Stale Mate fficeffice" />  INT. CAFFE COTTAGE. DANIEL is playing a game of chess with an unseen opponent. MR BELEVEDERE is watching over his shoulder. MR BELEVEDERE So does this guy stand a chance or what? DANIEL Uhh, no. (beat) I don't think so MR BELEVEDERE We're gonna do a play, You wanna help us? DANIEL What's in it for me? MR BELEVEDERE Gonna raise money for the chess club, get a new board, maybe sponsor a tournament. DANIEL A play?  Who cares? MR BELEVEDERE I don't like the way the world is being run.  I'm despairing in humanity. DANIEL You are wasting your time MR BELEVEDERE (he's Struggling to find his words) We're just, We're... Declining! Decreasing, but not fast, like. ffice:smarttags" />America was the top, now it's falling but almost so slow that nobody can see it. DANIEL It's as water erodes a mountain, very gradually.  Check. MR BELEVEDERE Yes.  And that's why we need to do the play. DANIEL You want to get a play? MR BELEVEDERE I want to write a play. DANIEL Why you? MR BELEVEDERE I'm talented.  I'll write a good play. DANIEL How do you know? MR BELEVEDERE I'll write a good play. DANIEL ok.  What's it about? MR BELEVEDERE It's a play about chess. DANIEL (pause) Go on. MR BELEVEDERE It's this world of the future, everything is polluted and it's all overpopulated and the government keeps the number of people down by making them play chess... TO THE DEATH! DANIEL Ok. (breaths) So who is the hero? MR BELEVEDERE Just a rag tag chess guy trying to get by in a world he never made kinda dealy. give him a daughter or a dog or something.  Something for the humanity angle. DANIEL Who's he gonna play? MR BELEVEDERE Something really evil.. Like,  a monkey from Russia or a computer... terrorist... something, they can play chess, huh? Something like a robot monkey alien terrorist that plays chess. It doesn't matter.  Just gimmie something that'll look good when it dies. DANIEL How you gonna kill em? MR BELEVEDERE Government issue spring loaded chess chairs.  The loser is catapulted into space.  Going with that whole "Chess" theme, thing. (taps forehead) right here.  This is where the magic happens. DANIEL I see. Why chess? MR BELEVEDERE Uh... the government wants smart people because... uh.. they know stuff.  They can do stuff, and stuff. DANIEL (painful sigh) How about... One game is the whole story, with lines and actions that people say represent the moves they would make on a chess board. MR BELEVEDERE And then Kill the Loser!  You got it.  You know the score.  We're gonna make chess FAMOUS. DANIEL Chess does not need you to make it famous.  Check. MR BELEVEDERE But the death, that's the big thing.. Chess AND death. DANIEL People don't care about death. Everything's dead these days.  It's been done to death.  Beating a dead horse. MR BELEVEDERE A horse.  That's an idea. No, Just Chess to the Death.  I can see it.  Playing chess... .  It'll be Huge! DANIEL Make the chess the big deal, Make people feel like they are in control of an entire army.  The audience becomes generals in mortal combat, having a real effect on the outcome of the whole life game thing. MR BELEVEDERE (after a short pause)  but we need it to be entertaining. DANIEL Its entertaining if bodies are just on the stage, jumping around and doing stuff. (to the game) Dammit! MR BELEVEDERE Dude, you should BE the play, I mean, you totally ARE the play, and IN the play, you'll be IN the play too,  but the writing... it shouldn't...  Just leave it to the professionals. DANIEL Oh my god.  Now i'm in check. MR BELEVEDERE (writing it down) This is perfect!  Now... I'm... in... check... that is JUST what some chess dude would prolly say, I bet. DANIEL This can't be.. Oh man.. I can't believe this.  Why am i listening to you? MR BELEVEDERE What's the matter? DANIEL He beat me.  I don't believe this. The spring-loaded chair beneath DANIEL releases, projecting him through the ceiling. MR BELEVEDERE Now who wouldn't want to watch that?

