This play written by Choinacky (for 4 women/ non-binary performers) shares the story of the last two Shaker villages in the United States. This play explored the complexity of endings, death, and what it means to be be the last of a culture.
--PAGE EXCERPT--
VERONICA
Then you really are accepting the end?
BERTHA?
Well…it’s not quite like that…
ETHEL
It seems you are too. You said you heard the sound too.
VERONICA
Well, I thought your village could be my refuge. I was trying to escape the sound as I was trying to escape the awfuls of the world. That got me here. The sound had nearly vanished when I knocked on your door. But it seems the awfuls of the world are already here too.
BERTHA
The sound?
ETHEL
Blessed be.
(Above the rumble of the sound the tea kettle goes off, or perhaps it had been going off and they didn’t notice it over the rumble.)
BERTHA
I hope it’s not green tea you’re making!
(The tea kettle keeps going off. They are silent.)
Gertrude!?…Gertie?!
(A Pause. Gertrude enters she is holding her hands to her hears.)
BERTHA
Gertrude, the tea…
GERTRUDE
Did you call my name?
BERTHA
?The tea’s on! The tea!
(BERTHA runs off as fast she can.)
GERTRUDE
I can’t hear the tea over the roar. I’ve never heard anything like this before. It came on so fast. I thought it was just the house settling. But it kept going. And I thought it was an earthquake, but the room wasn’t shaking. And then I realized. Then I realized that this is it.
ETHEL
There’s only six of us left.
GERTRUDE
And she came. And it doesn’t matter that she came.
(The world shakes for them. Another punk show of four. Lights go out and sucks the sound away.)