### Act 2, Scene 1: Coming of Age / Blackout

Setting: The lookout / observatory. One of the few habitable above ground structures. It consists of a geodesic glass dome surrounded by heavy steel gate shutter that can be opened, so you can see the stormy snowy world outside while being nice and warm and protected. A platform on the second level serves as a sort of stage. **Assuming that back projection works:** The shape of a dome is cut out of the backdrop panels, revealing a dome-shaped back projection surface, possibly with the supporting structure of the dome drawn on the front. We can then project moving images of the "gate" opening and closing and the ongoing snowstorm on the outside to it. We have to be very careful with the lighting. The scene will start with the "gate" closed, so we can start with regular lighting. When the ritual starts, we kill all the lights, and "open" the gates of the dome, and only dimly light the people on the second level "stage" directly from above at a very narrow angle with dim, but warm light. When the ritual is over, we "close the gate" again, so we can use the regular stage lighting until the blackout.

Stage setup | Name | Comment
--- | --- | ---
Backdrop ||
Left: Observatory and projection screen | Haku | dome shaped cut out
Middle: Observatory and projection screen |  | dome shaped cut out
Right: Observatory and projection screen | Luno | dome shaped cut out
| Projectors | Liam | set up 3 projectors
Projection Media (ObservatorySnowStorm) | FOH_Screen_Ops |
On 2nd rail ||
stage | None |
maintenance hatch | Reesa | between playrail and 2nd level
On playrail ||
Hand props & personal props ||
harness_Lovelace | sehkeba | blue color
harness_Marconi | Tigerseye | red color
remote control | Zephyr |
mop | Tigerseye |
presents | Zephyr, Kobato, Hai, 2ndVoice, DinoEx |

Role | Actor | Hands | Voice | Puppet | Costume
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Blackwood | Runo | Aiko |  | Blackwood | Blackwood
Marconi | Eisfuchs | Tigerseye |  | Marconi | Ceremony_Shirt_Marconi
Hawking | Curry | Fuaran |  | Hawking | Ceremony_Hawking
Lovelace | Kida | Liam |  | Monica | Ceremony_Lovelace
Security | o'wolf | Kayjay |  | Sparky | Security
Audience_1 | Hai |  | None | Solaire | Ceremony_Audience_1
Audience_2 | 2ndVoice |  | None | Bottlebrush | Ceremony_Audience_2
Audience_3 | Sunny |  | None | Potami | Ceremony_Audience_3
Audience_4 | Furvan |  | None | Void | Ceremony_Audience_4
Audience_5 | DinoEx |  | None | Savannah | Ceremony_Audience_5

##### TECH PREROLL

LX 0099 - Work Light OFF (Static Playbacks)

LX 1300 - STANDBY for GO:

Check Levels
Unmute Desk

Curry: ON
Kida: ON

Eisfuchs: OFF
Runo: OFF
o'wolf: OFF

##### DIALOG

Curtain - open

AMB-2101 - Theatre Ambience

Lights remain off

Audience_1, Audience_2, Audience_3, Audience_4, Audience_5 = Audience (Friends and Family) is standing on first level, back towards the playrail. It's really crowded!

Blackwood, Audience_3 and Audience_4 stand in [2]

Audience_1, Audience_2 and Audience_5 stand in [5]

Hawking walks in from [7], Lovelace walks in from [1], followed by Marconi.

Hawking, Lovelace and Marconi are standing on the stage in [3-5,2nd]. Marconi is carrying the (still inactive) harness_Lovelace.

Hawking: "Dear Community! Today we have come together to celebrate the coming of age of our youngest child, and welcome her into our society. Let the ceremonies begin!"

Audience, Blackwood (Everybody) applauds

SND-2102 - Applause 1

SND-2101 - Steel Gate Opens

The steel gate opens, revealing the snowstorm outside (VID content tbd)

Hawking: "My child, are you ready to receive your confirmation?"

Lovelace: "Yes, Great Archimendrite Hawking, I am ready."

Hawking: "Then speak after me: I hereby swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to our Masters until their glorious return!"

Lovelace: "I swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to our Masters until their glorious return!"

