The Games they Play (At Siesta Time): Juegos a la hora de siesta

Abstract

The action takes place on a bright day, siesta time, in the corner of some park or square. In the background there is a high gray wall: centre stage, a park bench. A hammock is suspended from a tree which is to the left of the bench; the hammock should be at a height which makes it appear that the actor is swinging over the orchestra pit. Near the edge of the stage to the right of the bench, is a sandbox. The light is dazzlingly brilliant. The characters, although they are children, are played by adults; a mature restraint rather than a puerile interpretation should characterize these roles. In the interplay of characters the actors should caricaturize ‘miniature adults’, prototypes of their future selves. The properties should be commensurate with the actual size of the actors; therefore they will be larger than is ordinarily the case with children. When the stage is set, a shrill, strident chirping and singing of birds is heard, interrupted ever so often by sounds of children playing at war… rrrrrrrr… tata tatatatat… When the curtain rises, the stage is flooded with sunshine. Diego is playing in the sandbox; he is kneeling and his arms are extended outward in an imitation of a plane in combat; he simulates the march of tanks as well; he mimics bombs falling, explosions, and the roar of motors with his voice. Each time a plane is presumably hit, his body lifts off the ground, then falls, creating a shower of sand which falls over his body and reaches the orchestra pit; he is completely absorbed in the game and lost to the world.