Dionysus+5

= Dionysus' Rise to Olympus =

= = media type="file" key="dion5.mp3" The Radio Play

SCENE ONE
[MT. OLYMPUS]

__1. SOUND: SOFT, GREEK MUSIC (FUN, HAPPY) .__

2. HERA: (WICKED VOICE) I do not like how Zeus is spending so much time in the mortal world with that silly, mortal princess, Semele. I think I shall put an end to this right now.

__3. SOUND: MAGICAL, POOF (SPELL POOF, MAGIC) .__

4. HERA: Now I am disguised as a crone. The princess Semele will not recognize me.

__5. SOUND: SOFT, GREEK MUSIC FADES OUT .__

[GREECE]

__6. SOUND: FOOTSTEPS (WALKING PACE) .__

__7. SOUND: KNOCKING (HARD AND LOUD KNOCK ON A DOOR).

8. SOUND: DOOR OPENING (SQUEAKY DOOR/ THE TURN OF A KNOB) .__

9. HERA: (TIRED AND EXHAUSTED) Excuse me, but do you have a place I can sit down for a while? I have been wandering the land and am tired.

10. SEMELE: (SOFT, GENTLE VOICE) Do come in.

__11. SOUND: DOOR CLOSING (KIND OF HARD SLAM) .__

12. SEMELE: I was just about to eat dinner. Join me?

__13. SOUND: CHAIR CREAKING AGAINST THE FLOOR.

14. SOUND: FOOD BEING SWALLOWED (MUNCHING, SWALLOWING) .__

15. HERA: I see you are with a child, but I do not see a man anywhere around. If you do not mind me asking, where is your husband?

16. SEMELE: (PROUDLY) No, I do not mind, for my husband is none other than the great god Zeus.

17. HERA: I have heard many a man say that they are the great god Zeus. None of them are ever true. My husband said he was Zeus too. Surely even Zeus does not have that many wives.

18. SEMELE: (HAUGHTILY) I know he is Zeus because during a thunder storm, a bolt of lightning struck close and then he came to me. Surely that is a signal that he is the thunder god.

19. HERA: (SIGH) Very well, I see I cannot change your mind. But here is a suggestion that caught my fake Zeus. Make him swear by the River Styx to show you himself in his entire splendor. I asked him to do that, and he was not able to.

__20. SOUND: CHAIR CREAKING AGAINST THE FLOOR .__

21. HERA: Well, I thank you for the meal. I hope your husband is truly Zeus. You should always be able to trust your husband. (SIGH) Good day.

__22. SOUND: DOOR OPENING (SQUEAKY DOOR/THE TURN OF THE KNOB).

23. SOUND: DOOR CLOSING (KIND OF HARD SLAM).

24. SOUND: FOOTSTEPS WALKING AWAY (A WALKING PACE).

25. SOUND: EVIL LAUGH, WICKED WITCH .__

26. HERA: That ought to stop dear Zeus in his steps. I would love to see his face when he hears what Semele wants.

__27. SOUND: SOFT, GREEK MUSIC FADES IN (FUN, HAPPY MUSIC) .__

>>>>>>>>> === SCENE TWO === __1. SOUND: SOFT, GREEK MUSIC FADES OUT .__

2. SEMELE: Zeus, an old crone told me to make sure that you are really Zeus. (PAUSE) So, Zeus, can you grant me one wish please?

3. ZEUS: I truly love you, dear Semele, so I swear on the River Styx that I will grant you any one wish that you please.

4. SEMELE: I wish that you would show me yourself, the mighty Zeus, in his entire splendor.

5. ZEUS: Semele, please change your wish. I beg of you, please. I will grant you any other wish. Don’t make me show myself in all my splendor.

6. SEMELE: No. Zeus, this is the only thing I want. I need to make sure that you are the almighty god Zeus.

7. ZEUS: I do not want to grant you that wish, but I have sworn the River Styx and that is the most solemn oath of the gods. (PAUSE) I will gather my smallest storm clouds and choose my smallest lightning and then show myself to you in my true form.

