Friends,

I have been having such a blast running workshops at RCHP. I’ve had the opportunity to run theater workshops with high schoolers and middle schoolers through Terry Stoke’s youth group on Wednesdays and Sundays (7pm - 8:15pm). I am getting to participate in Wendy Jager’s Book Club for English Language Learners on Tuesdays where we are reading “Great American Short Stories” and the conversations in that space have been so lively and informative and joyful! Plus I have been holding story circle workshops with the retiree community at RCHP and this month we read a first draft of a short play I wrote for/about/with them.

This is part 1 of that play, called: Pearls and Capes.

Characters:

Bell

Jessica

Sara

Molly

Laura

Meg

Bell Z.

Frankie

Allie

Stage Directions are in italics. And a double dash at the end of someone’s line -- means the character is interrupted by the next line.

All the women are talking at once.

Bell: Ladies…?

They continue talking and laughing.

Bell: Ladies?... Ladies… let’s get started now.

The women simmer down.

Bell: Thank you. So. First item of business--

Jessica: First item of business is why have you called us all here?

Sara: Yeah, I am unclear on that as well.

Jessica: What’s this meeting all about?

Bell: Well, I’ve called you all here to–

Molly: Sara, where are your pearls?

Sara: My pearls?

Laura: Your pearls.

Sara: Oh shoot, I’ve forgotten my pearls. (she begins to exit screen) I’ve been having such a problem with my knees that I came straight from the doctor and…

Meg: What’d she say?

Laura: She was at the doctor for her knees.

Meg: She doesn’t have a niece. What niece?

Bell: While Sara is getting her pearls let me just introduce-–

Molly: Before we do anything, we need to send a big hallelujah thank you out to Stacey Abrams!

All the women agree. Hallelujahs and yes ma’am’s all around.

Frankie: And I’ll even add an AMEN to that!

Molly: Hear hear!

Frankie: Thank goodness things are finally about to change for the better.

Bell Z is speaking but her camera is on mute.

Allie: We can't hear you Bell.

Bell: I’ve been trying to say-–

Allie: Not you Bell. Bell.

Molly: Bell Z.

Bell: Turn your sound on Bell?

Allie (loudly and speaking very slowly): Turn your sooooound on Beeeell!
Molly: Al, you don't need to yell.

Frankie: She can hear us. We just can't hear her.

Allie: Oh yeah.

Sara: Ok, I’m back.

Laura: Sara, who’s this niece?

Sara: Huh? I don’t know. I’ve been gone. Whose niece?

Bell: Ladies can we just please…

Sara: Whose niece, whadda I miss?

Bell Z (her sound is on now): Her kneeeees, Laura. Not her niece.

Everyone applauds Bell Z getting her sound on.

Bell: Now that that’s resolved, can we get back to the agenda please?

They all nod in agreement. Bell takes a breath to speak and….

Meg: OoooH her KNEES! I see. Oh no Sara, you’re having problems with your knees again?

Sara: Well, I wanted to make potato latkes for Sandra when she came home for the holidays.

Frankie: Is it pronounced lat-keys? Or lat-kahs?

Laura: Oh, I have a great recipe for those.

Molly: Do you use the shredded potatoes or do it by hand?

Laura: (snorts) My mother always said they’re not real latkes unless you got blood in the mix.

Frankie: Mine too. But not sure I would take advice from that women.

Sara: My goodness, would you believe it, I went all the way back into the bedroom and didn't get my pearls!

Frankie: What the heck did you do back there?

Sara (shrugs): Frankie’s mom comment just now made me remember them because my mother actually handed those pearls down to me… hold on…

Sara leaves again

Frankie: That’s nice. All my mom handed down to me was a myriad of diagnosable issues.

Sara (pops back on): Well, yes that goes without saying, that’s WHY I got the pearls. After having to put up with …. (she has left again)

Bell: Ladies, if we start on mothers we are never going to get to the agenda.

Meg: I’d love to get that recipe Laura.

Laura: Oh sure, I’ll put it in the chat.

Bell Z: How about those moments when you can actually see yourself becoming your mother?

Jessica: Right, you know that Joan Rivers thing?

Bell Z: Thing what thing?

Jessica: That one day she looked down at her arm and she saw her mother’s arm. (Jessica holds up her own arm)

Allie: Good grief. My child -- and she’s 51 now, mind you-- she sometimes tries my patience so hard that I can hear my mother’s words coming out of my mouth!

Molly: (laughing) I’ve had the same experience, Allie.

Meg: Ladies, this was so lovely to get to spend this time with you. I have to run to another–

Bell: Hold on a minute. We haven't even gotten to the business at hand!

Meg: Sorry Bell. That’s right. Go on then.

Bell: I’ve called you all here because we need to save the world.

Bell Z: What’s that?

Laura: I thought you said save the world.

Bell Z: Me too.

(Laughter)

Bell: I did.

(No laughter)

Jessica: You mean like…. What do you mean?

Bell: I mean, we need to save the world ladies. It’s not going to save itself, now is it?

Allie: Bell, but we are … (consider the idea)…us?

Molly: There’s a pandemic happening. If you didn't notice.

Bell: Exactly.

Allie: I can’t even get out to go to my drum circles!

Frankie: I’m still going to protests.

Allie: Well, goodie for you Frankie.

Meg: Um, Allie, did you say you go to drum circles?

Allie: Oh yeah, I was getting real into them before the pandemic but --

Jessica: Everyone, let’s just hear what Bell means before we jump to conclusions.

Frankie: Right, Bell explain yourself please.

Bell takes a big breath.

Bell: We need to save the world.

(a pause)

Bell Z: Hm. That didn't really explain anything.

Sara: How are we going to save the world? We’re a bunch of retirees in New Jersey?

Meg: With bad knees.

Sara: What business is it of ours to save the world?

Molly: (laughing) Save the world? It sounds like we’re superheroes or something.

Bell: Well, sure.

Laura: Oh goodness.

Meg: Do we get capes?

Bell: “It's not our business." I wonder about that phrase. Just wonder. Just curiosity. I wonder, whose business is it then?

The historian says, "It's not my business." The lawyer says, "It's not my business." The businessman says, "It's not my business." The artist says, "It's not my business." And the retirees say, “It’s not my business.” Then whose business is it? Does that mean we are going to leave the business of the most important issues in the world to only the people who run the country?

Bell Z: I guess we do have some experience, historically, with leaving the important decisions to the people in the White House,

Laura: Congress,

Meg: The Supreme Court,

Frankie: Right, and those who dominate the economy…

Jessica: Curious indeed.

Bell: We have wisdoms to depart.

Allie: Experience.

Frankie: Expertise.

Jessica: Community?

Sara: We do have community!

Molly: Networks.

Jessica: Support.

Laura: Love.

Meg: Friendship.

Bell Z: Mentorship.

Frankie: Talent.

Allie: Heart.

Molly: Knowledge.

Bell: Passion.

Bell: So, what are we going to do? Where do we begin?

Sara puts her pearls on.

Sara: Costume up, ladies. The first meeting of the Retiree’s Superhero Club starts now!