Stories and Prehistories

In a cave where a small clan of rudimentary yet surprisingly talkative “Bohosapiens” struggles to survive, daily life swings between macabre DIY inventions, dubious cooking experiments and unintentionally philosophical conversations. One day, Aki accidentally kills a wandering “Newanderthal” who was peacefully gathering mushrooms. The clan suddenly faces the threat of an inter-species conflict. Between attempts at hiding the body, absurd compensation proposals and growing internal tensions, the Bohosapiens cobble together a grotesque “neighbourhood agreement.”

But when the Newanderthals — far more evolved, polished and tech-savvy — arrive in the cave, the balance of power reverses: it is no longer the “primitives” who pose a danger, but the “civilised” visitors who casually consider eating their neighbours.
What follows includes kidnappings, domestications, twisted Christmas celebrations, inverted social hierarchies and cultural role-shifts.

In this exuberant fable, progress reveals itself as decadence, savagery swaps sides, and Darwinian evolution turns into farce — right up to the final extinction of the Newanderthals, who die not of violence but of terminal boredom in front of the television.

Date of writing2012

Number of characters7 to 8 characters

Cast3 or 4 men, 4 women (Possible doubling depending on staging)

Stage setPrehistoric Cave: animal skins, flints, fire pit, bones, painted walls. Newanderthal Futuristic Loft: designer sofa, television, kitsch modern décor. Hybrid Setting: a “modernised cave” combining both worlds — Christmas tree, TV, mixed artefacts from the two “civilisations.”

Copyright

The plays by Jean-Pierre Martinez presented on this site can be downloaded free of charge. However, performance rights, which constitute fair remuneration for the author’s work, are a legal requirement. If you are an amateur or professional company, please click on the COPYRIGHT tab in the menu to obtain performance authorisation.

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