Mind Jumping Moon

By Rosemary Marston-Higdon

With excerpts from (the late) Meadow Marston 

& Anna Monopia 

Characters:

X

Y

Ensemble Members

Scene 1

[Lights out]

[Lights up to a bare stage except 2 chairs, one Upstage Right (UR) and one Downstage Left (DL).]

Simultaneously, X and Y enter from opposite sides and cross the stage in stylistic and differing ways - X is pushed by an Ensemble Member in a hyper-frenzy mode while Y is sluggishly pulled by another Ensemble Member. X is “forced” to move around space quickly, in a pattern, perhaps only in right angles or with mechanical movements. Y is pulled sluggishly and directly to her chair, UR, and sits sooner than X, despite the tempo difference. She has carried with her an actual bucket of items which we can’t yet see contents of. While seated, Y is blankly tuned out ahead, perhaps watching television, perhaps painting images in her head of the beheading of a queen, only the brushstrokes are Vicodin pills in various shades and hues. 

When X finally sits, X and Y take a simultaneous breath/deep sigh. Y more-so “comes to.”  X retrieves phone out of pocket and stares at it. Presses button and puts phone to ear. Voiceover is heard following a voicemail “beeb.” During Voiceover 1, Y takes a remote out of bucket and presses buttons to change channels of or turn on invisible television straight ahead. X is sitting, still, listening to voicemail.

Heeeeey, it’s Meadoooh... the lovely, the enchanting, the beautiful Meadow... sorry, I’ve been watching too much t.v. with this stupid commercial about perfume..... Like they have one commercial where there’s two people on horses and they’re like trying to get it on, on like two horses while they’re running. It’s weird. It’s weeeird. (sigh) So, I’ve been having a pretty decent week.... I feel ok and things are becoming clearer... [Beep - voicemail cuts off.]

X presses button again and Voiceover 2 is heard, following another voicemail “beeb.” During second voiceover, Y takes out at least 6 pill bottles, in various sizes from small to large, from bucket, perhaps even a large weekly pill organizer (in addition to bottles), and scans labels and swallows several pills with a bottle of water.

Hey..... (sigh) Ughhm, I’m sorry I’m such a dumbass... and.... (starting to cry) inconsiderate ... ugh, there’s my insecurity again, huh... Meadow, Dreado Meadow. I’m so weird... why didn’t you ever tell me I’m so weird... (sad and desperate) So call me so we can talk ‘bout this... ok?

(Perks back) Oh god, Dad’s phone is disconnected and I freaked out thinking something happened and he was rotting or something up there... So m’mom and I just got a key to his place in case... ya know... something happens and we don’t hear from him for a couple days or [Beep - voicemail cuts off.]

X presses yet one more button and Voiceover 3 is heard, following a voicemail “beep.” During Voiceover 3, Y takes out a small pipe, packs it, then smokes out of it, all while somewhat watching the t.v. show. Nothing is rushed - no reason. Only time to kill.

Hello my beautiful. Just callin’ cause I might start doing art with kids at my mom’s work... we might make it... well, it could turn into, it will be like... ahh, what I’m trying to say is: I’m excited and I wanna tell ya about it so give me a call back, bitch! Psyche hahah I love you. (Sudden shift.) Will you take care of me if mom and dad die? I’m not sure if I could handle it and.... (long pauses of struggle to hold back panicked and terrified tears)... I just wanna... I’d like to hear your voice, (now getting sillier) I’d like to hear it twice...but I must hear your voice. [Beep - voicemail cuts off.]

X finishes listening, stares at phone, places on leg/lap. Takes small pipe out of pocket. Packs contents down and smokes it. X & Y simultaneously exhale. Stare front. 

Scene 2

[Cue light from projector, projecting empty light onto center upstage wall.]

X and Y sit on floor directly in front of their chairs. Ensemble members enter, crossing stage in various forms. Member(s) sets down a sketchbook and pen next to Y without interacting with her. They then remove Y’s Up Right chair and basket of items as part of choreography. Simultaneously, other ensemble member(s) place a stack of journals at X’s feet and remove her chair and pipe from stage. 

Y, sitting sprawled, Up Right, with sketchbook on ground, drawing. X sitting cross-legged Down Left, reading a journal intently.

Ensemble members strike poses in the empty projected light as characters from the picture in the same place where the characters will appear when projected. They hold cardboard cutouts of stars and antlers  or other elements from picture.

[Cue Slide 1.]

Ensemble members “jump” out of the image and “dance the images” throughout play.

[Cue Slide 2.]

[Cue Slide 3.]

Perhaps Female Ensemble Member has a giant cigar and poses (as in picture). Then both Ensemble Members take center downstage, in spelling bee manner, and cigar becomes a microphone for other Ensemble Member.

