Divided We by Mary Alice Mark

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This Play is the copyright of the Author and may not be performed, copied or sold without the Author's prior consent

LIGHTS from a police car swirl through the auditorium mingling with
the changing lights onstage. GEORGIE, HY and JON set up cut outs and
preset tables. LIGHTS: from the police car fade as a search light
comes up, abrupt and furious outside. The searchlight illuminates MAB
and SARGE.

SARGE: Freeze! Get your hands up!

MAB: Turn the light out!

SARGE: Freeze! Get your hands up and walk towards me!

MAB: Oh Good God! Would you just go ahead and shoot me!

SARGE: What the hell-!?

MAB: Can you guys follow your own orders!? I can't do all of that
at the same time. I can't even see!

SARGE: Is that you?

MAB: What do you expect me to say? No matter who you ask, the answer
has to be yes!

LIGHTS: SEARCHLIGHT out abruptly. Then, MAB and SARGE become slowly
more visible.

SARGE: Why can't you see?

MAB: Someone is shining a spotlight in my face.

SARGE: Not any more. Don't you ever look at what's going on
around you?

MAB: Sometimes. When I can see.

SARGE: I turned it off. Maybe if you move your hands?

MAB: It takes a long time for my eyes to adjust-.

SARGE: -Okay, steady. Take whatever time you need. Aren't you
afraid to be walking through a dark alley, alone at this time of
night?

MAB: It's not a alley. It's a parking lot. There just aren't
any cars here yet.

SARGE: And you don't understand why people think you're high all
the time.

MAB: This is a restaurant. They open tomorrow. They're having a
meeting tonight-.

SARGE: -Believe it or not, that is the kind of information we have
at the station. What are you doing here?

MAB: I had to pee.

LIGHTS: change, SARGE and MAB fade as a SPOT LIGHT moves through the
room, settling on the stage just after MAB starts across it. DIVA is
as still as the cut outs until just before her line.

SARGE: And at your house, which is approximately five miles almost
due West of where we stand, when someone wakes up in the middle
of the night- -and that someone has to pee- -what is it the third hibiscus
passed the fifth banyan after the Palmetto Expressway?

MAB: That would be silly.

SARGE (Voice off?): So, you were actually inside?

MAB: Yes. I stayed a long time with the family and friends of one
of my students. Hy and Jon were out here on a break when I arrived.
They let me use the bathroom. One whole room is set up as a theatre,
they invited me to take a look around.

LORETTA: Shut up, pervert, remember, you're a guest here.

GEORGIE: That's not going to help anything.

JERSEY: Who asked your opinion?

GEORGIE: Come on, I work here, all right!?

LORETTA: They're actually paying you for tonight?

GEORGIE: They better be, they asked me to wear the apron. And, for
your information, I am expecting tips.

JERSEY: They told us nobody was getting paid.

GEORGIE: You aren't expected to help with prep, serving or clean
up, are you?

LORETTA: I wasn't planning on it.

DIVA: I can't believe he didn't budget anything for us.

LORETTA: Where is he anyway?

GEORGIE: Over there, with Jon, evidently trying to feed the unicorn.
Can I bring you another drink?

JERSEY: Yeah, sure! "The unicorn is a mythical beast."

TOM (From the shadows.): James Thurber-.

LORETTA: -Shut up, you faggot! Who invited you here anyway-?

GEORGIE (Moving towards exit for "drinks."): -Just don't count
them before they're hatched.

LORETTA: What's this?

SOUND: MUSIC; piano, Right Field ala Peter, Paul and Mary. Audible
background.

TOM: Please, take a few steps down, darling, let us have a look at
you.

GEORGIE: What are you doing here?

HY: We told her she could come in and look around.

MAB: I can't see a thing, can somebody turn that light out!

JERSEY: With the light out no one will be able to see you.

MAB: Why would anyone want to see me?

TOM: You are on the stage, darling. This is a theatre.

