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‘Old’ Miles is on his regular trip to a quiet corner of his local cemetery. To visit the war memorial. His memorial. His cenotaph.
And to remember.
‘Young’ Jo is only passing through and will just be happy not to be seen.
The story provides a glimpse into a brief meeting which came from nothing but could lead to something.
A story about taking time. Taking a breath. And sharing a hope. A moment of understanding without judgement; reopening doors which should never have been allowed to close.
'The Cenotaph' illustrates that innocence is not the reserve of any age.
And neither is making new friends. Even old ones.
DESCRIPTION:
Running Time: Approx 20 minutes.
Cast: Miles: 50+ and Jo: Under 16. Jo can be any gender, though shown as male simply for ease of writing.
Period: Present day.
Staging: Any space would be adequate.
Setting: A bench or two chairs to represent one. A projection of a cenotaph if desired, though not essential.
- The role of storytelling in helping us understand different generations.
- Do we ever really learn lessons from history?
- Does the past have a realistic role in influencing the future?
- The nature and importance of storytelling within a historical context.
- What is 'Remembrance' and does it have a role in understanding the past AND the present?
- Does the concept of 'Remembrance' still have a place and purpose in our current age?
- What is the role of religion and faith during war/conflict. Does it assist in the recovery from them?
- Dramatising the past: how do we take the pages of history and turn them into the pages of a script?
- How much discussion about the past do we really have with older people? What value does such have?
- How do we make theatre educational and entertaining?