20050213 Coast Road

Title:-   20050213 Coast Road     Author:-    Paul Clarke    

Subject:-   Coast Road - Short Drama  

Location:-   North Coast, Madeira     Date:-    13 February 2005    Time:-    2pm to 4pm  

 Media:-   MiniDV, DVD      Duration:-   7 Mins  

Coast Road Short Drama

Coast Road
By Sue and Paul Clarke

Cast (all unseen, just heard):
Man
Wife
Tour Guide
Other Passengers
Coach Driver (actions only)

Scene
A holiday coach trip, packed mainly with senior citizens, is touring North Madeira. 
The coach passes smoothly along the sea front on a new dual carriageway. There are 
large waves breaking on the shore next to the road.
An elderly couple are looking out of the front window of the coach. The man is 
feeling bored, insecure and trapped. He would rather that the journey was over. But 
there is no way to stop the coach and get off. The journey has to be lived through all 
the way.

The view is out of the coach's front window.

[Establish presence of Tour Guide by voice, not picture. Keep view on window]

Tour Guide (into a microphone in a piercing monotone voice):
	…. We also have the Gulf Stream passing by Madeira, err, coming from, err, 
	central America and that makes the sea temperatures more or less the same as 
	the air temperatures the year round…. (She stops for breath).

[Establish presence of man by voice, not picture. He is a compulsive back-seat-driver. 
Keep view on window]
Man (casting doubt on drivers ability from now on.):
	The driver doesn't look well.

[Establish presence of wife by voice, not picture. Keep view on window]
Wife (as a steadying influence):
	Don't worry.

Tour Guide (into a microphone in a piercing monotone voice):
	…. We have a few waterfalls along here. Before we arrive at Saysharl, what 
	we propose is to do a little bit of the old road because that way those of you 
	who have not been to Madeira before, you will understand how it was very 
	important this work on the North coast regarding all the new tunnels and the 
	new system of roads that has been put in place in the last four years of the 
	Government of Madeira. So this road that we are going to follow a little bit, 
	before used to be both ways. Now it's only one-way round. (Proudly,) This is 
	the reason we say that we have the best bus drivers in the whole world.

There is a view of a steep cliff into the sea which looms dark and foreboding to the 
front right. There is the line of a small road across its face. The "oldies" are about to 
be taken on the big dipper of a lifetime. Hairpin Tours is going to give them value for 
money. It has a captive audience.
The last hope of a comfy ride, in the form of a modern, illuminated tunnel that is 
directly ahead, is about to be dashed.

Driver acting:
	Turns sharply to the right and into the narrow winding lane going steeply up 
	side of the cliff.

There is a sheer drop into the sea on the right. The cliff overhangs the road on the left.
The road surface is wet and slippery.

Passengers (realising the danger, all together, in alarm):
	Scream in fear. Shout "oh no", etc.

Driver acting:
	Continues on upwards regardless.

[To relieve his helplessness, from now on the man, who is convinced that the risks are 
too high, points out all the obvious hazards and ignores all the amazing views.]

Man (in helpless voice, explains the danger to vent his anguish):
	It's too steep.

[The man's statements of the dangers will become increasingly irritating. This is to 
build up additional tension.]

Driver acting:
	Continues up hill.

Man (in helpless voice):
	It's too narrow.

Driver acting:
	Continues up hill.

They round a corner and the wind starts howling.

Man (in helpless voice):
	We'll get blown off

They come down to some wet road.
[Keep winding the audience up.]

Man (in helpless, irritating voice):
	It's too slippery.

Driver acting:
	Continues along the narrow ledge of a road.

They round another corner and enter a dark tunnel.
Before the man can comment…

Tour Guide (who has done the ride a hundred times before, completely ignores the 
passengers' cries, calmly continues into the microphone in the same piercing 
monotone voice):
	When this road was built over sixty years ago, it was all hand made and using 
	dynamite for the tunnel so it was a lot of hard work I think.

The road emerges from the tunnel then another tunnel appears.

Man (in helpless voice):
	It'll cave in.

The road turns right under an overhanging rough rock cliff.

Man (in helpless voice):
	Rocks will fall.

The road gets narrower. The cliff overhangs even more.

Man (in helpless voice):
	Can't get under that.

The road ascends to a sharp bend to the left. There is nothing but sea to the right.
[Keep winding the audience up.]

Man (in helpless voice):
	We'll skid off.

The coach starts going down a steep hill. There is sea and waves far below.

Man (in helpless, irritating voice):
	It's running away.

The coach goes past more sea, then up a hill and away from the danger, releasing the 
tension and relaxing the audience. The coach goes along a road with an extended view 
of the coastline. It seems safe now. We are back in control.

Wife (in relief):
	It's an amazing view.

The relative safety does not last long. The coach approaches some more cliffs that 
overhang the road. Water is pouring over the top of the cliff onto the road.

Tour Guide (into a microphone in a piercing monotone voice):
	A few more examples of the quantity of water that we have coming from the 
	top of the mountains, from the springs

Water pours down onto the coach. Running water covers the windscreen.

Man (in helpless voice):
	He can't see where he's going.

The water is running down the road making it wet and slippery. The road descends. 
There is sea and waves below.

Man (in helpless, tiresome voice):
	We're slipping into the sea. (In a doomed voice) We're going to die.

Wife (irritated by her husband):
	Oh do shut up.

[Tiring of her husband's futile comments, unwittingly she has suppressed the thought 
that death is likely. It is now inevitable. There is nothing that can be done.]

[The audience are now unwound. Relax them a bit more before the final tension.]

The coach continues. The overhead water stops. It looks brighter. The worst appears 
to be over. Seagulls cry. But this is another false hope. The coach turns another bend.

There is an unexpected crash. The coach judders. 

Passengers (all together, in alarm):
	Short Scream.

There is another crash. The coach judders again. 

Passengers (all together, in alarm):
	Scream again.

The screaming is drowned out by the squeal of brakes. The coach is heading over the 
cliff at a sharp bend ahead. There is a big crash as the coach hits the retaining wall. 
The coach plunges over the cliff.

Passengers (all together, in alarm):
	Scream loud and long.

Through the coach front window, the sea surface comes up. It goes dark. The 
screaming stops. There is a large splash that fades out.

The End

7 Feb 05