Ghost Light

Lately, I’ve found myself talking a lot about Ghost Light, a collaborative play that evolved from work between student writers, actors and musicians. It ran near to the end of Fall Term 2010. I stumbled across an excellent monologue written by Julia Mounsey ‘13, whose ideas inspired what would later become the script. It’s not often that student inspired work becomes one of the faculty directed plays and it was great to relive some of it. There’s a bit of it here but if you want to read more (and you definitely should, check out the link above).

PLAYFUL GHOSTS

1. I love creaking, but I love pots and pans especially. You go to bed and CLANG! The kitchen is full of me! I have so many hands. I love my hands, but I love your feet more, your tired footsteps down the stairs, your lovely head full of my hands, full of my pots and pans. You always smile. I love creaking, and I love your sheets. I pull them off to watch you shiver. I have so many hands, but no fingerprints mind you. I’ll never leave a mark, I love you too much for that.

2. Cold rushes in so fast it becomes hot, down my throat like a hand and I feel hoarse, I feel hoarse, I feel hoarse. Can you see me? You can’t see me. You can’t see me because there are fifty of me! There are fifty of me and then another fifty, and if you really saw me you’d be so scared that the cold would rush in hot like a hand made of ice through your throat all the way down to your belly and you’d be DEAD! Who’s pulling your curtains? Your shoes? Are they damp? Who is it? It’s me, all of me! All fifty of me!

3. You’re mine, darling. You’re all mine, darling. I pull all the books off the shelf with my breath because you’re mine, darling. Look! There! My hands tickling your doorframe. Did you see them? You’re mine, darling. And I’ll break your eggs and chew up your floorboards until you know it. I’ll suck at your curtains and walk up your windows and push ever so slightly against the bottom of your mattress while you sleep, until you’re down on all fours with your heart on your tongue, laughing, saying you love me.

In addition to that, during a completely unrelated Bennington works search I came across some of the music that was written for the show. My favourite bit outside of the actual music, was the musician list…