Out of the Wings

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Dos viejos pánicos (c.1967), Virgilio Piñera

Scene

The is a two-act play.

Staging

The opening stage directions set out the following:

Two single beds separated by a circular space marked out in red. Tabo is kneeling on one bed with his back to the audience as he cuts out figures from a magazine. On the other bed, facing the audience is Tota his wife; she takes a glass and a bottle of water out of a large handbag; photographs of male and female faces on the walls; white light.’

Other essential props apart from the ones indicated above (scissors, magazine, glass, bottle of water etc.) include a mirror which Tota takes out of her large handbag and a black handkerchief which at one point she places over Tabo’s head and face.

In Act Two Tabo and Tota are each holding a glass of milk.  Tabo has two pink pieces of paper and a pencil in his shirt pocket which he puts behind his ear.

The pillows and sheets on the beds are also important props for the action of the play.  Towards the end of Act Two a curtain painted with the images of two naked new-born babies falls down.

Cast number
Minimum Maximum
1 male 1 male
1 female 1 female
2 (total) 2 (total)
Characters

TOTA (An old woman of sixty)

TABO (An old man of the same age)

Entry written by Gwendolen Mackeith. Last updated on 18 June 2012.

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