MAB bows and heads away from the light.

LORETTA: Where are you going?

MAB: Home. I'm tired. You're having a meeting.

JON and HY go towards MAB, she keeps walking.

JON: We wanted you to see the place.

MAB: Everything I saw, and can see, is beautiful. Thank you.

JERSEY: Hey, kid, we're all tired. Hang around for a few minutes.
What could it hurt?

JON (Taking MAB's arm.): If you have time to look around, we'll
help you down.

MAB: Thank you.

HY (Taking MAB's other arm.): Ready?

MAB: Yes.

MAB lifts her feet a tad. They pivot as one unit. HY and JON appear
to effortlessly carry MAB down the few stairs into the room and softer
LIGHTS. Then, for a time, many people speak at once. MAB peers
around reacting to the LIGHT and its changes SOUND: MUSIC under,
clarinet, Wonderland By Night.

JON: How is this?

MAB: Better. Thank you.

TOM: About three steps down stage, if you will.

LORETTA: No one said you could speak, pervert.

MAB: Mother, may I?

JERSEY: "Mother May I?" What's that?

GEORGIE: It's a kid's game.

JERSEY: Why would she say that here?

DIVA: Come on, if you must. Let's have a look at you.

GEORGIE: Mab?

MAB: Hum-?

LORETTA: If you have the nerve to make an entrance like that, you
ought to at least show yourself off.

MAB: Oh, sorry to interrupt. Jon and Hy said I could look around, I
looked around. It's beautiful! (Calling around to HY and JON.) Its
beautiful! You can do anything you want in here.

DIVA: That would be the point. It's a black box theatre.

MAB: Thank you. Pleased to meet you, and good night.

GEORGIE: Stick around, there's going to be bouillabaisse in
about, (Calling off.) what an hour for that bouillabaisse? (To Mab.)
You can stay for that, can't you?

TOM: Surely. Turn a quarter right, darling, so the entire audience
can see you.

MAB: Why are you over there by yourself?

GEORGIE: What are you doing out at this time of night?

MAB: I'm on my way back from my lessons.

JERSEY: Oh, your taking lessons, on whatever is in that case.

GEORGIE: At this time of night.

MAB: It's a clarinet. I give lessons. One of my student's
neighbors got arrested.

GEORGIE: So, you had to stay?

LORETTA: There's Hy, let's ask him one last time, he has to be
kidding. Otherwise, I'm not waiting around. It's been a long day.

DIVA: Hy! Hy! Come, be a dear, tell us this is just a big bad joke
and there is really a small, but adequate budget to do our first
play.

MAB: I waited for the attorney to get there.

JERSEY (To GEORGIANNA and MAB.): Wait, you two know each other,
right? And you're a kid, right, like what are you fourteen?

MAB: No. I am happy to say I'm of age. I just happen to be from a
the ancient race of leprechauns, so I am small.

LORETTA: Hy, come on, stop clowning around, I have a long drive
home.

GEORGIE: You asked an attorney to show up at- -what time was this-?
HY: No joke. We put everything we had into this. You are welcome
to use it.

MAB: I walked straight here, say thirty minutes ago.

GEORGIE: It's ten o'clock on a Saturday night!

JERSEY: How do you get that kind of service?

MAB: The son of the man who was arrested called the attorney from
the church-.

DIVA: -You go to church?

MAB: No. But the son does. And the attorney does, and I know both
of the them.

GEORGIE: The attorney from the church.

JERSEY: Wait, you're of age to do what?

GEORGIE: I hadn't gotten that far in my questions yet.

JERSEY: And you know an attorney who will show up at a friend's
house at this time on a Saturday night, because you asked him?

MAB: Yes, but in this instance, the son asked him.

PASTOR: I know the pastor of your church, he speaks well of you.

MAB: Thank you. But, it's not my church.

PASTOR: Of, course, it's Christ's Church-

MAB: -'m not a member-.

