Hark said that he understood how we felt, but that he wouldn’t be involved in any programming, and said that we were embarking on our own.
After the meeting, a bunch of us stayed and talked about how we should get more support by showing the other students scenes from our plays when they aren’t expecting it. Maybe if they see how tame the scenes are, they will join our cause.
It’s so exciting! I’ve never been such a rebel before!
Yours truly,
Arthur Bean
Hey, Artie,
Come by my class after school today so that we can chat about your next article for the Marathon. I heard through the staff grapevine that you may be planning something rather controversial. I’d like us to cover our bases BEFORE you start writing.
Cheers!
Mr. E.
Dear Mr. Everett,
I’m really sorry. I won’t be able to make it!
Yours truly,
Arthur Bean
JOGO: The Show Must Go On!
By Arthur Bean
There was recently some drama in the Drama room that you may have heard about. The administration of our fine school decided that the plays written and directed by the grade nine Leg Breakers playwriting group were inappropriate for public viewing. Some of the Leg Breakers strongly disagree with the administration, so we have decided to continue with the play festival.
We know that the administration thinks differently than we do, but we don’t want to be quiet. Some of our plays may be rated M for Mature if they were movies, but they aren’t movies. They’re plays. It says right in the name that they are meant for entertainment. We’re just playing.
You’ll get a chance to decide for yourself if you want to join the Leg Breakers and our defence of free speech. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be eating lunch one day and happen upon a scene or two of us rehearsing out on the field. Or maybe we’ll be a dramatic flash mob during your Gym class. Anything can happen!
My mom always said, “playing is some of the best learning,” so please consider joining us, the Leg Breakers Rebel Forces. Grade sevens and grade eights will also be considered as new recruits. If you aren’t ready to be part of the solution, show your support in June by coming to our play festival. Plus, I bet you’ll laugh. Our plays are really great. But hey, that’s …
Just One Guy’s Opinion.
Mr. Bean,
See me in my office immediately.
R. Kraleigh
I got told that I have to print a retraction and apology in the newspaper for one of my articles.
i dont know what that means
Kraleigh pulled me into her office and said that I had to publicly retract my call to action about getting more members to join the Leg Breakers, or else!!
or else what? u get suspended??
She said that “the actions of a few can cause implications for many.” I don’t know what she means, but it sounds kind of vague.
yeah. empty threat. i say dont do it
Don’t do the plays?
no, dont do the retraction thing
I totally agree!
April 17th
Dear RJ,
I told the gang about what Kraleigh told me yesterday, and they were so mad. It was great, because I was kind of scared by what she said, but Ben thinks that she’s bluffing. He said that she’s just trying to scare us (and it totally worked on me!) and that we should call her bluff. Millie agreed with him, and so did Latha. A few of the other Leg Breakers said that they didn’t want to do their plays anymore, so we’re down to five plays, and the three who weren’t sure are definitely going to be out now.
Ben said that we should put up our scenes right after Easter in the cafeteria at lunch. When he suggested that, we all agreed. It makes me feel queasy, though. I’m really nervous. It’s one thing to write an article about it. This will be going directly against Kraleigh’s orders. I’m hoping that maybe it’s just because I’m excited about the idea, not scared! No one else seemed scared about the idea, except the kids who dropped out. And I definitely don’t want to drop out of the group. They need me!
Yours truly,
Arthur Bean
Happy Easter!
u 2 man
Thanks for your help with my commercial. It looks amazing.
i do look good in a wig
Your witch is the funniest by far.
i try
Are you and your dad doing anything for dinner tonight? My dad and I are going for Chinese food. Want to come?
can caleb come 2?
Probably. I’ll ask.
Yes. We’re going at 6. Dad says we can pick you guys up!
cool
Assignment: Macbeth Commercial
By Arthur Bean
(Scene: Battlefield. We zoom in on Macbeth and Macduff. They are fencing in an epic fight. Macbeth gets stabbed by Macduff.)
Voiceover: Hath this ever happened to thou? (Zoom in on Macbeth. He nods as he is dying.)
Voiceover: Then thou needeth a new brocade! Check out these newest fabrics, made of Kevlar, the strongest of all fabrics.
Macbeth: I do need that! But where do I get it?
Voiceover: Kevlar is made from the brew of three of the best witches East Calgary has ever seen.
(The commercial cuts to three witches around a cauldron. They are stirring a giant pot.)
Witch One: Double Double … knit and purl.
Witch Two: Made from wool of bat and tongue of dog. Very strong stuff!
Witch Three: And designed with the latest fashion in mind!
Witch One: Fit for a king!
Witch Two: Or a king murderer!
Witch Three: Did I mention how fashionable it is? I designed it myself. (Other witches groan.)
Witch One, Two and Three (pull the Kevlar vest out of the pot): Abracadabra!
(They all look at each other.)
Witch Three: Looks like we’re done here. (Pause.) When shall we three meet again?
