Session One Transcript

Theme Music begins

JACKI: Recorded live at Jalopy Theatre in Brooklyn

Messenger Theatre Company presents

The Defense

Theme music fades 

SESSION ONE

LORI: I discovered it at the library. There was a reading and the crowds were thick, the lines were long and this man behind me put his hands on me as he pushed ahead.

I don’t usually say anything when stuff like that happens but that day it was different. Maybe it was the way his hands felt? Like – creepy?

Or maybe it was the day I’d had? But I turned around and told him not to touch me. His face turned purple and suddenly, from out of nowhere, he had a beer bottle and he was waving it in my face. People were staring and he got angrier – with all those eyes on him I guess.  I tried to back away but the place was too crowded to get far. I guess he felt cornered, too, because he broke the bottle on the table next to him and started coming toward me with it.

 I disappeared for a moment. It was like a gap in my memory and the next thing I knew he was gone. But everyone around me was staring at the floor where he’d been and then looking back at me. So I looked down and there he was. Still shouting, still swinging his bottle but about ten inches tall.

 I’d never seen anything like it. He was doll-sized. Just about the size of a Barbie.

 I looked around and a lot of people were staring at me with wonder and horror. What happened? Wow. Did I do this?

I stood there stunned for a moment while the little man shouted at my feet and then I just walked out. I just kept walking, trying to catch up with my thoughts. The chill in the air had a bracing effect and I started to consider all that had happened. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like his transformation had somehow come from me. It was my doing. I couldn’t repeat it. Or control it. At least not consciously. But I felt increasingly certain that if there were a witch, I was she.

 LEILA: Welcome, Witch.

 MARI: (Witch laugh or spooky sound)

 BRIA: Don’t.

 KACEY: Wow, Lori.  That’s one of the more public discovery stories I’ve heard. Most of us don’t have an audience for our first encounters with the Defense.

 LORI: No?

 KACEY: Not usually, no.

 MARI: I didn’t have any witnesses.

 LEILA: Me neither.

 BRIA: People were around but we all just thought the guy was having a heart attack so my part in it wasn’t obvious to anyone. Or even to me.

 KACEY: It must have been difficult. First, to have so many people not help you out when that man turned violent and then to have them witness your defense.

 LORI: I did look over my shoulder a few times to make sure the crowd wasn’t following me with torches or anything.

 KACEY: And were they?

 LORI: No. Not a single person came after me.

 KACEY: Not even to see if you were okay?

 LORI: No.

 KACEY: Terrible. Well – I feel fairly confident in saying that if any one of us had been there, we’d have checked in with you.

 BRIA: In a shot.

 MARI: I would not have hesitated.

 LEILA: Me neither.

KACEY: I’m sorry that happened to you, Lori – though I will say I’m glad that it brought you here to join us. And your experience brings me right back to my own first encounter with the Defense.

 LEILA: Same

.BRIA and MARI: Yep.

 KACEY: You are in a terrifying and beautiful moment that one day you will look back on with an odd kind of fondness.

 LORI: Beautiful?

 KACEY: To me. To us? Now. From this distance.

 LORI: Okay.

 KACEY: And while I suppose anything’s possible, I don’t think you’re a witch. You just have the Defense. Like all of us.

 LORI: I think I’d kind of like to be a witch.

 KACEY: You know, I’ve always thought I’d like it too.

 MARI: It’s never too late!

 LEILA: You could be a witch with the Defense! If witches existed.

 BRIA: I know you’re just joking around but please don’t get into witchcraft.

 KACEY: Look, what I’m saying is – the Defense is its own thing. It’s not magic It’s just a skill we have.

 LORI: A skill?

 KACEY: More like an ability. An innate ability.

 LORI: It’s an ability.

 KACEY: I mean, again. I am not a witch. I know nothing of witchcraft but from my pop culture film and tv knowledge, I’m pretty sure you have to work at it to make it work. Like, even if you’re born a witch, you still need a book to learn it from. There is no book for The Defense. You have it. You don’t need to practice it. It will be there when it’s needed.

 LORI: So I don’t need to come here to make it work.

KACEY: You don’t need to come here at all. But you are, of course, very welcome. We’re here to support each other, that’s it. Because sometimes having an innate ability like this can be difficult to deal with.

 MARI: Understatement of the year.

 KACEY: Is it? Already? This early in the season?

 MARI: You’re right. There could be many more to come.

 LEILA: Something to look forward to!

 LORI: Is there a prize or something?

 KACEY: Not yet. But this group belongs to its members so if someone were to take it into her head to award an actual prize to the understatement of the year, she could do that.

 MARI: Seems like a lot of trouble.

 LEILA: I might start making a list.

 MARI: You and your lists.

 LEILA: We all have our talents. List-making is one of my best.

