Friday, September 28, 2012

The Beginnings of a Play: Untitiled

Play.




TITLE: KEY notes?



4.9.11.2012/ For nine eleven twenty twelve TITLE: ?

(Format will be off/incorrect. I haven’t done this in a long time.)



Concept: Keys on a cell phone.

Inspiration: 911 anniversary



Set= blank? though could be a café, a series of park benches or seats in plane with aisles, squares and shapes on stage? The letters grouped together as they would be on a key pad? Perhaps stage angled like in “Death and the Handmaiden”? Each letter should be wearing that letter? It screams but I just don’t think content is understandable otherwise- it’s an idea that may go nowhere- but at least I’ll know where to find it if I want to screw around with it some more. On a walk at CofC I wondered about just shapes - big white forms being on stage and perhaps them breaking apart or being pulled. An oval and perhaps a statue or an origami mobile of five birds in flight?



“S/he “ indicates male or female and to be grammatically correct would probably be more correctly phrased as (s/)he but I’ve never liked the look of it- too busy. Would be director’s choice as to whether or not to assign a gender ? And which gender to assign to a role. If in keeping with the writer (god love the guild) the pronunciation of s/he would be and is “sha-he”.





SCENE: shadow, indistinct, is seen exiting stage left. B and A waving goodbye to the unseen figure. Dialogue begins when shadow is entirely absent from stage.



A: s/he’s a 3.



B: A 3?



A: (exasperated) A 3!



(Long Beat)



A: What? (beat) you think I don’t know a 3 when I meet one? (beat) I am telling you s/he’s a 3.



C Enters scene



C: Who’s a 3?



B: No- not who what? (beat) what’ s a three?



(long Beat A and C exchange a look)



C: A 3 is a…(beat)



A: (beat) a 3 is a fed.



B slumps



C: (optimistically) sometimes they’re also deaf.



A: (laughing) Deaf and a fed (beat) at the same time! In other words a deaf fed (To B) We’ve always disagreed on that. (To C) The feds hear all.



B: So you’re saying s/he is a 3 and s/he hears all?



C: (To A) and nothing



A: (To C) and all



C: (To B) and nothing



B: at the same time?



C: (To B) Feds hearing all and nothing at the same time happens regularly (To A) so who’s the three?



B: (To C)S/he’s not a fed.



C: ( to B) Yes (beat) of course not



C: (to A) so who is the alleged 3?



A: B’s new potential significant (beat) or is s/he a potential potential?



C: (To A) B seldom distinguishes that for us (To B) - do you B? So is this new one-?



A: (interrupting) Who is a 3-



B: S/he’s not a fed



C: If A says s/he’s a three that should be good enough for me - so is s/he (extending last syllable)?



B: What? Deaf ?



C: Oh no-



A: (finishing C’s thought) is s/he a potential significant



C: (finishing A’s thought) or a just potential potential?



B: (Long Beat) What may (beat) what may s/he maybe be to me if s/he were to b a three?



A: In which case



C: there would be



A: (strident) nothing



B: (disappointed) to be (Long Pause) (with burgeoning conviction) but what is a three? what is a three but an eight cut in half!?



SOUND: A & C whistling like a sound of a dropping bomb as U storms in from stage left V storms in from stage right heading directly toward the A,B,C, threesome’s position. U and V both pointing and coming at B like incoming missiles.



U & V: (Shouting at B) YOU!



NOTE:- am going to play around with these U and V but just need to get the notes down: U & V = an imitating mimicry pair.



U: What is an 8?



V: but a three cut in half



(repeat once or twice more w/ altered delivery- very physically busy )



V: (disgustedly) typical from a B.



U: To B



V: or not be B



U: an eight cut in half



V: from a B! A B (tracing the capital letter at the curves)



U: talking about being half an eight (beat) A B!



C: (stiff and official)You- See here (beat) this is a private conversation



U: C here



V: C here



U: this is a



V: is a



U: private



V: private conversation



U: about



(U and V trade a look- something approaching from offstage)



U &V: (shouting) TIME!



T enters scene blowing a whistle and holding a stop watch followed by Y who is looking around baby wide eyed.



T: Time out, Time out



B: More like time in



T: (To B) you know I don’t really exist



B: You’re say that to me? To be?



A: It is the built in irony of the situation.



U & V: (shuffling feet back and forth, looking down. In muffled voices) What are you doing here T?



