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Total BLACKOUT. There is a 
musical interlude, same 
music as at the beginning, 
banjo music. There is the 
sound of movement. Things 
are changing.
When the lights come back up 
there is nothing on the 
stage but the dead body. The 
dead body is now center 
stage. Remaining members of 
CAST TWO enter slowly and 
remove the body of MARK off 
the stage. CAST TWO enters 
with a couch and chairs 
which are set on the 
secondary stage. CAST ONE 
enters. Lights up on them.
Title: "The Sewing Machine"
FATHER and MOTHER exit. SON 
exits then rushes in.

SON
Where have you put it?

DAUGHTER
Put what?

SON
Mother's sewing machine. She'll be furious.

DAUGHTER
You know fully well that she lent it to me and only me.

SON
Oh, come on. You know I need it.

DAUGHTER
What would you need a sewing machine for? A big strong 
man like you?

SON
Why, I'll tear you to pieces, rat.

DAUGHTER
Don't you call me rat.

SON
Okay okay. I'm sorry. Please tell me where you put it. 
Please. They'll be home any minute.

DAUGHTER
And what will you do for me, dear brother?

SON
Anything, anything. Just let me have it.

DAUGHTER
You'll wash the dishes tonight. And every Wednesday 
night until Christmas.

SON
Ahhr.

DAUGHTER
And you'll polish my tap shoes twice a week.

SON
Okay okay, where is it? Quick.

DAUGHTER
Swear?

SON
Swear.

DAUGHTER exits and returns 
with a sewing machine.
SON takes it and rushes off 
stage. DAUGHTER triumphantly 
surveys the room. MOTHER and 
FATHER contrivedly enter.

DAUGHTER
Why hello Mother. Hello Father.

MOTHER
Hello, Mary. Do you know where your brother is? 

FATHER
It seems he decided that playing baseball with his 
friends in his new suit is more important than Sunday 
school this morning.

MOTHER
We got a call from Ms. Calloway.

FATHER
Did you know anything about this, Mary?

DAUGHTER
No. He's not in my Sunday school class. I think he's 
upstairs. With the sewing machine.

FATHER and MOTHER look at 
each other. They are 
disappointed.

MOTHER
If he breaks my sewing machine...

FATHER
I'll go have a word with him.

FATHER exits. DAUGHTER looks 
to the audience and smiles.
Lights out. Applause.
Lights up center stage.
CAST TWO, nix MARK, as they 
exit:

CAROL
Let's go eat.

STEVEN
Yeah. If you are going to do something this average it 
might as well be a true story. 

JACOB
I hate true stories.

Exeunt.
There is a bar and stools, 
near perhaps a small couch.
GREGORY and CAMILLE walk to 
them and sit.
They have drinks.
Moment.

GREGORY
Are we early?

CAMILLE
Only a few seconds.

GREGORY
Ah. Are you sailing tomorrow?

CAMILLE
I feel as if I'm still on last week's boat.

GREGORY
Do we bore you? 

CAMILLE
Of course not. 

Enter NICOLAS and EMILY. 
EMILY is drunk.

EMILY
Bon soir. Bon soir.

NICOLAS
Well, we are here. 

CAMILLE
Emily. Nicolas.

NICOLAS
May we sit?
	(He laughs and sits.)

EMILY
Did you hear about the funeral?

NICOLAS
Ultra-posh.

GREGORY
I heard all about it by the pool this afternoon.

NICOLAS
Did you hear about the circumstances?

GREGORY
I cannot believe he died that way.

NICOLAS
A wonderful performer. 

GREGORY
Absolutely unbelievable.

EMILY
Out of this world.

CAMILLE
I've never been so close to death.

EMILY
I do believe that I'll never return to that morbid 
restaurant.

CAMILLE
Morbid?


NICOLAS
Emily. The restaurant hasn't changed. It would be tragic 
for us to stop going.

EMILY
I'd say death is a bit more tragic.

CAMILLE
He is absolutely right, Emily. If you were to decide not 
ever to go someplace where a man had died you couldn't 
go anywhere.

GREGORY
It is creepy.

CAMILLE
Creepy?

GREGORY
A man dying there in front of us while we sip on wine.

NICOLAS
There wasn't any wine.

GREGORY
I wish there had been.

CAMILLE 
Such a contributor to the modern theatre. Dead. He'll be 
remembered forever.

EMILY
Maybe I will go back but it is creepy. Absolutely.

NICOLAS
Why is everybody saying creepy? I've never heard that 
word outside of T.V. in my entire life. I'm sure of it.

