Aileen McGroddy, a University of Chicago student, wrote an adapted absurdity inspired by Arturo Herrera’s Les Noces. Check out the Smart Adaptations Writing Contest and read some other great written adaptations inspired by artwork on view at the Smart.

Smarts
An adapted absurdity by Aileen McGroddy

At rise: EYES and EARS, facing each other in a rectangular room with a long bench in the center.The only light in the room comes from the stage right and left walls, projected on which are fragments of black and white drawings. The projections change at the whim of the robust chorus, which is heard from all angles.

EYES and EARS watch the images flash on opposite walls, the light sketching and shading their features as it shifts. Beat. They each switch their attentions to the opposite wall. Beat. Switch. Beat. Switch. Beat. EYES speaks, haltingly, with much aspiration:

EYES: I don’t know if it’s—yes. I mean—yes. I’m not sure—yes. I was just gonna say—the points of view—multifaceted points of view—yes. [Nods in agreement with himself. Looks at EARS, who looks back, silent.] Multifaceted viewpoints—yes.

[EYES licks his lips, produces a notepad and pencil. We can hear the pencil’s friction on the paper. Switch.]

EYES: The multifaceted—manifold perceptional viewpoint experience. Yes. Yes. [EYES sits on the bench, still watching his wall.] Yes. I was just gonna say that the experienced viewpoint of manifold perception [flips though notepad] No. No. No. No? Yes. [EYES rises and begins to pace, his gaze shifting quickly from the wall to EARS to notepad.] It’s this notion—yes—and it’s facets—yes—that I take issue with. The issue here—the point is that—yes. This point of the spherical situation that at at at this juncture the influence of the viewpoints is—yes. But of course, therefore, nonetheless we of course cannot hardly ignore the perceptions—

[By now EYES is ricocheting about the room, turning sharply on his heel with the same “randomness” that shifts the images on the walls. He begins to breathe heavily and tear furiously though his notepad. EARS notices, and watches EYES’ hysteria for a moment before turning his attention to the opposite wall.]

EYES: The conclusion, however, we have arrived at a conclusion, the conclusion that we have arrived at is therefore the arrival of the manifold of the perception of the said said said conclusion arrival. Yes. Yes. Yes! The arrival! We have arrived, and as referenced above the facets of the problem must be considered in the perception of the viewpointing coming to the arrival. The arrival! We have thus arrived, I was gonna say, that as above from the references that we have cited from arrival the many-faceted all-angles hyphenated arrival thus concl—yes. Yes! YES! NO! NO! F***!

[EARS considers EYES for a moment before switching. EYES hyperventilates, clutching the pad desperately.]

EYES: F***! No—I just wanted—YES—to point out the—point—no—I was just gonna say that it’s interesting—yes—interesting—the interesting point of—no!—interest that we have arrived in the conclusion—the manifold—no—the manifold’s perception of the conclusion’s arrival—no. No. No! No, no, no, no… No! [EYES, somewhat delirious, makes his way to the bench and curls up. The lights dance across his shaking body.]

EYES: No. No. No. I—no. I can’t—No! I can’t—know. I don’t—know. Know I can’t I don’t—no. No, I don’t know the I can’t know. No. I can’t—no. No. Know. I know I don’t—no.

[EYES begins to whimper as he shivers uncontrollably. EARS turns from the wall to squarely face EYES. EARS takes a few deliberate steps towards the shuddering body on the bench. As EARS nears him, EYES quiets his whimpers to belabored breathing as he looks up at EARS. EARS takes a breath with EYES. EARS speaks:]

EARS: How do zippers work?

EYES: I—don’t—Know.

[EARS gets on the bench with EYES and kneels beside him. As EARS speaks the following…]

EARS: I don’t know either.

[… they lace their hands together. EARS lays down beside EYES.]

EARS: Now.

The light from the projections carve out the shape of two bodies laid side-by-side, torsos rising and falling in synchrony. They listen to Stravinsky.

Scene.