Stage Play / Not So Original Sin
(Note: All text written in this format denotes suggestions)
Scene One
(At Rise: The girls stand in various groups, talking amongst themselves.
Father McCocklin enters followed by Mother Superior, and Sister Virginia. All girls quickly move into a straight line focused intently on Father McCocklin)
(Dialogue to Introduce girls)
Father McCocklin: Girls, Girls, Girls. Today you embark not only on a quest for personal enrichment, but also to take another step on down the road toward heaven. (Girls lose focus, giggles, flirting, pinching etc.)
Mother Superior: Maria! Chastity! Pay attention right this minute. (Brandishes a ruler)
(Dialogue: Aside between Maria and Chasity)
Father McCocklin: (continuing) Through brains over brawn, and with the blessings of myself and the lord Jesus, I am sure you will return home to Divinity Prepetory School with your heads held high and the proof of your prowess in the game of Chess. May God be with you. Now, let us all join hands in prayer.
(Father McCocklin and Mother Superior turn with backs facing the audience, hands joined, heads bowed. The remainder of the girls fall in to a circle, all facing toward the Father and Mother.)
Father McCocklin: O’ holy father, our savior and guiding light…(Girls begin to flirt with each other again) We come before you with open arms and open hearts to what you have to offer us. We ask that you keep our children safe from the powers of evil, and comforted by your tender, warm embrace. Cast down on us your undying mercy and good fruits which sustain us in our times of need. We pray that you assist us, guide our hands and minds down the right paths toward the esctacies of victory. Forgive us our trespasses and our desires to seek pleasure. In Jesus’ precious, glorious name, in you we trust. Amen
(All make a silent cross, the girls all, while giggling, murmur an “Amen” as well. Jesus and Peter come running on stage, voices shrill and girly.)
Peter: Father! Father! Mass has been going for twenty minutes without you, we need you there!
Jesus: We were standing up there at the altar….alone!
Joy:(Aside, to the other girls) What? Did he get cold feet?(Girls giggle loudly)
(Possible edit on MS’ lines, feel formal)
Mother Superior: Silence!!!(Girls Freeze)
Sister Virginia: Now now girls, don’t pay any attention to those boys.(Girls giggle again)
Mother Superior: Silence!!
Peter:(Running over to the girls. He stops right in front of Faith, waving enthusiastically. With a stutter) H…Hi…Faith! Ha..Have fun on your t…tr..trip!
(All girls but Faith shy away from Peter. Faith stands alone. All the while, girls giggle and snicker at Faith and Peter)
Faith: (Reluctantly) Thanks…Peter. I told you to keep this private!
Peter: I….I’m s…sorry….Faith…I just….l..li (Pause) you look so beautiful today an-
Faith: Not in front of the girls Peter!!!(Trying to keep calm) I like you, but you need to give me my space.
(Dialogue: Aside between Mother Superior and Father McCocklin)
Father McCocklin snaps his fingers, looking to Mother Superior. Mother Superior grabs Peter by the ear, leading him to follow the exiting Father. Jesus stands, confused.
Mother Superior:(From off stage)Jesus!!!!!
(Jesus perks up and runs off, stumbling over himself. Mother Superior passes him on her way back to the girls. She glances around, being sure that they are alone.)
Mother Superior: Sister Virginia…should anything on our little field trip go wrong (pause) you are aware of the consequences
Sister Virginia: Oh yes, by all means
Mother Superior: You do know how the Father feels about…
Sister Virginia: Yes! Yes! I know!
Mother Superior: Alright, well keep an eye on those girls then. You know how…frisky they can get.
Sister Virginia: Oh..I will. Trust me.
Mother Superior: I would be joining you to be sure that the girls behave, but I have my own business to attend to. (Dialogue about McCocklin’s bastardness) Have a good trip, good luck. And God bless.
Sister Virginia: You too, Mother.(Pause) Alright girls! On the bus!
(Sister Virginia and Girls exit, leaving Mother Superior alone on stage. After a few beats, Mother Superior checks to see if she is really alone. She slowly removes her habit, revealing a bright, vibrant, rainbow colored bandana over her hair. She smirks, then removes her robe to reveal that she is wearing a shirt, portraying the logo of a homosexual support group)
Mother Superior: Well, I’m off.
