James Yeary & Adriana and Holger Kramer

1. Your sister adjusted the spool, holding the fabric taut, it reflected in the mirror behind her, it's blue filled the rectangle completely. 2. She heard they were making more puddles. 3. Look at all those mailboxes. Do you remember which one is ours? 4. I ask your sister what sentence she wanted to say, and she said "I love you, Mama." 5. We are grinding our mirrors to soap. 6. The spool is a door. That which you cannot enter is your way out. 7. Africa the floor. Palestine the floor. Now travel without visa. 8. Worthy people, the anthem of God is on your shirt. 9. How can you get any two sentences to question and answer each other? 10. A play.

Scene: a theater space, the floor painted to look like the Palestinian flag (or is it South Africa?). Center stage is a tall blue spool of thread (wool), on top of which is a star, as you'd put on a Christmas tree. Sitting just to the left is your sister (stage left), sitting in a chair, knitting something or otherwise using the blue wool.

Scene: a tall and wide spool of blue textile, just small enough to fit through the doorway, both of which are center stage. The spool is directly in front of the doorway. To the left is a chair, where your sister is sitting. In front of her is a box made of stained glass. Its different sides show a number of objects: you decide what they are. On the wall to the left is a canvas painted the same shade of blue as the spool. It is the same size as the doorway. Stage right is a pinball table. The front of the stage is painted to look like a South African or a Palestinian flag. Your sister is knitting or otherwise using the blue textile to make some kind of object.

Characters:

Your sister, age 28
Your sister, age 8

Scene: as above, your sister, age 8 in the sitting role, knitting. Your sister, age 28 will appear from behind the blue spool some time before speaking.

Supply your own dialogue. Calculate 66 months ago, and determine what dramas and events affected and/or pertained to your family at this time. This will become the basis of the speaking parts for Your Sister Age 8 (even if your sister, if you have one, wasn't 8 at the time. This is a fictional play that uses your past as its source material.)

Calculate 66 weeks ago, and determine what dramas and events affected and/or pertained to your family at this time. This will become the basis of the speaking parts for Your Sister Age 28 (even if your sister, if you have one, wasn't 28 at the time.)

Scene: a tall and wide spool of some kind of blue thread, just small enough to fit through the doorway, which is rear center stage behind the spool. To the left of the spool is a chair, where your sister is sitting. In front of her is a lit box whose walls are stained glass. Its different sides show a number of objects: you decide what they are. On the wall to the left is a canvas painted the same shade as the spool. It is the same size as the doorway. Stage right is a pinball table, whose theme is The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, or some other theme, preferably one based on an iconic memoir by an icon of American literary history and a woman (again, your call). The stage floor is painted to look like the South African or Palestinian flag, or the flag of the African National Congress. Your Sister, age 8, is knitting or otherwise using the blue thread to make some kind of object. Your Sister, age 28, is waiting in the wings. Do something with them.

YOUR SISTER AGE 8: I love you, Mama...


by James Yeary

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3 of a series of 6 photographs by Adriana & Holger Kramer
The other 3 photos are not posted on this website in order to protect the identities of those involved; however, all 6 photos were on view at Beulahland during the event in June.