HE AND SHE A Long One Act Play by JOHN MONTELEONE CONTACT: e-mail: writing@johnmonteleone.com PO Box 2723 Sag Harbor, NY 11963 IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING PRODUCTIONS STUDENT CLASS PROJECTS If this is for a student class project you may use this text or sections of it free of charge but I want to know that you're doing it for my resume and would love a video tape of the production, and/or quality rehearsals. PRODUCTIONS OF ANY KIND OR LEVEL You may read and use this text-based script for considering work but if you want to produce my work as a student, amateur or professional production you must purchase scripts from me online and pay royalties per performance. __________________________________ Copyright 1997 by John Monteleone All Rights Reserved Registered with WGAE HE AND SHE was first performed at the Dowling College Performing Arts Center, Oakdale, Long Island, New York on October 23rd, 1987. It was produced as a workshop production by The Actors' Workshop Theatre Company and was Directed by the author. The play has since, been rewritten. The originating cast was as follows: HE Keith Fadelici SHE Patricia Byrne NOTE: This play explores the struggle for individuality while maintaining a relationship. The struggle must grow in intensity and never cease even when exhaustion occurs. The actors must find within themselves their own struggles, express them fully and to their absolute limits. The play must run continuously without an intermission. The actions using furniture or costume pieces as the play progresses work directly with the language to create a metaphorical image. The actions stated must be adhered to. However, the actors are welcome to find new, additional actions, costumes, etc., that are imaginative and bring out the meaning of the moment and theme of the play. I encourage this. CHARACTERS: HE - A man. SHE - A woman. TIME: The present SET: A suggestive room. Black behind it. A bed center. Flowered bedspread. A large stuffed chair down stage right. The stage left area must be completely bare so that when the lights on the chair and bed fade out, and the actors are lit in this area, the furniture will disappear. The set is dramatically lit. The lights dim out very slowly. Pause, for a long moment in the dark. Lights come up very slowly in a pool, highlighting the man and the woman. Both stand facing the audience on either side of the stage and both wear body suits to match their natural skin color. There is a long silence between them. They begin. HE Hello. SHE (pause) Hello. HE Nice weather. SHE Yes...very. HE Dark though. SHE Very... HE Endlessly. SHE And here? HE Hmmm? SHE Here. HE Yes. We're here. SHE I thought so. HE I'm glad we agree. SHE (pause) Yes. Pause. HE What's your name? SHE Hmmm? HE Your name...what is it? SHE Oh...SHE! HE I always like that name. SHE Thank you. I was named for my grandmother. HE Not for you? SHE (pause) After her. HE I see. Which one? SHE Both. HE MMMMM. Pause. SHE And yours? HE I never knew my grandmothers. SHE No. Your name. HE Oh, I'm sorry...HE! SHE Very impressive. HE I was named for my father and his and his and his and... SHE I always like that name. HE I didn't. It never seemed to fit completely. SHE What? HE What? SHE Fit what? HE Who I was. SHE Oh. And who are you? HE I've only seen half the picture. SHE Of what? HE Me. SHE I...see. SHE What do you do? HE Do? SHE For a living. To live. HE Oh. I thought you meant who am I. SHE No. What do you do? HE I have a position. SHE Doing what? HE I work. Pause SHE What do you do? HE Do? SHE For a living. To live. HE Oh. I thought you meant who am I. SHE No. What do you do? HE I have a position. SHE Doing what? HE Work. SHE Fascinating. Pause. HE Everyday...on like that. Pause. HE Well...time flies. SHE Yes. HE Rapidly. SHE I know. It's already our fifth date. HE Amazing how quickly time has passed. SHE Yes. Pause. SHE (starting as a joke) Well, now that the small talk is over with. HE (catching on and playing) Now that the ice is broken. SHE The cat's out of the bag. HE We've warmed up a little. SHE Gone through the ropes. HE Outta the hole. SHE Felt out way around. HE (abruptly and sharp) NOT YET! SHE (seriously) I'm sensitive. Don't rush me or think of me as easy. HE (seriously) You either. Pause. SHE Well, now what? HE Excuse me? SHE Now what do we do? HE What do you suggest? SHE Go out. Fool around. Fall in love. Have babies. Struggle. You know. The usual. HE (uneasy) I'm not sure I'm ready for that. SHE I am. I'm looking to fulfill my visions. HE And what are they? SHE To be happy. HE Yes. What do you see? SHE Security. A home. Furniture. Jobs. A lawn. Trees. Insurance. Bank accounts. Credit cards. HE Really? SHE Yes. HE How coincidental. SHE