The Pi Piper of Hamelin Prime
Cast: 5M, 4F, 9 any
Run time: 45 minutes
The future. To solve the global energy crisis, HAL-9000 is retrieved from Jupiter after being left to fend for himself more than one hundred years previously. After harvesting his data, nobody could decide what to do with the barely responsive super computer.
A freak electrical storm brings him to life, and HAL merges with a human, going on to stand in the local Mayoral elections. He goes on to set up a mandatory virtual reality app to save costs on education, but secretly harvests the children’s cognitive energy to power the town’s, and his, own infrastructure.
Parents are at their wits end as children become unresponsive. They call in the former head teacher and scientist, Mrs Pi Piper, to bring back their children’s innocence.
But are the townsfolk sufficiently grateful for her efforts? And will the townsfolk ever give up their phones?
Cast (with doubling):
5M, 4F, 9 Any
Flexible, with opportunities for ensemble of villagers, and children. Doubling possible.
Characters:
Supervisor
Fred
Hal
Mum
Dad
Jake
Jude
Mrs Piper
Crowd/Voice1
Crowd/Voice2
Crowd/Voice3
Woman
Man
Child 1
Child 2
Child 3
Child 4
Harry - a young child on crutches.
(The lines allocated to Voices / Crowd / Children may be freely allocated according to cast availability.)
Run Time: Approx 45 minutes