 support of work that we do. I also need to thank the media sponsors, so thanks to Nashville C and WPLN, and to nowplayingnashville.com for their support of the festival. I also want to say a big thank you to Nashville Public Television for supporting us. They are great people. We need to live stream on HowlRoundTV. Welcome to TVL! We start to answer this. She's the woman who had the vision for this project. She certainly has always believed that new works were an important part of making America's theater vital, and she gives the money work her heart is. So a big thank you to Martha Ingram for supporting Ingram and WPLN. I don't know if your up is about to turn 30 years old. We're celebrating that anniversary next year. It was found in the same year I was born. Anyway, we'll look and see what the different levels of membership participation might be. We've got some interesting and cool things to do for us all to get to know each other a little better. Look online and see about that. And while you're there, you can, you know, pop on over to the subscription page and buy a subscription. If you haven't done that yet, we have great people lined up next year. We hope that you will join us for that. We also have a big fundraising party in less than a week. Next Sunday, River Refrees is called. So if you're a big supporter of Tennessee Refin, you really love the actress that we have on stage. This is a big party at the end of the year that celebrates the end of the season. And all the actors who participate in this recipe are invited to join us. And there's dinners and entertainment. It's great fun. So if you want to join us for that, I hope you'll look up information about that back there on the table, or also online. Okay. A quick overview of the Ingram New Works Project. It's got three parts. The first is fellowship, a lab, and a festival. The fellowship is the fellowship that we offer to a Playwright's National Recruits, whose work we actually admire very much. It's someone that we are confident that will continue to make valuable contributions through the American Theater. And we were very honored this year when our fellowship was accepted by the one-for-a-pulse-surprise-winning, pretty-word-winning Playwright, that's Wright. So he's here tonight for a season-long event that's for four Playwrights who are accepted into the lab. They work on a play from just an idea. And so what you'll see tonight, they come into the lab with just an inspiration for a play that they would like to write. And then we help them by providing whatever we can in terms of resources towards the writing of that play. They get together every month. We provide professional actors. They let me end up providing this opportunity here that I'll talk about in just a second. But before I do that, I want to recognize those four Playwrights for their wonderful work here with us at Tennessee Recruits. We're very honored to have them with us. Not actually present tonight, but I think he's in the interweb. And Jeremy Sony, so let's applaud for Jeremy. This is the opportunity for the Playwrights to hear their plays ran by professional actors in front of an audience just to get some sense of what that response is and how it feels with you and that energy that goes back and forth between an audience and actors. So your being here is really a very important part of the process. So thank you very much for joining us and doing your part in helping these Playwrights bring their plays to even greater heights than they are right now. So in your programs, there's a little survey form. So if you could take a minute at some point and fill that out, it's really very useful to us as the Playwrights of the future. If you don't want to either respond tonight or you don't like paper, you can go online and do it. There's instructions on the website to do that, so the address is on there. So just take a minute and give us your response and it's really useful. And then of course immediately following the readings tonight, there will be a, we've talked back, so we hope that you'll stick around for a second and chat with us about the play as well. This play does have an intermission, so during that time, I don't know if it was on the level. But there is an intermission and all of our concessions proceed to go to the support of our professional internship program. So we hope you'll watch yourself out with the scrubber for the evidence right there. Lastly, let me ask you now if you'll please check for your cell phones and make sure that they are silent, just with the muay. Oh, we also ask that you don't use them in any way that lights up the screen in a second. All right. Thank you again for being here. It really is exciting for us to be involved in this kind of work. We think it's important and invigorating and I hope that you feel the same way and clearly the fact that you're here means that it means something to you. Thank you for your support. Take that. And enjoy. And it's crazy. Cut it out. One, prologue. The bedroom of the helmer house. Because it always begins in the bedroom. The silhouette of a large house appears before us. Simple and reflective of a shape, a frame, a shadow. But we can't see any real detail. Pays that makes us feel displaced. Then, an isolated light reveals Rebecca, standing in an evening gown. She looks older than she is. She married too soon, had children too young. The house and isolated light shining down on her seemed confining, restrictive. She sways, sort of dances. A simple