\nCHARACTERS:<\/p>\n
DIRECTOR<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
(An almost barren stage. The lights come up on the DIRECTOR at his lectern, stage right, getting ready for his lecture. He checks his watch, his microphone, takes a sip from a glass of water, checks his notes, looks at the audience expectantly. Silence. Lights increase in intensity.)<\/p>\n
DIRECTOR<\/p>\n
Improvisation is key.<\/p>\n
(Lights stage left where MAN and WOMAN sit regarding each other. With no warning, WOMAN reaches out and slaps MAN\u2019s face.)<\/p>\n
DIRECTOR<\/p>\n
Oh, good. Conflict.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
Why did you do that?<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
You are an obstacle in my path.<\/p>\n
DIRECTOR<\/p>\n
The actor\u2019s purpose can be reduced to one question: \u201cWhat do I want?\u201d Often, the objective is simple: to overcome an obstacle.<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
You are an obstacle in my path.<\/p>\n
DIRECTOR<\/p>\n
To find a reason for being on the stage.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
But I love you.<\/p>\n
DIRECTOR
\nTo find a reason for being.<\/p>\n
(MAN and WOMAN regard the DIRECTOR in silence.)<\/p>\n
The actor can communicate without words. Dialogue is secondary to movement. The actor\u2019s body, his face, the intensity of his desire often renders language superfluous. This is the ultimate impasse: entirely dependent on words, the language play becomes unnecessary.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
Are you writing this down?<\/p>\n
DIRECTOR<\/p>\n
Tired.<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
How would I know it happened if I didn\u2019t?<\/p>\n
DIRECTOR<\/p>\n
Dead.<\/p>\n
(Fade on MAN and WOMAN. Long pause.)<\/p>\n
Let me demonstrate. Two characters in a room.<\/p>\n
(Lights on MAN and WOMAN regarding each other.)<\/p>\n
Standing. No props. What we need is a ground situation. Something elemental. Big. Love, for example. Or hate.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
I met her in a caf\u00e9 next to the train station. It was raining. She had forgotten her umbrella, so I offered her mine.<\/p>\n
(To WOMAN)<\/p>\n
Please, take it. I\u2019ll be ok.<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
Are you sure? I could just \u2013<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
No. You\u2019ll get drenched. Catch a cold. Catch your death.<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
What a strange thing to say\u2026<\/p>\n
DIRECTOR<\/p>\n
In the random encounter between a man and a woman, the man\u2019s biggest fear is that he will be ridiculed. The woman\u2019s fear is that she will get killed.<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
What a strange thing to say.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
I\u2019m sorry.<\/p>\n
(Pause)<\/p>\n
Would you like a cup of coffee?<\/p>\n
(Pause)<\/p>\n
She said yes. The rest is history.<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
The slow death of passion.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not what I meant.<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
D of P. It happens.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
What are you doing?<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
I want out. I have a lover. He\u2019s better than you. FYI.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t believe this. With no warning\u2026I thought we were happy. I thought we were meant to be.<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
You were happy. You never asked how I felt.<\/p>\n
(Pause)<\/p>\n
We met in a caf\u00e9 next to the train station. He had been following me, and I ran inside to ask for help. He approached me. Extended his hand. I screamed. I was afraid he was going to kill me.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
How can you lie like that?<\/p>\n
(WOMAN laughs.)<\/p>\n
Stop laughing.<\/p>\n
(WOMAN laughs.)<\/p>\n
Stop laughing at me! Stop!<\/p>\n
(MAN grabs WOMAN and covers her mouth with his hand. She struggles. He holds his hand tight over her mouth and nose. WOMAN stops struggling.)<\/p>\n
Get up.<\/p>\n
(Pause)<\/p>\n
Stop playing.<\/p>\n
(Pause)<\/p>\n
You\u2019re not scaring me. I am not scared.<\/p>\n
(MAN holds WOMAN in his arms. Rocks her gently. Cries.)<\/p>\n
DIRECTOR<\/p>\n
And fade.<\/p>\n
(Pause)<\/p>\n
Good. Now let\u2019s analyze the scene.<\/p>\n
(MAN and WOMAN stand regarding each other)<\/p>\n
The actor advances towards his purpose.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
Please take my umbrella. It\u2019s brutal outside. You\u2019ll catch your death.<\/p>\n
(Pause)<\/p>\n
She was so beautiful.<\/p>\n
DIRECTOR<\/p>\n
He deals with the circumstance, identifies the obstacle and overcomes it.<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not in love with you. I want out.<\/p>\n
