Two men at a restaurant. Dinner's almost finished. The one on the right continues to pick at his food.
A
It was good.
B
I thought the chicken was dry.
A
The beef was good. Your chicken was okay.
B
Just a little dry. Not too much.
A
Just mentionably dry.
B
Right. Not complainably.
A
You know, I was thinking the other day. I saw this man on the news wrestling a pig. It was some stupid thing for charity or something. I don't know. Filler news, not real news. He was covered in this. Oil I guess. Or something. Crisco. Disgusting. And the pig was just squealing its head off. You know. Ferocious squealing. Almost like a kid being tortured or something awful like that. And this grease-covered guy, just holding onto it for dear life.
B
They put that on the news?
A
Yeah. I know. Pathetic, right? But that pig. The guy. I thought, "My God. I feel like that. I feel like that guy holding on that grease covered squealing thing."
Silence.
B
It passes.
A
I know.
B
It always passes.
A
I know. But I'm exhausted. I don't believe I can win anymore. I'm sorry, but I don't.
Another silence.
B
They put that on the news?
A
Yeah, I know. Pathetic, right?
B
A little. What made you bring it up?
A
Nothing. Just thought it was wierd.
B
Wierd.
They go back to restaurant silence. The lights go down.
Monday, April 19, 2010
LOOKING BACK: 4.8.2008: The Cave of Wonders
The Husband and the Wife. A couch. The light of a television hits them.
THE WIFE
I want to take a trip.
THE HUSBAND
Huh?
THE WIFE
Trip.
THE HUSBAND
Trip what?
THE WIFE
I want to take one. I want us to take a trip somewhere.
THE HUSBAND
Where do you want to go?
THE WIFE
Somewhere. Some place we haven't seen before.
THE HUSBAND
There are a lot of places we haven't seen before.
THE WIFE
I know.
THE HUSBAND
There are places down our street we haven't seen before.
THE WIFE
That's not what I meant.
THE HUSBAND
If you want to take a trip to the Brennan's garage three doors down, I'd be happy to arrange it for the weekend.
THE WIFE
You know what I meant. Don't make fun of me.
THE HUSBAND
I wasn't...
THE WIFE
Don't make fun of the things I want.
THE HUSBAND
I'm sorry.
A silence falls. Just the flicker of the TV. The muffled sound of a documentary narration.
A man appears behind the couch. A nature photographer. He's in full adventurer regalia. He's very quiet. He peeks up, rises slowly, and snaps a picture of the couple on the couch. Then he descends again, out of sight.
The Husband and Wife are none the wiser.
THE HUSBAND
You watching this?
THE WIFE
Sort of.
THE HUSBAND
It's amazing.
THE WIFE
I think it's sordid.
The Husband turns up the volume with the remote. We hear this part clearly.
DOCUMENTARY NARRATION
"... are stark portraits of what photographer Jake Madden calls "Human Chasms," the gulfs between people, no matter how close they are. Madden says:"
JAKE MADDEN
"Everyone thinks it's just dead air. But it's not. The photographs show. The space is like a cave of wonders."
THE HUSBAND
I love that he calls it a "Cave of Wonders."
THE WIFE
You can't take pictures of that.
THE HUSBAND
He says he can.
DOCUMENTARY NARRATION
"Madden atrributes the glorious complexity of his work to the complexity of its subject. Madden says it takes a lot of neglect, anger, frustration, compromise, failure, and deception to create the most beautiful of his portraits. But he says, it's worth it."
THE WIFE
Funny how that one looks like our living room.
JAKE MADDEN
"This is my favorite. Look at the swirl of colors."
THE HUSBAND
She has the exact same shoes as you do, honey.
The photographer rises and sneaks out of the room.
THE WIFE
I wish we could go to a place that beautiful.
THE HUSBAND
I doubt we could afford it. It's got to be in Europe somewhere.
Silence as they contemplate themselves.
The lights go out.
THE WIFE
I want to take a trip.
THE HUSBAND
Huh?
THE WIFE
Trip.
THE HUSBAND
Trip what?
THE WIFE
I want to take one. I want us to take a trip somewhere.
THE HUSBAND
Where do you want to go?
THE WIFE
Somewhere. Some place we haven't seen before.
THE HUSBAND
There are a lot of places we haven't seen before.
THE WIFE
I know.
THE HUSBAND
There are places down our street we haven't seen before.
THE WIFE
That's not what I meant.
THE HUSBAND
If you want to take a trip to the Brennan's garage three doors down, I'd be happy to arrange it for the weekend.
THE WIFE
You know what I meant. Don't make fun of me.