but sexy tarantella-type movement. Faint distorted music in a minor key is heard far off in the distance. So far off, we barely hear it. Also off in the distance, behind her in the dark, we can see another woman swaying with her, copying her dance. It's a shape of frame, a shadow. But we can't see any real detail. Also, we see that there are a skew of medium-sized stone gargoyle statues scattered about. They seem to glow. It's unsettling. A rusty... Oh, Mr. Helmer. Look at me. We need to have our annual review a little early. Because we have some things we need to go over. But first, we need to turn these lights down. We need to turn these lights so far down they go out. The soft-flight phase, and with it, the music. In the darkness, we hear the sounds of blankets moving, of Rebecca getting into bed. Then, a loud harsh noise, a smack, a break. Holy shit! With her pain echo into the dark, a harsh reaver filling the entire space, crashing against everything. Two, Muriel's house. Lights shift to Rebecca. Muriel's a woman attempting to be a perfect suburban housewife, and she's sort of good at it, but she's ceramic. And there are crafts. It's like her saturation levels have been toy-quick. She holds a coffee mug with both hands, tight, sipping from it often. No, no, no. I'm serious, Beck. It was the strangest feeling, making dinner, following such an intense recipe. I don't do that. But I did, because, well, I wanted to. And so, I intensely followed the recipe. I put the chicken into the oven, I set the timer, and then I went into the bathroom, and I stood in front of the mirror, and I told myself, meaning I literally looked into my own eyes, in the bathroom mirror, and told myself with deep breaths and clenched fists, I said, Muriel, I said that. I said my name. I said, Muriel, it is never too late to discover new talents and passions. So I smiled at myself to gain confidence, to gain self-assurance. And I sort of weeped, you know, like this, sexy. And I started to think of all the new talents and passions I wanted to discover. I thought about new gourmet cooking I wanted to do, the lavish meat dishes I would cook, all the books I would read, history and nonfiction and chick-lip and romance. But as I continued to look deep into my own eyes, while I continued to elaborately plot future dinner plans and future book color selections, thinking of all the ways I would self-improve, you know, improve the self. I saw a lot of new talents, you know, improve the self. I saw a toothpaste saying in the mirror. Right there, down in the corner, a smudge. Tom, he does that. He spins into the sink, and it splatters all over the mirror. And if I've talked to him about it once, I've talked to him about it a thousand times. I just hope the meal tasted okay. Oh, seriously, Muriel, there's nothing to worry about. The meal was impressive. Oh, good. Really? Absolutely. And the best part? I have leftovers you can take home. Tomorrow's dinner already done. Check. See, I'm not going to make my job far too easy. I'm not the only one who benefits from my habit of pre-planning. Oh, Rebecca, it's so nice to have the entire quiet, empty clean house all to myself. Thank you for taking Tom out of town again. I think I enjoy these little work trips more than you guys. Well, he's gone for ten days, Muriel. In the UAE, that's not a little work trip, dear. And you really should know, Tom does great work. Really? Maybe for you, Beth. Maybe for you. But I don't know if it's poo-poo. Didn't you come over to enjoy some wine? Some vino, some two cups, and your cheeks are red? Huh? What do you say? I say, hell yes. It's been an awful week. I bought a great moscow dustee just for you. Rebecca gets up for the wine rack. Oh, no, dear, not on the rack. I'll get it. Don't you know the rules of dessert, Muriel? Whites need chilled, reds do not. It's in the fridge, silly. How the hell do you keep track of these things? Muriel gets the wine. New talents and passions. It's never too late. Well, then we will raise our glasses to new talents and passions. Oh, no, none for me, dear. I'm fine with my coffee. I've never known you to refuse wine. I'm fine with coffee, Beth. Are you sure? I'm sure. Yes, you drink up. She pours a glass of wine, hands it to Rebecca. Delicious. Thank you. The perfect preparation before one goes home to their asshole husband. How is Rusty? Rusty? Yeah. How is he? Oh, I heard you. I was answering. Oh. Yeah. You heard me. I think he's having an affair or maybe a few. I don't know. A few? Like multiple women? Well, I don't know for sure, but he hasn't touched me. And I don't even remember the last time we scheduled the night. I'm terrible with dates. Everything blends together. So I may have sort of a general timeframe, but not... Wait, wait, wait, wait. You guys set dates to have sex? We have to. Oh, my. Come on, you and Tom don't schedule it. Tom and I don't have sex anymore. Don't be silly. Well, maybe. Maybe if you set dates, you would. Then maybe if you didn't, you would. Maybe. Men are just transparent like that. So you can sort of see their indiscretions on them. I guess I know. Unlike me, he hasn't aged a bit. So... Oh, stop. You look great. Well, it wouldn't be a problem for him to find someone else to have sex with. That's all. I'm sorry, Beck. He's never touching you more. At all. I don't even remember the last time we kissed each other. It's funny about that. I just thought... I do remember when it all started going downhill. I know exactly when, actually. Snap. It was