Al Desmond
Inner circle
Secret Mountain Lair in Conifer, Co
1511 Posts
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Posted: Oct 1, 2012 01:31 am
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Over the last few months I have been collecting props and writing scripts for my new 1 hour paranormal/bizarre "magik" show, and I would enjoy hearing from Café members with critiques and feedback about the routines. And if you find anything useful in these scripts (or the whole script) please feel free to "steal" them. But please, if you do decide to use any of the material, make sure you adapt it to your performing style and not try to do the routines verbatim.
Quote: The Museum Obscura (Doug Higley’s “Dark Museum”)
(In this routine I’ve created an addition to Outlaw Effect’s canonical universe of Cornelius Hobbs by creating a secret venture of Hobbs… the Museum Obscura, which may have been connected to the Sanctum Society. This is to create some thematic arcs that are used in a number of the other routines in this act… such as “Duel” and “Lillian’s Diary.” This “fan fiction” was created with permission of Rick Roth)
Even before Robert Ripley opened his first “Believe It or Not!” emporium of oddities, Cornelius Hobbs was touring the west with his Mysterious Wonder Tour. Part sideshow, part science… and some would say part nefarious… the travelling show brought the wonders of the world to small town America.
(Take out the Sanctum 4 – Wonder Tour card and have it passed around during the next part of your dialog. You are not using this card for an effect, but as a supporting prop to the back story)
There was one section in the show tent curtained off from the general public. Hobbs called this his Museum Obscura. That special canvassed room was reserved for certain, "elite" visitors. Now there were rumors that these "V.I.P." visitors were in fact members of a secret society known as Sanctum and Hobbs himself was indeed a member. Little information is known about this group. Some claim they date back to before the Knights Templar. And their connection to Cornelius Hobbs was vague… and purposely so.
(Take back Wonder Tour card at about this point in your dialog and put it away)
The year was 1901 and the Mysterious Wonder Tour was set up in the once populated town of Brookville Kansas. But now the town was but a shell of it’s former self, and the meager attendance at the Wonder Tour that week could hardly pay for the meals consumed by his wife and himself. And when the Brookville Hotel was ready to settle up for room and board, Cornelius didn’t have the cash to pay the bill… so he cut a deal.
In exchange for the hotel bill Cornelius traded one of his personal exhibits to the hotel owner. (Take out the box). The owner didn’t know that this box was one of the exhibits housed in the secret Museum Obscura. There were three items in this box any they came with a curse and a strange responsibility… he who processed the box could never get rid of it unless all three items were touched by another human being.
Inside was a bundle of leather (remove the leather package and note, place the package in front of you, note to one side, but don’t open the package yet) along with a tattered folded note.
It wasn't long after the Mysterious Wonder Tour left town that the hotel owner wished he had never accepted this box as payment. Why? It could have had something to do with the three mysterious fires that started in his office… while he was sitting in his office. Perhaps it was the incessant ringing of his phone with calls from Room 101… which was odd… since there were no phones in any of the rooms. Perchance his customers were annoyed by the “guests” that visited their rooms… and then disappeared.
There were three “souvenirs” in this box that use to belong to a Peruvian shaman (start unwrapping the leather tote, revealing the head, the bony fingers and the monkey’s paw). A shrunken head, some boney fingers and a mummified monkeys paw. Rumor had it that these items were stolen from the shaman as he laid on his death bed.
Brookville Kansas eventually became a ghost town, and it’s last remaining resident, the hotel owner, ended up penniless, crazy and roaming the empty streets of Brookville with this box tucked under his arm until the day he died.
I would like one of you to assist me in a demonstration of the unusual powers of these objects.
(Select a spectator using your favorite method)
Personally I’m protected from the influence of these items due to some incantations pass down by my family… (spoken as an aside) remember those witches and warlocks I mentioned earlier… and hopefully those spells will be strong enough to protect you too!
(Now have the spectator handle and select the items, according to the “Free Will” principle that is part of the “Dark Museum” instructions. If the spectator is “fearful” of touching and handling the items, you can adlib a bit and humorously play up on their hesitations)
Did you really have free will in your choices… or did something else animate your decisions? I placed this note aside when I first open the box, and it has been sitting there, untouched for the last few minutes. Let’s read what is written on it.
(Proceed with the reveal according to the “Free Will” principle that is part of the “Dark Museum” instructions… you or the spectator reading out loud)
“I am holding the monkey’s paw.”
“You are holding the shaman’s bones.”
“And the shrunken head is in the box.”
(Start packing all the items back in the box during the following dialog)
Congratulations. Since you touched these three items you can now take procession of them… if you want to accept the responsibility of ownership… and possibly entertain a visit from the Sanctum Society. (End the routine with a “tongue in cheek” wrap up) If you want, you can see me after the show so we can arrange a substantial payment.
Input gladly expected.
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