LIFE AND DEATH AT THE GREAT BEND TUNNEL
                  “Episode 1: Construction”

An original outdoor drama by
Russel Bragg

Tug Creek Productions                          PRODUCTION SCRIPT

676 Tug Creek Road                             February 27, 2017

Hinton, WV 25951                               © 2017 Russel Bragg

(304) 466-8074                                     All rights reserved.
BAEFARM @gmail.com                            

http://greatbendtunnelvison.blogspot.com/2017/02/life-and-death-in-construction-of-big.html

LIFE AND DEATH AT THE GREAT BEND TUNNEL

“Episode 1: Construction”

CAST

ANNOUNCER                The announcer – deep male voice.

Charles Rollyson              Poor farmer /exploited landowner (Age 32)

Aunt Bettie Rollyson        Pragmatic matron. (Age 64)

Captain William Johnson  Contractor and conman with waxed mustache

Booker Hunter                   Young nerdy small man.

Polly                                   Beautiful Black female

John Hardy                         Long arms strong black man sharp features

William C Ridgeway         Goatee -civil war Calvary hat long coat

Ridgeways brother            Ghostly

Mrs Ridgeway                   Attractive young woman

Buck Johnson                    Black man big worn out boots 22 years old

Phillip Hess                      17 year olds

Richard Rhodes                18 year olds

Frank Echols                    42 Black grizzled

Jack Cain                          30 white

James Cain                       32 white

Henry Meadows               26 Black

James Talcott                    36 White nerdy plaid

Doc Bray                          50 English accent

Cummins Grocer              32 butcher’s apron

              

NOTE:

The above list is for a cast of 20. A smaller cast of 10 can be used if the following roles are combined for one actor each:

John Hardy/Announcer/Henry Meadows (with fake hair)/Echols with beard

Cummins /Doc Bray (with stethoscope)/ Talcott (with costume)/ Ridgeway brothers (different costumes)

Hess and Rhodes / Cain brothers

Four sound effects/ lighting artists are also required as well as a projector for news articles.  News articles and photos are projected in announcer's screened off Tunnel.

Page 2

1.  Sound:              Bacon frying, Pans bang , fork/knife on plate

2.  ANNOUNCER:          We join the Rollysons as Breakfast is being finished up in the detached kitchen off of their farmhouse.  This was common in that time when the wood cook stoves heating food would have heated homes unbearably in the summer months.  

3.  CHARLES:            OHHHH Aunt Bettie! I am hurting in my back, legs, and shoulders something awful today. (rubbing back and legs alternatively)  I work hard every day here on our farm but working the land, hauling timbers, building barns, and driving oxen is nowhere close to the work of digging and breaking into that hillside.

                        You know we worked twelve hours yesterday and left a hole no bigger than a root cellar. They are talking about this being a five-year project but I say it’ll be more like ten years. I heard them say it is well over on a mile through to the other side.    

4.  SOUND:              Muffled distant boom! FlAsh of light behind announcer Siouette standing in front of Tunnel-shaped outline.

5.  Bettie:             Charles, I hear and see them digging all over that hillside I always thought you dig a tunnel from one side of a hill to another can’t they decide which way to go?

Page 3 

1.  Charles:            Well Aunt Bettie when I was a working down there yesterday I was explained why they are doing like that. Let me see that dough and I will show you. Okay this dough is the mountain. Here is your farm. Here is Rollysonburg and here is the railroad coming from the West. Now the railroad could go all the way with the riverbank of the Greenbrier and it would be nine twisty, steep rocky old miles; but by going up the holler here and drilling through the mountain they can have a level tunnel of about a mile. It takes lots of time to dig in from both ends but they decided if they dig some shafts from the top like this (pokes holes in dough) and then have men working on each face and in each hole, they can move lots of material and open the tunnel up in just a few years.  So now they have three crews working drilling shafts down through the hilltop to work digging the tunnel in either direction from the bottoms of those shafts and another two crews working from the ends.

2.  Bettie:             Blamed fools the lot of them -I would say, and you right along with them – I first thought we were the most blessed in the valley to have that railroad coming through my Daddy’s old farm so we could take our produce, eggs, and milk east into Stanton and Roanoke. But now all I have seen is them taking our pasture and stealing our timber. They robbing us not only under our noses but hiring you to do it. How much do they owe you now? Have you seen the first red cent yet?

3.  Charles:                I am keeping an account Aunt Bettie. Captain Johnson told me just yesterday how it won’t be long now till we are paid for the right of way and the shanties we built. His railroad is going to keep us making money from now on - we can wait a while yet.  Major Menifee just brought a whole passel of freedmen who used to work down there as contract slaves in the mines of Virginia to do the drilling and the mucking.

 Drilling is done by short stout workers who swing hammers in the tunnel and hit longs steel rods that are rotated by other men called shakers with each hammer strike.  The ends of the steel rods are shaped like stars so each time the hammer strikes

                        pieces of stone shoot out.

4. NOTE:                   THIS IS ACCOMPANIED BY PHOTOS OF THE OPERATION BEING PROJECTED INTO THE ANNOUNCER’S TUNNEL SCREEN.)

                              Once a team of drivers and shakers get a hole a couple feet into the face of the rock a powder man comes and loads a charge of dynamite in the hole with a fuse hooked to it. Everyone backs away and the charge is set off blasting the hole bigger. (Pause)

5. NOTE:                   (Pause for Projection) (THIS IS ACCOMPANIED BY PHOTOS OF THE OPERATION BEING PROJECTED INTO THE ANNOUNCER’S TUNNEL SCREEN WITH ACCOMPANYING “FIRE IN THE HOLE” AND BOOM FLASH. Voice of Frank Echols, Powderman)
END OF SCENE Lights down.