6.2.06 21:49 Permalink / 5 Comments / comment

gladys and daisy in "home front america" so yeah, about a month and a half ago or so I wrote a short play while on a trip to new orleans with a few friends.  here's a link to one of the early drafts of the play that i uploaded to ye internet weblog.  I turned that play over to the local group of actors and writers and various theater people i work with (acting up with amy wagusback) for use in their series of political theater entitled "the patriot acts" performing this october.  I gave up the script and didn't see anything to do with it again until thursday night when it was my pleasure to see the opening night of gladys and daisy.  yay.  I called it gladys and daisy but they wanted a better title, so i gave them "home front america." The patriot acts are going very well.  There's a lot of heavy talk in the quiet little jazz club known as 307.  The audience likes the shows and my play in particular tends to draw lots of laughter.  I don't know if it's the off key patriotic hymms accompanied by a geriatric old lady on a drum, or the evangelicall raving of a crazy old lady, but something about the piece seems to work.  The performances are dynamite, i have to say.  Sarah brown is kicking ass with the militant deep south antics of gladys and leeann (i can never remember her last name) is doing wonders with the role of daisy (though silent a very tricky affair.) the director, amy, had me rewrite an ending for the piece and in the new ending, gladys marches off the stage to bring her crusade to the streets.  The direction took an interesting twist, leaving daisy behind panting and spent, unable to lift her own drum.   Leanne is sooooo funny in this role.  she really adds alot to the performance, with out her light hearted silent-harpoesque-vaudvillian style, the piece would be probably a bit pedantic and boring.  I have to give credit for the origins of this piece coming from elsewhere.  back around the time of the 911, the little xtian north louisiana town i lived in went absolutly crazy with the red white and blue ribbons and stickers and magnets and flags and t-shirts and patriotism, nationalizm, patriotism.  I had a couple of friends, amy clarke and katie gwell, who had these wonderful ren and stimpyesque characters called gladys and daisy.  gladys would berate everyone as unamerican terrorists and daisy would follow behind lugging a drum to accompany gladys's frequent outburst into patriotic song.  when someone asked if i would write a piece for the "patriot acts" i just had to call amy clarke and get her blessing to write this piece. It's so nice to see an idea evolve from the world of playful fun to an actual stage.  to see thoughts manifest into performance.  this is probably the 6th or 7th play i've written that i've either performed or watched and i do love the feeling.  Plays, comics... the only visual storytelling medium i really haven't made much headway into yet is film/television... but i think i'd like to soon. i think it'd be neat. (ps.  i got to retake the terrible failing math test from last week.  i feel alot better about this one..  hope i actually DID better.)

16.10.04 22:31 Permalink / 11 Comments / comment

nureochemophelia at her slightest suggestion i feel a rush of norepinephreine i confess i must correct my errection a synaptic connection from the brain stem to the cerebellum heralds the production of dopamine and i forget what things are supposed to mean don't eat don't sleep don't work don't think just revel in that which is unfamiliar soon i'm weaned from the dopamine the brain settles in to this new routine an onset of vasopressin bound to a lasting impression of submission acceptance i relinquish independance and admit i'm tied chemicals control me and so i abide. (this was edited to add a bit where i could explain what noepinephrine does.  hope it works)

28.9.04 07:51 Permalink / 2 Comments / comment

staring at the peeling wallpaper can't write anything my nextdoor neighbor is a serial killer he also sells insurance i wake up with my lover but she doesn't move the mattress is soaked with thick dark blood "I WILL TEACH YOU THE LIFE OF THE MIND!!!" the hallways explode with fire as he runs toward me with a shotgun

21.9.04 07:14 Permalink / 8 Comments / comment

thinking about school.  Creative writing poetry.  the teacher is jerry maguire.  no kidding.  he walked in the class and passed out pieces of paper that said "if you haven't taken the prerequisite then you should leave the room" I hadn't taken the prerequisite, but i raised my hand and said "i took a scriptwriting class" it was enough. the problem for me is poetry all looks and sounds the same. this dude is going to judge me on whether or not i am good but i have no idea what is supposed to be good how a good differs from a bad to me it's all stuff that looks vaguely like this. the end.

