Hwa Chong Institution (High School) Secondary 1

English Department Term 1

English Language & Literature The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

“From Page to Stage”: Dramatisation Script​ ​Austin Ching 

〜
The Airstrip 
 
SERGEANT: The cannonading has got the wind up in young Raleigh, sir.

(CAPTAIN) WALTER MITTY: ​(looks up at SERGEANT through tousled hair, says wearily)​ Get him to
bed. With the others. I’ll fly alone.

SERGEANT: ​(anxiously)​ But you can’t, sir. It takes two men to handle that bomber and the Archies are
pounding hell out of the air. Von Ritchman’s circus is between here and Saulier.

WALTER: Somebody’s got to get that ammunition dump. I’m going over. Spot of brandy​?
​WALTER pours a drink for SERGEANT and one for himself.
War thunders and whines around the dugout and battered at the door.
There is a rending of wood and splinters flew through the room.
(carelessly)​ A bit of a near thing.

SERGEANT: The box barrage is closing in.

WALTER: ​(with a faint fleeting smile) ​We only live once, Sergeant. Or do we?
​WALTER pours another brandy and tossed it off.

SERGEANT: I never see a man could hold his brandy like you, sir.

WALTER: Begging your pardon, sir.

​WALTER stands up and straps on his huge Webley-Vickers automatic (a gun).

SERGEANT: It’s forty kilometers through hell, sir.

​WALTER finishes one last brandy.

-1-
 WALTER: ​(softly) ​After all, what isn’t?
​The pounding of the cannon increases.
There was the rat-tat-tatting of machine guns, and from somewhere came the menacing
pocketa-pocketa-pocketa of the new flame-throwers.
WALTER walks to the door of the dugout humming “Aupres de Ma Blonde” to this tune:

WALTER turns and waves to SERGEANT.

​Cheerio!

〜
The Production 
 
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

with mentorship from Ms Josephine Phay and Mr Lan Yingjie 

-2-