8. NARRATOR: So, Zeus, knowing that no mortal eyes could see him in his true form, showed himself to Semele only because he had sworn on the River Styx. When Zeus showed himself to Semele, she caught fire and burned to cinders. Zeus was very sad.

__9. SOUND: CRYING (SCARED, SAD, DEPRESSED) .__

10. ZEUS: (SAD) No, my dear wife Semele! Why? (PAUSE) I must save our unborn son and find a way to keep him alive.

11. NARRATOR: So Zeus rescued his unborn son, and he sewed him under his leg to keep him alive because that was the only way he could think of. When the child was ready to be born he sprang forth as the god Dionysus.

>>>>>>>>> === SCENE THREE === 1. ZEUS: Hera cannot find Semele’s baby. We shall hide him from all evil that surrounds him. (EXCITEDLY) I know! I shall have Hermes hide this baby.

2. ZEUS: Hermes, I have this baby here, and we need to hide it from Hera because she is after him.

3. HERMES: So, Zeus, where is this baby?

4. ZEUS: Here he is. Take him and hide him. HURRY!!!!!!!

(HERMES RUNS WITH THE BABY TRING TO FIND A PLACE FOR THE LITTLE BABY)

5. HERMES: (HAPPLIY) I know, I shall take you to the far away Valley of Nysa.

[AT THE VALLEY OF NYSA]

6. HERMES: Here you go little guy, I will leave you here with a band of maenads. (PAUSE) Here you shall grow up with the tigers and leopards.

7. HERMES: BE SAFE!!!!!!!

>>>>>>>>> === SCENE FOUR === >>>>>>>>> [Valley of Nyssa] 1. NARRATOR: As Dionysus grew up amongst bears and leopards and nymphs, he came upon a crimson red juice that was leaking from a grape vine.

2. DIONYSUS: (CURIOUSLY) Hmm, what is that weird juice that won’t stop leaking from that vine?

(LOOKS AT HIS ANIMAL FRIENDS FACES)

3. DIONYSUS: Apparently my animal friends do not know what this drink is either; it must be an unknown drink. If there are no volunteers, I will taste it myself.

__4. SOUND: SIPS AND SLURPS (DRINKING A LIQUID) .__

5. DIONYSUS: (CONTENTLY AND ASTONISHED) Oh my gods! This heavenly drink is fantastic! I will teach all of mankind how to make wine in order to share this merriment.

6. NARRATOR: So off went Dionysus, teaching men how to make wine. Happiness and drunkenness were common sights. Though an all around good god, Dionysus was powerful, and he was about to prove that.

>>>>>>>>> === SCENE FIVE === >>>>>>>>> [A BEACH IN GREECE] 1. NARRATOR: While Dionysus was teaching people how to make wine and traveling the world, he lay down to rest on a beach. Pirates saw him and thought that he was a prince.

2. PIRATE 1: Look over there, on the beach is a sleeping prince!

__3. SOUND: DIONYSUS SNORING (A DEEP HEAVY SNORE) .__

4. PIRATE 2: Let us bring him on to our ship. We can make good profit ransoming him.

5. PIRATE 3: But what if he is not a prince?

6. PIRATE 2: He is so richly clad with expensive clothes and jewels that he has to be a prince.

7. PIRATE 1: Let’s get him.

[ON PIRATE SHIP]

8. NARRATOR: The pirates brought Dionysus onto their ship, but it was many hours until Dionysus awoke.

9. DIONYSUS: Huh? Where am I? I’m on a ship! I’m all tied up!

10. PIRATE 3: He woke up.

11. PIRATE 2: Which kingdom does his father rule? We need to know where to get the ransom.

12. DIONYSUS: You’re pirates! I have to escape!!

>>>>>>>>> === SCENE SIX === 1. NARRATOR: The Pirates kept asking Dionysus where he is from.