25.8.04 01:12 Permalink / 4 Comments / comment

gladys n daisy rough rough rough rough draft... did i emphasize FIRST draft?  Going to the meeting to show it...  (a bench, outdoors.  Either a park or street.   There’s a few pieces of litter scattered about.  Things are kind of drab.  Sound of a marching band bass drum.  Enter gladys, 64, holding a small American flag.  She is a drum majorette in her own mind.  Daisy, (60) is following behind lugging a drum. Gladys marches in place for a moment.)fficeffice" />   Gladys:    ATTENTION (they both stop) ABOUT FACE (they turn toward the audience.  At EASE.  (daisy slumps and puts down the drum) Daisy… (as patton addressing his troops) right now… (she notices the trash, is distracted)  Do you see this?  If there’s one thing I can’t stand…. It’s littering.  Lazy, dirty people  who don’t have enough respect for our COMMUNITY to throw their taco bell cups away in a trash can.  I remember a time when the streets were clean, when people did the right thing, when Americans were handsome and strong and neat and they threw the trash in the can.  And then they gave their lives to defend our country. What’s happening?  What’s happening, daisy?  What’s wrong with the people?  Where did it go?  How have we fallen so far?  Daisy?  Trash in the streets, daisy, trash in the streets. (throws the trash away) This is exactly what I’m talking about.  It never would have gotten this bad if we hadn’t let it.  The greatest generation would never have let something like this happen.  They were strong.  They had Spirit.  They had Jesus.   They didn’t let the evil in.  We let the evil into our hearts.  We need to be cleansed.  OH GOD BLESS ffice:smarttags" />AMERICA!  (gladys raises her flag, daisy picks up her drum)  God bless Jesus. And a one And a two (she sings, daisy accompanies)  America, America.. God spread his grace on thee… and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining… (lowers flag.) see… I saw the sign.  I saw the sign clear as day on CNN.  The skyline was falling and the smoke was rising, and I’ll admit, I was skeptical, but the lord, he works in mysterious ways.  He gives us glimpses in strange places.  You have to know to keep looking cause the truth is right in front of our faces.  As I think about it, I’m not surprised at all, and it’s there!  Really!  I saw it with my own two eyes.   The towers were falling and jesus was opeing up my eyes… He was telling me… “you did this.  You got weak. Weak minded.. weak willed.  You left the litter on the ground and the trash into your heart.”  It was a wake up call.. I remember where I was.. Cooking Bacon, watching katie couric..(daisy starts to cry)  Oh baby!  I’m so sorry baby.. I didn’t mean to hurt you.  I didn’t mean to bring back these awful memories.  Oh baby. (gladys comforts)  It’s gonna be ok.  Shhh.  Everything is gonna be ok… Shhhh.. it’s ok… Just let it all out,  It’s good to cry, isn’t it? (big sob)  that’s good… We have to start to greive before we can start to heal…  (daisy sighs)  you feel better? (daisy nods.) That’s good.. Daisy, you know what’s wrong?  What’s really wrong?  Everybody says that they don't know but i think they do know.  I think they very well know and they're just afraid to say it.   it's not (big quotes) "politically correct" enough, and "separation of church and state" enough, but IT’S THE TRUTH, Dang Blast it.   Nice people today are just too afraid to call a shovel a garden implement.  They are willing to watch holes get dug all over the yard that is the soul of our great nation cause they just don’t want to look at the dog digging and say his name.  They don’t want to say it daisy because they are afraid of being called crazy, but daisy, in times like these, every thing is a little crazy.  I’m not afraid.  I’m not afraid of being crazy, daisy, especially not with HIM watching.  (daisy: shh)  Oh don’t shush me daisy, you know it’s true.  You know he’s there, lurking in the shadows.  