The Pinewood Players Present

The Pinewood Players Present

Holy City

Cast of Characters:

Robert Snyder — Director of the Pinewood Players
Joy — actress (playing Waitress)
Fenton Dillquist — actor (playing Rabbi)
John — Stage Crew Manager
Bill Jordan — President of the Pinewood Players and actor (playing James)
Mrs. Gillespie — Costume manager and actress (playing Mary)

[In bedroom. Robert is taking a nap on the bed. His shirt is on a chair in the living room. He is lying bare chested on the bed. The alarm clock on the table rings. He reaches out a sleepy arm to turn it off. He Sits up in bed. He holds the clock and looks at it.]

ROBERT: Six forty-five P.M. They'll be here any minute for rehearsal. I'm hungry.

[Reaches into table drawer, pulls out package of cookies]

Fig Newtons. [Eats fig newton]

I'm so tired. I could sleep another ten hours. My God–what a dream that was. Why am I so horny? It's only been a year.

[Knock on apartment door] Damn.

[Looks at watch] They're not supposed to be here for another twelve minutes.

[Puts on bathrobe, crosses to living room, opens apartment door.]

[Joy, 27 years old, is standing in the hallway]

ROBERT: Hi, Joy. You're a little early.

JOY: I know. But I had to talk to you about my costume.

ROBERT: Mrs. Gillespie is in charge of that.

JOY: Yes, but this is personal.

ROBERT: [Cordially] Well come in. [Joy enters living room] I just woke up from a nap.

JOY: You look tired.

ROBERT: How can I get any sleep when we open Holy City in two days. They're just starting to build the set in the auditorium.

JOY: So that's why we're still rehearsing here–in this apartment?

ROBERT: Yeah. It doesn't look much like ancient Jerusalem.

JOY: [Staring in direction of bedroom] It looks nice to me..

ROBERT: So how's your husband handling your being away for so many rehearsals?

JOY: He's gone off to another of his motorcycle rallies. Some kind of Grand Prix.

ROBERT: To each his own.

JOY: He should have gotten a license to marry his Harley.

ROBERT: [Nodding] A same-sex wedding.

JOY: I'm so fed up with his act. He's always snarling. Listen, do we have a minute to talk seriously?

ROBERT: [Takes off bathrobe, picks up shirt from chair and puts it on] Is this about your costume?

JOY: Well, Robert–you don't mind if I call you Bob?–I know I'm just playing a waitress in a tavern in Jerusalem when Jesus brother James walks in–

ROBERT: Uh-huh.

JOY: But this blouse Mrs. G has given me is all wrong. See I've got it on. Notice how high the neckline is.

ROBERT: Ye–es.

JOY: I want to open it up down to here.

ROBERT: [Robert's eyes bulge slightly] That far down.

JOY: Sure. Give Jerusalem a little life.

ROBERT: This is a religious play.

JOY: So was "The Ten Commandments". Hollywood knows how to put a little sex in with the Bible.

ROBERT: Joy this is my first paid theatre directing job. I was broke in Los Angeles, and I was even worse off in New York. For two years I've tried everything to get even a toenail in the door–stage, TV, films. That's why I came here. It's work. I've got to make this a success.

JOY: I know I can help you to make it an exciting play.

ROBERT: Since I arrived here four months ago, I've bent myself in every direction to get along with the Pinewood Players and the people in this town.

JOY: I know–

ROBERT: They offered me shots of 100 proof Bourbon. I drank with them. They wanted the church crowd to see their next play. I hunted around and found this script. I'm doing all I can, but sometimes I feel so alone.

JOY: That's why you need my help.

ROBERT: I really appreciate all the props you collected. And the loan of your cassette player for rehearsals.

JOY: Bob–I'm going to call you "Bobby". You're a real inspiration to a person like me. I've been married to Joe for ten years, since I was 17. He doesn't want me to hold down a regular job. Too many guys out there looking me over. He doesn't want me to be anything but his property.

ROBERT: That's–uh–hard.

JOY: What I see in you is your dedication to your art. I could be a Hollywood starlet. I've got the measurements.

ROBERT: Oh, yes.

JOY: I need someone who believes in me.

ROBERT: Absolutely.

JOY: You probably know a lot of Hollywood producers.

ROBERT: I know their receptionists.

JOY: That's what I mean..

