The Old Man and The Old Moon

Characters
THE OLD MAN – An old man whose job it is to fill the moon with liquid light. His journey in pursuit of his missing wife forces him out of his complacent lifestyle.
THE OLD WOMAN – An old woman who’s growing tired of her life filling the moon with her husband. She leaves her home in search of a forgotten memory.
MATHESON – The first mate of the ship and the narrator of the tale. Matheson loves telling stories so much that he commands the attention of the audience and the respect of his sailors.
LLEWELLYN – The youngest, somewhat naïve, spirited sailor whom the Old Man mentors and takes on as an apprentice towards the end of his journey.
MABELU – A sailor who has a good sense of humor and the best of intentions. He lost his precious dog years ago.
CALLAHAN – An ardent sailor. Never loses a fight.
COOKIE – An unhinged cook. Might be afraid of fire.
CAPTAIN – A fearless leader and most eloquent speaker.
PERRY – A legendary hero of the imperial fleet. First Naval Lieutenant Pericles Llewellyn McWallander was thrown overboard by his mutinous crew. He now spends his days inside the belly of a “prison fish.”
CLERK – Overwhelmed and unenthused each and every day at the boat shop.
MICKEY – The clerk’s young assistant. Wears his grandfather’s hat to work.
SOLOMON – A witty aeronautical engineer. Sibling of Bartley.
BARTLEY – A witty aeronautical engineer. Sibling of Solomon.
DOG – Her name is Lucy. Mabelu lost her years ago.
BARTENDER – Goes by Bill but that’s not his real name.
PATRON – Plays the piano but doesn’t take requests.
FINE LADY – She lives in town. Has a secret.
REBEL ONE – Rebel captain. Trying to avoid a fight.
REBEL TWO – Rebel soldier. Trying to start a fight.
BOATSWAIN ONE – A master boatswain.
BOATSWAIN TWO – A boatswain’s apprentice.
BEN – He has a store in town, but they’re currently sold out of everything.
GHOST SINGER – A dead sailor with a penchant for cabaret.
THE YOUNG WOMAN – The Old Woman, a long time ago.

Notes

This story can be staged in as many ways as it can be imagined. Here are a few things the authors learned in their time with it: Matheson might be telling the tale but the whole ensemble is creating it. Each scene has a primary set of characters in focus, but the ensemble moves as one around them, using lines or musical moments as cues to activate the stage when needed. This ensemble work is mostly exposed but can be hidden if it draws too much attention.

Cast the story however you like - with as many or as few performers as you have available. The original traveling production was built around PigPen’s founding ensemble and the roles were distributed as follows:

ACTOR 1 – (Ryan’s Track) – Plays THE OLD MAN.
ACTOR 2 – (Matt’s Track) – Plays MATHESON and FINE LADY.
ACTOR 3 – (Ben’s Track) – Plays BUTCHER, BEN, CALLAHAN, REBEL TWO and PERRY.
ACTOR 4 – (Dan’s Track) – Plays MABELU, PATRON and DOG.
ACTOR 5 – (Curtis’ Track) – Plays BOATSWAIN ONE, LLEWELLYN and GHOST SINGER.
ACTOR 6 – (Alex’s Track) – Plays THE OLD WOMAN, BOATSWAIN TWO, MICKEY, CAPTAIN, BARTLEY and YOUNG WOMAN.
ACTOR 7 – (Arya’s Track) – Plays FISHMONGER, CLERK, COOKIE, REBEL ONE, BARTENDER and SOLOMON.

This story can be staged in as many ways as it can be imagined. Here are a few things the authors learned in their time with it: Matheson might be telling the tale but the whole ensemble is creating it. Each scene has a primary set of characters in focus, but the ensemble moves as one around them, using lines or musical moments as cues to activate the stage when needed. This ensemble work is mostly exposed but can be hidden if it draws too much attention.

Cast the story however you like - with as many or as few performers as you have available. The original traveling production was built around PigPen’s founding ensemble and the roles were distributed as follows:

ACTOR 1 – (Ryan’s Track) – Plays THE OLD MAN.
ACTOR 2 – (Matt’s Track) – Plays MATHESON and FINE LADY.
ACTOR 3 – (Ben’s Track) – Plays BUTCHER, BEN, CALLAHAN, REBEL TWO and PERRY.
ACTOR 4 – (Dan’s Track) – Plays MABELU, PATRON and DOG.
ACTOR 5 – (Curtis’ Track) – Plays BOATSWAIN ONE, LLEWELLYN and GHOST SINGER.
ACTOR 6 – (Alex’s Track) – Plays THE OLD WOMAN, BOATSWAIN TWO, MICKEY, CAPTAIN, BARTLEY and YOUNG WOMAN.
ACTOR 7 – (Arya’s Track) – Plays FISHMONGER, CLERK, COOKIE, REBEL ONE, BARTENDER and SOLOMON.