Fifth of July

by Lanford Wilson, rewritten from a stage manager's POV

It's midnight;
the typewriter clicks unevenly
as her fingers miss the keys.
Deadlines unmet,
brainwaves flat --
wanting release
wanting sleep.
Bowie in the background but
No time to think--just react
(Acting is reacting - Stanislavsky).
A pillbox is the difference between
duty and desire, the
cartoon frog cover lists....
of props
of deadlines
of tech crew
of deadlines
of shop time
of deadlines
of cast
of deadlines -- two weeks
behind
schedule
meetings -- 11 am to 4 pm
rehearsals -- 7:30 pm to 12 am
SCENE! (K x to stairs, line, x to desk UC)
a dangling trapeze act of Gleicos with
miles of cables
miles of fabric
miles of paperwork
LINE! (Gwen: Most of the branches I own, like, nothing...)
A self-promised hourandahalf to shit shine shower and catch the :08 bus

-- TLPatten, 1987