What? HE That's what I see! SHE You do? HE Yes. How unique! SHE What color car? HE Red. SHE Sports? HE Yes. SHE How many kids? HE Two point five. SHE One boy, one girl...one... HE Two point five. SHE What credit cards? HE You know. SHE MACYS? HE YES. SHE BLOOMINGDALES? HE YES. SHE A AND S? HE YES YES. SHE STERNS CITIBANK SEARS? HE YES YES YES! SHE VISA? HE WHY NOT. SHE AND MASTERCARD? HE AMERICAN EXPRESS BABY! SHE OH YES YES YES YES YES...CARTE BLANCHE!!! HE WILL YOU MARRY ME? SHE OH YES... They embrace. HE I love you. SHE I love you too. (pause. Concerned) HE Yes, what is it, what's the matter? SHE What kind of car? The make? HE American. SHE What bank? HE One with a safe. SHE What kind of fencing? HE Picket. SHE (ecstatic) OH DARLING, I'M SOOOOO HAPPPPPYYY. HE AND SO AM I. He picks her up in his arms and swings her around. They kiss. He puts her down. HE Time flies. SHE Time flies. HE Our home. You like it? SHE (with her arms out dancing through the room) Oh, I am the world. HE (joking) And who am I? SHE You're the world too. HE How can that be? SHE We're both the world. They embrace and gaze into each others eyes, madly in love. HE You're so beautiful. Your hair. Your eyes. Your lips. Your scent. So beautiful. SHE I love you. HE I love you. SHE (letting go) Oh, it's so wonderful. Just as I imagined it. HE Just as they said it would be. SHE It's a wonderful house. HE I know. SHE I love you. HE I love you. SHE I love you. HE I love you. HE I love you. SHE I love you. HE I love you. SHE I love you. HE I love you SHE I love you. HE (pause) Time...sure flies. SHE (pause) Yes. HE I...love you. SHE Time...flies by so quickly doesn't it? HE Yes. SHE Love me? HE Course. They stand looking at each other blankly. HE We have to do things. He crawls onto the bed on all fours. HE If I kneel on it, it feels different then when I lay on it. All my discoveries up to this point in time have turned me into another kind of animal... A more sophisticated creature... MAN! He lifts up the covers and peeks underneath. HE LOOK HERE! Another world. As I look underneath, I have the feeling of safety. It takes me out of that cold, lonely, dangerous, primitive space. She notices the bed. HE (ignoring her) Verrrry interesting. Dark. Warm. (pause) It's a different dimension then being on the outside of the bed covers. The primitive stuff is becoming a vague memory. Everything natural is a blur. I feel safer. More secure. What would happen if I went underneath? He begins to move under the covers from the top of the bed. SHE I wonder who's sat in this chair? Before. She sits in the stuffed chair. SHE Ahhhhh, this really feels nice. HE I 'm beginning to feel as though I've always been here. Born here. Raised here. All this comfort. I don't everwant to come out. SHE How many different positions, people have assumed in this chair? She begins to explore different physical poses and positions in the chair. Very large physical and facial expressions. HE There's more to explore. But all that I really want to do is rest. Sleep. He explores the bed under the covers. We see a huge, snake like lump moving slowly around the bed. She continues to explore the physical and facial positions in the chair. SHE How many different types of people sat in this chair? HE This is me now. I am part of the bed. SHE What they felt? HE I am becoming a bed. SHE Why they were here? Sitting? HE I am the bed. I'm not me anymore. I've changed... SHE Who they were? HE A completely different person. SHE If this was their whole existence? HE A new man. A contemporary man. MODERN MAN! SHE If they felt free, more alive, or just lonely and stuck? HE Where do I go from here? Just solve the same old problems? There's nothing left to do, but review myself. SHE How long they sat in this chair? HE I want to get out. SHE If they thought this was all they'd ever need? His head pops out of the covers by the foot of the bed. The audience sees only his head as he faces out toward them. HE I've lost my orientation again. SHE If they wanted to get out of this chair and move around the space, or stay here forever? HE I remember the outside. Being outside when you were just inside. In the warmth. SHE But now that they are so comfortable in this chair, wouldthey ever want to take another risk, and stand up? Or just give up and act content. HE In the comfort. Of everything. Inside the organization. Inside the order. Where everything is in its place. SHE slowly begins to stand up. She must go through the fear of change, dealing with the unknown. SHE If they stood up, they would feel weight. Pressure. From their own bodies. They would feel the responsibility of balancing themselves on their own two feet. I wonder if it would be worth it to them, to go through all