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Killer Queen-Bee

Absurdist theatre is a form of theatre developed in the 1940’s-60’s (Wikipedia,2008), derived from the absurdism philosophy, which states that the efforts ofhumanity to find meaning in the universe ultimately fail, because there is nomeaning. The absurdism belief was born from the existentialist philosophy, whichis similar in that it states that we are born with nothing, we strive to achievesomething, but ultimately we die with nothing. The followers of this philosophybelieved that the only way to escape the meaninglessness of life was throughfantasy or routine. (Wikipedia, 2008) Both fantasy and routine can be seen in thisplay, through the use of the absurd. Absurdist plays are relevant for today’saudience to give a social and/or political commentary on absurd or ironic aspectsof life.War is one of these aspects. The aspect of the human condition found at the coreof the issue of war, is the need for power and control and our tendency to followothers. The irony of this however, is that the power is controlled by few, and theydo not take risks, generally speaking, that will endanger them personally,however their actions can kill a large number of innocents.This play uses bees to metaphorically present this issue. It is set in a beehive,and the Queen Bee represents the head of the colony, and also the people inpower. She is a projection to help emphasize the disconnectedness and distanceof the people in charge from the rest of the colony. She sits atop of a honeycomb

stack. Honeycomb is also a symbol of order, conformity and lack of individualism,shown through the structured, patterned nature of honeycomb. The bees alsolook exactly the same, and move in synchronized patterns and this also helps toemphasize the point. The play is cyclic in nature due to the Queen Bee cradling abee egg throughout the play, and when she dies, the egg hatches a new QueenBee. There is always someone to take their place.

Characters:

Queen Bee

The Queen Bee is the head of the beehive. She represents people in power. Sheis a projection, and uses 3D animation to create her character. Her purpose is toinstruct the bees in the hive of what to do. She sits atop a vertically ascendinghoneycomb, to represent her power. She speaks in a very formal, but loving tone,and words her orders in ways to portray them in the best possible light. Even theworst orders sound fabulous when she says them.

Worker Bees

The other bees are the other bees in the colony. They all look exactly the same.They represent the general public and soldiers. They are all real, three-dimensional characters. The costumes are bee costumes. They speak in a veryinformal tone compared to the Queen Bee.

Set

Killer Queen-Bee

By Thomas Huxley

[Blackout. The opening bars to “Sugar Sugar” by The Archies plays, as the lights fade on toreveal the worker bees doing their “waggle dance”, as well as interpretive dance for the QueenBee. They all have smiles on their faces. She is overjoyed and joins in the song and dance.Honey trickles down the honeycomb. The song eventually finishes and they all stop and listen tothe Queen Bee who commands their attention. She cradles a bee egg in her arms.]

Queen Bee:

Good Bee’s of Hivetopia, to be Bee, or not to be Bee? That is thequestion I ask you today. We Bee’s are prosperous in nature andHivetopia continues to expand every day, our population doubling thisyear alone, and I for one welcome all those adorable little larvae. As our kingdom grows in size, we must go in search of new flower fields tospread our love upon and pollinate. Will you go?

Worker Bees:

[in unison]

Yes! Yes! We’ll go for you! We love you!

Queen Bee:

Excellent! Fly at one my beloved honey bunch! My dance will guide you.