pages: title ·· 1 ·· 2 ·· 3 ·· 4 ·· 5 ·· 6 ·· 7 ·· 8 ·· 9 ·

Lights up.
CAMILLE, FATHER, SON and 
STEVEN are all tied up or 
bound, just generally in the 
state of "caught."
CAROL and JACOB are running 
around the entire set 
screaming and knocking 
things over. JACOB stops at 
CAMILLE as CAROL 
concentrates on destroying a 
set piece on the other side 
of the stage.

JACOB
Hey honey, what's shaking?....
I said WHAT'S SHAKING!!??

CAMILLE
Nothing.

SON
You don't have to yell at her.

CAROL
	(From the other side of the stage)
SHUT UP!
	(She runs over and beats SON)

JACOB
What's your name, honey?

CAMILLE
Camille. Why have you brought me here?

CAROL
We've brought you here so you can DO WHAT WE SAY!!!

JACOB
Do as we say and you'll be okay.

CAROL
Do you hear that, you fucking shopping cart bums?!!

JACOB
Do as we say and you'll be okay!

CAROL
Do as we say and you'll be okay!

JACOB
	(To CAMILLE)
Recite the Iliad!

She says nothing. JACOB and 
CAROL converge on her and 
beat her. They laugh and 
then they beat everyone 
else. Then they pull them 
all to the center of the 
stage.
Blackout.
Long musical transition.
Title: "Please Wait"
Then Title: "Even Weaker"
The set is completely clean. 
A set identical to the very 
first set is now center 
stage.
STEVEN is cradling CAMILLE 
in his arms on a couch and 
their two children, SON and 
FATHER. They are dressed in 
costume to look as if they 
are not in costume. It is 
the fifties. The music stops 
and the freeze is broken. 
MOTHER's weeping becomes 
audible. The two CHILDREN 
look at each other then at 
their mother. FATHER 
suddenly becomes angry. 
CHILDREN are confused. The 
phone rings.

CAMILLE
Who is it?

FATHER
We haven't answered it yet, Mom.

STEVEN
Son, You wanna answer the phone please?

SON
I will.

SON goes to the phone and 
answers it. All eyes on him 
but for CAMILLE, who already 
knows.

Yes?... Um... Yeah.... They're here... I will... Yes...  
No.

	(He hangs up. Pause. The CHILDREN stare at 
	CAMILLE and STEVEN.)

STEVEN
What the hell are you looking at the both of you!!??

	(Pause as CAMILLE'S weeping intensifies.)

What are you STARING at?!

FATHER
We just.... I don't.

STEVEN
TWENTY YEARS OF YOU WORTHLESS...!!!

SON
Dad, are you okay?

STEVEN
He was twelve years old...

FATHER
Dad tell us what happened.

SON
I've never seen mom crying.

STEVEN
	(Beginning to break down into a state like 
	CAMILLE's)
Just stop staring at her.

FATHER
Mom?

SON
What's... going...

	(Pause)

CAMILLE
A little boy is born into the world. Is he put there or 
did he just fall blindly in? A baby. There is always so 
much hope for a baby. Everybody wishes to have the same 
chances, that's why. It is understood that a baby can 
go a million different places and do a million 
different things. He represents the future. But we are 
foolish, are we not? We should never have hope, we can 
never be sure. We should always expect that bad things 
will become...

	(STEVEN starts crying)

FATHER
Mother.

CAMILLE
	(Screaming)
Your brother is DEAD!! He's DEAD!! They've KILLED HIM 
DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND??!! They finally KILLED HIM!!!

Her sobbing turns into 
moaning. The CHILDREN look 
at each other. 
Blackout.
Applause.
Lights come up on the rest 
of the stage. An audience 
emerges. There are eight 
audience members. 
The audience members chat 
and slowly leave as the new 
CAST ONE strikes the set.
Eventually the entire set is 
empty and no one is on the 
stage. Quick blackout.
Loud banjo music.

END OF PLAY.