T: (Loudly) Getting a bit loud (lowers voice) in here. (beat) Z thought it heard something. And what’s this (mimics) What are you doing here T?- you called me



V: Not U



U: The other one



T: Z thought s/he heard something!



C: Oh dear



B: That would be bad?



(Y Enters stage-has been directly behind T or otherwise invisible via staging etc)



Y: Why? Why Z hear bad? (beat) I hear too!



(A, B, C, U, V, T: (Loudly to Y) SSSssshhhh…..



Y: Why?! Why Ssshhhh?! Why?



(A, B, C, U, V, T: (Softer to Y) SSSssshhhh…..



Y: (whisper-y) Why?



A: (pointing to B- distracting Y)Who?



B: (pointing elsewhere)What?



(Y is running from point to point as if chasing butterflies)



C: (Pointing to T) When?



T: (stands like samurai- holds up one finger and keeps holding it up) Where?



Y: (Turns and sees or bumps into U. Y Pokes U and shouts gleefully) You! (U and Y embrace?)



A: (Dramatically, handover heart to audience while holding up one finger) Where for/four



A,C: (Dramatically, handover heart to audience while holding up one finger) art



A,B,C: (Dramatically, handover heart to audiencewhile holding up one finger) thou?



(SOUND: A phone rings from first row of audience. LIGHT: Spotlight/s on the ringer. The ringer= G. G takes off his overcoat (obviously letters are written on front and back of costumes). G heads for and onto the stage, leaping should be involved.)



G: (back to the audience- arm outstretched toward U and V (stage)) I am for you!



A: No I? (to self) where for art thou without the I? (to B and C who like all on stage are watching as G prepares to declare his I am-ness to-…) Where for art thou and G shows up?





G: (To V) I am for you.



V: Really?



G: Gee (To V with increased conviction) I am for you



U: (hands clasped at heart)



V: Gee (beat) you must be mistaken



U: (form falls and looks dejected)



Y: Why?



G: (Won’t hear it- still to V) I am not B. (beat) I am G



U: (quietly, sound should fall on his) Gee



G: and I am for you



V: (Long Beat- V looking at G) That’s U (beat)(a note of mockery) over there (looking and pointing G toward U)



G: No (lightly challengingly as if G has found V out) You and V are one.



(U and V. look guilty down and away from the others as if they didn’t, and don’t really want everyone to know. )



U and V: Gee



G: U and V are (beat)



U and V: for G?



G,U and V join hands and run off stage:



G,U,V: Four!



T: Good thinking A



A: (mystified) Yet No I? Where for art thou and no I - but in walks in G.



Y: why



A nods not at all annoyed by Y, at present.



B: Why was it so easy for G?



T: Hangs out with Hi, I and four (beat) it doesn’t get any easier than that- a charmed position.



C: Neither Hi, nor I nor four would ever, ever interfere with G’s I m ing for a U (beat) or a V for that matter.



B: (Not entirely listening) (To C) Did G say eight was a one?



C: could be seen as two zeroes stacked on top of each other



T: (blows whistle) Okay enough of that



Y: why



T: (To Y) Because that’s how this all got started in the first place (To B) accusing an eight of being two threes!



B: more an 8 cut in half



T: (blows whistle- pointing off stage) And now Geez hands are full with fours. So no more cutting the eight. Or eight is really a three



A: (adding) A fed



Y: (suspiciously this time to T) Why?



T: I’m not a fed



A: or an I



C: Though arguably deaf



T: Yeah right (laughing) that coming from a see. (beat) You know what we call you don’t you? (Looks to A and b for prompting him forward but neither gives it. He looks to Y who just raises Y’s shoulders not at all interested. (Long Beat) Holy C. Get it? Holy C Like you have a hole (Long beat) C’s line doesn’t fully connect, never comes full circle- never (beat) views (beat) the entire picture. Thus Hole- y C. (long beat) Plus there’s



A: (clearly bored) yes and there’s the religious



A and B: reference



A,B and C: as well



A: (semi-rhetorically) and what was it T wanted us to call him last we met?



C: (matter of factly) Father time



T: Changed my mind about that (beat) instead of father time I’d prefer coach.



Y: Why?



C: (To Y) Don’t encourage him



T: (puts arm around B) So B your new potential potential (looks to A and C for) or is s/he a potential significant?