THE HUSBAND
I wasn't...
THE WIFE
Don't make fun of the things I want.
THE HUSBAND
I'm sorry.
A silence falls. Just the flicker of the TV. The muffled sound of a documentary narration.
A man appears behind the couch. A nature photographer. He's in full adventurer regalia. He's very quiet. He peeks up, rises slowly, and snaps a picture of the couple on the couch. Then he descends again, out of sight.
The Husband and Wife are none the wiser.
THE HUSBAND
You watching this?
THE WIFE
Sort of.
THE HUSBAND
It's amazing.
THE WIFE
I think it's sordid.
The Husband turns up the volume with the remote. We hear this part clearly.
DOCUMENTARY NARRATION
"... are stark portraits of what photographer Jake Madden calls "Human Chasms," the gulfs between people, no matter how close they are. Madden says:"
JAKE MADDEN
"Everyone thinks it's just dead air. But it's not. The photographs show. The space is like a cave of wonders."
THE HUSBAND
I love that he calls it a "Cave of Wonders."
THE WIFE
You can't take pictures of that.
THE HUSBAND
He says he can.
DOCUMENTARY NARRATION
"Madden atrributes the glorious complexity of his work to the complexity of its subject. Madden says it takes a lot of neglect, anger, frustration, compromise, failure, and deception to create the most beautiful of his portraits. But he says, it's worth it."
THE WIFE
Funny how that one looks like our living room.
JAKE MADDEN
"This is my favorite. Look at the swirl of colors."
THE HUSBAND
She has the exact same shoes as you do, honey.
The photographer rises and sneaks out of the room.
THE WIFE
I wish we could go to a place that beautiful.
THE HUSBAND
I doubt we could afford it. It's got to be in Europe somewhere.
Silence as they contemplate themselves.
The lights go out.
LOOKING BACK: 4.1.2008: The Winged Man (Fly Shy)
The Guy and Icarus.
ICARUS
Wanna try these on?
THE GUY
I don't think so.
ICARUS
No faith in the apparatus?
THE GUY
No. Sorry. No offense.
ICARUS
None taken. Nobody ever wants to. Try them out. Word travels.
THE GUY
That it does.
ICARUS
People are fly shy. It's what I call it. Not a technical name. Just a bit of. You know. Lingo. Of the personal kind. They see the evidence of a failed attempt, and they won't come near even a piece of it. Fly shy. I don't get it.
THE GUY
I do. I get it.
ICARUS
I think, as long as there's a sliver of a chance that the events will play out differently, it's worth a go. Within reason, of course. But if there's hope... you know, I think there's got to be at least the attempt. No time for fly shy. You know?
THE GUY
Who wants to fall out the sky more than once? Hell. Who wants to do it at all?
ICARUS
At least something's happening to you.
There's a silence between them.
THE GUY
I feel a little beaten up. Bruised. I know you're supposed to just brush off the dirt, take a deep breath, and plunge ahead. I know it's what you do every day. But I just. I just don't want to today. I just want to be still. Completely still.
ICARUS
The only one that still are the dead ones. You're far from dead, buddy.
THE GUY
True.
ICARUS
Think about it. I think these wings might fit you. No time for fly shy.
The lights go down.
ICARUS
Wanna try these on?
THE GUY
I don't think so.
ICARUS
No faith in the apparatus?
THE GUY
No. Sorry. No offense.
ICARUS
None taken. Nobody ever wants to. Try them out. Word travels.
THE GUY
That it does.
ICARUS
People are fly shy. It's what I call it. Not a technical name. Just a bit of. You know. Lingo. Of the personal kind. They see the evidence of a failed attempt, and they won't come near even a piece of it. Fly shy. I don't get it.
THE GUY
I do. I get it.
ICARUS
I think, as long as there's a sliver of a chance that the events will play out differently, it's worth a go. Within reason, of course. But if there's hope... you know, I think there's got to be at least the attempt. No time for fly shy. You know?
THE GUY
Who wants to fall out the sky more than once? Hell. Who wants to do it at all?
ICARUS
At least something's happening to you.
There's a silence between them.
THE GUY
I feel a little beaten up. Bruised. I know you're supposed to just brush off the dirt, take a deep breath, and plunge ahead. I know it's what you do every day. But I just. I just don't want to today. I just want to be still. Completely still.
ICARUS
The only one that still are the dead ones. You're far from dead, buddy.
THE GUY
True.
ICARUS
Think about it. I think these wings might fit you. No time for fly shy.
The lights go down.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
4.18.2010: The Chair of Forgetfulness (My friend, you cannot look behind)
Theseus and Pirithous, the best of friends. They are in the underworld, at the Chair of Forgetfulness.
