Resistance Movement by Kathryn Moss
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This Play is the copyright of the Author and must not be Performed, Copied or Sold without the Author's prior consentACT I
SCENE 1
(Helmuth's make-shift attic bedroom. Darkness. In the dark, a small
flashlight clicks on and in its faint light we can just make out two
teenage boys, HELMUTH &RUDI, huddled up to a short-wave radio.)
RUDI: Where did you get it?
HELMUTH: (Winks and puts his finger to his lips) Sshh.
(HELMUTH fiddles with the radio dial and we hear the static as he
attempts to locate a broadcasting station. A station comes in.)
RADIO/HITLER: Wir können zerstört werden, aber wenn wir sind-
(Spotlights slowly fade up to reveal the remaining ENSEMBLE members
standing around the stage facing forward, providing the radio voices &
music.)
RADIO/HITLER (cont.)-wir ziehen eine Welt mit uns - eine Welt, in
Flammen! Sieg-
RADIO/ENSEMBLE: (Raising arms in the Nazi salute.) Heil!
RADIO/HITLER: Sieg-
RADIO/ENSEMBLE: Heil!
RADIO/HITLER: Sieg-
(Static as HELMUTH moves radio dial to new station. A German marching
song is heard.)
RADIO/ENSEMBLE :
Es geht um Deutschlands Gloria,
Gloria, Gloria,
Sieg Heil! Sieg
Heil!-
(Static as HELMUTH quickly moves the radio dial once again . . . then
we hear a drum play the first four notes of Beethoven's 5th
Symphony, the Victory call signal: Ba, ba, ba, bum-)
RADIO/BBC ANNOUNCER: This is BBC London! Here is the German news
broadcast.
(RUDI looks up at HELMUTH, astonished yet, eager.)
RADIO/BBC ANNOUNCER (cont.): 10th of August, 1941. As of 10 o'clock,
175 German aircraft have been destroyed in today's raids over this
country. In daylight raids, between 350 and 400 aircraft were launched
in two attacks against London and southeast England. About half of
them were shot down. The British ship Ark Royal was involved in battle
with German fighters, but despite the heavy firing, the Ark Royal
remains unharmed—
OMA'S VOICE: Helmuth? Rudi? Is that you up there?
HELMUTH: (Quickly turning off the radio.) Yes, Oma It's just us.
OMA'S VOICE: It's late. Rudi, you run along home before your
mother starts to worry.
RUDI: Yes, ma'm!
HELMUTH : Tomorrow night. Ten o'clock.
(RUDI looks longingly at the radio as HELMUTH clicks off the light.)
HELMUTH (cont.): Remember, it's a secret.
ENSEMBLE: (Marching in place and singing boisterously.)
Es geht um Deutschlands Gloria,
Gloria, Gloria,
Sieg Heil! Sieg
Heil! Viktoria!
Sieg Heil! Viktoria-
(Suddenly, the voice of MARIE is heard, soft and clear. The light on
the ensemble fades, and grows brighter in the kitchen area as she
sings.)
MARIE:
Be still my soul, the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently, thy cross of grief or pain-
SCENE 2:
(Wobbe Kitchen. Morning. MARIE continues humming to herself as she
works. RUDI enters and watches her a moment before speaking.)
RUDI: Thinking of Papa again?
MARIE: (She turns to him and smiles.) Guten morgen, schlafmütze!
RUDI: Morgen, Mutti.
MARIE: You were certainly out late last night. I was beginning to
worry.
RUDI: I was just at Helmuth's.
MARIE: Exactly. Helmuth's always thinking up some new scheme. And
you're always eager to go along, no matter how foolish or dangerous
it might be.
RUDI: Dangerous?
MARIE : You know what I mean.
RUDI: Mutti, that was five years ago!
MARIE: (Tussling Rudi's hair.) Yes, but I've had to keep a close
watch on you and Helmuth ever since.
RUDI: Helmuth's my best friend.
MARIE: I know. And I'm grateful you have such a good friend. I just
wish sometimes that he wasn't quite so . . .
RUDI: Brilliant? Gifted? Witty? Fun?
MARIE: (with a laugh.) . . . mischievous.
RUDI: (playfully taking her face in his hands, so she has to stop and
look at him. In mock solemnity.)
No mischief this time, Mutti.
(releasing her. She's unconvinced.)
RUDI (cont.): I promise.
MARIE: It just isn't safe to be walking around Hamburg so late like
that.
RUDI: I'll be fine.
