The Idiot’s opening monologue was underscored with several sound cues in order to set the absurdist feel for the show. The text is transcribed here with the sound cues.  Click on the icons to hear the sounds that underscore the monologue.

 

Idiot:  Now let us all, everyone, have a good night.  Amen.  Begin.

This is not the story of the horse with the acorn heart.  Not the story of God giving his glove.  This is not the story of Little Mouth bringing lamps to Jack Dark.  This is the story of the Idiot.  Pause. (heartbeat sound stops)  It is not a good story.  

 

The idiot is naked and dirty and stupid, and then the ending does not suit. Pause. (sound stops) Step.     

 

This is the story of how I was not born.  How I did not grow up, did not make my parents proud, and did not serve my country. I did not fall in love, fight the dragon, stay true, strengthen my fellow man, and this is that story.(sound fades out)

The Idiot sings her song as the hoods enter, then…

  

There’s more.  I am dirty and stupid and practically naked, and this is not a song.  I know a game.  I know the game of the pale idiot.  It is not a good game.  To play you must be naked and dirty and stupid.  There is no end to the game.  It is not a very good game.  Pause. (sound stops) In the beginning you must shit yourself and sing a song.  Now let us all, everyone, have a good night.

Here are additional effects used in this show:

  

Transition effect between scenes 1 and 2.  The cue was intended to create a shift from a very dark mood to a silly one.

 

  

The heartbeat of the horse with the acorn heart.

 

  

This cue fills the transition between scene 2, which takes place in the town, to scene 3, a dark scene with the Idiot and the Hoods.

 

 

The sound of a human heart, gradually increasing in tempo,  underscores the Idiot’s story of the farmer whose heart burst.

 

 

Transition effect between scenes 3, a dark scene with the Hoods, and 4, the arrival of the nutty Health Inspector to town.

 

 

Transition effect between scene 5, a Hood scene where the Idiot remains surprisingly hopeful, and scene 6, where the Mother’s Maid is tested by the health inspector.

 

 

Trasition effect going into scene 8 for the Blacksmith’s Apprentice’s idiot test, where things spice up a little.

 

 

Trasition into scene 9, after the blacksmith’s confession and into the Hoods scene the Idiot introduces by saying,     “This is my pornography.”

 

In addition to using recorded sound effects in this play, I directed the actors playing the townspeople to create live sounds of breathing during the interwoven scenes with the Hoods.  In each scene, the deep breaths reflected the different themes that the Idiot spoke of, including anger, fear, impatience and sexual pleasure. The actors were placed behind the seating risers to give the audience the feeling that they were surrounded. They breathed into microphones that were run through effects adding a small amount of reverb and echo to their breaths.