THESEUS
it's alright.
PIRITHOUS
No.
THESEUS
I'll be here. I promise. I'm not going anywhere.
PIRITHOUS
Absolutely not.
THESEUS
We've talked this through. There's no surprise. You sit in the chair...
PIRITHOUS
The Chair of Forgetfulness...
THESEUS
Yes. You sit in the chair, and it all goes away. Everything.
PIRITHOUS
Everything.
THESEUS
The pain. The disappointment. The failure.
PIRITHOUS
Everything.
THESEUS
And I'll be standing here. Right here. Waiting for you once you're ready to go.
There's a pause.
PIRITHOUS
I'm scared. I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't be. I know we've gone over this. but I'm scared. I sit in the chair, and it all falls away -- all the terrible miserable awful things I don't want to carry another moment -- but what if when they fall away, so does everything else -- all the good, all the joy, music, memories, my loves, you...
THESEUS
This is my promise to you, my friend.
This place,
this myth,
this is ours.
This space that was created
without you in it
now seems much richer and fuller
and more alive
with you in it.
So in this space,
this space that I keep alive
for almost no one else but you,
I promise that the only thing you forget
when you sit in that chair
are the things you want to forget.
Everything else is yours.
It's a fiction, yes,
but it's all I can do.
And I want to give you a space
where there is no sadness
and the world is exactly what you want the world to be.
So sit.
Forget.
And when you're done,
the world is yours to make.
It's a meager gift, but it's the best he can do. Theseus motions for Pirithous to sit. And Pirithous does. And the burden he carries melts away. Only the bad parts. Because in this play, the myth is what I make it.
Pirithous is happy. The world is well.
THESEUS
it's alright.
PIRITHOUS
No.
THESEUS
I'll be here. I promise. I'm not going anywhere.
PIRITHOUS
Absolutely not.
THESEUS
We've talked this through. There's no surprise. You sit in the chair...
PIRITHOUS
The Chair of Forgetfulness...
THESEUS
Yes. You sit in the chair, and it all goes away. Everything.
PIRITHOUS
Everything.
THESEUS
The pain. The disappointment. The failure.
PIRITHOUS
Everything.
THESEUS
And I'll be standing here. Right here. Waiting for you once you're ready to go.
There's a pause.
PIRITHOUS
I'm scared. I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't be. I know we've gone over this. but I'm scared. I sit in the chair, and it all falls away -- all the terrible miserable awful things I don't want to carry another moment -- but what if when they fall away, so does everything else -- all the good, all the joy, music, memories, my loves, you...
THESEUS
This is my promise to you, my friend.
This place,
this myth,
this is ours.
This space that was created
without you in it
now seems much richer and fuller
and more alive
with you in it.
So in this space,
this space that I keep alive
for almost no one else but you,
I promise that the only thing you forget
when you sit in that chair
are the things you want to forget.
Everything else is yours.
It's a fiction, yes,
but it's all I can do.
And I want to give you a space
where there is no sadness
and the world is exactly what you want the world to be.
So sit.
Forget.
And when you're done,
the world is yours to make.
It's a meager gift, but it's the best he can do. Theseus motions for Pirithous to sit. And Pirithous does. And the burden he carries melts away. Only the bad parts. Because in this play, the myth is what I make it.
Pirithous is happy. The world is well.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
4.17.2010: Between,,, You Know (Odysseus and Icarus Consider the Options)
Odysseus in a boat. He's peering intently ahead, through a telescope. He looks seriously worried.
Alongside him is a younger sailor, looking equally worried.
SAILOR
This looks bad.
ODYSSEUS
It is bad.
SAILOR
So, what do we do?
ODYSSEUS
Steer the ship left, we get eaten by Scylla. Steer the ship left, and we get sucked in by Charybdis.
A pause.
SAILOR
Those are our options? The ONLY options? Die or die?
ODYSSEUS
Yes.
SAILOR
What about going back? Change course completely. Forward isn't the only direction, sir.
ODYSSEUS
You don't know much about Greek mythology, do you?
SAILOR
Look, I didn't ask to be cast in this myth. I don't even have a name! I'm just "Sailor," and if you consider the stage directions, I'm a young sailor, I have a lot of life left in me, so if I have a voice in this other than as a passive participant so you have someone to talk to, I vote we turn back. I don't like what happens if we steer right and I certainly don't like what happens if we steer left. So let's just steer back -- yes, we'll look like pussies, but we'll at least be ALIVE to be ridiculed.
ODYSSEUS
You have a lot to learn, young man.
