Monday Mortuary (June 22, 2009)

The die only gave us a three to replace this week, and one of those plays that landed on the chopping block was All feelings have cycles, but not all cycles have feelings., a somber play with brief moments of edgy humor, written by Caitlin Stainken (who celebrated her first full year as a Neo-Futurist this past weekend; congratulations, Caitlin).

For reasons that are her own, Caitlin has this play saved on her computer with the document title "All feelings have circles but not all circles have feelings."

When Mary stepped out of the show and consequently this play, I was tapped to jump into it for this past weekend. (The play only happened twice. I only got my lines right once.) When Caitlin first sent me a copy of the script to memorize, she accidentally sent me an unproposed rough draft that contained only the following line:

All feelings have circles but not all circles have feelings. Consider Lust.

The final version, below, has nothing to do with lust, that I can tell. One is left to wonder what play she was actually planning to write before the play she wrote hijacked her title. Maybe it will come forward later, and maybe it will never come forward at all.

All feelings have cycles, but not all cycles have feelings.

Caitlin Stainken © 2009

(Caitlin, Mary & John all sitting in chairs next to each other, center stage. As they say the first words they put their heads down, hands clasped in front of them, as though waiting or praying. They put their heads up to speak and then go back down again. Take time with lines but no time between them.)

JP: Hope.

MF: Anxiety.

CS: Love.

CS: The baby came. Instead of the natural vaginal home delivery she had planned, it was an emergency C section. The father was supposed to be there but was not. I was supposed to be there but was not. The baby is very sick.

MF: It just goes to show that whatever dreams you envision for the life of your child, reality is altogether unconcerned with those. And if most people’s lives are any indication, the child’s life will probably continue on in this way, this series of disappointments.

JP: The Shortest Story Ever Told, by Ernest Hemmingway

For sale: baby shoes, never worn.

CS: There will be an operation to fix the heart. The baby will be fine in time, but for now she must go on living on her back, breathing through tubes, in a clear plastic box. We will come and pet her as often as we can; there are volunteer cuddlers that will be there when we cannot

MM on VO: (Grocery store sounding) “Cuddler #4401, please apply affection to infant #33424 in aisle 6.”

(beat)

MF: The cycle of nature would have taken this child and we are compelled to fight that cycle, science our single weapon, and suddenly we are at war where we dreamt of sweet harmony. Violence takes the place of patience in this battle to keep the firstborn from the forest witch.

CS: She is the elephant on the block at 9lbs1oz, the only full term infant among a sea of fetal preemies basking like little old folks under their heat lamps. Those babies won’t go home for 6 months or more. She could be home in one.

(Heads up & stay up with each of the following.)

JP: Hope.

MF: Anxiety.

CS: Love.

CURTAIN