Excerpt from EMILE’S HAND
CAST
(3M, 3F)
- Emile Georg: French artist, sculptor. — man (70s)
- Aloyse Boujeau-Georg: His young wife. — woman (30s)
- Sondra Gavin: International Wing Exhibit Coordinator. — woman (40s)
- Jason Rave: Museum Construction. — man (20s)
- Derek Buchanan: Freelance Woodworker. — man (20s)
- Miranda Gail: Derek’s Girlfriend. — woman (20s)
TIME
Now.
PLACE
Museum for Contemporary Artists, International Exhibit.
STYLE
Comedy.
(A large off-white museum room with a single entrance up stage right with greatly over-sized double doors. In the center of this room.. and towering above all else, is a not yet completed sculpture; “THE HAND” by Emile Georg. “THE HAND”, half-opened, half closed, is reaching up through the museum floor. The fingers are an intimidating five feet long on the average, and extend almost parallel to the floor. All around the sculpture, there lay reasonably organized piles of lumber, rolls of canvas, electrical tools, and saw dust. Shunning all piles, are coke cans, take-out bags, several crumpled T-shirts, etc. There is scaffolding on one side that has a feeling of somehow wanting to help the hand. Up left is a velvet rope and hook crowd management system standing ready to circle the appendage. Down left, an easel sports original drawings. A museum sign mounted very professionally down stage right, reads “THE HAND”. An expensive bicycle stands up center. JASON is leaning against the sculpture, and SONDRA sits on a foot-stool.. while they finish their take-out lunch together. The lights rise.)
SONDRA
He was a lifelong friend to her Father. It was a big tabloid thing a few years ago.
JASON
Yeah. I remember. But, I mean, the guy is seventy years old. She’s like twenty.
SONDRA
He’s supposed to be quite the lover.
JASON
You can’t believe that shit. It’s a fatherly thing. It’s not like there’s anything else going on.
SONDRA
How do you know?
JASON
If so, it’s disgusting. There’s gotta be something wrong with her. You know..
SONDRA
You never know. It’s like this bid. Who would have thought that we would have won.
JASON
It’s one of those things.
SONDRA
I guess he’s not particularly fond of them.
JASON
What else was attractive? Maybe there was something else.
SONDRA
He’s not fond of them. No way did I out-bid them. I don’t know.
JASON
Not for any good reason, really.. except that they always sound unpleasant. That’s what I like about the French. Outside of producing some of the best artists in the world. When does he arrive?
SONDRA
This afternoon.
JASON
Great. That’s just terrific.
SONDRA
This is so important. Not just for me. It has political ramifications.
JASON
What do you mean?
SONDRA
Don’t think people aren’t watching, Jason. People are watching.
JASON
Who’s watching?
SONDRA
It’s a foreign relations thing. His coming here is a big deal. He’s like a national treasure. What were you thinking?
JASON
That. I was thinking that. I’ve thought that. What are you saying?
SONDRA
There’s no treating this lightly. I’ve been totally out of your face.
JASON
Sondra, he’s going to take one look at this material and he’s going to know.
SONDRA
Compromises have to be made. He’ll understand that.
JASON
I don’t think so.
SONDRA
You’ll think of something.
Contact rajnoosh[at]gmail[dot]com for the full script.