STUDY GUIDE Forests - Tarragon Theatre

NOTARY
When I heard you say Gérard Keller‟s name, I felt as if time had come to a standstill. My father always
hoped to see this day and my grandfather even more so. This notebook became a legendary object in my
family. Would you like to see it? Come into my office. And since you‟re interested in Ludivine Davre‟s life
, I‟ll show you the strange portrait of the Keller family she painted herself. Come this way. We‟ve tried to
keep the notebook in the best condition possible, but as you can see, it has been through a lot. It was given
to my grandfather who passed it on to my father who passed it on to me. Here it is.
DOUGLAS DUPONTEL
Gérard Keller gave you this notebook!
NOTARY
Not to me, I wasn‟t born yet. He gave it to my grandfather, but it‟s a very emotional moment for me to give
it to you today. It‟s as if an era were coming to an end.
DOUGLAS DUPONTEL
Why have you decided to give it to us, without even finding out who we are and where we come from?
NOTARY
Because those were its owner‟s instructions. The original will was drawn up by my grandfather, Ambroise
Petit, notary to Gérard Keller. Gérard Keller, known in the local lore as Gérard the boy giraffe, called upon
my grandfather in 1951 to notarize the sale of a property located in the middle of the Ardennes Forest, and
to draw up his will. In his will, as strange as it might seem, Gérard Keller bequeaths the present sealed
notebook to whomever might come to inquire about him. And this bequest is to be executed automatically,
foregoing any references or verification. Apparently he was very explicit on this point.
LOUP
No one‟s ever come since then?
NOTAIRE
Obviously not. So this notebook now belongs to you. I am delivering it to you as Gérard Keller instructed.
And this is the painting I told you about. Gérard Keller gave it to my grandfather as a gift. You can
recognize Gérard Keller with the shaved head, but there is no way of identifying the other people.
DOUGLAS DUPONTEL
Ludivine was a painter?
NOTARY
Quite talented as you can see, but the war put an end to her aspirations.