Waiting for Mahmoud by Thomas M Kelly
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This Play is the copyright of the Author and must not be Performed or Copied without the Author's prior consentACT I, Scene One:
(Characters: GUNNY, DINH, VIEN, SETH, MICHELLE and HECKLERS.)
[We begin our play with a few noisy 'occupy-ers' They carry signs,
posters, etc. They are joined by others with back packs, bicycles,
maybe a person in a wheelchair, signs, posters, banners, and placards,
designating the various purposes of the “Occupy Main Street”. These
signs, posters, etc. are placed at random throughout the park, on
light poles, trees, etc. Tents, lean-tos, cardboard refrigerator
boxes, temporary shelters surround an open space. A nattily dressed
clean-shaven, balding, middle-aged man, enters with a noticeable limp
and using a cane. He massages his gimpy leg as he walks. He is
searching for a place to rest. The following scene happens quickly.
Everyone, accept GUNNY, is rushing. From the street at the stop
light, HECKLERS are heard over the dialogue every sixty seconds with
horns honking and jeerings. The intensity can be light at times.]
HECKLERS: (v.o.)
Get outta' our park you worthless no good slackers! Go home and take
a bath you pigs!
(Enter Mrs. DINH Nguyen.)
GUNNY:
Young man, ugh, ugh… could you ... ugh…? (Mr. VIEN Nguyen walks
through with non-stop intent paying no attention to GUNNY, followed by
his wife, Mrs. DINH Nguyen.) Ugh, Miss, ...
DINH: (Continues walking/backing away as she talks.)
Sir?
GUNNY:
What happened to my bench?
DINH:
All benches occupied.
GUNNY:
But,... I don't see them. Where'd they go?
DINH:
We move.
(From the street at the stop light, there are horns honking and
jeering by hecklers.)
HECKLERS: (v.o.)
Leaches! Livin' on our taxes! Ya lazy good fer nothin' bastards!
Ya' got it backwards!
GUNNY:
Move? Where?
DINH: (Turning, walking away, pointing.)
To other side of park.
GUNNY:
Do you know…..?
DINH:
I know nothing.
GUNNY: [To a woman (Enter MICHELLE) walking through the park with her
head down, eyes averted, intent on not being stopped.]
Miss? Could…?
MICHELLE:
Sorry, I don't have… (She continues walking.)
(GUNNY walks to the line of tents at the rear of the open area and
gingerly sits on the ground. DINH and VIEN enter carrying a collapsed
tent. They commence opening and spreading it out. They see that
GUNNY is in the way. After speaking quietly to each other, DINH
approaches GUNNY. From the street at the stop light, HECKLERS are
heard over the dialogue every sixty seconds with horns honking and
jeerings.)
HECKLERS: (v.o.)
Get a job! Take a bath you scumbag pigs!
DINH:
Excuse me, ...sir?
(GUNNY appears to not hear. DINH taps him on the shoulder.)
GUNNY: (Looking up at her. Pace of the play slows.)
Yes.
DINH:
Excuse me, sir. Could you move? We want to set up tent.
GUNNY:
I'm sorry, miss, but I'm in too much pain and I'm damned tired.
You'll have to find another place to pitch…, there's plenty of
room… . Wait a minute they don't allow tents. See that sign: NO
OVERNIGHT CAMPING. How do…(?)
VIEN: (Interrupting.)
This space is ours, sir. That man (Pointing.) over there assigned
this area to us.
GUNNY:
Well, you just walk over there and tell that man to come see me.
(DINH hesitates. GUNNY continues.) Well…?
DINH
We sign for this place here to occupy, sir.
GUNNY:
I don't care. This is a public ...
(SETH approaches, interrupts.)
SETH:
What's the problem, Dinh?
DINH: (Pointing at GUNNY.)
He no move from our space for tent.
SETH:
Sir, my name is Seth, Seth Reynolds. I'm the occupy organizer. This
space (Checking his clipboard.) is reserved for Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen.
GUNNY:
I don't give good god damn who it's reserved for, private! You show
me the piece of paper that takes my rights away and I'll fight you
tooth and nail and with a bum leg. Now how about it private?!
SETH:
Well, sir we have taken over,... well, we've occupied this park in an
orderly and peaceful manner. I intend to keep it that way.
(From the street at the stop light, there are horns honking and
jeering by hecklers.)
HECKLERS: (v.o.)
Ya lazy good fer nothin' bastards! Get outta' our park you worthless
no good bums!
SETH: (Continues.)
I've assigned this area to these good people who have been deprived of
their living by corporate greed.
GUNNY:
Corporate greed, huh?
SETH:
Yes.
GUNNY: (Smiling.)
Nothin' wrong with corporate greed, ask Gordon Gekko, heh-heh. Greed
is goo-ood.
SETH:
These folks are refugees from British Petroleum's pollution of the
Gulf of Mexico.
GUNNY: (Very gruff, loud, determined and meaningful.)
I don't give damn, private! I'm a refugee! A refugee from the
Bush/Cheney/Rove/Rumsfeld era of betrayal! I was told to search for
weapons of mass destruction. Turns out we were sent to Iraq to
assassinate a dictator. I come back half ..., or less a man. How's
that for abuse of power?!