GREGORY
I love to throw out these words. Words I would never 
say.

EMILY
I like the word creepy.

CAMILLE
Sometimes I wonder why we even bother.

GREGORY
Yesterday I said "awning."

NICOLAS
Bother with what?

EMILY
Oh we used to have the most fabulous awning at the 
country house.

CAMILLE
This sitting. We'll talk about awnings all evening.

EMILY
Or was that a painting?

NICOLAS
A painting or an awning?

CAMILLE
And a man is dead. A great actor.

GREGORY
We talk about many other things.

CAMILLE
It is all worthless.

NICOLAS
What would you rather bother with, Camille?

CAMILLE
I don't know.

GREGORY
We'll change the subject, it's easy.

CAMILLE
No, it's not easy. We'll talk about the word creepy for 
the rest of the night. Then perhaps we'll discuss our 
furniture then the state of politics and then fish. 
Sometimes I wonder why we ever bother. But we never 
stop. We never move. We are actionless. 
We don't do anything at all. 
We let other people do things instead. Is that really 
luxury? Is this luxury? What sickens me the most about 
it is that sometimes I love it. I am a part of it. This 
is what I know, this luxury. This luxury of apathy. 
People know who we are, yes. Great. Why? Because they do 
nothing too. Nothing nothing nothing.

GREGORY
If your parents could hear you now!

CAMILLE
Yes, and what if they could. What a tragedy. A tragedy 
is that man's death. He was doing something, don't you 
see? He was taking action. 
He had life to live. 
Do you really have a thing? We go somewhere and we have 
fun. We certainly know how to have a smashing time. We 
most certainly know what to expect. Do we remain this 
way for safety? I think we do. We are afraid of what 
might happen if we did something. We could be mocked or 
criticized. People might talk about us. They might say 
things. Oh, tragedy. It is a waste I think.... My head 
aches with this apathy. You were there. Did it not 
affect you in the slightest?

Pause.

EMILY
	(Crying.)
Camille. Really? 

GREGORY
Quite a sermon.

NICOLAS
I've never heard you talk so much at once.

CAMILLE
I've always felt this way. We're pretentious.

GREGORY
No.

NICOLAS
I've never thought about it.

CAMILLE
Haven't you ever had a dream to do something? Did you 
not ever have an ambition?

EMILY
I...

CAMILLE
You read so much and talk about it. Hasn't it occurred 
to you to do it? We have got to change. Think about 
life. This is not all there is for us. We are lucky. We 
can do absolutely anything but instead we choose 
nothing. That is tragedy. Just look at yourself for a 
minute and find something else. It can be so simple. I 
need more. Don't you feel that?

NICOLAS
I've written several theses.

GREGORY
What would you like to do? If we were to do something.

EMILY
What can we do?

CAMILLE
Something inventive. 

NICOLAS
We should write something. I've always wanted to be a 
writer. 

GREGORY
Then what would we write about other than the high-brow 
banality of our life style?

EMILY
A thesis. I've always wanted to be involved.

NICOLAS
No.

CAMILLE
It must be a story, or something people will see. We can 
affect other people.

EMILY
A play?

CAMILLE
Yes.

NICOLAS
About us.


GREGORY
We don't do anything.

NICOLAS
But we see everything.

EMILY
There was a certain play we saw last summer. It took 
place in a prison. Remember?

GREGORY
Sure. It was infinitely depressing.

EMILY
I loved it.

NICOLAS
Of course you loved it.

CAMILLE
We should emulate something. A true story.

EMILY
The death of the actor?

CAMILLE
Good.

EMILY
I love sad endings.

CAMILLE
You might even grow some compassion in your empty little 
souls.

NICOLAS
That could be interesting. Hmmm.

GREGORY
That could pass the time. I bet we'd be the talk of the 
set.

CAMILLE
Think of the relevance.

NICOLAS
Yes, think of the relevance. If we actually did 
something like that we would most definitely be the talk 
of the set. Oh, surely. First off we would need to make 
sure that there would be a party for us. Sort of a 
"Coming into Artisthood" or something.

GREGORY
	(Indicating NICOLAS' empty glass)
Already?

EMILY
Here we go.

NICOLAS
Yes yes yes. The relevance on every angle. Is it not 
just wonderful to be the reason for all sorts of,... hub 
bub? I love it. All these little people running around 
doing little things. And you can just watch them. Dear, 
I love it. I do, I do. You, there... Go down to my 
vanity. In the second drawer from the top on the left 
side you'll find my... (He gestures). 
Yes. 
Fetch it. Thank you. (Pause)
Yes.