[Cue Slide 4.]

Ensemble member: (facing audience) You’re as cheap as the wine that you drink.

[Cue Projector Off.]

During next section, Ensemble experiments with bodies in space, use of floor, levels, on back with legs up, summersaults, or weird things a child may do when nobody is looking - or someone in an insane asylum.

They whisper/yell/cry/moan/ etc. the following (divide lines as seen fit with movement/motions - sometimes one person speaks half of sentence and another picks up rest when they pass each other, or connect, etc. Experiment with tempo, pattern, overlap. Two worlds meshing, two worlds are one, where is separation, who is who, what is what, where is where?):

Ensemble members: DNA flows through veins. Pains, rains, stains. Genes run in the same family. My jeans are getting smaller. Damn dryer liar. Where are my words? Where did I leave them? Her art, my art - a fucking family collage of crazy... Focus, finish a freaking single - but how does the brain work - a commonality of... but differences... who would come to her funeral if... What’s the key to...  I don’t want to get up - my brain hurts - my eyes have no vision and my brain is no more. I can only feel the inside poking my soul. The ground is so hard and I’m starting to sweat - fuck! How did I get into this mess? I need oxygen - I’m going to die, then the slithering demons start to eat out my eye. The Earth is stained with our tears. Fears. Veering towards a dead end the pain but scared of eternal can’t sleep well, feel overwhelmed with myself, can’t get out from under myself. I’m crippled in every sense. I’m ruined.

[Cue Projector on - Slide 5 - ‘Stop driving yourself crazy, please’ (not spoken)]

Ensemble: A nameless acropolis latched to my brain, spinning into a tornado of shame. I try to get up, my legs in a knot. I’ve glued myself to this spot.

[Cue Slide 6]

Ensemble member: (Spelling bee-like manner) I’m not crazy; I just have an up and down spirit.

[Cue Slide 7.]

 [Cue Slide 8.]

Ensemble member: (Spelling bee-like manner) Someday you’ll get hungry and eat most’ those words you just said.

[Cue Slide 9.]

I’m my own worst enemy -- this smile is a facade. My fears hold me back because I’m scared of me. Because of my illness, I’m 2 in the body. One Meadow is gracious and kind; the other one shows her .... 

[Ensemble freezes. Cue lights out & Projector off. One ensemble member stomps to make knocking sound, “Meadow...?” Y looks up in darkness with demons entering her like the movie ‘Exorcist,’ “Meadow’s not here right now!” Ensemble members hustle off stage in opposite directions. Y stands.]

[Cue empty light from projector on. Stillness]

Y: When they dig my grave, I’m sure the hole will be sloppy and unneeded for I, we are not sick. We are surrounded by myth and unbundled untruths. I’m thinking of smashing my head against a rock instead of burning in your flame of contempt.

X responds to “what she’s reading,” perhaps with a silent(ish) gasp.

[Cue Projector off.]

Scene 3

Ensemble quickly fetches sketchbook and journals and leave stage again.  During Voiceover 4, X and Y both stand and look at each other. They slowly and stylistically walk, creating the beginnings of a circle, never loosing eye contact. 

(In fancy British accent) Hello my darling sister. This is Meadow. I’ve been summering in the south of France and somehow I picked up this English accent which is silly because I was in France but uh, I’m back home now... (stops accent) Ok, I’ll stop being weird. I feel good. I feel excellent. My brain chemistry is, in slot, yummy. Something changed for me and I think a lot of my pain has subsided. My brain is not wanting to hurt me as much and it’s really effing great. Anyway, I’m just calling to say hey and tell ya I love ya. Shoot me call back. Bye. [Beep]

Y breaks eye contact with X and walks to center stage and begins to lie down as Ensemble slowly enters, sharing the following lines, one sentence each, and saying last sentence, “Now I’m blindly walking with...” together. Ensemble walks in manner and tempo so they finish collective line as they kneel downstage of Y, facing Y, with backs to the audience. X is still, watching.

Ensemble: The rain washes over me - I begin to feel clear. It seems like the demons are now rocked by their fear. The demons stopped moving, it felt like a gift. Now I’m blindly walking with shuffle the shift. 

X slowly walks downstage of Y and Ensemble. 

X: (to single spot, out past audience) Where do I begin and you end? A mind that fears itself, always lurking in the corner. A kind heart reaching, without strength to reach. An anxious river flowing through veins of steel. An uncanny desire to understand that which has no answer. A relief with a painful pinch. A darkness with a witty smile.

[Cue Slide 10: ‘In a nutshell, you’ll be crushed’ (not spoken).]

[Cue Lights out. Moment. Cue projector off.]

End