(He picks up the newspaper and begins looking at it, as MARIE prepares
to bring his breakfast.)
MARIE: Rudi, you're all I have now.
(When he doesn't reply, MARIE turns to see that RUDI has stopped
listening. His attention arrested by a news article.)
MARIE (cont.): Rudi?
RUDI: It says here, that a British aircraft carrier named Ark Royal
has been sunk.
MARIE: What is it?
RUDI: It's a lie.
MARIE: What's a lie?
RUDI: The Ark Royal didn't sink. It's still afloat!
MARIE: And just how do you know that? Have you seen it yourself or did
you have a dream?
RUDI: I'm not kidding, Mutti. The Ark Royal didn't sink. The
newspaper is printing lies. This is the second time the German news
claims to have sunk it. Helmuth said-
MARIE: Helmuth? And how does he know?
RUDI: He just-He heard it somewhere.
MARIE: Rudi, this is exactly the kind of mischief I mean.
RUDI: But we have a right to know the truth!
MARIE: The truth? Whatever Helmuth says, you believe. But no one can
know for sure. We are at war; everybody lies.
RUDI: But how do we know everything they've told us isn't a lie?
MARIE: How do we know that it is?
RUDI: What if Germany isn't winning the war like we've been told?
MARIE: Slow down. You don't know any of this for certain.
RUDI: Father told me not to get mixed up with the Nazis. You know the
terrible things they've done to our Jewish friends-remember Dr.
Loewenberg? Why would they stop short at lying about it? Besides, who
would you rather believe, the Nazis, or the-
MARIE: The what?
RUDI: Or . . . Helmuth.
MARIE: Fine. Let's say Helmuth is right, the Nazi government has
been lying to us. What then?
RUDI: We can't just sit here and take that. We've got to fight
back!
MARIE: An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth?
RUDI: Are you saying we should do nothing? That we should just sit
here and do nothing while Hitler and the Nazis beat and kill and then
lie to us about it?
MARIE: No I am not. But there are better ways to fight.
RUDI: Like what?
MARIE: The best way to fight cruelty and dishonesty is with compassion
and truth.
RUDI: You really think we can overthrow Hitler with a little smile and
a hug?
MARIE: I believe it is the many small acts of love and kindness that
do make a difference.
RUDI: Yes. That's fine for you, but I want to do something big!
MARIE: I know. And I think you will someday.
RUDI: Someday?
MARIE: Yes-when you're older.
RUDI: I'm fifteen! When are you going to trust me?
MARIE: I do trust you, but I am not ready to lose you. Not yet.
RUDI: Mutti, I . . .
MARIE: Promise me you'll think about what I've said and above all,
that you won't do anything dangerous.
(The clock chimes. RUDI avoids answering by quickly preparing to
leave. )
RUDI: I don't want to be late. I'm going to Helmuth's tonight,
so I won't be here when you get home from work.
MARIE: Rudi-
RUDI: (with a grin) Don't worry. I'll be careful. Tschüss Mutti!
(RUDI exits. We hear the static of the radio dial tuning in a station.
As the scene shifts to Helmuth's room, we see two members of the
HITLERJUGEND standing at attention.)
RADIO/HJ LEADER: Enemy propaganda wants to break the German people's
will to resist by slanders, rumors, suspicions, and with political,
military, or simply general lies.
RADIO/HJ MEMBER: All regulations against listening to foreign radio
stations must be obeyed, not only because there are severe penalties
but also because it is an obvious patriotic duty. It is often only a
short step from doubting the justice of one's cause to the complete
collapse of the will to resist!
RADIO/HJ LEADER: The greatest danger of enemy propaganda is in the
phrase: “There must be some truth in it.”
RADIO/HJ MEMBER &LEADER: Heil Hitler!
SCENE 3:
(Helmuth's room. HELMUTH is reading a book and RUDI is fiddling with
the radio.)
RUDI: How long have you been listening?
HELMUTH: Only for a couple of weeks now. You didn't say anything to
anyone did you?
RUDI: No, of course not. But my mother still doesn't trust you.
HELMUTH: What? Why?
RUDI: The Lord Lister Detective Agency . . .
HELMUTH: (with a sudden laugh.) That was five years ago!
RUDI: I know.
HELMUTH: Is she ever going to let me forget it?
RUDI: Maybe when you're fifty.
HELMUTH: Afraid I'm going to lead you into more danger, is that it?
RUDI: Something like that.
HELMUTH: The only thing dangerous about listening to the radio is
getting caught doing it. And that is not likely to happen to two such
clever detectives as us. Besides, I only listen late at night after
Oma and Opa are in bed anyway.
