In and Out of Place

So I decided to pick up the play I had been working on. I made a lot of progress:

Continue of Scene 4 through 1\2 of scene 6

[Lucy glares at Peter]

Lucy: I am not a gossip. Look it up.

[the door bell rings]

Lucy: [excited] I’ll get it!

[Lucy exits]

Peter: [picking up the dictionary and flipping to the page] Heh, I win this one.

Marcia: I hope that isn’t a bunch of her friends. I didn’t buy enough food for an entire army.

Lucy: [entering with Jack] I found the journal thief!

Jack: What? No…I didn’t steal it. Peter just left it behind.

Peter: Yeah, I accidentally left it in the classroom. Thanks for bringing it.

Marcia: [cough] [attempting to be discrete] Peter introduce your friend.

Peter: Huh? Oh! Sorry. Mom this is umm….

Jack: Jackson Reeves.

Marcia: A pleasure to meet you Jackson.

Peter: Yeah, we met each other between classes a few days ago. Sorry I didn’t get your name.

Jack: No problem. You’re actually in my biology classroom.

Peter: Oh…yeah, sorry Beth, my lab partner, tends to monopolize all my attention in there.

Jack: I think Beth tries to monopolize everyone’s attention, thankfully most of us are spared, but your on the front lines. I think the whole class pities you.

Marcia: Would you like to stay for dinner Jackson?

Jack: Umm….sure! You can call me Jack, everyone does.

Marcia: Alright Jack! I hope you like Chinese take-out.

Jack: I love it! My parents don’t normally order out, so I only get to eat it when I visit my Aunt June.

Peter: I think ordering is Mom’s specialty.

Marcia: Ordering can be just as much an art as cooking.

Jack: I couldn’t agree more. My parents are always intimidated by menus if they have foreign words on them. My mom thought “Au Bon Pain” was pronounced “Ow Bon Pain.”

Marcia: See how lucky you two are?

Lucy: Of course mother. I’ve always said you ordered with style.

Peter: [rolling his eyes] When have you ever said that?

Lucy: Maybe you couldn’t hear me from your tower.

Jack: Tower?

Peter: My room. I live in the attic.

Marcia: You said you wanted to live there.

Peter: I do.

Lucy: Yes, it’s so nice to have our own private bell ringer. [imitating quasi modo] The bells the bells!

[no one laughs]

Marcia: Lucy don’t you have homework to do or something?

Lucy: What?

Marcia: Why don’t you take dinner to your room?

Lucy: I thought you wanted geniuses who ate together?

Peter: It’s okay Mom. Jack you wanna work on our Bio stuff in my room?  Maybe if I study with someone other than Beth I’ll be able to get some work done.

Jack: Sure.

Marcia: Well take this with you. Jackson I’m sure you’ll adore it, hands down the best sesame chicken in town.

Jack: Thanks Mrs. Mason.

Marcia: Call me Marcia. Mrs. Mason is my wicked ex-mother in law.

Jack: Um…sure thing [having some difficulty] Marcia.

[Jack and Peter exit]

Marcia: What a polite young man.

Lucy: Whatever, he’s just another freak.

Marcia: Just because he isn’t like you doesn’t make him a freak.

Lucy: No, his freakiness makes him a freak.

[Marcia gives a heavy sigh, pulls out some papers and begins to review them as she starts to eat. Lucy picks up her phone and the phone jingles as she sends another text message.]

[Transition to Scene 5 – we see a young man laying naked in a center spotlight. He is covered by a single white sheet. He is radiant, stunning, and basking in the warm light. Sounds of birds and running water begin. The young man raises his hands up into the light, and begins to make intricate movements as if he was creating something, which is invisible. As he does this music begins to filter into the scene, instruments being added as the young man continues to create. A suggested music piece would be the first minute or so of Stravinsky’s Firebird. Finally, he stops moving his hands and allows them to rest on the floor. The music continues, but softens. The light goes from sunlight to moonlight, and the young man rolls over and falls asleep. Crickets are heard, the sounds of night. From opposite sides of the stage Juliet and Samuel barely come into view. They stare at the young man, and approach him. He does not stir. They are crouched over him.]

Juliet: What does it mean?

Samuel: I don’t know, but things in his world are changing ours.

[Transition to scene 6. Jack’s home. There is a couch and coffee table and a stereo. Jack paces back and forth. He checks the placement of the books. He makes small adjustments. He picks up a remote and points it at the stereo. Immediately a very loud speech begins to play]

Preacher: That it was said by them of our most sacred fathers, That whosoever looketh on a man to lust after him hath committed an ABOMINATION with….

[Instead of being able to make the recording stop immediately, Jack’s mistakenly made the volume go up. Finally cutting it off at “Abomination!” music, similar to the music the young man had composed from light, begins to play. Jack, pauses it and places the remote gently back onto the table. There is a knock at the door. Jack jumps, and then goes to the door. He opens and Peter comes bursting in overflowing with excitement]

Peter: I got an A+!!! Wow Jack! I think studying with you all week has actually saved my 4.0 GPA! How did you do?

Jack: I got an A. I messed up on that question about transgenis organisms.

Peter: Oh, I thought we went over that.

Jack: We did, but I just blanked on the test.

Peter: Oh….well next time we’ll have studied together for longer than a week so it we’ll know it even better.

Jack: Yeah. My mom was so amazed to see me bring home an A.

