School. What Drama made me do.

Necropolis
book by
Anthony Horowitz
Play-script by
Liam



Matt stands and follows han shan-tung. Richard and jamie come behind. Blackout.
The group walks through a corridor (from the left) of polished wood and enter into the second door to the right. Blackout.
The scene changes and they appear a large room made of wood, with pews around the sides of the room and a red curtain at the end.
The group walks on back to the audience until they are in the middle of the room.
Mr shan-tung: “You are in a triad lodge”
brightly before turning slightly sinister
“And you should consider yourselves very privileged. Only triad members and initiates are allowed in here and normally any outsiders would be instantly killed”
He has an evil grin which slowly fades before he continues
“We meet in this place on the twenty fifth day of each chinese month. There is a separate entrance from the street. You might be interested to know that an initiation ceremony lasts six hours.”
A creepy smile plays on his lips as he starts speaking and he seems to look into space.
“A new recruit is expected to answer three hundred and thirty-three questions about the society. He learns secret handshakes and recognition symbols. A lock of his hair is taken and he signs his name in blood.”
Richard: *mumbling* “Actually I wasn’t thinking of joining.”
Appearing not to have heard Shan-tang continues
Mr Shan tang: “I speak of our rituals to remind you that the white lotus society is very old”
Richard mumbles something which is heard as your … is old by the audience
*Again not appearing to hear* “Things have, of course changed with modern times. Nine hundred years ago, initiates would have drunk each others blood mixed with wine.”
Jamie looks as if he is about to spew.
“And there is another part of the ceremony that has fallen out of use. When China was enslaved by kublai khan, it is said, the society searched for a leader, the one man who might liberate them. That man would be known as the Buddhist Messiah and he would show himself by a sign…”
While talking Shan tang had made his way to the red curtain and now he pulls the cord to open it.
Jamie gasps and looks as if he is about to faint before composing himself. Matt steps forward.
Behind the curtain is a wall with a balcony at the top. The ladder up to it is made of 19 old but very shiny and sharp swords all with the blades facing up.
Jamie groans slightly.
Mr Shan-tung: “In my time as Master of the mountain, three initiates have claimed to be the buddhist Messiah”
The wicked slash evil grin appears on his face again.
“They asked permission to be allowed to climb the ladder and I was glad to give it. Watching their attempts was a fascinating experience. One almost made it to the top before he fainted”
Jamie looked like he was about to faint as well.
“Sadly he broke his neck in the fall.