RUDI: Even if they did find out, they wouldn't turn in their own
grandson to the Gestapo.
HELMUTH: No . . .
RUDI: I still can't believe your brother left a short-wave radio
here for you to use.
HELMUTH: As a matter of fact he hid it in the closet and made me
promise not to touch it until he comes home on his next leave.
RUDI: That sounds more like Gerhard. I have missed listening to those
great American songs though.
(HELMUTH begins singing "Moonlight &Roses". After a moment, KARL
enters.)
KARL: Guten Abend, Herr Professor. Sorry to interrupt your little
concert there.
HELMUTH: Karl, come in.
KARL: What's he doing here?
HELMUTH: He's in on the secret I'm going to share with you.
RUDI: I'm friends with Helmuth too .
KARL: It's just that I don't usually socialize with kids.
RUDI: You're only two years older than me!
KARL: Well, there's a big difference between fifteen and seventeen.
RUDI: Helmuth's only sixteen.
KARL: Well, there's a big difference between fifteen and sixteen
too. By the time you're Helmuth's age you'll be yet another case
of innocent childhood lost to the harsh realities of the adult world.
(Tussling RUDI's hair. )
KARL (cont.): So enjoy it now, Kid.
(RUDI scowls and knocks KARL's hand away.)
KARL (cont.): Oh, now the kid is mad.
(RUDI puts up his fists, ready to fight.)
HELMUTH: (Laughing) All right you two. I didn't bring you here to
fight.
KARL: Come on Herr Professor. What did you bring me here for anyway?
(HELMUTH steps aside revealing the radio.)
KARL (cont.): So this is the radio you told me about? What have you
been listening to? Do you get any good dance music on it?
(Pause. No answer.)
KARL (cont.): Well, come on, you two look as though you were about to
explode.
HELMUTH: It is not just any radio. It's has short-wave.
KARL: Short-wave? How far can you hear?
HELMUTH: Far enough.
RUDI: It's ten o'clock Helmuth.
HELMUTH: We want you to hear our favorite program.
(Helmuth turns on the radio. Once again, we hear a drum play the
Victory call signal. Ba, ba, ba, bum-)
RADIO/BBC ANNOUNCER: This is BBC London! Here is the German News
Broadcast . . .
(KARL leaps up and turns off the radio.)
KARL: The British Broadcasting Corporation! Are you two crazy?
RUDI: What's the matter Karl? You're not scared are you?
KARL: Listening to dance music illegally is one thing, but listening
to enemy broadcasts is treason.
HELMUTH: The British are not our enemies.
KARL: Look Herr Professor, I think this Allied propaganda has gone to
your head. Last time I checked the British were dropping bombs on us.
HELMUTH: We are being lied to, and the British are trying to get us
the truth.
KARL: You mean the British are the ones lying to us.
RUDI: No, Karl! Helmuth's right. Hitler is lying to us-about the
war and how well it's going.
HELMUTH: Every night at ten o'clock the BBC broadcasts a special
news program for the German people, to tell us the truth about the
war.
KARL: How do you know it's the truth?
HELMUTH: They are the ones with all the facts.
KARL: What facts?
HELMUTH: Whenever the German news reports a battle it is all glorious
victory for Germany and total defeat for everyone else. The BBC gives
numbers, casualties, admits setbacks and defeats for their own side as
well as ours.
RUDI: Tell him about the Ark Royal.
KARL: What's the Ark Royal?
HELMUTH: Just a British aircraft carrier the German news claims we
sunk-twice.
KARL: Twice? But-?
RUDI: See. Even you should know you can't sink a ship twice.
HELMUTH: (with great intensity.) Think about it. If Hitler was telling
the truth, why would the government control information so tightly?
They destroy or make illegal any information they can't control. Why
would they do that if they weren't lying to us? Listen for yourself.
You'll see.
RUDI: Come on Karl. What's the big deal? I thought you didn't like
the Nazi's?
KARL: Of course, I don't like the Nazis! But that doesn't mean I
want to risk my neck to listen to enemy broadcasts-
RUDI: But they're Hitler's enemies-
KARL: I understand that, all right?
RUDI: Don't you want to know the truth?
KARL: Of course I want to know the truth. I just-
(He stares at the radio for a moment, tempted.)
KARL (cont.): All right. Count me in. I can't have you two feeling
superior because you know more than me, can I? But listen, you better
keep your mouth shut about this, kid. I don't want to be arrested.
[end of extract]
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