(Exits. Blackout)
Scene Two
(Slow rise to full. At the convention center. An elongated semicircle of chairs sits center, a door is behind them. Girls enter with Sister Virginia and Anonymous through the door, all file into chairs, Sister Virginia sits center, Anonymous sits to Sister Virginia’s left, peas and carrots until Sister Virginia brings the group to order)
Sister Virginia:(Stands, moving to center of semicircle. Her hands remain folded at her stomach. She opens her arm to usher Anonymous center.) Chastity, Maria, Joy, Prudence…Faith…I’d like for you to meet a woman who’s will remain anonymous for her own personal reasons. They are not in question here.(Pause) She is here to talk to you all about what it is to be a lesbian in a heavily prejuidced society. She, like yourselves, grew up in a very devout, repressing, Catholic home. She, like all of us here had to hide and mask her entire identy because of the environment she lived in. Every day was a struggle for her to get through, and now she’s here to tell you her story.(Sits)
Anonymous stands, moving center. She looks around herself to all the girls, a warm smile on her face. She looks out to the audience. Her mouth opens, as if she were about to speak, she hesitates and smiles again. Two beats. She takes a deep breath, and dives into her speech.
Anonymous: When I was a little girl, I remember thinking, “I wish I was a boy,” I wish I didn’t have to pin my hair back so tight, and wear so many pink ribbons. I remember feeling trapped and forced to be with people that I didn’t feel comfortable with. Especially boys. My friends would say, “Oh isn’t that boy so cute?”, and I would look down at my feet, forced to smile and say, “Oh yeah, he’s cute alright,” when I knew that boy was nothing more to me than a friend. And then I met this girl. Jessica. She had the most beautiful complexion. So we got to know each other. And sure enough…we helped each other put a name to the years of confusion and curiosity. We are lesbians. One person understood me, but at home it was a different story. My entire life was a secret. I knew that my family would disapprove. As far back as I can remember, they’d preach to me. “Those gay people. They’re all dirty sinners. God hates them. God hates them and they’re going to hell. You stay away from them. We hate them, and you’re supposed to hate them too.” Their words etched scars into my ears, and burned holes in my heart. Every time I set foot into my home, I had to lock myself away. A prisoner of my own mind. Even as I think about it today, I remember the exact feeling. My parents, always watching me, always judging my every move. It sickens me. But I want to offer you all the support I never had when I was your age. Coming out to my parents wasn’t the easiest thing in the world, but it came to a point where I had to accept myself and honor my feelings without fear.. I told them the truth, about everything, without hesitation and without caring about the consequences, and I’m here today to tell you that it’s not wrong. What you feel inside, and God doesn’t hate you. And most importantly…the opinions of other people don’t matter, as long as you’re happy and you live your life with an open mind and open heart, never shunning, instead, accepting people for who they are.
(The girls begin to applaud as she backs to her seat where she sits, hands folded in her lap.)
Sister Virginia: Thank you Anonymous, now lets move on to our next speaker. (Mother Superior enters, clad in her new clothing. The girls gasp, taken aback by the sudden appearance of their staunch instructor.)
Mother Superior: I must be in the wrong room…(Turns to leave)
Sister Virginia: Mother Superior? (Crosses to her. Aside.) What are you doing here? You of all people…I can’t believe…
Mother Superior: I told you I had business, I just didn’t know it would be here…and what about you! Why’re you here?
Sister Virginia: Well, our chess club is more of a…chest club. I would have told you but I just thought…that bastard McCocklin would find out!
Joy: Father McCockly is going to find out! We’re sooo busted!
Faith: I knew you were all no good, I never should’ve come here!
Chasity: Shut. Up. Faith.
Faith: (Melodramatic)It’s true, you’re all horrid influences and now we’re all going to hell!
All: SHUT UP FAITH!
Maria: Chasity, I’m scared. My parents are going to find out…They’ll kill me…Especially my Dad…
Chasity: Okay guys here’s the deal. Hopefully Sister Virginia is covering for us, but in the meantime, we need to make up an excuse as to why we’re here at a lesbian support group!
Prudence: Uh….our…bus broke down! And…And…we…are here to use the phone!!
Joy: Yeah who were we calling? The dykes for Jesus hotline?
Chasity: The fact is we’re here, now everyone needs to calm down, and we need to plan.
Faith: Oh my god guys…we’re gonna be in so much trouble!!
All: SHUT UP FAITH!
