Script Excerpt: “Trick or Treating in the Burbs”

This is the EXACT script for the Pageant narrator for “Trick or Treating in the Burbs.” This particular piece was one that we call a “builder.” It is one of the presentations where we show the audience exactly how we “build” the set and get it ready to present on stage as part of the show.

From the world of fairies to the surreal dreamscapes of Salvador Dali, tonight’s theme, “Only Make Believe,” is our celebration of the imaginative play that is the engine of human creativity. Or, more simply put, you can learn a lot from watching kids play dress-up. Our next artwork illustrates that very idea, but it also provides an opportunity to take a look behind the scenes at the make-believe world of tableaux vivants – “living pictures” – here at the Pageant.

So, let’s open up the curtain and watch what goes into putting together our “living picture” from 1958 by American artist John Falter.

[curtain opens]

We begin by bringing our adjustable picture frame downstage. The next step in assembling John Falter’s rendition of a familiar suburban ritual, is moving our rolling foreground set in from the wings.

You’ll notice that three of our cast members have already been secured into their places on the foreground. Next, three more cast members enter and begin to take their positions in the set with the help of the crew.

A regular contributor to the magazine, John Falter created this painting for a Saturday Evening Post cover in the fall of ’58. During his years as a cover artist, Falter became especially adept at mining his own seam of nostalgic Americana, even as he was refining his technique as a fine artist.

To assume their roles in this scene, our cast members have already paid visits to the costume, headpiece and makeup departments. And when all the cast members are secured, the foreground is moved into its final placement in the frame. As the frame is adjusted to its predetermined dimensions, the side curtains are dressed. And as this is being done, the background of the painting is brought in from the wings.

Props are next including a couple of canine chaperones, goodie bags and a jack-o-lantern that can double as a receptacle for the evening’s haul…

Now it’s time for one last-minute check of our cast members’ poses… And with everything and everyone in place, all that’s missing is the magic of stage lighting to complete our tableau.

So, when everything is ready, the “all clear” signal is given and the stage goes dark for a moment.

And now, with proper stage lighting, a quintet of Halloween hooligans-in-training set out to trade the threat of mischief for the prospect of sugary swag. By John Falter: “Trick or Treating in the Burbs.”