Peter: Oh so she knows already? Is she here?

Jack: Yeah, she’s in the kitchen.

Barbara: [entering] Jackson, is someone here? Oh! Who is this?

Jack: Mom, this is Peter. He’s the boy who I was telling you abo…

Barbara: [swooping in for an embrace] Peter! The boy who helped my son bring home an A! You know Jackson hasn’t stopped talking about you since you two met! I was beginning to wonder if you existed, but here you are in the flesh!

Peter: Heh…nice to meet you Mrs. Reeves.

Barbara: Well I hope you can stay for dinner! I’ve been cooking up Jackson’s favorite since he did so well on his test. Do you like lasagna?

Peter: Yeah, I order it all the time at Bruno’s.

Barbara: Hah! Bruno’s is nothing compared to mine. My great grandmother came from Sicily, and her recipe has been handed down from daughter to daughter since then.

Peter: I’d love to try it. Let me just call home.

Barbara: Of course dear, there is a phone in the kitchen, and tell your mother that I’d love to do lunch sometime.

Peter: Sure thing.

[Peter exits]

Barbara: See Jackson. I knew you’d make friends. Just be careful. After what happened in Providence, we were so lucky your father got transferred when he did.

Jack: Mom! I don’t want to talk about….

[Peter enters]

Peter: Mom said I could stay. She said she’d try and set up a time to have lunch. They keep her very busy at her firm.

Barbara: Of course dear. Well I’ll call when it’s time for dinner. Let me know if you need anything.

[Barbara gives Jack a glance, and then exits]

Peter: Sure thing Mrs. Reeves. Thanks again!

Jack: So…I was digging around in my Mom’s old CD collection, and I found this CD that has Yoga instructions on it. Do you want to try it?

Peter: Yoga?

Jack: Yeah, remember, you said you were trying to get back into it.

Peter: Oh yeah…that’s right. Sure, I mean I’m sure I’m really rusty.

Jack: That’s okay. I’ve never done it before, but I found these books on it.

Peter: Alright, well let’s give it a shot.

[Jack picks up the remote, there is a beat, and then bravely he points the remote at the sound system. The music begins, and a voice is heard.]

Juliet: Welcome to Yoga lesson 7.

[Peter reacts to the fact that it is Juliet’s voice on the recording. Jack doesn’t notice. During the next series of exercises Peter keeps his eyes closed. Jack tries, but he doesn’t understand the instructions, so he watches Peter and tries to do what he does. The actor who plays Jack can or cannot do well with this first pose. It is up to the director and capabilities of the actor. Peter however should do this flawlessly. During this monologue Juliet will appear behind Peter and while talking she will help him achieve the pose. Much like in Scene 2 Jack cannot see Juliet. Peter should not see Juliet either as his eyes are closed.]

Juliet: Begin by lying on your back. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath, and when you exhale allow yourself to relax. Feel yourself being supported by the floorboards in the floor. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale and on your next exhale slowly bring your knees up towards your body. Inhale again, and when you exhale this time bring our feet down, with your knees pointed towards the heavens. Your knees should be hip width apart. Bring your hands onto the floor by your ears with your fingers pointing back towards the shoulder. Pressing down strongly through your feet, peel your spine up from the floor one vertebrate at the time. There will be a point when you are half way up, and you’ll want to put the crown of the head on the floor like a back bend. Inhale. Exhale. Again pressing through your feet lift the crown of the head off of the floor and slowly return to the floor one vertebrate at a time. Inhale. Exhale. Now we will move on to a more advanced position called “The Eight Angle Pose.” Begin by….

[Jack pauses the recording with the remote.]

Jack: Umm…I don’t think I can do more than that.

Peter: Oh come on. One more?

Jack: Alright.

[Jack resumes the recording. Jack will probably get through a few steps, but then he’ll stop and just watch Peter. Juliet will continue to talk as if she is the recording, but will help Peter do the eight angle pose.]

Juliet: Standing, taking a slightly wider stance than you would usually, Inhale. Exhale, bend forward press your hands to the floor outside your feet. Then with your knees slightly bent, slip your right arm to the inside and then behind your right leg, and finally press the hand on the floor just outside your right foot. Work your right arm across the back of the right knee, until the knee is high up on the back of your right shoulder. Brace your shoulder against the knee and slide your left foot to the right. Cross the left ankle in front of the right and hook the ankles. Lean slightly to the left, taking more weight on your left arm, and begin to lift your feet a few inches off the floor. With the right leg supported on the shoulder, exhale and bend your elbows. Lean your torso forward and lower it toward parallel to the floor; at the same time, straighten your knees and extend your legs out to the right, parallel to the floor (and perpendicular to your torso). Squeeze your upper right arm between your thighs. Use that pressure to help twist your torso to the left. Keep your elbows in close to the torso. Look at the floor. Hold. Inhale. Exhale.

Jack: Wow.

[Peter opens his eyes, the spell breaks, and Peter topples over. Juliet exits as if she is fading away.]

Peter: Ow.

Jack: Oh I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to screw you up.

Peter: Umm…no it’s okay. I’ve ever done that before.

Jack: You are amazing.

Peter: Heh…thanks. I don’t think I could do it again though.

Jack: Heh, are you alright.

Peter: I think so.

[Peter begins to stand, and then falls]

Jack: Oh no.