 MARI: Along with the Defense.

 LEILA: Would we call that a talent?

 BRIA: I wouldn’t.

 KACEY: What would you call it?

 BRIA: A curse.

 KACEY: A curse, really?

 BRIA: I think so. That’s why I don’t mess with witches.

 KACEY: But it’s a curse that has saved your life, has it not?

 BRIA: Sure.

 KACEY: Do you think Lori’s defense is a curse?

 BRIA: No.

 KACEY: So why would yours be?

 BRIA: It might be a curse for that guy she smalled.

 KACEY: It might be. That’s fair. But is it possible he deserved it?

 BRIA: He totally deserved it. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a curse to him.

 KACEY: But not a curse for Lori.

 BRIA: Maybe it’s a curse from Lori. Lori, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be so weird on your first day with us. We’re supposed to help you today and here I am spinning out about curses.

 LORI: It’s okay, Bria. I told you all my story and none of you called me crazy so I’ve already gotten everything I need.

 BRIA: Oh good. Good. I am sorry, though. I don’t know why I’m so weird today.

 KACEY: It’s okay to feel weird, Bria. Of course we all want to be as helpful to Lori as possible and I’m pretty sure we’re all glad she’s here.

 LEILA: Very!

 MARI: Yep.

 BRIA: Of course.

 KACEY: But thinking about the first phases of discovering the Defense can be triggering for a lot of people.

 LEILA: It’s definitely taken me back to my first experiences.

 MARI: Me, too. I got these flashes of just looking down at my first pile of ash and wondering where that man went. And why did he leave his corncob pipe behind?

 LEILA: He had a corncob pipe? Was he old?

 MARI: No – just pretentious.

 LEILA: Wow.

 MARI: Yeah.

 LEILA: Pretentious enough to bring out your defense. That is extra pretentious.

 MARI: It wasn’t the pretention that was the problem.

 LEILA: I’m sorry. I’m sure it wasn’t. The first ones are usually the worst.

 MARI: Yeah.

 BRIA: I thought my first few were interventions from God. I mean – I prayed for help and suddenly my attacker fell to the ground. I thought it was God’s work.

 KACEY: Who’s to say it isn’t?

 BRIA: My pastor, for one.

 KACEY: And he knows all of God’s intentions, does he?

 BRIA: I thought so then.

 KACEY: And now?

 BRIA: Now I’m not so sure.

 KACEY: Well, he’s human.

 BRIA: True.

 KACEY: And humans aren’t always their best around things they don’t understand.

 LEILA: That must be why so many people are weird around us.

 KACEY: Yep. And hopefully we can be less and less weird to each other the more we understand what we’re dealing with.

 LORI: It really is such a relief to be around people who understand.

 KACEY: Did you try and talk about it with anyone?

 LORI: No. I just searched for it like it was symptoms of a disease. I was all in on the medical sites before I found you.

 LEILA: What did you think you had?

 LORI: Some kind of reality disturbing disorder?

MARI: Shrinky Manny?

 LEILA: Jerk Smallification Syndrome?

 MARI: Itty Bity Shitty Man Maker?

 BRIA: “I’m sorry, miss, but the doctor thinks you have an active case of Seeing Small Men, sometimes called Gulliver’s Syndrome.”

 LORI: It’s a good thing I didn’t go to the doctor!

 KACEY: It is, actually, because there’s nothing wrong with you.

 LORI: Really?

 KACEY: Really. You did nothing wrong. You were just trying to go to an event at a library in peace and a dangerous creep got in your way. You did what you had to do.

 LEILA: And you didn’t even get to go to the event!

 LORI: I know, right? I was looking forward to it, too.

 BRIA: I know that feeling.

 KACEY: Which one?

 BRIA: Where you were on your way somewhere and you just got derailed – either by the attacker, or the feelings after.

 LEILA: Getting harassed is such a time waster!

 MARI: Is that why they do it?

 BRIA: I don’t think so.

 MARI: I don’t either, really.

 KACEY: Would anyone like to offer any additional words of support for Lori before we wrap up?

 MARI: Just, I guess, I know when I first discovered my defense, I was scared out of my mind and I felt so guilty and I guess I would say call one of us the next time it happens.

 LORI: You think there will be a next time?

 MARI: Oh. Uh. Sorry. No. I should not have said that. I should have said, “If it happens again.”

 LORI: Is there no way to control it? To stop it?

 MARI: Sure. Stop getting threatened and your defense won’t have to defend you.

 KACEY: Mari.

 MARI: Sorry.

 KACEY: What Mari is pointing to, Lori, is that your new skill is a direct result of a major challenge to your defense system. The man with the bottle activated a dormant power in you.

 LORI: Can’t I unactivate it?

