Free Sequence by Arun Lakra Page A

drops it, picks it up again.
    Abruptly, THEO ducks under the ladder. He emerges, welcomes the applause.
    Chest pain! Is he having a heart attack? No, he’s just joking around.
    DR. GUZMAN writes on the board with her left hand: which came first?
    THEO strides to a wall mirror. He stumbles, almost trips on the way.
    DR. GUZMAN addresses the audience.
    THEO fixes his hair in the mirror.
    DR. GUZMAN
    The question is, which came first?
    THEO suddenly takes a big swing with his umbrella handle, smashing the mirror.
    end of play

End Notes
    Casting
: There should be sufficient similarity between the male actors, such that it is conceivable Mr. Adamson could grow up to be Theo. Similarly, Cynthia could possibly be a younger version of Dr. Guzman.
    Epilogue
: For the bookend closing scene (immediately after the “Big Bang” scene), the director may choose to reverse roles. The actors playing Cynthia and Mr. Adamson may, for this scene, assume the roles (and costumes) of Dr. Guzman and Theo, respectively. In every other way, this scene would be identical to the opening of the play. This reversal was performed successfully for the US premiere production.
    Whiteboard
: As written, the board begins with a “random mess of diagrams, numbers, and words.” However, there is an opportunity to use the board in a more specific manner to underscore the theme of the play.
    For example, an apparently seamless four-panelled white board may be used. When the play opens, the words “The Big Bang” are seen spanning the entire board (e.g., diagram 1). As the play develops, the characters illustrate their dialogue with the specific drawings denoted in the script. The diagrams, words, and numbers should appear to be haphazardly sketched; however, each drawing is created and positioned precisely as per the diagrams.
    Near the end of the play, just prior to the “Big Bang” moment, the board appears to be simply a random mess (e.g., diagram 2). However, immediately after the “Big Bang” and before the epilogue begins, the panels of the whiteboard rearrange their sequence. The audience now sees that “The Big Bang” has been written, once again, across the entire board (e.g., diagram 3).
    That is, by
re-sequencing
the boards, the opening scene has now been recreated exactly. This technique was used successfully in the world premiere production.
    (diagram 1)

    (diagram 2)

    (diagram 3)

Additional Reading
    For those interested in reading more about the topics discussed in the play, you may wish to read:
    â€œDoes God Play Dice?” Stephen Hawking’s 1999 lecture. The full transcript can be found at: http://www.hawking.org.uk/does-god-play-dice.html.
    The Drunkard’s Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives
by Leonard Mlodinow.

Acknowledgements
    To have crossed paths with you, I feel:
    A. Lucky
    B. Blessed
    C. All of the above
    Thank you so much…
    Mandy Bayrami
    Ken Cameron
    Adam Carpenter
    Ellen Close
    Joel Cochrane
    Richard Cowden
    Lee Cromwell
    Ian Currie
    Trina Davies
    Brian Dooley
    Jennie Franks
    Anton de Groot
    Paul Distefano
    Annie Gibson
    Tuled Giovanazzi
    Jit and Cindy Gohill
    Jessica Goldman
    Braden Griffiths
    Terry Gunvordahl
    Taryn Haley
    Alana Hawley
    Louis B. Hobson
    Stephen Hunt
    Karen Johnson-Diamond
    Nancy Kawalek
    Kathi Kerbes
    Michelle Kneale
    David Krebes
    Prem and Shamma Lakra
    Laura Lottes
    Corey Marr
    Peter Moller
    Simon Mallett
    Kevin McKendrick
    Colleen Murphy
    Rich Orloff
    Mieko Ouchi
    Gordon Pengilly
    Michael Petrasek
    Sharon Pollock
    Brian Quirt
    Chad Rabinovitz
    Trevor Rueger
    Caroline Russell-King
    Kelsey ter Kuile
    Jenna Shummoogum
    David Sheehan
    Everybody Soin
    Blake Sproule
    Vicki Stroich
    Sasha Sullivan
    Wes Sutherland
    Vern Thiessen
    Margaret Whittum
    and, especially,
    Roopa, Taro, and Siya.
    I am grateful for the support and encouragement of:
    Alberta Playwrights’ Network (Trevor Rueger, Executive Director)
    Bloomington Playwrights Project (Chad