ROBERT: Joy, right now I'm just wanting to keep everybody happy and keep my nose clean. So please, just keep your shirt on.

JOY: [Smiling] I didn't plan to strip..

ROBERT: [Comes over to her, touches her shoulders] You've been a real friend. [Looks into her eyes]

[Knock on entrance door. The knob turns and Fenton Dillquist enters. He is a small wiry man with a high strung manner.]

FENTON: Oh, you're rehearsing already.

ROBERT: [Doing a quick adjustment to the "intruder"] [As director to Joy, the actress:] So Joy, you hold in this position near the table. Got it?

JOY: Got it.

FENTON: I don't want to interrupt you, but I am boiling over.

ROBERT: [Crossing to him] What's the matter, Fenton?

FENTON: Here's the evening paper. See the drama news. Pinewood Community Players opening Holy City.

ROBERT: [Looking at article Fenton is displaying in the newspaper] Yes–that's the publicity item the theatre sent the entertainment editor.

FENTON: Don't you notice anything wrong?

ROBERT: It's just the basic info, and the cast list.

FENTON: Well? [Head of steam rising]

ROBERT: It seems to be in order.

FENTON: Seems? They have omitted my name. Every last spear carrier is mentioned, but me The Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem–no. There is no Fenton Dillquist here. I have played featured roles for years. Someone in this theatre is out to get me. I can think of several who might–but I didn't think they'd actually stoop so low. Who wrote the publicity material?

ROBERT: I think the President of the Players did–Bill.

FENTON: Bill Jordan?

ROBERT: Or he delegated it to the woman who volunteered to work on publicity.

FENTON: That bitch. Oh, excuse me Joy. It's just too much.

JOY: It's got to be just a little error.

FENTON: Ho-ho-ho. I know better. Now Robert I'm asking you to find out immediately who did this ugly thing.

ROBERT: I can't stop my next-to-last rehearsal to do that.

FENTON: In that case, I quit. Ask that snivelling cutesy publicity girly to play the Chief Rabbi!

JOY: Which scenes are we going to do?

ROBERT: We'll do your tavern scene with Jesus' brother James; and since Fenton is here, perhaps he'd be kind enough to do the scene where James seeks help from the Rabbi.

FENTON: I'm still quitting. I'll be in the garden composing a letter to the Entertainment Editor. He's often made carping little comments about my acting. Maybe he's the one responsible.

[As Fenton heads out the entrance door, John Willis comes in wearing scene-construction clothes. He's covered with saw dust. He is the stage manager, technical director.]

JOHN: Robert, we gotta problem. Hi Joy.

JOY: Hi, John. Workin' hard?

JOHN: Hard, but crazy!

ROBERT: What's happening at the auditorium? Have you got a crew?

JOHN: Yeah. There's a few of us. And Bill Jordan has brought some employees from his construction company.

ROBERT: That's great.

JOHN: Not so great. You know as Technical Director I'm supposed to approve the set design and construction. Well, Bill, being an engineer, thinks he knows better.

ROBERT: What's he done?

JOHN: For the basic Jerusalem set in Act I, including the tavern, he has brought in leftover lumber from one of his construction sites.

ROBERT: That's good.

JOHN: You haven't seen the lumber. Look at this piece. [Holding post out] He's building the set out of heavy, heavy, four-by-six posts, plywood walls, all nailed together. Real glass windows, a fountain made of real bricks, cemented together. He won't accept that we have to change the scenery for Act II.

ROBERT: Why the heavy stuff?

JOHN: He says "This set has to be solid. Lot of action goin' on there. I've got all this lumber available for free. We can't go out and buy other materials–we've gotta pay royalties and Robert's salary. We'll find a way to bring in the other sets. This one is going to stay put!"

[A second figure emerges at the doorway. It is Bill Jordan]

BILL: You're damn right about that, John.

JOY: I think I'd better join Fenton in the back yard. [Goes out door]

BILL: [Seeing Joy; with a wink:] How's our lovely waitress?

JOHN: Bill, I've been explaining the situation to our director.

BILL: I heard. Figured I'd better get right over here.

ROBERT: We have to finish the sets tonight. We must be ready for our one and only dress rehearsal tomorrow.

JOHN: I can't keep my crew working until morning. They're due at their offices by 8:30 AM. Sam Carmichael has to do surgery at seven.

