Nick Silver Can't Sleep | Character Notes

a radio play for insomniacs

by Janice Kerbel

Study drawing for Nick Silver Can't Sleep © Janice Kerbel 2006.

Character notes

The characters in Janice Kerbel's Nick Silver Can't Sleep are all nocturnal plants and have each been developed in keeping with the individual species’ botanical qualities. They do not all necessarily grow in the same garden, though they each inhabit the night in specific ways. The central characters are never in direct conversation with one another. The play takes place toward the end of summer. It is very late and very dark.

NICK SILVER (Nicotiana sylvestris) is a nocturnal perennial that blooms every summer. He is a woodland member of the tobacco family. He blooms (is awake) both at night and during the day, although he is more alert at night (blooms droop during day). He is sweetly scented from sundown, and has an offensive scent during the day. He is a hardy and dominant plant, with little awareness of what goes on around him. He is not easily disturbed. He has hallucinogenic properties; he is a stimulant in low doses and a depressant in high doses. He is at his best when separated out from other plants.

NICK recalls a dream that describes the blooming/awakening of CEREUS GRAND. He longs to return to the dream so he can be reunited with her, though he does not know who she is. At the same time, CEREUS GRAND is approaching her own awakening in real time, and is clambering toward NICK. Lost in his own rhapsody, NICK remains unaware of her approach. He grows more tired as the play progresses. With his final lines of the play, NICK falls asleep and closes for the season.

MOONBEAM (Ipomoea alba) is a nocturnal evergreen climbing vine with twining stems and 8” heart-shaped leaves. MOONBEAM is hermaphroditic. She/he opens her/his flower nightly, and can have many blooms open at once. In ideal conditions, she/he can be kept in bloom most of the year. She grows fast, is vigorous and supports herself on other plants. She is invasive, loves water and sun, and has a scent of cloves at night. She is wild, and untamed and can grow to be quite old. She requires little care. MOONBEAM – a plant that has come into contact with many other plants by way of her nature – has an awareness of the other characters in the play, though never speaks with them directly. MOONBEAM comes from the morning glory familiar.

MOONBEAM detects CEREUS’s approach early on in the play. She recalls a brief encounter with CEREUS from an earlier time. Excited by the prospect of seeing her again, and aware of the fact that NICK’s eventual sleep will coincide with CEREUS’s awakening, MOONBEAM simultaneously summons CEREUS and attempts to put NICK to sleep.

CEREUS GRAND (Selenicereus grandiflorus) is a perennial climbing cactus from the humid rainforest. She has elongated stems with sharp yellow spines that scramble and hang like vines. She is a vigorous climber, and is both epiphytic and terrestrial (grows on ground and on other plants). She clambers on other plants, using her spikes to move herself forward. She is known for climbing trees, and is a nimble athletic plant. She dislikes cultivation and prefers her natural habitat; she is an erratic bloomer. CEREUS GRAND blooms just one night a year for 6-hour period. Flowering is a slow process – it can take weeks for an actual flower to bloom. When not in bloom she tends to look dead. Flowers are up to 30cm across with an intense scent of vanilla. CEREUS has narcotic aphrodisiac qualities with medicinal effects on the heart. She is rare and exotic and few have actually seen her bloom.

CEREUS is slowly making her way toward NICK. Her movement is a potential cause of disruption to the other characters. CEREUS’s awakening immediately follows NICK’s falling asleep for the season.

The CHORUS is composed of RIVER OTHERA (Oenothera macrocarpa), MARVEL PERU (Mirabilis jalapa) and ZED DRUMMOND (Zephyranthes drummondii). They are each nocturnal plants common to urban gardens with different properties displayed in the night. They each close their blooms during the day. They are neither male nor female (or can be either). Though they are not in direct communication with each other, they seem to have an awareness of each others’ presence. They take no note of NICK or MOONBEAM, though detect some disturbance in the garden in the form of CEREUS GRAND. They are each low growing plants and from similar habitats.

RIVER is from the Evening Primrose family. She is a low-growing herbaceous perennial and blooms throughout the summer; each flower stays open 3 nights before blushing from yellow to red, then wilting and falling off. During the day her flowers are tightly closed, unless the weather is bad when she will remain awake. Her flowers are large and exhibit a phosphorescent glow. She can be either male or female and is highly fragrant. She is drought tolerant and is wild and weedy. She demands little care.

MARVEL blooms every day at 4.00pm sharp and closes at sunrise, except on cloudy days. He/she is shrub-like and ornamental, and somewhat garish. He demands little care and is extremely tolerant of inhospitable conditions. He is invasive and long-living and has a strong sweet scent.

ZED is a solitary bulbous perennial who wakes/blooms when it rains. He/she stays awake/open one or two nights in a row. He is inconspicuous with a very sweet nocturnal scent. He blooms on and off from spring to autumn and is tolerant of a range of conditions.