Hawking: "It will be my duty to preserve Polaris, our Stronghold and our Masters' home, entrusted to us until their glorious return!"

Lovelace: "It will be my duty to preserve Polaris, our Stronghold and our Masters' home, entrusted to us until their glorious return!"

Hawking: "I shall strive for strength, and excellence, and obedience! I shall be our Masters' pride upon their glorious return!"

Lovelace: "I shall strive for strength, and excellence, and obedience! I shall be our Masters' pride upon their glorious return!"

Audience, Blackwood (Everybody) applauds

SND-2103 - Applause 2

Hawking: "You shall now receive the Shepherd's Reins, so our Masters may guide you and protect you from the ghosts of the Great White!"

Marconi begins putting the harness_Lovelace on Lovelace

Hawking: "Congratulations! You are now an adult member of our community!"

Hawking produces a remote control with a variety of buttons.

Hawking: "Your child's name is no more. I hereby christen you to the name of **Lovelace**."

Hawking presses the button on the remote control

SND-2104 - Bluetooth pairing noise
SND-2105 - Applause 3

The harness_Lovelace lights up in blue

Blackwood, Marconi, Audience applauds!

Hawking: "I wish you and your family all the best, Lovelace. May you live a long and healthy life, and take care."

Lovelace bows, and goes to meet her family in the audience.

Hawking: "And this concludes today's ceremony. I wish you all a great day at work."

Audience, Blackwood (Everybody) applauds

SND-2106 - Applause 4
SND-2107 - Steel Gate Closes
AMB-2101 FADE
AMB-2102 - Busy Atmosphere

The steel gate closes and at the same time ...

... normal stage lights on first and second level turns on, so the audience is now lit. [EMOJI_SMOKING_CIGARETTE]

Kida: OFF

Runo: ON

Lovelace gets welcomed by the audience (her family). They give her all the hugs. Then they throw her up in the air three times. Then they give her presents, which she immediately rips open, acting super happy about the completely unrecognizable McGuffins that are in there.

Audience needs to squeeze to one end of the puppet stage [7], so the other end is free for the upcoming conversation.

Marconi produces a mop, and starts cleaning the stage.

Hawking steps down from the stage, approaching Blackwood [4]

Hawking: "So, how did you like our ceremony!"

Blackwood: "I loved it! It was quite a bit more spectacular than I expected!"

Hawking (chuckles): "The weather definitely did its part today!"

Blackwood: "The glass dome is amazing!"

Hawking: "The observatory is one of the few rooms above ground that is still inhabitable. We only open the gate for very special occasions - there's no way we could repair it if anything hit the glass in a storm."

Blackwood: "That is probably true for a lot of the things that the Masters put in your care, isn't it?"

Hawking: "They left us with very clear instructions what parts are of our concern, and which parts aren't."

Blackwood: "But what if something breaks that you need but you're not allowed to repair?"

Hawking: "That hasn't happened yet."

Blackwood: "But what if it did?"

Hawking: "Our Masters' gave us The Shepherd's Reins so we don't give in to our temptations."

Blackwood: "Do they have any purpose other than punishing you?"

Hawking: "Their purpose is to keep us safe. They allow the building to track where everyone is, they will monitor your health, raise an alarm in case of an accident, or even ease the pain when you're hurt."

Blackwood: "But you have the control box right there. You can't tell me you've never turned off your own harness to take a peek."

Hawking: "A few of my predecessors failed to resist, and went exploring the forbidden areas. None of them ever returned. The Ghosts of the Great White took them all."

SND-2108 - A faint explosion and a machine powering down
SND-2109 - Startled Audience

The main lights go out, and a few dim red "emergency" lights come on.

Eisfuchs: ON

Emergency Atmosphere

Blackwood, Marconi, Lovelace, Audience startles

Hawking: "Oh no, not now."

Blackwood: "What is it?"

Hawking (loudly): "Everybody please remain calm! The lights will return in a few moments!"

Marconi (ironic): "Yeah, nothing to see here, it's just Polaris falling apart around us!"

Hawking: "Shut the hell up Marconi!"