of that? It would be so much easier to sit, and remain seated. SHE, is halfway to standing. Fearfully, SHE, sits back down, slowly. HE Then you step outside, back into the earth. Ground. Solid. Vacant. Alone. Pause. HE There's this feeling. Something dangerous and wild. Surrounding you on all sides. It speaks to you. You feel alone with something. You feel it through your bones. Back to a far away time inside of you. It's alone and vast and powerful. Serene and violent. Uncivilized. Raw. You want to hide from it. HE, is very frightened. SHE I've gone through all the motions In this chair. I even stood up once, in this space. Now I have nothing to do. No other possibilities, but to repeat myself. Pause. She begins to repeat the physical and facial positions. The actress must work physically with the following speech, not taking away visually from the monologue HE speaks. HE You look inside again. Where there's order. Where everyone is fitting in. Responding to each other in specific, accepted, identifiable ways. Acting. He watches her in the silence. HE I'm bored. SHE This one's new. She swings around, and hangs her legs over the top of the chair leaning backward, her head hanging upside down towards the audience. HE You're just finding louder means of expressing the same thing. You're still in the same chair. SHE What about this one? She stands on her head in the chair. HE You're still in the same old place. Same old thing. She creates more absurd physical and facial positions in the chair, standing on her head. SHE I'm trying to make sense out of this. What's happening to us? It makes no sense. HE What makes sense? Does staying in a bed, or a chair when you feel confined by it, make sense? SHE Big talker! Mr. Know It All! All mouth and still under the covers. HE My heads sticking out. SHE Just a fling. Ninety percent of your body is still under the covers. I almost stood up. HE But you sat back down again. So what. Big deal. SHE I tried first. HE Only your perception. SHE I'm fed up with this repression. HE I'M REPRESSED! I'M STUCK! I'M A SLAVE. SHE SHUT UP. Oh how, how could I have existed this way? HE Maybe it was just a by-product of evolutionary necessity. SHE I'm not going to take it any longer. I'm disgusted with this slavery. She makes a huge movement with her leg. HE HOLD ON! She stops with her leg mid air. HE BE CAREFUL! (pause) I'm feeling fear... (proudly) ...but I won't admit it. As you moved your leg just then, that intentional, decisive move of your leg, I felt threatened. My position here, was threatened. If you move too quickly and stand up on your own, I may have to go back under the covers. Pause. They look at each other in terror. SHE O.k., I'll go slow. But I'm getting up. That's definite. She moves the leg in a slow and timid way. SHE How was that? HE I don't know. I'm... I'm losing my bearings. I was in control a minute ago and now I feel like mush. SHE I still feel stuck in this chair. I'm feeling certain reservations. My rear end is satisfied with the comfort it has. It's afraid to work with my head. It's frightened to stand up and feel all that pressure again. HE (in torment) I feel our relationship is changing too fast and I'm not prepared for it. SHE I feel like I'm not afraid anymore. And I'm beginning to take myself seriously. HE I can't let you stand up while I stay here like this. Diffused. I hate myself when you're progressing and I'm not. Why is that? She begins to test herself in the chair. Preparing to stand. SHE (pause) I don't know. Why are you asking questions? HE All these years I was a hunter and now I'm here under cover. He goes back under the covers. HE (whining and confused) It's here somewhere. I'll need it to compete. But... But I'm not sure...I.... I'm not sure... I can anymore... Something's happening to me... He pops his head back out toward the audience. HE I feel angry now. (smiles) But I won't admit it. SHE And if you don't admit it? What if you can't get out from under that repression? HE I don't know... I'd have to vent my anger. I'd become violent. Slam a table. Yell at the employees. Become indifferent to important events. Drink to forget. SHE And if that's not enough? HE Do worse, more uncivilized things. Things you hear on the news everyday. SHE I thought this was healthy. Staying here. In all this comfort. I thought we had it all under control. Things like that wouldn't happen if we developed a community in a civilization. HE IT'S DISCOMFORT THAT'S CAUSING ALL THAT! SHE Shouldn't all this comfort give us more freedom to discover who we are? Who we can be? HE Who knows. Who cares. I'm getting bed sores. How the hell would I know? I'm not a kid anymore just trying to make it to Friday night. I don't care! You hear me? I