31 Plays in 31 Days: #21 - "The Puzzle House"

The talented Lenny Somervell is playing Miss Lillian Holland in my reading of Mrs. Loring. She's very likely to be e fan favorite character, as she is the sassy Bohemian dyke who's been in the asylum entirely too long. We came up with what happens after the story, when she finally gets out of the asylum many years later-- which, we think, likely involves her changing her name, moving to Chicago, and opening up a speakeasy during Prohibition that hosts black jazz bands.

If you like the cut of this lady's jibe, you should totally come to the reading. Arsenal Center for the Arts black box, Thursday 8/29 at 8PM!


Day #21 - "The Puzzle House"
LOU AMSTERDAM, the speakeasy owner
ELSIE WASHINGTON, a young singer
~~~

(A young black woman in a prim frock approaches a bar in a speakeasy. A white lady dressed in a suit smoking a pipe works behind the bar.)
LOU: Lost on the way to the library?
ELSIE: Beg pardon?
LOU: Or maybe you want the Bible study three doors down.
ELSIE: I thought you served drinks here.
LOU: To grown ups, sure.
ELSIE: Then I'd like a whiskey, please.
LOU: Stiff drink for a frippy thing like you.
ELSIE: I got money, I can buy what I like.
LOU: Right you are.
(She pours the shot, hands it over, and takes the girl's money.)
LOU: You have to forgive me. We don't get too many Sunday school teachers in here.
ELSIE: I'm not a Sunday school teacher. And I'm here for the music.
LOU: That so? You got an ear for the blues?
ELSIE: I want to sing like that.
LOU: Hope your mama doesn't find out.
ELSIE: It ain't so strange. What about you, ma'am? How many white ladies running jazz joints with hooch?
LOU: Fair enough. But I've never been one to do what's expected of me. You know why I call this place the Puzzle House?
ELSIE: 'Cause you spent time there?
(ELSIE grins. LOU nods very seriously. ELSIE's expression grows a little disturbed.)
ELSIE: No kidding?
LOU: No kidding.
ELSIE: What for?
LOU: Why, liking jazz music and whiling away my time in dens of iniquity. Among other things.
(LOU grins.)
LOU: What were you expecting? A nun, maybe?
(Pause.)
LOU: Not a crazy white lady, that's for sure, huh?
ELSIE: Well... the whiskey's right.
LOU: That's enough.
ELSIE: So... what was it like in there?
LOU: That's a long story.
ELSIE: It'll kill the time 'til the band's next set.
LOU: Then I hope you can handle your whiskey, doll, because you'll be needing more of it.

31 Plays in 31 Days: #17 - "Not as Hopeless as They Say" from Mrs. Loring

So, so behind. Bad Phoebe. But here's a scene from Mrs. Loring, which is having a staged reading on the last Thursday of the month, that I have substantially edited. This is the most problematic scene in the piece, one I have struggled with a lot to convey the meaning I want. It's supposed to deal with the fact that part of the failure of the mental institution the characters are in is that it enforces a helpless idleness on all the patients that render them useless to see themselves as having agency. This scene is supposed to show how someone believing that they are capable gives them back a lot of their agency, and with it, their ability to improve their own condition. It's been tough to get it to work the way I wanted to, so I edited it today. It's a bit better. But I don't know if it's quite where I want it yet.

And, hey, this is a weakest scene in the play. If you like it, come to the reading, because literally every other scene is better than this one!

From Mrs. Loring - Day #17 - "Not as Hopeless as They Say"

ELIZABETH LORING, a young society widow, mid-twenties
GAIL MITCHELL, a nurse matron at the hospital, late thirties
GINNY GRIER, a young girl at the hospital, mid teens
LILLIAN HOLLAND, a longtime patient, early thirties 
AMELIA PAGE, another patient, early twenties
~~~

ELIZABETH: I’ve seen this Paulin fellow in the garden a few times now. He asked me about Miles.

GINNY: That’s my mother’s lawyer. He’ll report anything he finds straight back to her!

LILLIAN: We’ll have to put him off somehow. But who knows what people will see and runs their mouth about?

GINNY: We have to hide it!

LILLIAN: There’s no keeping secrets in here.

GINNY: What else can we do?

(Enter AMELIA, bleary in her nightdress.)

AMELIA: What’s going on?

GINNY: Oh, Jesus, it’s her!

ELIZABETH: Amelia! What are you doing out of your room?

AMELIA: I couldn’t sleep, I had bad dreams. What are you doing? It’s past lights out.

GINNY: Nothing, we’re not doing anything!

LILLIAN: Don’t strain yourself, doll.

AMELIA: Nurse Mitchell isn’t going to like this.

LILLIAN: She isn’t going to find out.

AMELIA: She’s fetching my medicine.

ELIZABETH: She’s coming?

LILLIAN: Amelia, get out of here!

ELIZABETH: Lillian!

LILLIAN: The stupid girl will give the whole game away!

AMELIA: What?

GINNY: Get going, you silly cow!

(AMELIA begins to get upset.)

AMELIA: Stop it, I haven’t done anything!

ELIZABETH: We’re sorry, Amelia… it’s only… Ginny’s in trouble.

AMELIA: What kind of trouble?

ELIZABETH: Real trouble. She needs help. We’re trying to help her.

GINNY: Elizabeth!

AMELIA: So what? She’s so mean to me!

ELIZABETH: Maybe you could help too.

AMELIA: Me?

LILLIAN: Are you crazy?

ELIZABETH: Just as you said, there’s no keeping secrets in here! We need everyone on our side that we can get. Amelia, you could be the difference to carry Ginny through this.

AMELIA: But I can’t… do anything!

ELIZABETH: I don’t believe that.

AMELIA: But I’m hopeless. Everyone says so.

ELIZABETH: Amelia, we need you. All of us need you.

AMELIA: You? But… you did everything right!

ELIZABETH: Me?

AMELIA: You did! You married a good man and had a nice baby and did everything you were supposed to, and you still ended up in here! If that happened to you… what chance does someone like me have?

GINNY: About as much chance as I’ve got. But we’re not as hopeless as they say.

AMELIA: How do you know that?

GINNY: Because… somebody thought I was worth helping. If I’m good for something, then you are too.

(Pause as they regard each other. NURSE MITCHELL’s voice can be heard from offstage.)

NURSE MITCHELL: Amelia? What’s all this carrying on about?

AMELIA: Nurse… Nurse Mitchell? I… I was alone, and I got scared. I’m coming!

(She glances back at the others, then runs out. There is a long pause.)

LILLIAN: Well, I’ll be damned. Maybe we can pull off this scheme of yours after all. If impossible things are happening.