BILL: My construction guys are real workers. They'll stick by me as long as I tell 'em.

JOHN: Tell me this: Once you've nailed down your Jerusalem apartment house just where are we going to place the Act II sets?

BILL: In front.

JOHN: We've got about three feet, then you fall into the orchestra pit.

ROBERT: We have to use the space we've planned for Act II.

BILL: Not to worry. We'll build a platform out over the orchestra pit and the first two rows of seats, if we have to.

ROBERT: You've got the lumber for that?

BILL: I have truckloads of extra lumber standing by at Rosy Springs Villas–we just finished that whole development.

ROBERT: [To John] Can we light all that extra stage area in front?

JOHN: Our lighting man hasn't shown up. His wife said he's at his Wednesday Rotarian dinner. But he'll be there tomorrow.

ROBERT: That's real nice of him. And if not then, maybe sometime after we open on Friday. Bill, how can you manage to build a whole new stage and construct these sets in one night?

BILL: No sweat. You should see how fast we build our houses. We won the last regional high-speed construction contest. We were faster than nine other development companies.

ROBERT: I'm beginning to understand how your recent director, Nigel Elliot, had a nervous breakdown in the middle of the season.

BILL: He was a burned out old Englishman. You're young, Robert.

ROBERT: I'm aging rapidly.

JOHN: I'm very uneasy about the construction plans.

BILL: You worry too much. We're on top of this.

ROBERT: Are you on top of things enough to stay and rehearse your scene with the Chief Rabbi?

BILL: I almost forgot I'm acting in this show.

ROBERT: You are Jesus' brother James–that's not chicken liver.

BILL: True.

ROBERT: And Fenton Dillquist is outside foaming at the mouth.

BILL: I should get back to the set.

JOHN: I'll oversee while you're rehearsing. I am the technical director.

BILL: Tell my men I'll be back there soon.

[John exits, taking the piece of lumber and brick with him]

BILL: What's with Dillquist?

ROBERT: He's in a snit because his name was omitted in the publicity piece.

BILL: Is that all?

ROBERT: He's threatened to quit the show. [Looking out door] And I think I hear him coming up the stairs.

BILL: [Fenton appears] Well, hi there buddy. How's old Fenton today?

FENTON: There you are, Mr. William Jordan–our dear President. I want an explanation immediately.

BILL: I heard ...

FENTON: You heard–that someone–you, or that little witch of the North–or maybe your dear editor friend at the newspaper–is trying to cut off my balls.

BILL: No one would do that.

FENTON: They have tried.

BILL: At this point that's impossible.

ROBERT: [To Fenton ] Show them all that you have created a towering figure as the head Rabbi.

FENTON: Chief Rabbi.

ROBERT: Bill's here to rehearse that moment when the disciple James comes to you. Except for the high priests, you are the most powerful Rabbi in the city. It can be a hell of a scene.

FENTON: I meant it when I said I was quitting.

ROBERT: But you'll rehearse it now anyway–?

BILL: To help me out?

FENTON: To help our director. I don't know about you.

ROBERT: O.K. Here's the chair of the head Rab– the Chief Rabbi. And you sit at stage right, remember.

FENTON: I certainly should. We did it yesterday.

ROBERT: All right–Begin.

FENTON: I want to put on my Rabbi's robe. I have it in this bag.

[He takes out the Rabbi's robe and puts it over his street clothes. Fenton sits majestically on the chair, arranging his robe and brushing back his hair.]

FENTON: And my crucifix. [Putting it around his neck; it's on a cord.]

ROBERT: What?

FENTON: I thought it would be a nice touch..

ROBERT: [Robert and Bill exchange glances. Robert gestures as if to say, "Anything now to get the scene going"]

RABBI: I do not like the sounds I hear in the streets. The crowds of worshippers are becoming unruly. The soothsayers have predicted trouble lies ahead. I wish I were out of here–bathing in the Red Sea. But one cannot shirk his duty. Someone approaches– [Stands up–claps his hands] You guards, see who is there. Oh, if I could but shake off this premonition of disaster that sticks like a foul leech to my skin. Who is it?

JAMES: It is a humble friend, great Rabbi.

RABBI: The guards let you in? What is your name?

JAMES: I am James, brother and disciple of the Nazarene.

RABBI: Are you not also a trouble maker, a thorn in the side of the Pharisees, and the Sadducees?