SAID I DON'T CARE! Not anymore. I could care less about problems. About your feelings. It's not my problem. It's the world. It exhausts me. Right down deep into the center of my bones. Even thinking about it kills me. All I care about now, is me. Your hear me? ME! Me, and getting out. SHE Could it be our war, or is it just the repression? They both become progressively disoriented, exhausted and confused. Both continue to writhe in the chair and on the bed. HE I feel like everything's shifting. I thought I knew who I was. I thought I was me. I thought you were you. But now I can't tell. Now that your feet are on the ground and my heads out from under the covers, things are different. SHE Are you a woman? HE I don't know. I'm lost. SHE You're a man, aren't you? HE I...I think so... You're a woman. Right? ARE YOU A WOMAN? SHE What are you saying? HE ARE YOU A WOMAN? SHE Yes... wait... yes...I am. HE Are you sure? SHE Yes. HE Then I must be a man. Who the hell can tell anymore. SHE How long has it been? HE Long.... Centuries.... SHE Is it curable? HE The length? SHE No the memories. HE Who remembers. SHE It's getting clearer. HE Nothings clear. NOTHING! SHE What are you saying? HE I'm not sure. SHE Are you saying we're losing ourselves? HE I don't know what I said. Weren't you listening? SHE I was looking... HE But not listening. SHE No, not hearing. HE What's the use. Who knows who anyone is anymore. HE Where ... am I? SHE Where are we? HE Who ... am I? SHE Who are you? Pause. HE Who are you? Pause. SHE Who am I? I knew once. I knew who I was. I remember remembering. HE I... I... yes... I, that rings a bell. I.... me... I ... am...I am ... me. SHE Confusion, anger, frustration, fear...? HE I think so. Yes. No. Yes. No. Yes. No. SHE (yelling) WELL WHICH IS IT?! HE I'M NOT SURE! SHE THAT DOESN'T HELP! HE It's the best I can do under the circumstances. SHE I live here. HE I do too. SHE But... But ... where'd we come from? HE Somewhere else. SHE Is it in this room? HE What? SHE The answers. HE To what? SHE Us. Who we were, who we might become. Is it all here, who we are? HE We ... are. That makes me feel better. But what are we? Why are we here? That makes me feel uneasy. Pause. HE Wait. I'm onto something. SHE What? HE I know... that we're... HERE. SHE I feel like I'm nowhere. HE I'm lost. SHE Let's search. They begin to frantically search for themselves. This goes on during the following sequence. HE Are we anyone? SHE What are we looking for? They search. HE I remember something. SHE What. HE A... routine? SHE A routine? That rings a bell. HE Beliefs? SHE Yes yes. HE Simple answers? SHE That sounds so familiar. me. Trying to emerge. A thought. A feeling. They both have costume pieces on, suggesting a contemporary man and woman in typical social dress. HE Disapproval. SHE Yes, disapproval. HE Someone would disapprove of a behavior and you'd act a behavior that was then approved. He changes his accent and costume piece HE Even though it wasn't true. It was a replacement. We kept replacing everything. SHE To be liked? There were... reasons. HE Reasons..... Yes I remember reasons... SHE Reasons to go along with it. HE What? SHE The set up. HE It gave us reasons to go on like that. Unhappy, or... SHE Or indifferent. Bored. Content. OH ISN'T THIS WONDERFUL? WE'RE REMEMBERING. Pause. SHE Yes. We're like a memory. What should we do? HE Let's do ... something. Act out the memory. Maybe that'll help. SHE What? HE I don't know. Dream something up. SHE (spontaneously yells) COME AND GET IT! HE (bewildered) What was that? SHE I don't know where that came from. SHE, puts on an apron. HE No. No. That rang a bell. Say it again before you forget. SHE (yells) COME AND GET IT! HE Yes, that reminds me of something ... HE, puts on a suit jacket, glasses, etc. HE HONEY, I'M HOME.. SHE, Puts on a wig, etc. SHE Yes. Oh that feels like something we had a handle on. I remember it felt ... solid. Something I could understand. HE (spontaneously yells) I'M STRESSED! That feels better. WHAT'S FOR DINNER? From this point forward, the actors may put on various costume pieces to create characteristics which relate to the line and moment of the play they are in. They might age or create accents. SHE That's it. That's it. Now I remember.... HE Me too. Oh what relief.... SHE Thank God. Then I say Left overs. Then what do you say? HE Ummmmm.... NOT LEFT OVERS AGAIN. No! With disgust. With disgust at the routine... (he acts it out with disgust at the routine) Not left overs, again. SHE Yes yes yes and I say something like.... I'm exhausted... I was so exhausted, leave me alone... O.k. let me try it with emotion.. (with emotion) I'm exhausted.. I was so exhausted... HE Right... And I ignore you and exit into the