(SETH, in his naiveté is taken aback by this gruff speaking Marine
and cannot respond. He is “shaking in his boots”.)
GUNNY: (Continues. Slowly.)
Now, private, you show me the paper that says I gotta' move! Better
yet ...get me a cop! A police officer… a uniform!
SETH: (Recovers somewhat.)
Well, sir,... that ...ugh.. that will be a little difficult. You see
ugh… we ... ugh…don't have permission, ... we don't have a permit.
We are here, well,.. illegally. We could find you a nice comfor…
GUNNY: (Interrupting.)
Illegally, huh? Now that's a god damned cryin' shame, private! I've
been votin' Republican all my life. I know my rights! I'm here
legally! You're worse off than me. Ya' see, this here (Exposing a
badly scarred leg.) That's not much of a leg left ta' stand on,
thanks to the Taliban, but that's OK… I volunteered for my country.
But you, private, you don't have any legs a'tall ta' stand on. Heh,
heh. Now ain't that a bitch?
SETH: (No response. Turning to the Nguyens.)
You can set up your tent next to this man, Dinh.
GUNNY:
My na-ame, private, is Master Gunnery Sergeant Morris Percival
Perkins, United States Marine Corps, retired.
SETH:
Sorry, sir.
GUNNY:
Don't get smart with me, private!
SETH:
S-s-s-s… Yes, sir. I meant… . Just being polite, sir.
GUNNY: (Waving his arm about.)
What's all this occupy business. Looks like a damned field operation
ta' me.
SETH:
All these people are a part of America's ninety-nine percent. Most
are working long hours for little pay,... with no benefits,... no
pension,... no medical insurance. Some have had their homes
repossessed, some homes are in foreclosure. Most have lost their
jobs. Some, ...like me, are underemployed. The Nguyen's shrimp boat
was repossessed and their home is in foreclosure. We are all part of
the ninety-nine percent. The remaining one percent, control more than
fifty percent of the financial wealth in this country.
(From the street at the stop light, there are horns honking and
jeering by hecklers.)
HECKLERS: (v.o.)
Curb the dogs! Get a job! Take a bath you scumbags! Ya lazy good
fer nothin' bastards!
SETH: (Continues.)
By occupying this park and showing our true intent we are practicing
our constitutional right to peaceably assemble and protest what we
describe as an outrageous travesty; the ongoing corruption that is
poisoning our financial and legislative systems.
GUNNY:
Now that's quite a mouthful, private.
SETH:
Its time for us to stand up and make our voices heard. Will you
consider joining us Master Gunnery Sergeant?
GUNNY:
Call me 'Gunny'. What's in it fer me?
SETH:
Okay, Gunny. What's in it for you? Well… Are you having trouble
with the VA? Have you had your house foreclosed?
GUNNY:
No. VA's been pretty good to me. Kinda' slow sometimes, but… And
no. Never stayed in one place long enough to own a house. Don't know
how Ah can help ya', private.
SETH:
Seth. Seth Reynolds. Not ... private.
GUNNY:
Gotcha', Seth. How come yer occupyin' 'n' protestin' here, in this
little bitty park… 'n' not in D.C.?
SETH:
Well, because all politics are local. This park is as local as it
gets. I grew up on these, checkerboard streets. The trees are the
right height. I graduated ...
(From the street at the stop light, there are horns honking and
jeering by hecklers.)
HECKLERS: (v.o.)
Leaches! Livin' on our taxes! Ya lazy bastards! Ya' got it
backwards!
SETH: (Continues.)
As I was saying, I graduated Columbia University summa cum laude with
an Executive Masters Degree Program in Change Leadership and the
Principles and Practices of Organization Development Certificate
Program and more than one hundred sixty-five thousand dollars in debt.
Now I can't get a job to pay off that nut. At eight-fifty-four an
hour as a barista, it'll take me twenty…thirty years.
GUNNY:
I don't speak much Spanish,.... baris….
SETH:
Barista. An Italian coffeehouse bartender. I operate an espresso
machine in a coffee house. I'm a commercial coffee maker, you know
like Peet's or Starbucks.
GUNNY:
Why didn't ya' just say so? I went inta' one 'a those fancy coffee
places once 'n' only once. Asked for a small coffee, black, no sugar.
She said, “One caffe Americano tall. One shot or two, Sir?” I said,
“No, I want is a small coffee, black, no sugar.” She said, “Would you
like one of our breakfast choices, sir?” “NO!” She said, “Thank you,
sir. That's one caffe Americano, tall.” I said, “NO! Forget it!”
and walked out. At least she got the sir right.
SETH:
You get used to it.
GUNNY:
Not me. I drank Marine Corps coffee for more'n 25 years. I know good
coffee.
SETH:
If you say so, Gunny. (Spotting a colleague in the gathering.) I
have to get busy. Maybe we'll meet for coffee later. I'll make you a
good cup.
GUNNY:
We'll see 'bout that.
SETH: ( Calling after JASMINE over-speaking GUNNY.)
Jasmine! Jasmine Clark! Can we talk? Wait for me!
(Lights down.)
End ACT ONE, Scene One
[end of extract]
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