The Making of "Meet the Finches"

I like it!

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modified script

Ok guys, here's the modified script.

Feel free to make any adds/changes, whatever you come up with. i'm not sure it's much longer...but i added the awkward pauses and vomiting that we talked about dragging out.

Don't forget we have to meet tomorrow at 2 p.m. and on monday at 7:30 p.m.

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Theme song

Narrator: On this week's episode of Meet the Finches...

**Muffled TV noises, kitchen noises throughout.

Mama: How was your day, honey?

Papa: Eh, not too exciting. Although I think Mr. Sparrow's having a little spring fling with his secretary. Their feathers looked a little rumpled this morning. (laugh track)

Mama: Oh? Well, wait til his wife finds out. She'll have his tail for sure.

Papa: Yes, dear. Just don't be the one to let it slip.

**(awkward silence?)

Papa: How was your day?

Mama: Oh you know. Same old same old. I picked up our dinner worms just after breakfast and ran into the neighbors from the oak tree across the street. That Mrs. Cardinal is sooo sweet. It's too bad she had to marry that Mr. Crow.

Papa: Well what's wrong wit him? He seems nice enough to me.

Mama: Oh dear. He's just seems like such a downer compared to his wife.

Papa: Mmm.

**(awkward silence)

**Door slams. Kids pop up by the door.

Kid: Hey mom, hey pop.

Papa and Mama: Hello loves.

Mama: Come get your after school snacks

** Kids turn around and get vomited on then move over to the couch and sit down.

Papa: So, what did you do in school today?

Sissy: Nothing.

Kid: Well, not nothing. You know, school stuff.

Papa: Do you mean you learned something?

Kid: No, not really.

**(awkward silence. kid and sissy look at each other, look around slowly)

Kid: Dad, can we watch cartoons?

Papa: Later, the news is about to come on.

(kid and sissy look at each other)

Sissy: But dad, my favorite show is on noooooow.

Papa: Well you can't watch TV now. You can watch whatever you want after I'm done.

TV anchorman: Good evening. We have some breaking news tonight. Two finch-shaped creatures were spotted earlier this afternoon. They appeared to be engaging in what witnesses could only describe as a "strange ritual." The President has asked people to remain calm and to remain indoors this evening. Special units will be patrolling the streets looking for any signs of their presence. Witnesses say they saw a boy and a girl. Both had very large beaks and duck-like proportions. They had blue and yellow bodies, pink or orange wings, and very colorful faces. If you think you have seen creatures that fit these descriptions, please call your local authorities. Do not be alarmed or try to capture them yourselves.
**(All birds looking at the TV, mouths open, mom starts vomiting)

Kid: Oh, bird shit.

Papa: Watch your mouth! What did you two do?! Don't you have any sense at all?

Sissy: We didn't mean it, pop (scared).

Papa: I don't wanna hear a peep from either of you bird brains!

Kid: It was my fault, papa.

Papa: Of course it was!

Kid and Sissy: We're sorry!

Kid: We were just playing capture the beak like we used to on Xylotyl.

Papa: And...

Kid: Well, it got a little out of hand. And before we knew it we were out in the open. At the park.

Papa: (yelling) At the park?! Are you crazy?!

Sissy: It wasn't on purpose, pop!

Kid: They started chasing us and we hid in the bushes by the library. They were questioning everyone else about if they had seen any finches lately so we waited around til they were gone.

Papa: Of all the birdbrain things...

Sissy: It wasn't on purpose, pop!

Mama: (stops vomiting, looks at papa) Oh we know, loves. Of course it wasn't on purpose. It's ok.

Papa: It's not O.K.

Mama: Now papa, it's already done. No use yelling. We're all scared. What are we going to do?

Papa: Alright. Well, there's just no option. We have to leave right away.

Mama: But how?

Papa: There's a way. It's risky but we've got no choice now.
(everyone looks at papa) We're gonna have to elevate ourselves.

Kid: What do you mean "elevate?" Like...fly?!

Sissy: Papa, that crazy! We can't fly!

Papa: It's the only way. I know flying isn't something we ever had to do on Xylotyl but desperate times call for desperate measures. Gramps taught me this trick when I was a kid. Apparently all finches used to know how to do it until Penguin took over Xylotyl and outlawed it. He couldn't fly so no one else was allowed to.

Mama: vomits

Kid: So you've tried it before?

Papa: Welll... not really.

Kid: So how can we know this will work?

Papa: Boy, your gramps don't lie!

Mama : [nods/ shakes her head] Don't question your father dear.

Kid: Sorry. It just seems so... incredible to me, ya know?

Papa: Well it is. A miracle in fact. But it's been done.

Sissy: So how do you suggest we do this? Like. How will it work?

Papa: Actually, it isn't that hard. We'll all go up on the roof and do it together. It's a one shot deal. We can't afford to practice.

**cut lights to main stage. light shadow stage.

Narrator: (birds fly in shadow during narration)
So the family decided to give it a shot. And they all did it. All except Baby Egg, who hadn't even cracked yet, much less have the ability to vocalize.
Soon they found themselves flying or as papa liked to call it "elevating". It was lucky for them because just as soon as they were leaving back to their planet (no these finches could fly into outer space without imploding) the FEDs came in and demanded their heads. Unfortunately, baby egg was still there.
But don't worry, the FEDs didn't arrest him (they didn't notice him since he blent in so well with the family room). He stayed there until he cracked and flew back on his own. So in the end the story was short and painless. But in our next chapter, the family will conquer a new planet. Stay tuned ...

word of the night: trapezoidal

our WHOLE grouop came in tonight and pretty much finished all the building. we attached the kitchen to the back of the set using a dowel and hooks so that it's removable, made a felt body for the mom glasses, feet and an expanding neck for the dad, took a family portrait and lots of other things i can't remember right now. We pretty much just have to figure out the mom's puking mechanism and rehearse as much as we can before the show. we've agreed to meet saturday at noon in the studio to practice everything.

we're much relieved now that the set and the puppets have all come together.

as farrell wrote on her post, we got a lot of things done tonight. I came back in a little later and jan had just painted the outside of the box black and attached the door to the set. I made red curtains for the window that opens to the kitchen. We tried to take the family portrait but i didn't realize my camera was dead so we'll have to do it tomorrow. We also realized that we need to construct a frame for the bottom of the set with the pieces of wood on the sides extending back a few inches so that we can clamp the set to the sawhorses we plan to use to elevate it. That will secure the set, which will be quite heavy in the front once we attach the wooden frame.

We got quite a bit done today...built the frame for the front of the set, elevated the furniture on wooden dowels, enlarged the hole for the kitchen, added some finishing touches to the kiddy birds and finished the worms that are gonna go up on the wall. We still have a lot to do but hopefully we all get a chance to come in before thursday's class as our schedules allow.
Some things any of us can do between now and thursdays class:
-make curtain to conceal us underneath the stage
-curtain for window
-finish kitchen set to go behind mom (i'll be working on that)
-family portrait
-fix dad to chair
-attach door
-paint the frame and outside of set

i should be in the studio around 6 or 7 tomorrow night.

So i went in for a bit tonight and finished attaching pieces of wood to each bird head for the dowels to fit into. I also measured the box we're using for the main set and will make a plywood frame to attach to the front of the set tomorrow afternoon in the woodshop. Also, the pieces of wood we glued to the foamcore to correct the bowing last Tuesday seemed to work well and the side pieces stand on their own inside the box.