Marconi: "Open your eyes and observe the bitter truth! We're running out of food, we're running out of power, and if we don't do something about it, this place is going to become our icy tomb!"

Hawking presses a button on his remote control

SND-2110 - BRATZ 1

Harness_Marconi flashes red, and delivers a kind of electric shock

Marconi instantly falls to the ground, off stage

Marconi: "GNARG!"

Hawking: "The lights will come back on again, as they always have!"

Marconi holds up his mop, shaking it like a puppet.

Marconi (off): "Until, one day they won't! And then people will realize it was **your** negligence that got them into this mess! Wake up, sheeple!"

Hawking presses the button on his remote control again.

SND-2111 - BRATZ 2

Marconi (off): "HRSN!"

The mop falls over

Hawking: "Today is a day not to fear, but to celebrate. Please, go home, and enjoy the rest of your day."

Audience, Lovelace slowly disperses off stage to [1]

Marconi pulls himself up over the edge of the 2nd level stage

Marconi: "How long do you think you can keep keep up this lie, Hawking? The humans who built this place left us here to rot, and you know it!"

Hawking presses the button on his remote control again.

SND-2112 - BRATZ 3

Marconi: "GACK! Yahaaaaahahaa ... that one **really** hurt ... But you know what, I've been keeping record of each and every time you shocked me, and my statistics clearly show that your glorious [EMOJI_AIRQUOTES] Masters [EMOJI_AIRQUOTES] won't let you press that button more than three times per day, and that one was your last shot! *blblblblblblbl*"

Hawking presses the button repeatedly, and nothing happens except that it beeps.

SND-2113 - beep boop

Hawking: "Alright, would you like me to shut you up the old fashioned way then?"

Marconi: "Challenge accepted. By the way, when the lights are out, that means the heating is also out. And the ventilation. And everything-fuckin-else. Oh, and whatever that guy over there is going to offer you, don't trust him! I saw him ogling the Pillars of Creation like a Pigrat spotting a cheesecake on your window sill."

Hawking: "The Pillars of Creation? You had NO business being there!"

Marconi: "Yeah, but what about HIM? You ask Honeyberry if you don't believe me. She was there, too. Funny she's not here right now. Wasn't she the one who wanted to experience the ceremony in the first place? What did you do to her, Blackwood?"

Blackwood: "She would loved to have come, but she didn't feel well and needed to get some more sleep."

Marconi: "Okay, then let's go to her room and check!"

Hawking: "You're going NOWHERE. SECURITY!"

Marconi: "You can kiss my furry ass!"

SND-2114 - Open Hatch

Marconi opens a maintenance hatch in the floor, and disappears

SND-2115 - Close Hatch

Eisfuchs: OFF
o'wolf: ON

Security comes running in from [1]

Hawking: "Quick! Marconi! He went down the hatch!"

Security: "Uhm ... I'm sorry sir, but I don't see a hatch."

Hawking: "It's RIGHT THERE!"

Security: "But that's just a tile, sir."

Hawking: "NO IT'S NOT, YOU IDIOT! ARRRGH! And if we don't stop him, he's going to make everybody panic! Go! This is an emergency!"

Security shrugs

Security: "Sure."

Security walks out to [1]

Hawking (angry): "Move it!"

Hawking pushes a button on his remote control

SND-2116 - BRATZ 4

Security Harness flashes

Security yelps and starts to run off stage

o'wolf: OFF

Hawking sighs and tries to calm down a little

Hawking (to Blackwood): "So, is it true you wanted to make me an offer? Go ahead."

Blackwood: "In case you actually DO run out of air to breathe - I have a ship out there. A really big ship. There's a whole new world beyond the Great White. You saved our lives, and if you let me return the favor, I will gladly save yours too. I'm sure we can figure something out. And if you're worried about your Pillars of Creation ... Why don't you just take them with you? We have room."

Hawking: "Your offer is much appreciated. But for now I need to keep Polaris from descending into chaos."

Blackwood: "Well, If you change your mind, you know where to find me!"

Hawking: "Thank you."

Lights out

AMB-2102 - FADE

Curtain - close