bathroom when you need my attention... SHE THIS IS GREAT... And then I say (screams. hands on head) I'LL HAVE A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN!!!!! The wig flies off her head as she doubles over. HE THAT'S IT! THAT'S IT..! Oh good, I feel like a person again... SHE Me too. HE (growing depressed) Great. SHE (depressed) Yeah. Really great. They look at one another, dissatisfied. SHE, puts the chair back in it's original position. HE, puts the bed back on the box spring. SHE This isn't working. It began to feel good for a while, but then I started to think. Maybe if we switched roles? HE Reverse the indifference, the anger the... SHE Reverse everything? O.k., where should we take it from? HE What do you mean? SHE Which part of the script should we start repeating from? HE I don't know. I'm back where I started again. It always feels like that. You think you're going forward, but then you take another look and you're right back where you started. SHE WILL YOU QUIT COMPLAINING. I'M SITTING HERE WAITING TO COOPERATE AND YOU'RE COMPLAINING. WE'LL NEVER GET ANYWHERE THAT WAY. HE O.k., O.K., What should I do? SHE Begin and begin and begin and... HE TELL ME WHAT TO DO I'M LOST. They reverse roles. SHE I'll show you. NOT LEFT OVERS AGAIN. No! With disgust. With disgust at the routine... (he acts it out with disgust at the routine) NOT LEFT OVERS AGAIN. HE And I say something like.... I'm exhausted... I was so exhausted leave me alone... O.k. let me try it with emotion.. (with emotion) I'm exhausted.. I was so exhausted... SHE Right... And I ignore you and exit into the bathroom when you need my attention... HE Right ... And then I say (screams. hands on head) I'LL HAVE A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN!!!!! The wig flies off his head as he doubles over. HE How was that? SHE No better. It was the same thing, only reversed. The same damn thing. We'll never get out of here like this. Pause. HE I'm remembering something... I hear a sound deep inside of me. Trying to emerge. A thought. A feeling. They both have costume pieces on, suggesting a contemporary man and woman in typical social dress. During the following poetic sequence, the actors must let the words and images flow and develop the intensity of the rhythm and pace. HE I remember ... SHE (catching on) ...The fear of getting in trouble of being discovered as having been bad. I remember the fear of being disliked, seeking love...replacing my feelings with attitudes and tricks, believing I was who I was when I really wasn't who I was acting myself out to be. I remember ...suppression. A little faster. SHE Repression. I remember pleasure from keeping my mind off of pain. Buying things, doing things, to get smiles from the rest... A little faster. HE ...image on image, contrast to contrast, blues onto greens, reds onto yellows, yellow and purple and grays mixed with red... A little faster. SHE ...movies and television, radios and tapes, churches and Synagogues, Holocausts and rapes... A little faster. HE ...pictures of visions of places and things, people and animals doing conflicting things... A little faster. SHE ...all at once and alone, photographs and telephones ... A little faster. HE ...one saying one thing, another another... A little faster. SHE ...anger, love, tension, peace, all hitting at once... A little faster. HE ...school and home, mom and dad, sis and spots, latest fads.. A little faster. SHE ...college grads, work force pay... A little faster. HE ...commuters ache, societies sake... A little faster. SHE ...mixed messages.. A little faster. HE ...mixed everything... A little faster. SHE ...hitting us violently... A little faster. HE ...violence lives, death awaits, fear attacks, you begin to hate... A little faster. SHE ...riding the ride or getting out quick, finding a space to shelter your life... A little faster. HE ...ignorance sits proud... A little faster. SHE ...paid off crowd... A little faster. HE ...laughing at important things... A little faster. SHE ...gossiping to kill the pain... A little faster. HE YES YES! (pause) And I remember a time when I was almost free. When I almost changed. But I was afraid. I remember feeling a terrible fear. The past clawed at the future. They killed each other. They flew into the sky to fall back on old ground. It was vacant. I felt lost. I didn't know who I was anymore. Pause. SHE Maybe tomorrow. HE Tomorrow? SHE Maybe tomorrow we'll sing. We'll feel the earth and the sky, the ocean and the stars within all of us. We'll feel pure. Connected... Pause. SHE, stands up slowly. carefully. afraid. HE, watches her. SHE I...am...a...woman... HE No please... don't do that... SHE, has risen. HE, Looks at her. SHE, stands proud. HE It makes me sick