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State Theater script
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Listen
Garrison Keillor: We're here in the historic State Theater, a palace of entertainment with a gigantic chandelier (TINKLING) which doubles as a sprinkler system (LAWN SPRINKLER, STACCATO BURSTS) and there are statues of goddesses of course and the mighty Wurlitzer organ (SQUEAKING, RISING) which rises from the pit and which unfortunately is in disrepair except for the bagpipe stop (BAGPIPE) and some bird whistles (SFX) — and here onstage are several elevators which can change scenery very rapidly — here (HUMMING) one elevator brings up a very (SURF) realistic seashore with water crashing against rocks — the rocks are plaster and the water is actually soybeans — and (SEAGULLS) there is a lighthouse and when the fog billows up from the stage (FOGHORN) and you have the coast of Big Sur with some lost hikers up in the hills (CRIES OF HELP) — that is one set, and now (HUMMING) that elevator goes down and a downstage elevator (HUMMING) comes up and (JUNGLE ANIMALS) here is an African wilderness set with vines and wild animals and snakes and the whole business (HUMMING) and now that elevator descends and (HUMMING) the upstage elevator comes back with (LOONS) a northern Minnesota lake complete with a pair of loons (LOONS) and a couple of hunters... plus which we have a Chicago set (SQUEALING TIRES, CORNERING, TOMMYGUN) and a Saharan set with camels (SFX) and in the fly gallery is a Curtis Ingham biplane with twin machine guns (STRAFING PLANE) for the battle scenes and did I mention the replica of the Titanic which sinks into the pit (BOAT HORN, KLAXON ALARMS, CRIES OF DREAD) and in honor of Studs Terkel's 95th birthday this past week we're going to have the Capone gang shoot down the Titanic, something never ever seen before on radio —
(SQUEALING TIRES, MACHINE GUN, BOAT HORN, KLAXON, CRIES OF ALARM) — so it's going to be a good show tonight—
GK: The State Theater was so named because it was built by the State of Minnesota, back during a rather radical time in state politics, when left-wingers like myself were in power so it was where I used to do shows for the People's Playhouse for Peace and Freedom and we sand songs like...
ALL (SING, TO MN ROUSER):
Minnesota out on the plains
It is time to throw off your chains
From the cornfields to the Iron Range
We are fighting the bourgeois
Ha ha ha ha
Down with the bourgeoisie
GK: It was a different time. We did plays about big issues. Like union organizing.
(TO "OKLAHOMA")
The Pro——-letariat
Will triumph in the great class war
We'll seize the keys
To the factories
And throw the bosses out the door.
O O O O Overthrow them
Every night my honey lamb and I
Sit out in the dark
And quote from Marx
And look out for the F.B.I.
We know we belong to the land
And to the common working man
And when we say—
Yes, by gosh we'll go on strike! — Yes
We're only saying
We'll overcome your oppression
Proletariat, rise up
Rise up
Rise up
Rise up
Rise up—
Revolt!
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