1001 Nights Cast

Weapons ready?
Weapons. Ready.

Shut up.
Stand up.
Sit down.

Am I not the one asking the questions?

Would you like to wear a party mask? Would you like to wear a party hat? Would you like an orange or a banana? Are you a cheeky monkey? Would you like to take a card? Do you mind if I ask you some more questions? (Should we stop before we go any further? What is it that you need to understand? Why do you resist? Why not?) Is this the first time you’ve been here? What do you prefer: darkness or light? When you look into the eyes of an animal, do you think they can read your thoughts? When you look at the world, what do you see? When I look into your eyes, do you think I can read your thoughts? Are there any new ideas in the world? (Can you tell me about one of these ideas? To copy or erase—which do you prefer?) Would you like me to tell you a story? (What would you like the story to be about? How many people will die in this story? Will somebody be left to tell the tale when this story has ended? Is it better to end a story or leave it open for other possible endings?) Have you ever killed an animal before? (Did it look you in the eye at the point of death?) Can you tell me what it means to have ‘animal instinct’? Do animals cry? Do animals laugh? Are people smarter than dogs? Do they succumb to public pressure? Are you a rule breaker? Just answer the question. Are people stupid? Do you think life is a game? If life is a game, what kind of game do you think we’re playing?) What’s your point? Does it make you angry when you’re trying to sleep at night and that dog just won’t stop barking? Do you like being in the company of animals? Do my questions bother you? Would you like to kiss me? (Why not? Are you usually this honest? Don’t worry, I’ve washed my mouth out with blood.) Do I make you feel uncomfortable? (Why not? Are you usually this honest?) What do you prefer: truth or fiction? Or something inbetween? Would you prefer to live in a world without people? If you could be any animal in the world, what would you be?

Once upon a time we were skinned and skulled and hung up on hooks. We were not going to get a dog. We were pigs. We were the pigs. We were rolling in mud. We were tied to the gate. We were scratching into dirt. We were coughing up blood. We sucked bad blood. We did not invite them. We were wary of strangers. We asked them to keep their fangs in check. We walked away. We were going to walk till our bones rubbed into the stones. We were going to lose ourselves and forget to send a search party. We did not cry today.

Cos it’s-a alright now. Baby it’s-a alright now.

What I mean to say is: We had no answers. We were just staying alive to represent the procession of dead children. Staying in some safe house to shut out the noise. Staying safe and not falling. Staying a-political and staying low. Staying put in our various character roles. Which means we shifted. We had no choice. We had no money. We saw our lives passing before our eyes. We were making a film. In our heads. We were flirting with disaster. We died in a head-on collision. We fought to the last breath. We were on a hard slog. We are live and online. We had witnesses. We were anonymous. We were living. We sucked. We streamed it all, unconsciously. We once stood outdoors and that was really dumb. We should have stayed in. After all, we were under attack from Mars.

All we ask is for your patience.
Close your eyes.

Would you like to come with me somewhere? Would you like me to lead the way? Would you like to walk in silence? Would you tell me if you couldn’t hear anything? Would you hold out your left hand? Can you tell your left from your right? Would you take this tail of the donkey? Would you please put on this blindfold? Would you be prepared to come with me somewhere, right now? Would you like to come to a party? Would you like to bring a guest? Would you trust me if I were a stranger? Would you like to smoke a cigarette? Would you be prepared to lose all perception of time and space? Would you squeeze my hand? Would you take my hand and kiss it? Would you whisper something in my ear, something secret, something dark? Would you agree to disagree? Would you like this experience, the thing you’re experiencing, right now, to touch you deeply? Would you be frightened if I told you we may never make it back, that we may never return to where we came from, that we might indeed expire before our time, that we might never see the light of day again? Would you be prepared to keep this to yourself? Would you find it easier to just take off the blindfold and return to a point of safety? Would you feel more comfortable with this?

Would you like me to stop breathing? Would you like to be buried in the deep dark earth and suffocate in the soil? Would you like to stand perfectly still? Would you turn around twice, on the spot, for me, right now? Would you do this for me? Would you take a breath, pause for a second? Would you raise the donkey tail in the air? Would you pin the tail on the donkey? Would you do this for me? Take off the blindfold. Take off the blindfold, now.