to see you standing there and me here. STOPPPP ITTTT! SHE (softly) No. SHE, balances herself with much difficulty, standing in front of the chair. SHE Why am I doing this? Can you give me a reason why I'm doing this? Pause. HE Why do I feel so obligated to you? Pause. HE Can you give me a reason to rationalize my beating myself up like this? Pause. HE Can you tell me why I'm insecure? Can you save me from my mortality? ANSWER ME BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE GODAMNIT! SHE Are you still there? HE YES FOR CHRISSAKES I'M STILL HERE AND PETRIFIED. (smiles) But I won't admit it. SHE You're there and I'm here. You're stuck and I'm standing up. I'm winning and you're... HE ... WANNA BET! All at once he pulls himself halfway out of the bed so that his waist and legs are under the covers, and the upper half of his body is hanging out off the bed, supported by his rigid arms and hands, facing out toward the audience. He is very uncomfortable and his arms tire. He struggles to hold himself up even though he is on the verge of exhaustion. Pause. SHE You don't look the same. HE Same as what? SHE As before. (pause) I've got to take a step. A first...step. HE There's an incredible strain on me to compete. I'm not sure where It's coming from. But it's a powerful urge, like eating. Like sleeping. Like a bulldozer in my brain. SHE Here ...I... go. She takes a step. Very frightened. Almost trembling. SHE Oh... that was difficult. She begins to walk slowly and carefully around the room, as if she were walking on thin ice. She becomes more and more confident as she continues to walk. HE (pause) I remember it being terrific at first. All the movement. It had its benefits. It made me feel like I thought I was supposed to feel. Important. A somebody. It all seemed to make so much sense. But now, it's exhausting. I feel like a rationalization. The commuting. The demands. The limitations. The conformity and obligations and responsibilities. Everything coming at me. It's terribly exhausting. I don't know how...I've survived this long in this position. Stuck. That's how I feel most of the time. Stuck. (pause) All the bills. I go to work... I have to eat. At least we're eating and are protected. Nothing can happen to us... really... I don't know how all this happened... but here I am... stuck......... He remains strained and supporting himself by his arms. His face contorts in different expressions of experience, out toward the audience. The lower half of his body is hidden under the sheets. SHE Try and get out. It feels great. HE (face in pain) HOW? HOWWWWW?! SHE Think, in a different way. HE (face in pain) If that were all there were to it, why would I stay here? SHE How would I know? You tell me. HE (face in agony) Are we married? It sounds like we're married. Don't married people talk like that? SHE Like what? HE (face in terror) A sentence like that. How would I know. You tell me. A badly written line like that. SHE If you see the floor that way, then that's what it will be. HE That's not all there is too it. SHE That IS all there is to it. You could fall onto the floor any time you wanted to. But you stay there like that. HE (face in anger) I DON'T WANT TO FALL ON THE FLOOR, IT'S HARD. THERE ARE MUD PUDDLES ON THE FLOOR. THERE ARE INSECTS CRAWLING AROUND ON THE FLOOR. THERE'S DANGER ON THE FLOOR. THIS IS BETTER. SHE If you loved me you'd fall on the floor for me. HE (face in depression) We must be married. SHE Not happily. I want excitement and you're still half under the covers and half into the world. HE (face in rebellion) THAT'S NOT TRUE! THAT'S A LIE! A DOWNRIGHT LIE! I'M STUCK. LOCKED IN. I WANT TO EMERGE, BUT YOU'RE TOO BUSY LIBERATING YOURSELF TO HELP ME OUT OF THIS POSITION. She sits on the bed next to him. SHE You've got to do it yourself. HE (face in child-like helplessness) I'M TRYING DAMN IT! BUT I CAN'T SEEM TO MOVE. MY FEET ARE TIED! SHE Untie them. HE (face in defensiveness) How can I untie them when I need my hands to keep me from falling to my death?! SHE If you loved me you'd fall to your death for me. HE (face in disbelief) We're definitely married. If I just fell out of the bed and onto the floor, it could be disastrous for both of us. You wouldn't be able to dance and prance around. We live in a society you know. Someone has to foot the bills. SHE We'll survive. HE (face in fear) WE WON'T SURVIVE DAMN IT! SHE Are you happy there? Stuck like that? HE (face in anger) NO, I'M NOT HAPPY HERE! I'M MISERABLE HERE! A BLIND MAN COULD SEE THAT. I WANT TO KICK THE DOG..... SHE Where can you go from there? HE (face in self-righteousness) What about you? You might be out of the chair, but you're just walking around. You're not doing anything constructive to