STREETS LIKE THISDRAFT 10 -- January 4, 2019
WHO
DEON (+ others) — an older man. Wise and drunk, but not enough to keep himself from going back to prison several times.DENNIS (+ others) — also an older man. Less wise, more drunk. He knows Deon from his own back-and-forth in the prison system. CRYSTAL — a woman, 20s-40s. Exhausted from the hustle of providing for her kids. She works as a prostitute; Don’t judge her for it.ABBY — a woman, 20s-30s. Recovering heroin addict. She’s a single mom living in the shadow of a successful (and childless) sister. BRIAN — a man, 20s-30s. A wholesome kid from a wholesome family, until his own addiction got the best of him. ANNABELLE (+ others) — a woman, 30s-40s. Tired of cleaning up after her sister Abby’s mess.NARCAN MAN / JOHNNY — a man, any age. A superhero, and a child.BRIAN’S MOM (+ others) — a woman, and a widow, she wants to keep her family close and safe, any way she can.
WHERE AND WHEN:
A city near here. Now.
WHY, WHAT, AND HOW:
This play was created in collaboration with a group of artists who were transitioning out of rehabilitation and/or prison. Many of these individuals also performed in the first public reading of the play. Details such as race were left open intentionally for the ease of casting, and the artists were encouraged to bring their own experiences to the roles.You’re encouraged to take some similar liberties with the work — changing or adding details about your specific city, casting characters as non-white, non-able-bodied, non-straight, non-cis, non-citizens, provided you are conscientious, deliberate, and sensitive in these choices. Different marginalized groups have different experiences with both prison and rehabilitation, and that can and should be respected on stage without losing the universality of humanity at the center of it. 1.
SCENE 1The Present. DEON and DENNIS sit on a stoop with brown bags in their hands, watching the early AM traffic in the city.DEON(to audience)Well hello there! Nice of y'all to stop byDENNISWho in the hell you talking to Deon?DEONTo the people out there, the ones watching us.DENNIS(looking around, confused)No one's watching us, Deon. No one cares enough to watch us, unless they're some PO or being paid.DEONDennis, man, you've been stuck in this system how long?DENNISTwenty…three? Maybe? Eighteen? Something like that.DEONYou've still got a lot to learn.(to audience)You'll have to forgive my friend. He's a little ornery in the morning. But he’s OK once he gets a beer in him.(Deon turns back to Dennis, who cracks open another can of beer and swigs. So Deon addresses the audience again.)What you're about to see here is a glimpse into the lives of three people struggling, and the people in their lives who get affected by those struggles.DENNISOh their lives are
soo hard!
Who're you talking to man?DEON(motioning to the audience)I'm trying to get them to understand how the system works. How we're all trapped in this cycle like a snake that eats its own damn tail just to feed its greed.DENNISYeah speaking of tail --(yelling down the street)Crystal! Yo! Crystal darlin'!2.