I was born there

These stills are from a video of the first staging of

at The Williamsburg Art and Historical Center, October 21st, 2000.

"Stability returns. Keep watching the dials."

"Why such a bird exists is beyond me."

Maryanne Zeffero (age 86): "Here in the vicinity of an environmental calamity we are ever more sensitive to the threat of extinction caused by human shortsightedness. As I am the daughter of an exceedingly short-sighted man, I oversee all lectures touching upon his achievements, so when I heard you were teaching the lesson of the dodo, I rushed right over."

"The Lesson of the dodo is threefold."

Tomas: "Your peers are calling."

Harry: "Gentlemen, I have no words until the dodo is safely within the Museum of Natural History."

Jerri: "We don't celebrate Christmas anymore, but go shopping? Yes, we did."

Tomas: "I was born there, although my ancestors were Portugese."

Harry: "Our finances are secure. Yours too, dear. You can have anything you want."

"Your brother always brought us back fragments from ancient temples and the remains of wild animals."

Harry: "This one's wild, all right, but she's alive."

"Last month Raymond introduced a rare butterfly, believed to have been extinct for over a century. Raymond, what is the status of this creature?"

"It died."

"Yes, we had heard something of that. Well onto other matters. How many reservations are confirmed for this year's elephant dinner?"

Eerie music plays as Tomas wheels out the egg containing The Last Dodo in Wackyland.

Harry: "She is still a child and has yet to realize that she cannot fly. Incredibly, neither can she swim. Dodars fear the water. They believe that evil spirits live within it. Please excuse me. I will tend to the dodo."

Myessence (singing): "Let it show. You've got to Let It Go. I'll help you change colors and meet the jerks, We go out at night where a rainbow lurks, and it's Overload. Our love has Overflowed."

"I know what waiting is, for you to tell me what's in store."

Tomas (singing): "We prefer it when you vent your worst fear."

Tomas: "Do you see how vulnerable she is, how susceptible to death in the hands of her oppressors? This is why they nearly became extinct."

"Ring a ling for another long ding dong."

Tommy's just about the best friend that anyone ever had.

"I like this. Call me later. Leave your checkbook."

"I'm leaving. Be a civilized dodo."

"While the man I am with think he has tamed me, I intend to preserve my 'primitive insanity' and so called wildness. I intend to bring Harry over to my way of thinking."

Myessence has lost interest in me and I have yet to learn her secrte. She's excluding me. How to find it? Surveillance seems the only answer."

"You give it for a piece of bok choi."

Patroff (singing): "Every time I look at you I feel so happy, feel so good."

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