help. Just exploring vacant air. SHE It'll take time. But I'm free. At least I'm free. HE (face in pontification) Of what? The old surroundings? Old habits? Old conditions? Now you're in new ones. What are you going to do now, huh? You've got to eat. At least here, we eat. If I liberate myself, it will cause all kinds of problems. I'll have to tell the truth. I'll have to live with my conscience. I'll have to fight for what I really believe in rather than what I'm supposed to believe in. NOBODY'LL PAY YOU TO DO THAT! HOW WILL WE EAT? WE'LL STARVE! THAT'S WHAT'LL HAPPEN. WE'LL STARVE TO DEATH! OR WORSE... EXIST HUNGRY! SHE I'll get a better job. Work longer hours. HE (face in dissatisfaction) ...Then you'll be where I am. SHE You're still there in that awful position? HE (face in contentedness) I'm not sure I want to leave. My arms stopped hurting. I have a certain type of security. Like a credit card. Like a mortgage. I've learned it. SHE All right, stay there if it makes you so happy. HE (face in self doubt) I have to make a choice. I'm not sure if I can. I'm terrified... (smiles) ...but I won't admit it. I'm still holding onto my masculinity act. Who am I? SHE If you loved me you'd know who you were. But it feels wonderful, this freedom. The liberation. It's a whole other thing. HE (face in desperation) Is it truly relief? SHE Yes. HE (face in determination) O.K.....O.K.... I'm going to do it. SHE (sarcastically) Oh boy.... HE (face of honesty) Don't make fun. I need encouragement. If you really want me to get out of this position, I'll need a whole new set of circumstances. Can you supply that encouragement? Or will you fall back on old anger and keep me here, like this, and you there, like that? As limited as we both are right now? SHE That's what you did to me for years. HE (face of practicality) Whether you want to believe it or not, we need each other. It's as simple as that! Will you encourage me or not? SHE Yes, I will... He pushes forward, makes a grunting sound and falls out of the bed and onto the floor extreme stage left in the bare space. He may have to roll a few times to get far enough away from the furniture to be in the bare space stage left. He ends up spread eagle on his back. They will both stay in this area for the remainder of the play. Lights dim on the furniture so that the chair and bed seem ghost-like. HE Ughhhhhh.... SHE Wow weeeee.... HE (terrified) YOU LIED! KNOCK IT OFF AND ENCOURAGE ME THIS MINUTE OR IT'LL BE A WASTE FOR THE BOTH OF US! SHE (struggling) WIMP! WIMP! FELL ONTO THE FLOOR AND CAN'T EVEN STAND UP ON HIS OWN TWO FEET... STUPID, UGLY. SICKENING WIMP! Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. Really. I'm sorry. Are you all right..? WIIIIIIMMMMP! I'm sorry.... WIMP! HE (almost in tears but suppressing them) I'm on the floor now...I'm out of the bed and onto the floor... I'm completely out...Vulnerable...Not just my head... Isn't that what you wanted? Isn't that enough? How could you treat me like this? SHE I'm sorry. There's just so many years of repression for torturing me through social enslavement and personal genocide. WIMMMMPY WIMMMPY WIMMMMMPYYYYY!!! HE AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.... SHE You put yourself under those covers and now only you can pull yourself out. No one else. WIIIIMMMMPPPP......... HE (crying) I know... You're right...PAUSE Are you over that anger yet? She stands, straddled over him and looking down, hands on her hips, like John Wayne. SHE (violently) If I could kick you several hundred times in your groin while you were chained to a cold, grimy, dungeon wall, and watch you writhe in the blood gushing from your swollen genitals and your face contort in agony, I might be able to equalize the situation and feel less anger for your asinine childish game playing that has caused such pain.... HE Don't. Please don't hurt me... I'm not the one. I'm just one person. It's not my fault I was born male. SHE I know. HE Will you forgive me?. I'm attempting to go beyond my heritage. It's not a simple thing to do. It'll take time. SHE I know. HE Don't kill me. SHE I'll try not to. HE We need each other. SHE I know. HE This floor is hard. Extremely hard. It's not like the bed. This is punishment enough. SHE I still want you in more... HE I'm afraid (he reveals his fear) and... I'll... admit it... SHE Yes...Now, I'm over the anger.. HE I can talk openly now? SHE ...Yes... HE That's a start... Isn't it? SHE Yes... HE It has a rough texture, this floor...And there aren't any flowers on it. It has a strange, alien texture. Much more dangerous. SHE No, just different. She begins to jog. HE I'm having visions.. SHE Of what? HE Of what I'll be like. Of what I'll be able to do. I see how I will feel. I