Dreams & Plays

The Dream of Rhonabwy is the tale I’m adapting into a stage play that, much like the original, gives a satirical look at contemporary American society, contrasting with a dream of the mythical heroes of the greatest generation. The original piece was set in Welsh times and contrasted with the age of King Arthur.

The Dream of Rhonabwy – Wikipedia

The play opens with Peter (Rhonabwy) arriving late to his job at a giant social media platform. Peter rushes in through the doors to a full office. He says hello to various people but none respond. One red haired woman looks at him curtly before refocusing on her computer screen.

Peter spends the morning taking phone calls and monitoring the platform for elements of offensive speech. We see this as Peter labors away inside his beautiful office. A robust man with rose tinted skin approaches Peter after a few minutes.

“Pete, how is the morning audit going,” asks Mike.

“Great. Great. I just flagged an entire thread on the Marshall plan amid post war reconstruction,” replies Peter.

“Outstanding, the savagery of that era is just problematic. Pushing the thread’s engagement level down or blocking it entirely is the responsible thing to do,” says Mike. He smiles and motions at the conference room. “Would you mind joining us for an emergency meeting?”

Inside the conference room four other individuals sit huddled around a large square table. A dark haired woman motions Pete and Mike to chairs situated next to the others. It’s quickly explained that their social media company is in the process of attempting a hostile takeover of their nearest competitor. The dark haired woman, Debbie, explains that there is a small hitch. The CEO’s (The Prince) son Chase (The rebellious Brother) has gone missing during a cocaine binge in Paris. The group tasks Peter and Mike with tracking down the son before the bad publicly affects the takeover attempt.

The next scene shows Peter and Mike onboard an airplane flying across the pond to Paris, France. Mike exuberantly consumes the flights free alcohol and frolics with others. Peter attempts to sleep but is foiled by the raucous crowd in coach. Pete heads for the lavatory. Upon exiting a stewardess offers him a seat in the sparsely filled first class. Relieved, Peter quickly succumbs to sleep.

He awakens in his dream. The ground rumbles and shakes. Pete blinks, once, then twice. His eyes grow big. He’s greeted to blue skies and the hum of heavy machinery. A nearby sergeant greets him, followed by scores of others. An older woman, speaking in French, forces a plate of eggs and ham into his hands. He nods and she smiles.

A giant green tank lumbers over the terrain near him. An older man sits astride the tank as it veers into the city square. It parks next to a small fountain. General George S. Patton (King Arthur) climbs down from the tank as it shudders to sleep.

The general address’s Pete directly. He asks him what has happened to the USA in the future. An incredulous Pete response is to list the compassionate and ordered process in which tech companies, specifically his, help administer safety to the population.

General Patton dismisses Pete and joins an imprisoned Nazi officer in a game of chess. Game after game, General Patton routs the Nazi and his flawed strategy. General Patton crushes the Nazis king piece into dust. He orders the Nazi to inform his men and the German people of their crimes against humanity. He declares that deeds of wicked men must come to light.

Peter awakens to turbulence back in the present. The stewardess smiles and winks as she scurrys through the aisle. A television screen airs a breaking news report. Chase (The rebellious brother) has been found dead of a drug overdose in a Paris suburb, as two analysts debate the affect this chilling news will have on the markets