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Applause then house lights 
(the house lights on the 
stage) up. The actors, MARK, 
CAROL and JACOB exit and 
actors enter and begin 
striking the "Jacob's house" 
set. CAST THREE sits. When 
CAST ONE is through striking 
the set they exit then 
immediately begin creating 
another set on the other 
side of the stage. This is a 
street set. However, this 
won't be done for a while 
yet.

GREGORY
Some things were really bothering me the other night 
while I was eating. 
Have you ever noticed how every person's actions change 
depending on who they are with and where they are? 
Seriously, I have never thought about that. But I was 
eating. Alone. I guess I never eat alone. I got to 
thinking. 
And I was watching. 
The waitress brings me water and a menu. That's the 
first part. She seemed to have a whole routine planned 
out for me. For every customer. She slides into my 
space, yet she is completely impersonal. She is a robot. 
"The specials of the day are..." She left and I really 
just tried to forget about it. I was hungry. I look out 
the window and I see all these people walking by and 
they're all not thinking about each other or the 
waitress or me. That actually comforted me. For them not 
to think about me. To see me. They just swim by like 
fish and I watch. Then I noticed that I was thinking 
about them. Do they choose not to think about me? The 
waitress won't notice me in a crowd tomorrow. And I 
wouldn't notice her. 
Now I would. 
The problem is... Well, what's bothering me about that 
is that I felt comfortable not being thought about but I 
felt good thinking about other people. Am I complicating 
their lives? Am I intruding an extra element into 
reality? I realize that everything we do is like that. 
We keep adding more and more on top of more and more. I 
am born. I grow up. Now I need to support myself so I go 
to school. I go to school so now I am going to get a 
job. My specialties allow me into a small office full of 
files and computers where there is even more to add. 
Things that I didn't even learn in school.. 	(He 
pauses)
Of course I'm not talking about me, but them. The fish.

CAMILLE
I was going to say.

NICOLAS
You don't know what a small office looks like.

EMILY
You were thinking all that before you ordered your food?

GREGORY
Yes, I guess I did.

NICOLAS
I like the part about the fish.

EMILY
Speaking of fish.

CAMILLE
Bravo.

NICOLAS
Yes, very nice.

CAMILLE
	(To EMILY)
What did you think of "Jacob"?

EMILY
Oh him... he's talented. We, myself and Gregory, drove 
down the coast with him last spring for the regatta.

GREGORY
Who?

CAMILLE
What's his name? "Jacob"..

GREGORY
Oh, yes. Good man. Talented sailor.

EMILY
Oh, the regatta. I miss sailing.

NICOLAS
Yes we haven't been in such a terribly long time.

GREGORY
It's settled. Tomorrow we sail!

EMILY
Marvelous!

CAMILLE
Sailing.


GREGORY
Come now, Camille. You are never any fun.

CAMILLE
It's fine. I'll sail.

NICOLAS
Perhaps we should wait until the weekenders have gone, 
don't you think?

EMILY
Monday then.

GREGORY
Monday.

NICOLAS
	(Impatient)
Fantastic. How long have we been here?

EMILY
Nicolas, don't fret.

NICOLAS
I'm famished.

EMILY
Anyway. Who was the director of that piece?

CAMILLE
Oh yes, somebody new...

GREGORY
A baron.

NICOLAS
Garcon!

A waiter comes on stage, 
STEVEN, and prepares to take 
their order.

NICOLAS
Coffees for all and I'd like red snapper and pappiot.

EMILY
That will be it, thank you.
A baron of what?

GREGORY
Oh, I don't know.

CAMILLE
I think he was being figurative.

GREGORY
How could that have been figurative?

NICOLAS
Who shall I find to declare me a figurative baron?

EMILY
Perhaps then they would ask you to direct their next 
production.

NICOLAS
Wonderful. But I just want the title.

GREGORY
Baron Von...

CAMILLE
Oh, hush about it.

EMILY
Can I be your Baronin?

GREGORY
What?

NICOLAS
Of course my dear... and I'll have us sitting on the 
swankest thrones this side of the Atlantic.  

GREGORY
Baronin? You? Never.

NICOLAS
We can have our fantasies, can't we?

CAMILLE
Of course you can Nicolas, Gregory often fantasizes 
about performing.

GREGORY
Now Camille.


CAMILLE
He wants to be a singer.

They laugh at GREGORY. 
Coffee and NIC's salad is 
brought to them.

NICOLAS
It's about time.

At the delivery of this line 
the street scene lights come 
up. It is as if the scene is 
occurring outside the front 
window of the restaurant. 
Although CAST THREE goes on 
as if their dinner is not 
being interrupted, CAST TWO 
is being relatively loud in 
their scene. CAST THREE is 
aware of the outside scene.

GREGORY
I would never survive.

CAMILLE
We should write something.

NICOLAS
What? What are you talking about?

GREGORY
What do you mean?

EMILY
We'd be crucified.

NICOLAS
For what?

CAMILLE
We'd be.

As they are speaking, CAST 
TWO is entering the street 
scene. They are dressed for 
the sixties. JACOB and CAROL 
are hippies, MARK is a 
policeman and STEPHEN is and 
old man sweeping outside the 
restaurant. The hippies are 
just leaning against a wall. 
MARK comes strolling in and 
starts talking to STEPHEN  
quietly. CAST THREE is still 
the focus.

EMILY
Have you been noticing the buildup in traffic lately?

NICOLAS
And the heat.

CAMILLE
Gregory have you seen any of his other plays?

GREGORY
No.

NICOLAS
Damn the hot coffee.

The focus changes 
dramatically to the street 
scene. CAST THREE watches. 
Title: "Urbania"

STEPHEN
Those kids have been there all day, polluting the 
street.

MARK
There's no place for people like that in this town.

STEPHEN
They are just like the gypsies. They're bums and they're 
dirty.

MARK
They're wasted youths is what they are. I'll go scare 
them away.

STEPHEN
Thank you.
 
MARK takes a billy club from 
his belt and strolls 
nonchalantly over to JACOB 
and CAROL.

MARK
What are you kids doing?

JACOB
Nothing, man.

CAROL
Yeah, why are you getting on our backs?

MARK
There's no loitering here.

JACOB
I didn't see a sign.

MARK
That's cause there doesn't need to be a sign, boy.

CAROL
What did we do? We were just standing here.
 
MARK
That's loitering. Now move on, go back to the garbage 
dumps.

JACOB
Hey man, lay off. Put that stick away.

MARK
I'll do what I please. Now move along.

JACOB
We're not going to.

JACOB reaches for the billy 
club and they struggle.

CAROL
No! Stop it!

MARK regains control of the 
club and raises it up to 
strike JACOB. JACOB falls to 
the ground and holds his 
hands over his face. MARK 
kicks JACOB.

MARK
Now get out of here before I arrest you both.

CAROL has pulled a pistol 
from her purse. MARK does 
not notice. When JACOB does 
not make any attempt to get 
up and leave MARK kicks him 
again. Just as he does this 
he notices the pistol. 

CAROL
No!

She shoots MARK. MARK falls 
dead. JACOB and CAROL run 
off. STEPHEN runs to MARK's 
carcass and begins yelling 
out.

STEPHEN
Help!! Please help! A man has been shot. Please help me, 
a man has been shot!
	
He pauses as nothing 
happens. He looks at CAST 
THREE.

HELP! PLEASE. He's dead! I need help. Call for help!! 
(etc.)



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