(The commercial cuts back to Macbeth and Macduff. Macbeth is almost dead.)
Macbeth: Why didn’t they give me that when I last visited them?
Voiceover: Because thou didn’t ask for it by name.
Macbeth: I thought I couldn’t be killed.
Macduff: Silly Macbeth. The prophecy TOLD you I could kill you. Too bad you didn’t understand earlier and get some Kevlar.
(Macbeth dies. Macduff turns to the camera.)
Macduff (shows off the Kevlar under his coat): Kevlar. Unlike Macbeth, it’s a name you can trust.
The End
Arthur,
Your video made me laugh out loud today. I appreciate how much work you put into your script and the filming of your commercial. It was nice to see Robbie Zack making a cameo appearance as one of the witches. He’s such a tall young man now!
Well done!
Ms Whitehead
April 24th
Dear RJ,
We did a couple of scenes from our plays today, and it was crazy! We were in the cafeteria, and it was kind of like a flash mob. First, Latha started talking really loudly, saying lines from one of the plays, then Ben joined in and stood up, and then a few more people joined, and then the rest of us joined in. We really only had time to do a couple of parts from Ben’s play, and I’m not in that one, so I was just in the group that stood behind them in solidarity. Then we all yelled, “The Leg Breakers!!” and then Ben did a little speech about coming to our rebel play festival and supporting free speech. A bunch of people clapped, and then we went back to our seats.
Ben did most of the talking, because I didn’t want to always be the one at the very front. I told him that he had the loudest voice, and he’s so tall that maybe Kraleigh would be scared of him, but actually, I just didn’t want to be the one to do it. I was worried that I would get suspended from school on the spot or something. It’s kind of like in Macbeth. He gets spurred on to kill the king by his wife, but then he regrets it after and has nightmares and dies. I’d rather be Lady M
acbeth. (Not actually a lady, though. Come on!) She just tells him what to do, but never has to do the dirty work. I like that idea better. I don’t really want to be the face of a revolution.
The thing was, Kraleigh wasn’t there. Avril the lunch lady and Mr. Everett were the only adults there. So I don’t know if it was even worth it.
Yours truly,
Arthur Bean
April 25th
Dear RJ,
Well, clearly Kraleigh found out about our guerrilla theatre yesterday. She called an assembly for all the grade nines today. She said that a small group of grade nines “felt compelled to ruin the image of the school” and that she was cancelling our grad celebrations because of it. RJ, I’d never actually heard what an “uproar” sounds like, but I heard one today. Kraleigh couldn’t get control of the group again for fifteen minutes, because people were yelling, and some girls (including Kennedy) ran out of the room, crying. She said that we still had the power to turn things around, and that we should think “long and hard” about the choices that we make.
I can’t believe she actually cancelled grad! There’s still a bunch of us who were going to do our plays, but now I don’t know what’s going to happen. I kind of wish that we had never written plays to begin with.
I wonder how much Kennedy thinks this was my fault. It’s not all my fault. I hope she’s not mad at me.
Yours truly,
Arthur Bean
From: Kennedy Laurel ([email protected])
To: Arthur Bean ([email protected])
Sent: April 25, 17:20
I SWEAR, you are TRYING to ruin my life, Arthur Bean!!! You know, I totally get that you felt wronged and stuff, but you CANNOT go around doing whatever you want and ruining other people’s lives for your own stupid cause! You know I already have my grad dress?!?! What am I supposed to do with that?!?
You know how HARD the grad committee and I have been working!! It’s in the newspaper! I talk about it ALL THE TIME!!
I’ve been working this year on being a LEADER. Being a LEADER means CHOOSING BEST FOR THE TEAM. Maybe you should try it???
I supported you when you said that it was all about free speech, but now I think you’re just trying to show off with your dumb friends and your dumb plays! I don’t know what is going on in your head sometimes! I thought you were really smart, but it turns out, you’re MEAN and THOUGHTLESS!
Kennedy
From: Arthur Bean ([email protected])
To: Kennedy Laurel ([email protected])
Sent: April 25, 17:36
Dear Kennedy,
I’m sorry!!! It’s not about you! It’s all a misunderstanding! All we want is to do our plays. If you could see them, you would understand. Haven’t you ever been really proud of something and then had it pulled away from you and told that you shouldn’t be proud of it?
Don’t worry. I’m sure grad will happen. By Monday, Kraleigh will have calmed down, and grad will be back on. She’ll come around. She has to; we’re totally right about this whole thing. She just needs time to see it!
Yours truly,
Arthur Bean
i got the job!
What job?
as a jr counciler at flying spirit camp
What?! How have they made all their decisions already? You’re going back to camp this year?
ya but this time i get paid!