He might have a brand new Modis Operendi but his Game is always the same, Corrupting the weak and feeble minded away from the light, away from the glory, away from the LOVE that IS the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  You know his name.  deep down in your heart, you hear his voice.  He’s calling you, calling you, calling you daisy, do you hear him?  You hear him calling?  He’s got your number, daisy.  He’s gonna call you.  He’s gonna call you daisy.  He’s gonna call you right when you sit down to dinner time AND YOU CAN’T JUST TELL SATAN THAT YOU’RE “EATING SUPPER.”  (daisy recoils in horror.)  oooh yes, that’s right daisy.  (daisy shakes her head) you can’t just shut him out cause he’s everywhere.    He’s here daisy.  Lucifer is in the soul of everything tainted by the touch of EVIL.  He’s at the heart of all the nasty, despicable, cruel, blood drenched, evil.  Every serial killing, spousal abusing, suicide assisting, dope dealing, out of control youth,  that’s satan.  Every hindu Buddhist jewish pagan new age islamic fundamentalist, that’s satan.  Satan spreads the hate.  Satan was killing the children in columbine Colorado.  Satan parked the ryder truck in Oklahoma city.  Satan is licking the stamps on the anthrax envelope.  Satan is laughing in the smoke as the world trade center falls.  His sticky fingers are everywhere.   I know it’s satan too, you want to know how I know it’s satan daisy?  It’s real simple.  Easy as pie as a matter of fact.  It’s like this.  It’s gotta be satan cause I know jesus, and jesus wouldn’t do this.  Jesus is not aborting an unborn child.  Jesus loves children.  Jesus isn’t dealing crack to 4 year olds.  Jesus made the world and he died for our sins.  Jesus loves us and he would never ever hijack an airplane with box cutters and direct said plane so it would, would (deep breath) kill 3000 of the most brave, patriotic and hardworking Americans this world has ever haver had the pleasure of knowing. (she takes off her hat, places it over her heart, raises the American flag high.)  daisy?... It’s time… (daisy picks up her drum and gets into position…) And a one And a 2 And a three…. (boom boom boom, gladys sings)  god bless America… land that I love… stand beside her… and guide her…(gladys give the signal to stop.) Oh lord, please guide her… please guide our strong and suffering nation through the dark times ahead.  For the dark lord satan has laid a blow across the bow of our great nation that I cannot shake. Satan has personified, materialized, solidified and we need to do something about it.  I thank jesus down on my knees every day that we have a born again Christian to lead us.  Thank you jesus for sending us President bush.  I truly believe you speak through him.  I can trust that god is in the white house and that comforts me like a great big quilt of freedom, because I know he knows what needs to be done.  President bush knows how a Christian is supposed to handle a situation like this.  I know.  Don’t you know daisy?  Do you know what the president is going to do? (daisy hopefully flashes a peace sign)  That’s right!  That’s exactly right “V FOR VICTORY!!”  The devil is hiding in the desert, cowering in his cave, mocking us with his very existence.  We need to wipe him off the face of the planet.  We need to blast that devil back to hell.  We need the power of jesus behind us because osama bin laden is satan.  the taliban is satan.  saddam hussein is satan.  North korea is satan.  Iran is Satan.  America needs to sanctify, to purify… we need to blast that satan right back to hell. It’s the only way to make this tragedy right. eh?

21.8.04 23:14 Permalink / 2 Comments / comment

eh? you could give me shirley temple with her cute little dimples it wouldn't be that simple you could leave me marooned in the temple of doom i'd get out by noon i would call laurie chestnut plain LC just to meet elsie i just stand on my balcony and soulfully croon elsie elsie call me soon!

8.7.04 18:56 Permalink / 9 Comments / comment

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