Above them, we see Icarus, mid-flight. He's high enough to be thrilled with the implications of flight, but not yet high enough to get burned by the sun.
ICARUS
Odysseus!
ODYSSEUS
Icarus! How's the sky today, my friend?
ICARUS
The day is beautiful! The sun is spectacular!
ODYSSEUS
My friend, I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. Wondered if you might be able to help me out.
ICARUS
Certainly. What's the problem.
SAILOR
A rock -- where a multi-headed beast will devour us as we pass! And a hard place -- where a sucking whirlpool will swallow us whole!
ODYSSEUS
Steer left or steer right? Death either way?
SAILOR
Or turn back! Seriously, why isn't that option on the table? You people are fucking ridiculous.
ICARUS
Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
The point is, you're damned either way,
so your choice isn't an escape from damnation,
its how you handle being damned.
ODYSSEUS
That's the purpose of myth.
ICARUS
The consideration of impossible questions...
ODYSSEUS
Not their answers.
ICARUS
We're all going to die.
We're all going to fail.
We're all going to try to to touch the sun, and miss.
ODYSSEUS
So the only way you know who you are
what you're made of
what kind of person you will be
is to accept failure.
ICARUS
Fall from the sky.
ODYSSEUS
Sail through the middle of an unwinnable situation.
ICARUS
Because -- and here's the secret --
on the other side of it...
ODYSSEUS
...after the failure...
ICARUS
... you get reborn.
ODYSSEUS
Death is a temporary thing.
Skins will be shed,
transformation will occur
and you will be changed.
ICARUS
Flip a coin.
Steer in one direction.
You'll probably fail.
That's life.
ODYSSEUS
Isn't it wonderful?
Icarus flies up into the sky and out of sight. The sailor looks at Odysseus, looks ahead to the rock and the hard place. Pulls out a coin. Flips it.
SAILOR
Steer left. Let's see what happens.
Alongside him is a younger sailor, looking equally worried.
SAILOR
This looks bad.
ODYSSEUS
It is bad.
SAILOR
So, what do we do?
ODYSSEUS
Steer the ship left, we get eaten by Scylla. Steer the ship left, and we get sucked in by Charybdis.
A pause.
SAILOR
Those are our options? The ONLY options? Die or die?
ODYSSEUS
Yes.
SAILOR
What about going back? Change course completely. Forward isn't the only direction, sir.
ODYSSEUS
You don't know much about Greek mythology, do you?
SAILOR
Look, I didn't ask to be cast in this myth. I don't even have a name! I'm just "Sailor," and if you consider the stage directions, I'm a young sailor, I have a lot of life left in me, so if I have a voice in this other than as a passive participant so you have someone to talk to, I vote we turn back. I don't like what happens if we steer right and I certainly don't like what happens if we steer left. So let's just steer back -- yes, we'll look like pussies, but we'll at least be ALIVE to be ridiculed.
ODYSSEUS
You have a lot to learn, young man.
Above them, we see Icarus, mid-flight. He's high enough to be thrilled with the implications of flight, but not yet high enough to get burned by the sun.
ICARUS
Odysseus!
ODYSSEUS
Icarus! How's the sky today, my friend?
ICARUS
The day is beautiful! The sun is spectacular!
ODYSSEUS
My friend, I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. Wondered if you might be able to help me out.
ICARUS
Certainly. What's the problem.
SAILOR
A rock -- where a multi-headed beast will devour us as we pass! And a hard place -- where a sucking whirlpool will swallow us whole!
ODYSSEUS
Steer left or steer right? Death either way?
SAILOR
Or turn back! Seriously, why isn't that option on the table? You people are fucking ridiculous.
ICARUS
Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
The point is, you're damned either way,
so your choice isn't an escape from damnation,
its how you handle being damned.
ODYSSEUS
That's the purpose of myth.
ICARUS
The consideration of impossible questions...
ODYSSEUS
Not their answers.
ICARUS
We're all going to die.
We're all going to fail.
We're all going to try to to touch the sun, and miss.
ODYSSEUS
So the only way you know who you are
what you're made of
what kind of person you will be
is to accept failure.
ICARUS
Fall from the sky.
ODYSSEUS
Sail through the middle of an unwinnable situation.
ICARUS
Because -- and here's the secret --
on the other side of it...
ODYSSEUS
...after the failure...
ICARUS
... you get reborn.
ODYSSEUS
Death is a temporary thing.
Skins will be shed,
transformation will occur
and you will be changed.
ICARUS
Flip a coin.
Steer in one direction.
You'll probably fail.
That's life.
ODYSSEUS
Isn't it wonderful?