Do you know if they’re still hiring? I could be a counsellor too, maybe.
dude i applied in winter. i doubt that they are still hiring
So, that’s it? You’re going to work at camp all summer? What am I going to do?
be a camper who has to do all my chores haha
This is a disaster! I can’t believe they are done hiring for counsellors! I wonder if they would hire me because they know me. I’d be an awesome counsellor!
u could ask
I’m going to!
From: Von Ipo ([email protected])
To: Arthur Bean ([email protected])
Sent: April 27, 9:58
Hey, Arthur!
Crazy day on Friday, hey? I still say we stick to our guns! My auntie works for the CBC news, and she said that we could meet with her if we wanted to do something for the news. It would basically be the headline news if we want. Can you imagine? Kraleigh would lose it! I bet she doesn’t think we would do it!
Anyway, the gang’s all coming over this aft to rehearse and we can plan what our next move is. You free? We could basically film a whole news piece if we want. We can use one of my video cameras!
Let me know! Cheers!
Von
April 27th
Dear RJ,
I spent all weekend worrying about the Leg Breakers and the grad being cancelled. I told Kennedy that Kraleigh would change her mind over the weekend, but what if she doesn’t? Did I get the whole grad cancelled? I mean, I’m the one who wrote the articles about being censored. And what if everyone else starts to hate me the way Kennedy does? The whole school could turn against me. What if all the Leg Breakers have changed their minds over the weekend, and it’s just me and Von? I’ll have no friends again. And I really like the Leg Breakers gang. I want to hang out with them still!
Yours truly,
Arthur Bean
From: Arthur Bean ([email protected])
To: Kennedy Laurel ([email protected])
Sent: April 29, 19:06
Dear Kennedy,
OK, so Kraleigh didn’t change her mind yet, but did you see the Leg Breakers Stand Up! posters that were up today? I didn’t have anything to do with those, but clearly there are other students who think that we are right!
Yours truly,
Arthur Bean
Assignment: Macbeth Review
We’ll be attending the matinee of Theatre Calgary’s Macbeth on Friday. This is an excellent opportunity to see Shakespeare come alive onstage! I want you to keep notes about what you like and don’t like about the production. Things to keep in mind:
How are the characters the same or different from how you pictured them?
How well does the set work?
What themes are they trying to emphasize in the production? How do you know this?
How do the costumes and lights add to or distract from the play?
How easy is it to know what is happening?
Who is your favourite character in the production? Is he/she different than your favourite character when we read the play?
Due: May 8
MAY
From: Kennedy Laurel ([email protected])
To: Arthur Bean ([email protected])
Sent: May 1, 18:23
Arthur!
You have to stop your fight against Ms Kraleigh!!! She’s NEVER going to back down! It’s NOT FAIR!! I’ve worked SO HARD on grad and now you and your friends come in and ruin it?! I don’t know what your problem is! They are just little plays! You’ve written THOUSANDS of things, so why do you care about this one so much?!?
Kennedy
From: Arthur Bean ([email protected])
To: Kennedy Laurel ([email protected])
Sent: May 1, 20:50
Dear Kennedy,
I wish you could see the bigger picture here! It’s not just me. Maybe you don’t understand the whole story; it’s not just about our plays, it’s a question of free speech! I know you care about this too, otherwise you wouldn’t be on the newspaper. You said that you supported us before. Don’t give up now!
I wish I could help you, but this is too important. I’m basically the president of the Leg Breakers, and I need to stand by them.
Yours truly,
Arthur Bean
From: Kennedy Laurel ([email protected])
To: Arthur Bean ([email protected])
Sent: May 1, 21:32
But Arthur, it’s NOT about your plays anymore! It’s about the fact that you were told not to do something, and you did it anyway!! That’s
the problem!! I BET that you would have been allowed to do the plays if you guys hadn’t been SO STUPID about doing them in the cafeteria and writing that dumb article!
Kennedy
May 4th
Dear RJ,
Two more people joined our Leg Breakers Stand Up! group today. (That’s what we’re calling ourselves. I thought of it. I think it’s pretty funny.) Akaya and Yolande said that they wanted to be part of it, so Von invited them to our rehearsal. I don’t exactly know how we’re going to get them to be part of it, but I guess we can write more parts into the plays for them. We rehearsed for most of the afternoon, and then after that, Millie and I met Joie and we worked on my Social Studies presentation. I got special permission to have Millie help me do my presentation on the Plains of Abraham even though she’s in the other class. We’re going to re-enact the fight scenes between the French and the English. That way, we can fence in class! It’s going to be awesome. I’m actually getting to be pretty good at fencing. Deeter said that I have a good chance of doing well at the competition in June. That would be awesome. It’s cool, because I think I look pretty badass with all the bruises on my arms and legs. Robbie said that it just looks like I lose a lot because I’m clearly getting stabbed, but I told him that everyone gets hit on the arms and legs, and it’s the shots to the kill zone (chest and back) that count in foil fencing. (It’s not actually called the kill zone, but I like to say that because it annoys Deeter so much!)
Notes from the Life of a Total Genius Page 11