Brendan’s Journey
A full-length adventure tale
by Gillette Elvgren
About the Play: Brendan Finnloag was a sixth century monk from Ireland who followed in the footsteps of St. Patrick. He was known as a great evangelist, but perhaps is best known today as the monk who sailed from Ireland to Nova Scotia (and beyond). The myths attest to the possibility that he was really the first European voyager to discover North America. In this picaresque two person show we journey with Brendan and his companion Birt as they sail for the "promised land over the waves." In the tradition of "The Odyssey" they contend with a variety of beasts and men, but the real struggle is between the two travelers themselves, their disparate backgrounds and their shared secrets.
Cast List: 2 men/actors and one stage manager.
Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Place: The Atlantic ocean. Ireland. The Coast of America.
From the Play:
(Silence. A stand off. BRENDAN goes to slide projector. First slide appears. BIRT raises sail a bit to catch slide image. Like all of the slides they are woodcut drawings that resemble the folk art renderings so prevalent in illustrated books during the middle ages and after. The first slide is of a small dwelling, a woman. CARA is standing in the doorway holding a babe in her arms. An old priest figure with a staff is standing before her. In the background watching is a deer with antlers. BRENDAN picks up a stick that he will use to lecture with.)
BRENDAN: Travels with Brendan. Back in the mists of early time, when Christ's light was but a glimmer, a beacon beckoning men...
(Groan from BIRT)
set in the Irish sea, a place where heathens hung idols at their hearth and wrapped themselves in fear, was born in the middle of a...
BIRT: We've done that.
(Pause)
We've done the birth bit B. I covered it.
(Pause)
BRENDAN: I had suckled at my mother's burning breasts for nigh on one year when, like the ancient story of Hannah and young Samuel, the Bishop Erc came to claim me for our Lord. It was said that Erc had been weaned from the Druids by holy Patrick himself.
(He has gestured with his stick to the figure in the slide. BRENDAN has picked up a small bundle. BIRT appears as the BISHOP ERC with robes made from animal skins and a headpiece of woven leaves and branches.)
(As CARA. He holds "bundle" and takes up shawl.)
BRENDAN/CARA: Now remember, he doesn't like dirt. Dirt under his nails, dirt between his toes.
BIRT/ERC: Errrrr. He'll have to get his hands dirty with the Gospel. Helping the blind to see, the lame to walk-- it's not a clean business-- full of sweat and vinegar and spittle.
BRENDAN/CARA: He's not fully weaned. I suspect I'll have to come by. He'll drink from no other, 'cept the doe...
(He runs and gestures to deer in slide.)
Hinds milk he'll take. Likes to look deep in their eyes.
BIRT/ERC: Arrrgh! He'll eat gruel and fat drippings and sprouts till his ears turn green.
BRENDAN/CARA: And he likes to be rocked, like this, and he seems inclined toward the sea. He shakes when he gets close enough to smell the salt air, and his little hands start to move...
BIRT/ERC: We don't swim in our order. We don't bath either. No, he'll stay dry. He'll gather twigs and sleep on dead leaves from the rowan tree.
BRENDAN/CARA: Oh, I don't...
BIRT/ERC: Ach, let him be. He'll drown in your dugs woman. Now some might say that's a sweet way to go, but with us he'll grow hard like stone and tall like the oak and crisscross the land like the ley lines of old winning souls to that great Druid high priest himself, the Kingly Cristos. Now give him here.
(ERC takes the child. BRENDAN clicks another slide. This one is a drawing of a monastery with a tree growing outside, a well on the inside of the wall, a picture of old ERC with the boy BRENDAN, at his feet.)
