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THE BREAD OF SALT

Characters

BOY main character of the play (Note: He doesnt have a name in the story..)

AIDA object of the boys affections

PETE SAEZ guy who invites the boy to join his band

OTHER BANDMATES preferably two guys

JOSEFINA AND ALICIA Aidas cousins (Note: Maybe we could just mention them

instead of adding them to the play? What do you guys think?)

Sets

Set in 1930s Philippines

Scenes

1. Boy goes to bakeshop and buyspandesal. After buying, he heads home, passing by

Aidas house. Soliloquy of boy about Aida.

2. In school, the boy is shown to excel in his class, especially in the violin. Pete Saez

invites the boy to join his band. He hears that Aida will spend her Christmas vacation

out of town.

3. School again, Christmas party. Pete tells boy that their band has been hired to play in

Aidas house. There will be a surprise party for Aidas cousins. The boy talks to Aida

and discovers that she wont be spending her Christmas vacation out of town.

4. Aidas House. Party starts while band plays. Aida appears and then starts to play the

harp.5. Finally, the band stops playing, and they are ushered to the food. The boy sees the

yema and stuffs his mouth with it, even wrapping some in napkin paper. Aida sees

him and offers to wrap a big package for him.

6. The boy heads out the balcony, all his affection for Aida gone. He throws theyema

out of the balcony.

7. The party is over. The boy invites Pete to go to the bakeshop and buy bread.

The starring Filipino element in the story was the pan de sal (bread of salt). This is an

illusion that portrays the violinist doing an errand --- a tradition of young Filipinos

sent each morning to the bakery to buy pan de sal for the family's breakfast

The Bread of Salt is about coming to real life---waking up from a long night's fantasy

(his fantasy or his love for Aida). The unnamed boy in the story is pushed aside

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"down-to-earth" life and sought dreams that could not simply come true---achieve the

girl he likes---Aida.