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adapted for the stage by Adrian D. Smith
The Story Teller narrates. He is dressed totally in black and never directly lighted. His voice should display a full range of emotions. He may gesture and move about as desired, but primarily serves as the vocal aspect of the play.
The Stonecutter never speaks. He pantomimes only. His actual props are a hammer and chisel, which he enters with.
The stage has seven platforms, each one a bit higher than the next. Size and arrangement is such that there is ample acting space, and the Stonecutter may easily progress from one level to the next higher level.
The play opens with a slide show. Slides are shown behind the action during the play, their content appropriate to whatever incarnation the Stonecutter is in at the time.
The stage is dark as the curtain opens. A slide show begins showing pictures of Ancient China, the people, land, cities, etc. During the slide show "Return To Innocence" by Enigma is played. As the music fades the slides end and the Story Teller, who has been seated in the house, leaves his seat and enters the dark stage.
Story Teller: Lost in the ages of Ancient China there was once a stonecutter, who was most dissatisfied with himself and his position in life.
Stonecutter: A pool comes up as the Stonecutter enters. The light is white. His garb is that of a Chines peasant. With a hammer and chisel he is cutting an imaginary stone. After a few strikes on the chisel he stops work, pauses in thought, then proceeds across the stage.
Story Teller: One day, the Stonecutter passed by the home of a wealthy merchant.
Stonecutter: Stops his move across the stage and reacts to the home of the merchant.
Story Teller: Through the open gateway the Stonecutter could see the many fine possessions of the merchant. Gems, precious metals, carvings, pottery and weapons. The Stonecutter saw many important visitors coming and going from the merchants home. They came to ask advice and buy his goods, to socialize and talk of important matters. "How powerful that merchant must be!" said the Stonecutter. "If only I could be that merchant. I would no longer have to live the life of a mere stonecutter." To his great surprise, the Stonecutter suddenly became the merchant.
Stonecutter: Steps onto the first level. He sets the hammer and chisel off to the side. The lights shift to a slight gold emphasis.
Story Teller: As the merchant, he enjoyed more luxuries and power than he had ever dreamt of. Those as wealthy as he respected and trusted him. Those less wealthy envied and detested him. He gathered more wealth and more possessions. But then, one day a high official passed by. The official was carried by four attendants in a sedan chair. There were more attendants to wait on him, and soldiers to guard and protect his person. The soldiers carried banners and flags which waved in the winds. They banged gongs and rang bells. Everyone, no matter how wealthy, had to bow low before the procession. "How powerful that official is!" he said. "If only I could be that high official. How much power I would have." Suddenly, he became the high official.
Stonecutter: Steps onto the second level. The lights shift to a royal violet look.
Story Teller: Now he was carried everywhere in his embroidered sedan chair. His soldiers and attendants swarmed about him, satisfying his every desire. All the people, no matter how rich, had to bow low before him as he passed, and they all hated him and feared his power. One hot summer day, as he was traveling through a village he became very uncomfortable in the sedan chair. He looked up to the sun which shone boldly in the sky. The sun did not bow down to him as all the people did. Not only that, but the sun made him hot and thirsty. "How powerful the sun is!" he said. "If only I could be the sun. How powerful I would be then. All people would bow before my strength, no matter who they are." He became the sun.
Stonecutter: Moves to the third level. The lights become an intense yellow / red.
Story Teller: Now he looked down on the Earth and all its people. They were looking up to him, wiping their brows as he shone his light fiercely down. As the sun, he brought discomfort to the rich and poor alike. He scorched the fields and dried up the ponds and lakes, for which the farmers cursed him. Laborers shook their fist at him as they baked beneath his heat. Then a huge black storm cloud moved between him and the Earth. His light could no longer shine on Earth below. The storm cloud rained down and replenished the ponds and lakes. The storm cloud rejuvenated the fields. "How powerful that storm cloud is!" he said. "If I were that storm cloud, how powerful I would be, more so than even the sun." Then he became the storm cloud.
Stonecutter: Moves to the fourth level. The lights become gray & dark blue.
Story Teller: As the storm cloud, he blocked out the light of the sun, bringing darkness to those below. He raged with fury, throwing lightning to the Earth, shouting with his voice of thunder, flooding the fields and villages. The farmers and laborers hide from his power and huddled together. Soon he found however, that some great force was pushing him away. He looked and saw that it was the wind. The wind was pushing him away from those he threatened. "How powerful the wind is!" he said. "If I were the wind, how powerful I would be, to hold power over even the storm cloud." He became the wind.
Stonecutter: Moves to the fifth level. The lights are white & sky blue with shadows.
Story Teller: Now he was the wind. He blew about with great force. He brushed the leaves off the trees, then uprooted them. He scattered the soil and damaged the crops. He blew tiles off the roofs of great houses, and the lesser houses he destroyed. The people sought to hide from his fury. But then he ran up against an object that would not yield to his power, no matter how forcefully he blew against it. It was a huge towering stone. "How powerful that stone is!" he said. "Not even I, the great wind, can shift it. How powerful I could be if I were that stone." He became the stone.
Stonecutter: Moves to the sixth level. The lighting takes a marble green tint.
Story Teller: Now he was the stone. He towered above the Earth. More powerful than anything else. The sun shown down on him, but could not cause him discomfort. The storm cloud raged with torrents of rain, but could not wash him away. The wind howled and pushed, but could not budge him. But then, one day, he felt himself being changed. "How can this be?" he said. "What can be more powerful than I, the stone? I have withstood the sun, the wind, the storm cloud. I bow to no official. I am for sale to no merchant. What can be so powerful as to change my form, that of the mighty stone?" He looked far down below him and saw . . . (From offstage the sound of a hammer striking a chisel. A tight white spot comes up on the hammer and chisel that were left on the first level. If slides are used, the projector is turned off.) . . . A Stonecutter. (The Story Teller walks offstage,the sound of the hammer striking chisel continues. The Stonecutter looks down at the hammer and chisel on the first level. All lights fade except the spot on the hammer and chisel. The hammering stops. After a moment of silence, the spot cuts abruptly.)
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