Icarus flies up into the sky and out of sight. The sailor looks at Odysseus, looks ahead to the rock and the hard place. Pulls out a coin. Flips it.
SAILOR
Steer left. Let's see what happens.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
1.16.2010: Icarus in Small (Give me the seat by the window)
Two seats on an commerical airliner. Icarus in one, The Guy in the other.
THE GUY
This is the first time I've ever been on a plane.
ICARUS
No way. Really?
THE GUY
Yeah. I have this -- always have had this -- anxiety, I guess, is the word to use but it's more like an obsessive fixation, this CERTAINTY that I will set foot on a plane, take off, and find myself sucked into the air when the damn thing splits open, dumping me onto some field over Virginia. Splat. End of story.
ICARUS
Been there. It's not pretty.
THE GUY
I know it's irrational... but it always seemed so much easier to just listen to the fear, give into it, than face it.
ICARUS
What changed your mind?
THE GUY
Twenty-nine hours on a train to spend a week in New York. It was an adventure at 20. At 34... well, plummeting out of a plane and getting squashed seems less painful.
ICARUS
I'm not the best guy for this.
I'm myth.
My fall... it's metaphorical.
(sort of. I do actually fall,
drown,
die,
the whole nine yards,
just for me -- the end
is not really an end.
it's a temporary thing.
You fall, you die.
Game over.
THE GUY
Not helping.
ICARUS
Odds are, you won't.
And then you get to see
thepart of the flight
I never get to see.
THE GUY
What's that?
ICARUS
The destination.
The end.
The airport in New York
and your friends
and your show
and the future...
THE GUY
I'm not as scared as I thought I would be.
I'm sitting here,
and in the imagined version of this evening
I was terrified.
But I'm fine.
I'm calm.
I'm...
ICARUS
Ready.
You're ready.
When the plane takes off,
imagine the wings
as sprouting from your back
and the wind in your face
and the heat of the sun on your face
and the possibility of everything on the other side
holding you up.
The physics of flight. Just conjecture.
That's what keeps you aloft.
The possible things.
The Guy smiles. He turns, and sees that Icarus has changed. He's no longer some random boy who's a metaphor for all sorts of things. Icarus is Marc, cap, flannel shirt and scruffy beard, smiling that smile with the raised eyebrows that makes the Guy happy.
Maybe he's been Marc all along, and I'd been talking to him for years. Just waiting for that trip. The fountain. The rainy Saturday afternoon. This flight. The future.
The plane roars to life. Everything will be okay.
THE GUY
This is the first time I've ever been on a plane.
ICARUS
No way. Really?
THE GUY
Yeah. I have this -- always have had this -- anxiety, I guess, is the word to use but it's more like an obsessive fixation, this CERTAINTY that I will set foot on a plane, take off, and find myself sucked into the air when the damn thing splits open, dumping me onto some field over Virginia. Splat. End of story.
ICARUS
Been there. It's not pretty.
THE GUY
I know it's irrational... but it always seemed so much easier to just listen to the fear, give into it, than face it.
ICARUS
What changed your mind?
THE GUY
Twenty-nine hours on a train to spend a week in New York. It was an adventure at 20. At 34... well, plummeting out of a plane and getting squashed seems less painful.
ICARUS
I'm not the best guy for this.
I'm myth.
My fall... it's metaphorical.
(sort of. I do actually fall,
drown,
die,
the whole nine yards,
just for me -- the end
is not really an end.
it's a temporary thing.
You fall, you die.
Game over.
THE GUY
Not helping.
ICARUS
Odds are, you won't.
And then you get to see
thepart of the flight
I never get to see.
THE GUY
What's that?
ICARUS
The destination.
The end.
The airport in New York
and your friends
and your show
and the future...
THE GUY
I'm not as scared as I thought I would be.
I'm sitting here,
and in the imagined version of this evening
I was terrified.
But I'm fine.
I'm calm.
I'm...
ICARUS
Ready.
You're ready.
When the plane takes off,
imagine the wings
as sprouting from your back
and the wind in your face
and the heat of the sun on your face
and the possibility of everything on the other side
holding you up.
The physics of flight. Just conjecture.
That's what keeps you aloft.
The possible things.
The Guy smiles. He turns, and sees that Icarus has changed. He's no longer some random boy who's a metaphor for all sorts of things. Icarus is Marc, cap, flannel shirt and scruffy beard, smiling that smile with the raised eyebrows that makes the Guy happy.
Maybe he's been Marc all along, and I'd been talking to him for years. Just waiting for that trip. The fountain. The rainy Saturday afternoon. This flight. The future.
The plane roars to life. Everything will be okay.
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