A: B never tells us



T: Because B doesn’t know



C: Never entirely sure (beat) but they always have a certain potential



A &C: more an uncertain potential



T: So which is it?



B: (Long Beat. To A and C) It was suggested that s/he’s a fed- a three



T: a fed? (Nods. Long Beat)(To A and C) deaf?



C: definitely



A: in your opinion



T: Well (long beat) I’ll be moving along then



(T Presses stop watch in Y’s face. Y merely blinks and tilts head.)



A: what about Z?



T: Ohhhh Z never shows up (beat) you know that alpha



(Intro M and N/ mmmm and no)



A: (nervously) Omega will be here any moment (long Beat)



(More M and N)



A: Omega will be here (beat) at any moment



(More M and N)



A: (more frightened) At any moment (beat)



C: (sadly) Omega will



B: be here



A: (Beat) Eventually (Beat) Someday



Y: (To B)Why?



B: A? (beat) Just up and does that sometimes.



C: (To T) Could be the alpha thing.



A: Oh right its just me, just me! Just me Time, the ever present question , to be and or not to be and let’s not forget the holy see (Traces the line of his C catches on the end) Yep you were right coach that line doesn‘t quite connect(beat) Does it? (looks at C as if A’s never really considered C before) a hole-y C? (draws a line through C’s middle spins C around)



M: Mmmm (beat) remind you of anyone?



N: No!



(Scene unfinished)



T: (to A & C) Could you give B and I a minute- why



Y is dancing around happy, T watches = very above it all.



T: Why don’t you call me coach?



B: Because that’s not your name.



Y mimes “ so there”.



(T: (with gravity ( no G does not appear back on stage but feel free to picture him falling from the ceiling))Again T says)))



T: (gravely): Coach (beat) however (beat) is my function (long beat) (B looks unconvinced) Some parting advice then: B, you’re in a tough spot. You’re placed between an alpha and incomplete omega.



B: (nonplussed) This from Time situated on an eight sitting next to you and very (beat) or perhaps not an eight but infinity at an angle and U (beat) and you



T: (interrupting) I don’t like to think about it that way



B: Who would? Just you and infinity and



Y: why



B: Precisely



T: (To Y)If not exactly (To B) Like I said (beat) I don’t like to think about it (beat) So about this significant of yours



B: not potentially significant?



T: I’ve learned a thing or two sitting on the eight with U all these years (beat) plus Z doesn’t hear for non-potentials or insignificants



B: What about Y?



T: Y’s a constant (beat) So your potential potential?



B: How are we back at potential potential? What about potentially significant or (long beat) or just (beat) significant?



T: It’s not my job to apply the appropriate label- be it fed or def or



B: significant.



T: Try not to think about s/he so phonetically.



B: What do you mean?



T: Not every keypad is designed like this. You’re not always going to have an A talking in one ear and a C talking in the other in fact you might not always necessarily be a B.























Will need that other vocab word. So far though its working for me.

Would like to have X enter scene. Would be entirely physical performance? At least initially because X is Y’s ex. I like it. BuThough writing is a very self indulgent hobby- might actually be one the most self indulgent hobbies there is. It produces nothing. (unless you’re produced or published and how much of that is actually worth a commodity as valuable as time?)



Do learn from it though. I read what I wrote even in something abstract like this and I definitely see me. I n old writing I see where I was and what I didn’t see.



Me, me, me, me -well no one writes from any other place- no matter what they’re writing.



Anyone who’d like to hear how it ends (as if it really does but for arguments sake let’s say it does)I have long had an idea about how the internet could be used to empower emerging- artists (in which I do include writers) on a small scale. Think micro donors like Obama’s campaign and the Green Mile Series by Stephen King (or Charles Dickens as the sale structure was the same)- I just need help to do it. On the other hand what I am thinking of may already exist and if does please be kind enough to tell me where I can find it on the web? If not then here’s how it would work- well crap if you r not an idiot that should already be pretty obvious and it would be a way the middle classes support artists rather than artsy types supporting their want of constant entertainment of one form or another.



When I say small and micro level I mean pennies, dimes and not dollars. Let’s say a penny as the floor show amount: is a penny worth reading more? Will you make the leap to a dime? If so where? (That’s what the New York Times should have done)



Anyway- Google says they own anything I write. So maybe they’ll finish writing this play- when they do let me know.