DIRECTOR<\/p>\n
The actor achieves a maximum of expression with an active verb.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
But I love you!<\/p>\n
(WOMAN laughs.)<\/p>\n
DIRECTOR<\/p>\n
He connects with the other actor.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
Stop laughing! Stop laughing at me!<\/p>\n
(MAN covers WOMAN\u2019s mouth with his hand. She struggles. He holds his hand in place. She stops struggling. He lays her body on the floor, gently.)<\/p>\n
DIRECTOR<\/p>\n
He adjusts to the relationship.<\/p>\n
(MAN sits in the chair, crosses his legs, regards WOMAN\u2019s body.)<\/p>\n
He radiates and receives. He concentrates. He finds his Deep Jungle and emotes.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
(Breaks character)<\/p>\n
His what?<\/p>\n
DIRECTOR<\/p>\n
(Patiently)<\/p>\n
Every artist is connected to a space buried within his psyche: his Deep Jungle. This is where he runs with tigers. Here, he is Tarzan.<\/p>\n
(MAN lets out a Tarzan yell. WOMAN gets up.)<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
I want a raise.<\/p>\n
DIRECTOR<\/p>\n
What do you mean?<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
If I am to make a fool of myself next to Tarzan, here, I want a raise.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t have to yell. I was connecting to my Deep Jungle. I was freeing my instrument. I was taking leave of my senses.<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
Well put.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t mean that. Why do you make me feel so small?<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
Because you are small. You are a small man. You think you are powerful and attractive, but in fact you are ridiculous.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
Did you ever love me?<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know. Perhaps. But then one day I saw you. Your colossal insecurity, your ambition, your pettiness. The way you attack those weaker than you. The way you swell inside your clothes.<\/p>\n
(Pause)<\/p>\n
The way you eat your soup.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
Do you hate me?<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
No. Contempt, more like. Repulsion. Yes, that\u2019s it. You repel me. You are repellent.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
Like a raincoat. Protective. I am your shelter from the rain.<\/p>\n
(Pause)<\/p>\n
We met in a caf\u00e9 next to the train station. She was late that day. It had been raining.<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
Have you been waiting long?<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
I just got in.<\/p>\n
(Pause)<\/p>\n
I had been waiting for hours. I would have done anything for her. She was so beautiful.<\/p>\n
DIRECTOR<\/p>\n
Circumstances are important. They let the actor know what\u2019s at stake: what happens if he loses an argument\u2026moves out\u2026gets what he wants. What motivates him to say a line, perform an action. What price he has to pay. What is at risk.<\/p>\n
(Pause. DIRECTOR takes a sip of water.)<\/p>\n
He wanders through his Deep Jungle. He thinks: I am scared, or elated, or overwhelmed. He thinks: these are unnecessary emotions. He thinks: I have to act. He rests.<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
Listen, I have to tell you something.<\/p>\n
DIRECTOR
\nNecessary verbs will make him act. Action is more important than character. Actors do. He needs to do something.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
I am not being used.<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
You want me to use you?<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not what I mean. Why do you always change my words?<\/p>\n
DIRECTOR<\/p>\n
Last point: character. When the actor reads a character\u2019s lines on paper, he may not detect any movement. Psychological gestures are lost on him. He must try again. He must look under the surface for the delicate hints. He must look for change.<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not in love with you. I made a mistake. I\u2019m sorry.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
What?<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
I want out. We don\u2019t get along. Working together was a mistake.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
We work together just fine.<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
How can you be so blind? Listen to me: we\u2019re not fine. I don\u2019t love you. I\u2019m leaving.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
No.<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
I\u2019m sorry if this hurts you. I never wanted to hurt you, but I can\u2019t stay here.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