Maria: How about we stopped by to pay witness to the evils of homosexuality. They’ll buy that. You all know how homophobic McCockly is…we’ll just bat our lashes and tell him…”We just wanted to know what to ward off sir, we’d never do anything bad. Now we have to go pray.”
All: Yes!!
Joy: That’s perfect!
Faith: I’m scared.
Mother Superior and Sister Virginia: Entering Shut up Faith.
Mother Superior: So all of all you girls should know by now, I’m not off studying at the Christ Convention. Okay I admit it, I am a lesbian, and quite proud of it. Sighs My real name is Jessica…All the girls gasp, Mother Superior glances around…bewildered… I been hidin out in the Catholic Church for bout twenty years…
Prudence: Crosses herself It must be hell-
Joy: Dealing with all those nuns.
Anonymous: Jessica?
Mother Superior: Abigail?
Father McCocklin: Bursting through the door, his altar boys in tow Hold the phone! Stop right there. What’s going on here? Notices Mother Superior, out of her habit Mother Superior, you left your rosary at the school, I thought you might need it, and you girls! Where are your bibles and boards?!Girls stand rigid, petrified
Prudence: Blurting out We’re just here to use the phone!
Father McCocklin: What in the devil are you-
Maria: No Prudence, remember? We decided to stop by here and spread the word of God.
Chasity: Yes…afterall Boston is in dire need of salvation.
Joy: We’re just trying to be good missionaries.
Faith: Screaming Please don’t expell me!! My mom’ll kill me! They made me!
All Girls: SHUT UP FAITH!
Father McCocklin: I don’t understand! It is the not the proper Catholic way, to be cavorting about in these skimpy clothes…not carrying your rosaries…what the devil are you girls doing?
Sister Virginia: Well..You see..I-
Mother Superior: Virginia, quiet. Turns attention to McCocklin Father McCocklin, I am a lesbian. A big one! And so are the rest of these girls. And there is nothing wrong with us, we do not have some sort of disease, and God does not hate us! So do your worst, but there is nothing you can do to change us.
Peter: F…Fa…Faith?
Father McCocklin: I want to see each and every one of you, in my office, back at the church…Immediately!
Mother Superior: Oh no(Cooper style)
Scene 3
In McCocklin’s office, the girls stand clumped together, Mother Superior and Sister Virginia stand before them, arms wide, shielding the girls
Father McCocklin: You all know how I feel about…Gay People. Romans chapter one verse twelve!All girls wince You know how God feels about this. You all have defiled the divine sanctity of this school and our church! What will the rosary society, no no, what will the tuesday night bingo players for Jesus think?!Crosses himself
Chasity: What does it matter what the bingo players think? Surely their approval doesn’t reflect God’s distatste or lack thereof for us-
Father McCocklin: How dare you speak such blasphemies in my church.
Chasity: Your church? This is God’s church. (Beat) McCockly.
Father McCocklin: What did you say?
Chasity: McCo-
Maria: Places her hand in Chasity’s, calming her. It’s okay…calm down. To McCocklin You heard what she said.
Mother Superior: Father McCocklin…contain yourself. Pull yourself together man!
Father McCocklin: Who do you think you are?! Telling me what to do in my church! I will not allow this. I will not allow these sins to go unpunished.Three beats If we recieve a substantial tithe from each of your families, I will take your futures at this school into a much kinder consideration.
Faith: What if they don’t tithe?Whining
Father McCocklin: Then good luck with eternal damnation, and may God have mercy on your soiled souls.
Maria: Why would God make us to hate us?
Chasity: You know, Hell probably isn’t that hot anyways.
Joy: See you there.
Prudence: Yeah McCockly, we’ll be sure to save you a seat
Mother Superior: Okay girls…lets go…
Father McCocklin: Jesus! Peter! Bring me my candle, I need to…pray
Sister Virginia: Those poor boys.All women exit. Peter enters, carrying a candle.
Peter: I couldn’t find…Jesus…it’s so dark in here, Father…good thing we have this candle…Father McCocklin blows candle out. Curtain Falls
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I’m not religious or anything, i’m actually quite athiest, but i know some religious types reading this might be offended by The way your Character Jesus represents himself (and everything else in it,which i actually found extremely humourous =] ), so I suggest you tweak the name, because this won’t get produced if it’s like, um, prejudice, because no theater place will show it. Show just the name jesus to be changed and it should be alright.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED FELLOW WRITER!
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