CHART OF STAGE POSITIONS

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ST AGE POSITIONS

Upstage means away from the footlights, down­stage means toward the footlights, and right and left are used with reference to the actor as he faces the audience. R means right, L means left , U means up, D means down, C means center, and these ab­breviations are used in combination. as: UR for up right, RC for right center, DLC for down left center, etc. A territory designated on the stage refers to a general area, rather than to a given point.

NOTE: Before starting rehearsals, chalk off your stage or rehearsal space as indicated above in the Chart of Stage Positions. Then tench your actors the meanings and positions of these fundamental terms of stage movement by having them walk from one position to another until they are familiar with them. The use of these abbreviated terms in di­recting the play saves time, speeds up rehearsals, and reduces the amount of explanation the director has to give to his actors.

FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON

SETI1NG: The stage is divided into three areas. The area at R is Doctor Strauss' office. A desk, a few chairs. The L area is Charlie's room. A bed or small sofa, a chair, a table. The area C represents different places and is fur­nished basically with two chairs and two tables. Keep sce­lleT}' and costumes simple so that the play moves rapidly.

AT RISE OF CURTAIN: DOCTOR STRAUSS, a young neu­rosurgeon, and his colleague, PROFESSOR NEMUR, a somewhat older, testier man, are in Strauss' office with ALJCE KINN/AN, a teacher, young, attractive bur very se­rious. They are interviewing her. The C area is now a lab. BURT, a young lab rechnician and <;HARllE GORDON are seated at a table parallel to the footlights. Upstage of them another table holds a mouse in a cage and a small maze. CHARLIE is a good-looking man of thirty-two but retarded. He should be played at this point like an amiable eight-year-old with a desire to please and a rather foolish grin. He speaks slowly, hesitating before larger words, and moves awkwardly. He wears slacks, a white shirt open at the neck, a shabby, heavy cardigan sweater and a baseball cap. In this unfamiliar atmosphere, he is tense and ner­vous. If possible, this area should not be lit. If that is not possible, have CHARLIE and BURT turned away from the audience until it is time for their scene to begin.

s

Page 10 FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON

take this pencil and draw a line from here till you reach the end here, but you mustn't go over any of the printed lines.

CHARLIE. And who gets to the end first, wins? BURT.Right. CHARLIE. But I don't like cheese. BURT. That's all right. We'll just see who wins. CHARLIE. O.K. (Very determined, he sits, putting pencil at

starting p!LJce.) BURT (pulling out stop watch, puning Algernon in maze).

Ready, set, go! CHARLIE (starting, running into trouble immediately). But ...

I can't ... BURT. Go back, find the way. CHARLIE (nervous). Uh ... oh ... hcre ... (Algernon ·s bell

rings.) I didn't know mice was so smart. BURT. Well, this one's had a lot of advantages. (He takes

mouse from maze, returns ii lo cage.) CHARLIE. Does that mean I won't get the operation? 'Cause

I lost'! BURT. No, Charlie, this is just to test your perceplion ... to

test you. CHARLIE. I can do it better .. .'cause .• .I want that ... that op­

eration. I want to be smart. I could watch Algernon every day, I could watch and learn how to finish the amazed, even if it takes me a long time, I could do it.

BURT. We'll have to see what Professor Ncmur says, Char­lie. Please wait in there. (CHARLIE exits UC. BURT walks into Strauss' office.) He's strong as a horse and good­natured and very anxious. I think he's the most likely pros­pect we've seen.

NEMUR. All right. Charlie Gordon is our man. (BURT starts toward where CHARLIE has exited.)

BLACKOUT

FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON Page 11

(LIGHTS UP. AUCE enters Doctor Strauss' office. DOC­TOR STRAUSS and PROFESSOR NEMUR are sining by the desk.)

ALICE. How is he?

STRAUSS. Physically he's fine. Came through the operation perfectly. Mentally? Too soon to tell.

(CHARLIE enters doctor's office from R. He has removed cap and sweater and put on robe over shirt and s!LJcks. He has a head bandage.)

CHARLIE (delighted to see her). Miss Kinnian! I had the op­eration. It didn' hurt. They done it while I wuz sleepin'. But I don' think rm smart yet.

ALICE. That's not the way it works. It comes slowly and you have to work very hard to get smart.

CHARLIE. Then whut did I need the operation for?

STRAUSS. So that when you learn something, it sticks with you. Not the way it was before.

CHARLIE (disappointed). Oh. I thought I'd be smart right away so I could go back 'n' show my frien's at the bak­ery ... 'n' talk smart things with em ... like how the president makes dumb mistakes an' all ... If you're smart, you have lotsa frien's to talk to an' you never get lonely by yourself all the time.

NEMUR. You will, Charlie. In time. Now. See, I've brought you a present. (He takes a small notebook from his pocket and gives it to CHARLIE.)

CHARLIE. Gee, thanks! What is it?

NEMUR. It's a notebook. And every day I want you to write in it.

CHARLIE. Write whut?

Page 30 FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON

to cry an' feel sorry. I don' know why I'm dumb again or what I did wrong. Maybe I didn' try hard enough or some­one put the evil eye on me. (Smiling, hopeful.) But I got a new rabbit's foot an' I got some books .. .'n' even if I can't read I'll lry an' maybe I'll get a li'l smarter than before the operation. Good-bye, Miss Kinnian ... and Doctor Strauss and ev'ybody. Your frien' Charlie Gordon. (He rises, putson his baseball cap, picks up his suitcase and a small bou­quer of flowers. He walks UL, then turns right. Lights go down 011 apartment, come up on Algernon's grave. He walks a Jew feet toward R. then turns downstage as though going around the house. Downstage, he turns L again and moves to Algernon's grave. He kneels al the grave, puts rhejlowers on rop of ir, wairs a beat, rises and goes off DL

The spot holds on Algernon's grave for a moment, then fades.)

CURTAIN

NOTES ON CHARACTERS AND COSTIJMES

GENERAL NOTE

Charlie will have little time for costume changes. Plan them carefully and rehearse them. For the others, while it is not necessary to change for every scene, it is preferred to give a sense of the passing time. Note that the play takes place in spring and summer.

> CHARLIE: He is a good-looking young man of thirty-two,retarded. When we first see him, he wears baggy slacks, awhite shirt open at the neck. a shabby, heavy cardigan sweaterand a baseball cap. For the hospital scene, he removes hiscap and swealer and wears a robe over his slacks and shirt.He also wears a large head bandage. In the next scene, heremoves the robe and head bandage and dons a sport jacket.He looks helter but not too good. For the convention scenehe wears a jacket which malches the slacks, and a tie. Helooks dressed up. Finally he removes the jacket and tie andputs on his old cardigan and cap, as in the beginning.

> DR STRAUSS: He wears a business suit or very subduedsport jacket; may wear a more formal-looking suit for theconvention scene.

> PROFESSOR NEMUR: He is somewhat older than Dr.Strauss, dresses similarly.

• BURT: He wears a white lab coat.

• ALICE: She is young, pretty and very serious. She wears anattractive business suit or dress, carries a pwsc. She maymake simple changes if desired and as time allows, to suitthe occasion and/or show the passage of time.

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