Synopsis: Humanity lies sleeping as The Sweeper of Dreams enters making his daily rounds to clear away the night’s imaginings. The Sweeper is very thorough and leaves no tatters or smattering of dreams to pollute the waking lives of the humans. He is good at his job but does not enjoy it and has perhaps become a bit careless. One of the dreamers, Promethea, is still deeply involved in her dream of flying and freedom. The Sweeper’s actions rip the dream from her and she plunges towards consciousness screaming. Clinging to the memory of her dream, Promethea argues with the Sweeper. When he remains adamant, she steals back her dream, in the process damaging his broom. No longer will he be able to efficiently remove all of humanity’s dreams. The residue of both dreams and nightmares linger to haunt the waking hours.
| The stage is filled with sleepers/dreamers who call out in their sleep: | ||||
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Dreamer’s Chorus: Through the mist! Over that rise… Look out! That fist! What a prize… I will find…. find… something I can’t be with you. I must be with you. When you kiss me like that. |
Enters and observes sleepers:
Sweeper Every night it is the same. Moves to begin sweeping |
Dreamer’s Chorus: I don’t know what you want… I cannot go on. Naked! The answer eludes me… How will I know? That house! I recognize it. This is not home. Kiss me, there. |
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| As the Sweeper moves past dreamers, sweeping away their dreams, their calls turn to humming. |
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Dreamer’s Chorus: It can’t sink. Hum Papa? Hum No! That’s not true! Hum Yes, I like it. Hum If only I’d thought of that |
Promethea: Always the same dream. I am flying. I float effortlessly over the earth. No cares. No fears. Just the freedom of wind And air And choice. I can go anywhere. I can be anything. A humming pulls at me. I ignore it Begins to hum Hummm…Ahhh! As the Sweeper reaches Promethea’s bed and sweeps her dream, she wakes screaming. The humming of the other sleepers continues in the background. |
Dreamers Chorus: Hum There’s no point Hum I must hum Can’t resist. Hum Hum Hum Hum |
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Promethea: Who are you? Sweeper: No one of note. Promethea: I was flying. Sweeper: Dreaming. It is nothing. I have removed it. Promethea: But I liked it. I crave it. I need it. |
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Sweeper: Every night it is the same. This fruitless dreaming That signifies nothing. Endless sweepings of empty ideas I sweep it away so you can live without fear, without guilt, without fruitless longing. You dream. So I must sweep. You cannot. It is madness. Humanity cannot live in dreams. |
Promethea: Every night I fly. Every day so empty. With nothing to cling to My ideas sweep away. I must have my dreams back! It is truth. I cannot live without them! |
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| Promethea leaps towards the sweeper, snatching his broom and tearing out bristles as she tears free the dream. The broom is left with decided gaps. Slowly, as dreams leak through the broom the other sleepers stop humming and return to dreaming. | ||||
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Dreamer’s Chorus: Hum Hum The forest… Hum Is that a clown? Hum I cannot cope! I want a divorce! |
Sweeper: My broom. I will never catch all the dreams now. Night after night some will leak through. What have you done? Promethea: I have my dream. Sweeper: It will not be as you remembered. It is cluttered now by memory. All will change. You no longer have a clean slate. Promethea: I have my dream. She lies back and closes her eyes in bliss. A moment later she gasps – almost a scream Am I flying or falling?!? Sweeper: Both
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Dreamer’s Chorus: Hum Hum Hum A second chance… Hum It is too broken… |
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