__2. SOUND: CURIOUS MUSIC (CONFUSED, COURIOUS) .__

3. PIRATE 2: Who is your dad?

4. DIONYSUS: My dad is none other than the mighty Zeus.

__5. SOUND: CURIOUS MUSIC FADE OUT .__

6. PIRATE 3: (SARCASTIC) Right… And I am Aphrodite’s secret lover.

7. DIONYSUS: Really! I am the son of Zeus.

8. NARRATOR: While this conversation was going on, grapevines were growing on to the ships boards.

(PIRATE 3 NOTICES THIS)

9. PIRATE 3: Uh…guys… maybe he is the son of Zeus.

10. PIRATE 1: Don’t be ridicu-

11. PIRATE 2: Whoa!

12. PIRATE 3: What is it? Those vines, they are a sign from Zeus. We have angered him.

13. NARRATOR: All three pirates jump into the sea, but Dionysus is a kind god, so he turns them into dolphins to roam and play in the sea forever. Then he makes course with this ship to Mt. Olympus to get the throne he deserves for spreading wine, kindness, and happiness to the world.

>>>>>>>>> === SCENE SEVEN === >>>>>>>>> [MT. OLYMPUS] 1. ZEUS: Dionysus, you have brought so much joy to mankind that I am going to give you a throne on Olympus.

2. HERA: I will not allow this madness; no son of a mortal will live on the almighty Olympus. Besides, there are not enough thrones for him to fit.

__3. SOUND: LOUD POUNDING NOISE (JUDGES MALLET, HAMMERING) .__

4. HESTIA: Dionysus can take my throne; besides, my true place is at the hearth and I do not need a throne.

5. ZEUS: Thank you Hestia for giving Dionysus one of the twelve thrones on Olympus.

6. HESTIA: You’re welcome Zeus. It is no big deal. I am usually at the hearth the whole time I’m up here anyway.

7. DIONYSUS: Thank you Hestia, but I still have one more question.

8. ZEUS: What is it my dear boy? I will do anything for you.

9. DIONYSUS: Before I sit down, I would like to ask if I could see my mother?

__10. SOUND: TOUCHING MUSIC (CALM, SOOTHING MUSIC) .__

11. ZEUS: It will be tricky, but since you have done so much for mankind I must let you see your mother. (PAUSE) You may even go down to Hades and bring her here yourself.

12. DIONYSUS: Oh thank you Zeus. I will go and get her as fast as I can.

__13. SOUND: FAST RUNNING (HEAVY BREATHING) .__

[HADES]

14. SEMELE: (EXCITEDLY) Dionysus, my son, I have not seen you in ages. Where have you been? How is your life? How is your father?

15. DIONYSUS: (EXCITEDLY) Mother, I am so glad to see you too. Zeus has said that you can join us in Olympus and be immortal like the great gods.

16. SEMELE: OH! That is great news. Let us get up to Olympus, fast. We don’t want to keep them waiting.

[MT. OLYMPUS]

17. ZEUS: Semele, my dear wife, long time no see. How was Hades? I am so sorry I burned you, but I did swear on the River Styx.

18. SEMELE: It is fine, Zeus. It wasn’t that bad down there. There were some nice people.

19. DIONYSUS: Finally, we are a full family. I am so happy and now I can take the throne which, by the way, was given to me by Hestia. Thank you again.

20. NARRATOR: So, everyone lived happily in Olympus. They were all rejoiced and had so much fun.

__21. SOUND: REJOICING MUSIC (HAPPY, CELEBRATION) .__

>>>>>>>>> === SCENE EIGHT === __1. SOUND: HAPPY REJOICING MUSIC CONTINUES .__

2. ZEUS: (PROUD) Ah, Dionysus, don’t you just love Mt. Olympus? It is so beautiful and fun.

3. DIONYSUS: Yes, I do love it here. Father, I am so glad you let me have a throne in Mt. Olympus. I am so much happier here, with you and mother, than in the mortal world.

__4. SOUND: FOOTSTEPS (A WALKING PACE) .__

5. SEMELE: Hello, men.

6. ZEUS: Hello, Semele.

7. DIONYSUS: Hi, mom.

8. NARRATOR: And so, Dionysus and his family lived on Mt. Olympus in happiness for the rest of their lives.

__9. SOUND: HAPPY REJOICING MUSIC FADES OUT .__