Who is he? Do I know him?<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
Does it matter?<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
These scenes are so trivial on the stage. The same dialogue, the same suffering\u2026Why does it hurt so much?<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
Because this is happening now. It\u2019s happening to you. This is your story.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t leave me.<\/p>\n
WOMAN<\/p>\n
Good bye.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t leave me!<\/p>\n
(WOMAN turns to leave. MAN shoots her. She falls.)<\/p>\n
DIRECTOR<\/p>\n
The actor must take into account the type of play to be performed. Naturally, melodrama offers certain advantages \u2013 exaggerated sentiment, large, sweeping gestures \u2013 but tragedies are better. The main action happens off stage. Does wonders for the budget.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
I need some help here!<\/p>\n
(DIRECTOR and MAN bring in a long table. They pick up the body and lay it on the table. For a moment, they lean in to look at the body and their posture should remind the audience of Rembrandt\u2019s Anatomy Lesson. Then DIRECTOR resumes his place at the lectern and addresses the audience.)<\/p>\n
DIRECTOR<\/p>\n
The Anatomy Lesson of Professor Nicolaes Tulp. Rembrandt.<\/p>\n
(Looks at MAN who is still contemplating the body.)<\/p>\n
We learn so much from the Old Masters. Self-reliance, and greed, perhaps even a certain pride in the idea of well-being. And yet, such an extraordinary contrast between the living and the dead, the stiff silhouette of the cadaver and the anxious movement of the actor watching it. This is a tragic mirror: the body in motion is confronted with the body in death. The spectacular lines of the silhouette are now completely still, the face once full of life is quiet, the mouth shut, the eyes closed.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
She was so beautiful\u2026<\/p>\n
DIRECTOR<\/p>\n
The play is coming to an end, and when the applause dies out, we hope that the same events will happen with the same intensity on this very stage tomorrow, and the next evening, and the next\u2026There\u2019s comfort in repetition.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
(Takes off his jacket, relaxes. After a while he walks to the table and looks at WOMAN.)<\/p>\n
I thought that went well\u2026How about a drink?<\/p>\n
(There is no answer or movement. MAN approaches WOMAN and touches her hand.)<\/p>\n
She\u2019s so cold. It\u2019s as if\u2026<\/p>\n
DIRECTOR<\/p>\n
The death scene is the actor\u2019s favorite part. It requires skill and effort, a certain sense of abandonment not easy to achieve.<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
Get up! Stop playing. Talk to me\u2026<\/p>\n
DIRECTOR<\/p>\n
Often, the intensity of the scene brings about certain \u2013<\/p>\n
MAN<\/p>\n
(Almost inaudibly)<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t leave me.<\/p>\n
DIRECTOR<\/p>\n
\u2026risks.<\/p>\n
(Fade on MAN frozen in the Anatomy Lesson pose, leaning over WOMAN\u2019s body. DIRECTOR takes a sip of water, checks his watch, smiles, almost embarrassed. Fade on DIRECTOR.)<\/p>\n
THE END CHARACTERS: DIRECTOR MAN WOMAN (An almost barren stage. The lights come up on the DIRECTOR at his lectern, stage right, getting ready for his lecture. He checks his watch, his microphone, takes a sip from a glass of water, checks<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":384,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[22034],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/requited\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/requited\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/requited\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/requited\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/384"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/requited\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=364"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/requited\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2025,"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/requited\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364\/revisions\/2025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/requited\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/requited\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/requited\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n
\n
\nDayana Stetco<\/strong> teaches Drama at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She is the Director of the interdisciplinary Milena Theatre Group. Her plays have been produced in her native country, Romania, in the US and the UK. Her collection of plays, Seducing Velasquez and Other Plays<\/em>, is forthcoming from Ahadada Books. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"