PASTOR: Why?

MAB: I don't believe in churches.

GEORGIE: You won't believe her stories.

JERSEY: We met once you know.

DIVA: Come on, come on down into the light. (RE: person playing
with lights.) He can't contain himself.

MAB: We've met? I'm sorry, I don't remember-.

LORETTA: Excuse us, Miss, if you are staying at this meeting will
you listen and cooperate! You have been asked twice to step down into
the light.

MAB (Confused.): Is there a stair in front of me?

TOM: Just take a few steps, down, darling.

JERSEY: Oh, come on!

Everyone laughs. MAB has no idea why, freezes. LIGHTS on MAB
intensify. As the others respond, ad lib, MAB starts, seems to
hesitate, then freezes again. She finally relaxes her knees to sit
"Indian Style." LIGHTS: lowering on MAB, move with GEORGIE.

GEORGIE (Entering with a tray.): All right, we have hors dֺ
oeuvres! There are monkey dishes preset, on the tables, right?

LORETTA: I have one, here.

JERSEY: Can I do anything to help?

GEORGIE: Well, look, I can't ask you to help-.

JERSEY: -Why not?

GEORGIE: There's already been too much of an issue about who's
getting paid.

LORETTA: Don't take that tone with me!

JERSEY: Don't let it get to you, come on. Let me help.

JERSEY and GEORGIE serve. LIGHTS: play. DIVA suddenly leans
forward.

DIVA: Oh! My ankle! Whatever are you doing there! Your street urchin
is after my purse!

MAB crawls into sight, up the two stairs and continues away across
the platform.

GEORGIE: Mab, say something. Stick up for yourself, will you!?

JERSEY: Are you all right . . ? (To GEORGIE.) Is she all right?

GEORGIE: Mab, someone is talking to you, will you say something?
MAB: I can not see. The lights hurt my eyes. Everything seems to
be moving. From what I could see the room is really super. Enjoy it.

GEORGIE: Where are you going?

MAB: Home.

GEORGIE: And the purse-?

JERSEY: -We don't think she did anything-!

MAB: -Is not remarkable-.

DIVA: -How dare you!

TOM: "-Not remarkable," not worthy of remark.

GEORGIE: Someone grab a dictionary-.

DIVA: -Have you any notion as to the cost of such a divine bag?

MAB: Have you any idea what it's like to be attacked by a
Christmas tree!?

LORETTA: Your behavior is shockingly unprofessional.

JERSEY: She's wearing her costume.

TOM: Some would consider that unprofessional.

MAB: What profession is that?

LORETTA (To Tom.): Nobody asked you.

JERSEY: That's a pretty good question.

GEORGIE: How did the play go?

DIVA: The play was magnificent! The audience was magnificent. And I
was magnificent.

AL: What time did you get done?

GEORGIE: Went to the cast party before you came here, huh?

JERSEY: Well, there was more than one party.

DIVA: We had to share ourselves among our many fans.

TOM (To MAB.): Start somewhere, Darling.

MAB: Rose's brother, right?

TOM: There it is! That's it. So easy. So, innocent. Truth now,
when did you first realize-!?

MAB: Well, I did think I heard an old, familiar voice.

JERSEY: Are you gonna let her get away with that?

TOM: Strike, "old," with what's left I have been called worse
things.

LORETTA: Oh, shut up you filthy faggot!

MRS. O'KEIRAN: What a hurtful thing to say.

MAB: Sir.

AL: She was at Duffy's when we got there, around four, sailing
right into the wind!

GEORGIE: You gonna help serve too?

AL (Teasing.): You gonna pay me?

GEORGIE: Take it out in trade.

JERSEY: Now you're talking.

TOM: Come on! Come on! Pick up somewhere, Darling.

GEORGIE: Did I hear you say, "sir?"

ALL (Freeze, speak in unison.): Sir?

MAB (Ashamed?): It slipped out.

[end of extract]

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