon, using the binoculars. Meanwhile, ANDRES carefully replaces everything he has taken out of the suitcases. Offstage, we hear JULIA’s voice:

JULIA’S VOICE OFFSTAGE:

Some nights up to 12 or 13 boats arrive. They bring barefooted people. Dark, like little ants, dragging blankets and bundles of dirty clothes. When there are storms the police have to do their rounds very early in the morning – to remove bodies that have washed up on the shore. Before the children arrive to play on the beach.

She lowers the binoculars and talks onstage.

JULIA:

I like that it’s got three syllables.

ANDRES:

What?

JULIA:

The city…

ANDRES:

I see. But you never know…

JULIA:

I really hope there are lots of towers. (She close her eyes and rubs them.) There’s not much light here, don’t you think?

Copyright

The above sample taken from the translation 15 Steps by Gwynneth Dowling is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

ONE-ACT PLAY, excerpt 2

Context:

Andres and Julia have been joined by the student Elias. Elias is curious about why Julia sits on her 15 steps.

Sample text

ELIAS:

And what about her?

ANDRES:

Who? Julia?

ELIAS:

Yes. Does she normally travel too?

ANDRES:

Well, it’s not so easy for her. They scored her five and a half. You can imagine. They almost didn’t let her come.

ELIAS:

Is she always up there?

ANDRES:

Almost always. There are 15 of them now.

ELIAS:

What?

ANDRES:

Steps. At first there were 7, then 12. Now there are 15.

ELIAS:

Why?

ANDRES:

Well, you’d have to ask her. It’s like the ground makes her ill.

ELIAS:

The ground?

ANDRES:

Yes. But don’t get me wrong – she’s fine up there. She needs the whole horizon.

ELIAS:

And … what about when you travel?

ANDRES:

Like I said, those are rare occasions. But we’ve got used to it. I get the tallest hotel and I leave her on a balcony with her binoculars while I tour the city. She comes with me when there are castles and bell towers. (Pause.) She says … she sees things … from there.

ELIAS:

What things?

ANDRES:

Her world. Like a large window or … I can’t explain it properly.

ELIAS:

And what about you? Have you never tried it?

ANDRES:

What?

ELIAS:

The staircase.

ANDRES:

I get vertigo. I get shivers even thinking about it.

Copyright

The above sample taken from the translation 15 Steps by Gwynneth Dowling is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

ONE-ACT PLAY, excerpt 3

Context:

Elias wants to join Julia on the steps.

Sample text

ELIAS:

Let me come up.

JULIA: (Sharply.)

No. (More softly.) This staircase can only support one person.

ELIAS:

But I want to …

JULIA:

What?

ELIAS:

To understand … If you’ll let me …

JULIA:

It’s not that easy! You don’t know what you’re talking about. Do you think it’s just a matter of coming up here? Is that what you think? It is at first, of course … At first they’re just steps. You think you’ll be able to move up and down them. Up and down. Like simple gymnastics – one foot carefully placed above the other. And that’s it. It can even be fun, finding new perspectives on things. Travel. That’s what it is. A little travel. Although from so far away everything looks small. Then Andres gives you some binoculars, and from time to time you come up here to look out. In your free time. And then you start making out images. Images. At first, it’s just a new form of entertainment. But after that, no. After that, this world demands your attention and you slowly forget how to walk on the ground.

Meanwhile, ELIAS is looking around him, searching. He quickly sets about moving the metal chairs, stacking one on top of the other to make a sort of staircase or platform.

JULIA:

You become some sort of witness. Things that no one else knows or no one else wants to know. People are either blind or asleep, while you … you’re in prison, condemned to watch. To watch. (Realising what ELIAS is doing.) Didn’t you hear me? You’re going to feel very alone up there. (ELIAS continues.) Can’t you hear me? This isn’t a game!

Copyright

The above sample taken from the translation 15 Steps by Gwynneth Dowling is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

ONE-ACT PLAY, excerpt 4

Context:

Through her binoculars, Julia has just watched Elias deliberately get arrested. She has dropped them down to the ground. Her husband focuses on the broken binoculars while Julia descends the 15 steps.

Sample text

JULIA:

Why? Did he know I was watching? Did he know? He was right. You heard him. Don’t you think he was right? That it’s useless. (She is silent, thinking. Then she gets up.) Useless …

ANDRES: (Fixated on the binoculars, as if by looking at them he will not have to look at her.)

In any case, we’ll take them to get checked. (Julia takes a step down.) They were very expensive. And high resolution, too. Just like you wanted. (Julia takes another step down.) So you could see everything … even the sea. (Julia takes another step down.) So the horizon would feel nearer, so you’d never feel distant. The number of times you’ve looked at me through those lenses, eh? I felt threatened at first. I admit it. Because I didn’t know what I would look like to you. If my face would look distorted or strange. But then I got used to those artificial eyes. As if they really were yours.

Copyright

The above sample taken from the translation 15 Steps by Gwynneth Dowling is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Entry written by Gwynneth Dowling. Last updated on 12 November 2011.

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