see myself smiling... SHE Who are you with? HE Myself. SHE You're still on the floor and I'm jogging? Let's go. UP! UP! HE I've got to sit up. He struggles as if lifting a thousand pounds. finally he sits up panting. HE It's me and the space now. Me and nothing. Me in nothing. Am I beginning to smile? He begins to smile. HE I'm smiling more. He smiles more. HE I'm almost smiling. He is almost smiling. HE I'm smiling. He is smiling. HE This feels great. Pause. HE Why am I smiling? She continues to jog, throwing her arms up in the air like a marathon champion, jumping over him and the bed several times. SHE Because you had a feeling and you didn't apologize for it. HE The room has an entirely different perspective from this position. She throws herself, like a Marine Drill Sergeant, down to the floor and begins to do push ups vigorously. SHE ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR... She continues counting. HE I can breathe. I finally can breathe. Now to standing. It's still all in my ass. SHE continues counting. HE Begins to stand, struggling as before fear strikes him halfway up. HE I'm horrified, terrified, mortified, petrified, afraid and I'll admit it. She continues counting. HE I've got to get up. SAY I CAN NOW... SHE (very bored with him) You can you can you can you can... HE stands wobbling. HE There! my ass is off the ground! She does sit ups. She makes deep, masculine grunting sounds as she tires. HE Oh... isn't this nice. Isn't this something. Oh. Oh. I feel better. I never thought I'd get out of that nasty position. Up off that filthy floor. But I did. Oh, how wonderful. She stops doing push ups and springs to her feet and begins to air box. SHE How does it feel? HE Very good. Very nice. Very different. I feel... I feel...sensitive. (begins to cry) It feels... (crying) ... wonderfulllllll....I'm soooo happpppppyyy.......... (crying hysterically) It feels greeeaaaatttt... SHE (very annoyed) Look, if you're going to continue that crying, I'll leave. You look and sound like a woman. HE Oh, and I suppose, now that you've done push ups and jumping jacks and skipped and jogged all over the place, that now, you're a man? Now isn't that silly. SHE You're not acting like a man. HE You see that. Right there. What you just did. SHE What? Called you a man? HE See how you limited me when you saw me that way. A whole set of reactions start from that one thought. You identify me... ME... with other men you've known. You experience, who I am, without looking at me. Call me human. There's a wider territory to explore and relate to when you start with that. Human. Pause. They look at each other. SHE Can you walk? HE I... I don't know. I'm afraid to, but I'll admit it. Standing was hard enough. I'm afraid you'll reject me if I walk. I feel that. SHE I won't reject you. I'll encourage you.. HE Go ahead.. SHE You can do it. Anything's possible. Come on baby. Come to me. Take a great big step for mommy. Pause. HE, looks at her. HE You're patronizing me.. SHE I was not... HE Don't say mommy. SHE Oh, I'm sorry. HE It's all right. SHE Take a step. He slowly, painfully, raises one foot off the ground, trying to balance himself. SHE That's it. That's it. Come on. You can do it. Now put your weight on it and shift forward. HE It's hard. I don't know if I can. SHE Real growth is agonizing... HE ... It's hard, like the floor. I could fall! SHE Trust yourself. (patting her knees) Come on... Come on... He puts the foot down. SHE (ecstatic) THAT'S IT! YOU DID IT! HE (panting heavily) I think I know who I am now. I think I almost know who I am. I'm figuring it out right now. In this very second. I'm beginning to understand me. SHE Am I beyond competition? HE I hope so... SHE Am I forgiving the past? HE There's been so ... much death. SHE I forgive the killing. HE We must... SHE But not forget the killing. There must be no more wars. With ourselves. With each other. It's too ... much work. They begin to move toward each other in slow motion. Very gentle, arms out to hug the other. The lights on the furniture dim out to black, leaving them in a low white light stage left. They are surrounded by black, bare space. They begin moving toward each other, profile to the audience, very slowly. SHE Can we really experience love? HE Love? SHE Touch me? HE Love? SHE Feel me? HE Accept me? SHE Freedom together? They are almost touching. BOTH (more bewildered than joyful) Love? They embrace, almost in slow motion. We see them both merge into one another, ending in a loving embrace. No kiss. As they merge, the lights shift to a blue pin spot, so that they almost glow. Tableau on them for a brief moment, in a sculpture of ecstasy and agony, holding each other, and the lights fade out slowly. The End