 KACEY: None of us have managed it and quite a few have tried.

LORI: But…

 KACEY: A broken bottle is a very big threat, of course. Maybe this will have been a one off.

 MARI: (under her breath) Fat chance.

 KACEY: Mari.

MARI: What? I said Bon Chance.

 KACEY: Uh huh.

 MARI: Listen. Lori. I didn’t like it either when my particular defense kicked in. And in the beginning, it was toggled pretty sensitively. I mean – it wouldn’t take much to set me off once it was unleashed – but I’ve been working on it and now I find that just recognizing that I have the power to turn someone into a pile of ash means that I do not have to do it.

 LORI: What do you mean?

 MARI: I mean – some guy’s a dick to me. He could be a threat or just a dick, I don’t know. In the beginning, I’d just ash him, before I knew what I was doing. Now – I have a second to think, “I could ash that guy.” And nine times out of ten, he just walks away at that point. I don’t know if it’s a look in my eye or a vibe he gets or something – but somehow he knows and he goes.

 BRIA: It worked that way for me too.

 LEILA: Also me.

 KACEY: It is a fairly common development in our experience.

 LORI: So you can learn to control it.

 KACEY: To a point. I mean – I won’t lie to you. Most of us are still here in the group because we have not achieved the control we would like to have. It’s a journey. But we have each other’s support and it does help.

 LORI: I see. Good. I guess. I don’t know. Does it wear off?

 KACEY: Does what wear off?

 LORI: The effects. Like – do the ash piles come back together? I guess what I’m really asking is: Is the guy I made doll sized going to get big again? And will he come after me?

 MARI: If he does, just small him again til he learns! And no. My ash piles stay ash piles but I suppose some folks have effects that wear off. Anyone here?

 BRIA: Nope.

 KACEY: No.

 LEILA: Not me.

 MARI: Yeah – most likely that small angry man is going to be a small angry man forever. Sorry.

 LORI: But you don’t know for sure.

 MARI: Nope.

 LORI: I don’t know which one I prefer. I’d feel really guilty if he were doll-sized forever. But also – if he came back, he’d be really dangerous and really mad.  

 MARI: Maybe he should have thought before he threatened you.

 BRIA: With a broken bottle, no less.

 LEILA: Honestly – he’s lucky to be alive – even if he is small. If he’d tried that with any of us, I don’t think there’s a chance he’d still be breathing.

 MARI: Big pile of ash, my friends. Very big pile of ash he’d be.

 LORI: I feel better.

 MARI: Good.

 LORI: I’m just – not sure what I should do.

 MARI: Enjoy your life. Go have brunch with your friends tomorrow.

 LORI: Right.

 MARI: You got some brunch friends?

 LORI: I did. They all moved away.

 MARI: Well – you’ll come have brunch with mine then. They don’t know about my…skills. So you’ll have to keep that quiet – But I’ll tell ‘em you just joined my women’s group and we’ll drink Bloody Marys and eat huevos rancheros.

 LORI: Sounds amazing. Thank you.

 MARI: You bet. And the rest of you have a standing invitation, too, you know. If you don’t have brunch friends of your own, I got you.

 LEILA: I have some brunch friends but it would be fun to put us all together sometime

 MARI: The more the merrier.

 KACEY: Bloody Marys aren’t always the answer but when they are, they are an excellent answer.

 MARI: You’re welcome, too, Kacey.

 KACEY: Thank you. Maybe next time. I’m going apple picking with my girlfriend tomorrow so I’ll be deep in an orchard, inhaling fruit.

 MARI: That sounds amazing.

 KACEY: It should be nice, yes. Does anyone else have anything they want to discuss before we conclude? Anything you’re going to wish you said once you get home tonight.

 LORI: Just. Thank you everyone. I think I’ll sleep tonight for the first time since this happened. So. Thank you.

 KACEY: Of course.

 MARI: It is what we’re here for!

 BRIA: Literally.

 KACEY: This seems like a nice note to end on. Quick affirmation?

 MARI: (to Lori) You’ll pick it up.

 KACEY: (leading the group) I am safe but I’m not safe for everyone.

 Thanks everyone.

Theme music begins

JACKI: The Defense is a production of Messenger Theatre Company.

It is performed by Marcella Adams as Leila, Amber Jessie as Mari, Cosmic Kitty as Bria, Kristen Vaughan as Kacey and Toni Watterson as Lori.

The writer/director is Emily Rainbow Davis.

Sound Design by Matt Powell

Sound Engineering by Daniel Massey

Sound Assistance by Angela Santillo

 Stage Management by Ella Lieberman

 The Producer is Melvin Yen.

 The Defense theme is by Scott Ethier.

 I’m Jacki Jing

I am safe but I’m not safe for everyone.