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Applause then house lights
(the house lights on the
stage) up. The actors, MARK,
CAROL and JACOB exit and
actors enter and begin
striking the "Jacob's house"
set. CAST THREE sits. When
CAST ONE is through striking
the set they exit then
immediately begin creating
another set on the other
side of the stage. This is a
street set. However, this
won't be done for a while
yet.
GREGORY
Some things were really bothering me the other night
while I was eating.
Have you ever noticed how every person's actions change
depending on who they are with and where they are?
Seriously, I have never thought about that. But I was
eating. Alone. I guess I never eat alone. I got to
thinking.
And I was watching.
The waitress brings me water and a menu. That's the
first part. She seemed to have a whole routine planned
out for me. For every customer. She slides into my
space, yet she is completely impersonal. She is a robot.
"The specials of the day are..." She left and I really
just tried to forget about it. I was hungry. I look out
the window and I see all these people walking by and
they're all not thinking about each other or the
waitress or me. That actually comforted me. For them not
to think about me. To see me. They just swim by like
fish and I watch. Then I noticed that I was thinking
about them. Do they choose not to think about me? The
waitress won't notice me in a crowd tomorrow. And I
wouldn't notice her.
Now I would.
The problem is... Well, what's bothering me about that
is that I felt comfortable not being thought about but I
felt good thinking about other people. Am I complicating
their lives? Am I intruding an extra element into
reality? I realize that everything we do is like that.
We keep adding more and more on top of more and more. I
am born. I grow up. Now I need to support myself so I go
to school. I go to school so now I am going to get a
job. My specialties allow me into a small office full of
files and computers where there is even more to add.
Things that I didn't even learn in school.. (He
pauses)
Of course I'm not talking about me, but them. The fish.
CAMILLE
I was going to say.
NICOLAS
You don't know what a small office looks like.
EMILY
You were thinking all that before you ordered your food?
GREGORY
Yes, I guess I did.
NICOLAS
I like the part about the fish.
EMILY
Speaking of fish.
CAMILLE
Bravo.
NICOLAS
Yes, very nice.
CAMILLE
(To EMILY)
What did you think of "Jacob"?
EMILY
Oh him... he's talented. We, myself and Gregory, drove
down the coast with him last spring for the regatta.
GREGORY
Who?
CAMILLE
What's his name? "Jacob"..
GREGORY
Oh, yes. Good man. Talented sailor.
EMILY
Oh, the regatta. I miss sailing.
NICOLAS
Yes we haven't been in such a terribly long time.
GREGORY
It's settled. Tomorrow we sail!
EMILY
Marvelous!
CAMILLE
Sailing.
GREGORY
Come now, Camille. You are never any fun.
CAMILLE
It's fine. I'll sail.
NICOLAS
Perhaps we should wait until the weekenders have gone,
don't you think?
EMILY
Monday then.
GREGORY
Monday.
NICOLAS
(Impatient)
Fantastic. How long have we been here?
EMILY
Nicolas, don't fret.
NICOLAS
I'm famished.
EMILY
Anyway. Who was the director of that piece?
CAMILLE
Oh yes, somebody new...
GREGORY
A baron.
NICOLAS
Garcon!
A waiter comes on stage,
STEVEN, and prepares to take
their order.
NICOLAS
Coffees for all and I'd like red snapper and pappiot.
EMILY
That will be it, thank you.
A baron of what?
GREGORY
Oh, I don't know.
CAMILLE
I think he was being figurative.
GREGORY
How could that have been figurative?
NICOLAS
Who shall I find to declare me a figurative baron?
EMILY
Perhaps then they would ask you to direct their next
production.
NICOLAS
Wonderful. But I just want the title.
GREGORY
Baron Von...
CAMILLE
Oh, hush about it.
EMILY
Can I be your Baronin?
GREGORY
What?
NICOLAS
Of course my dear... and I'll have us sitting on the
swankest thrones this side of the Atlantic.
GREGORY
Baronin? You? Never.
NICOLAS
We can have our fantasies, can't we?
CAMILLE
Of course you can Nicolas, Gregory often fantasizes
about performing.
GREGORY
Now Camille.
CAMILLE
He wants to be a singer.
They laugh at GREGORY.
Coffee and NIC's salad is
brought to them.
NICOLAS
It's about time.
At the delivery of this line
the street scene lights come
up. It is as if the scene is
occurring outside the front
window of the restaurant.
Although CAST THREE goes on
as if their dinner is not
being interrupted, CAST TWO
is being relatively loud in
their scene. CAST THREE is
aware of the outside scene.
GREGORY
I would never survive.
CAMILLE
We should write something.
NICOLAS
What? What are you talking about?
GREGORY
What do you mean?
EMILY
We'd be crucified.
NICOLAS
For what?
CAMILLE
We'd be.
As they are speaking, CAST
TWO is entering the street
scene. They are dressed for
the sixties. JACOB and CAROL
are hippies, MARK is a
policeman and STEPHEN is and
old man sweeping outside the
restaurant. The hippies are
just leaning against a wall.
MARK comes strolling in and
starts talking to STEPHEN
quietly. CAST THREE is still
the focus.
EMILY
Have you been noticing the buildup in traffic lately?
NICOLAS
And the heat.
CAMILLE
Gregory have you seen any of his other plays?
GREGORY
No.
NICOLAS
Damn the hot coffee.
The focus changes
dramatically to the street
scene. CAST THREE watches.
Title: "Urbania"
STEPHEN
Those kids have been there all day, polluting the
street.
MARK
There's no place for people like that in this town.
STEPHEN
They are just like the gypsies. They're bums and they're
dirty.
MARK
They're wasted youths is what they are. I'll go scare
them away.
STEPHEN
Thank you.
MARK takes a billy club from
his belt and strolls
nonchalantly over to JACOB
and CAROL.
MARK
What are you kids doing?
JACOB
Nothing, man.
CAROL
Yeah, why are you getting on our backs?
MARK
There's no loitering here.
JACOB
I didn't see a sign.
MARK
That's cause there doesn't need to be a sign, boy.
CAROL
What did we do? We were just standing here.
MARK
That's loitering. Now move on, go back to the garbage
dumps.
JACOB
Hey man, lay off. Put that stick away.
MARK
I'll do what I please. Now move along.
JACOB
We're not going to.
JACOB reaches for the billy
club and they struggle.
CAROL
No! Stop it!
MARK regains control of the
club and raises it up to
strike JACOB. JACOB falls to
the ground and holds his
hands over his face. MARK
kicks JACOB.
MARK
Now get out of here before I arrest you both.
CAROL has pulled a pistol
from her purse. MARK does
not notice. When JACOB does
not make any attempt to get
up and leave MARK kicks him
again. Just as he does this
he notices the pistol.
CAROL
No!
She shoots MARK. MARK falls
dead. JACOB and CAROL run
off. STEPHEN runs to MARK's
carcass and begins yelling
out.
STEPHEN
Help!! Please help! A man has been shot. Please help me,
a man has been shot!
He pauses as nothing
happens. He looks at CAST
THREE.
HELP! PLEASE. He's dead! I need help. Call for help!!
(etc.)
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