right after... Yeah, let's not talk about this. Yeah? Yeah. Private information about your marriage should be just that. Yeah, you're right. I'm going to clean up. The burial stands begins to clean the table. Yeah, let me help. The back of the stands begins to help clear the table. I just wish so badly. We could go back. You know? You ever find yourself wishing we could just go back? Every second of every day. Sitting and resting. Oh, dude, what the... What the hell was that thing? A cheap little Mazda? Mazda? No. Oh, my God. You remember? Of course I remember. It was an 87 Toyota Cressida. That's right. Generation 5 X70 series. Oh, what was that terrible color? Oh, give me a minute. Ghostly gray. No, that's what I always called it. Ghostly gray. Greski hated that. He said that this car was ghostly gray so were my eyes because that's the reason he picked it. It reminds me of my eyes. Sunset silver metallic clear coat. That was the color. Sunset silver metallic clear coat! Those are the days. They were so nice. Once upon a time. Right? I remember how much Rusty loved that car. I remember how much I loved that car. That was our escape zone. That was our world. If that backseat could talk. Oh, Rusty and I were having the best sex then. We were each other's toys and all we did was play. Little dolls. That car was his pride and joy. The Cressida and that damn guitar. How did we go from loving someone so much to being so deeply unhappy when you see them you know nothing else? Some days. Some days are golden and some are... well, some days are Rusty. Maybe you should just be thankful that you have days with him at all. Ugh, change the subject. She drinks her wine. Miriel continues to nurse from her coffee mug. You could leave. What? You could leave. Look at how successful you are. You certainly don't need him for financial security. And forgive me, but if you're not... Not what? Fucking if you're not... Are you serious? Miriel, come on. They do. They're deeply unhappy. Walls go up. They don't know what to do. So they bust through the walls and they move on. Perfect freedom on both sides. Oh, really? Really? We read about it in book clubs, seriously, like every third book. People just don't want to talk about it. I can't do that. Why? What kind of person would that make me, Miriel? Strong, liberated, free. Melanie May would say a feminist, based on our discussion of last week's riveting Virginia Dalloway. Those aren't real words, Miriel. They're buzz words. They're not real practical words. I'm sorry you feel that way. Yeah, it really wasn't a lovely read. I can't leave, and you know that. But why? Shit! Miriel, the kids! The kids will be okay. Have you met them? No, they won't. Ty spends all his time in the basement scraping and sculpting, carving away those damn statues. And then when he's finished, he puts them on display for everyone to see. You should look at our backyard, Miriel. There are these terrifying homemade gargoyle creature things everywhere. And Rusty just keeps putting them back there. We have so many around the house I can't escape them. I see them in my sleep. Shana, who knows what's going on with that girl. She never smiles around me. I feel like she speaks another language. I can never understand anything she says. She's never home. She never asks for anything. She never needs anything. She's just this beautiful, independent woman living in my house that I know nothing about. Trust me, they'd be okay. Miriel drinks your coffee. Rebecca drinks for wine. Oh, shit! How to get to be midnight already. We really need to do this more often. I am happy to serve as your taste tester for your new recipes. Yes, yes, run on home. Sorry I've kept you out so late. Here's to hoping tonight wasn't a night of the aforementioned scheduled copulation. That it was not. Well, hurry home. Perhaps it could be, huh? Thank you for the dinner, Miriel. And the leftovers. Once upon a time, right? Once upon a time. Lights shift. Three, that same night, but in the basement. The basement of the Helmer House. Shawna appears in a focused beam of light, a flashlight held directly under her face. Once upon a time. Another focused beam of light on Ty, who works with his tools and a slab of stone before him. He's working on another gargoyle. He pounds, scrapes, chisels. It becomes rhythmic, like a bass thump, like a beat-like music. Once upon a time, a long time ago, before any of us were even breathing, the blue earth was populated by vicious packs of terrifying beasts that roamed free among the land. Huge destructive creatures that couldn't be contained. There was nothing around to stop and challenge them. But then, the first human being started peering. And for the first time, these horrendous monsters were met with a challenge. While the beasts were able to continue in action, the human soon took action. And one day, a young man, a young boy, decided it was time to fight back. He knew that if he didn't, the lives of his loved ones would soon be threatened. The boy, with all the strength and bravery he possessed, decided to battle one of the monsters. But not just any monster. The monster. The biggest, most destructive, most terrifying, fine monster of them all. The boy crawled and crawled and hacked and carved at the beast, destroying every part of it until only one thing remained intact. The monster's head still alive, snarling and snapping and trying like mad to fight back. With his hands aching and bleeding, the boy looked down at the beast's head and he grinned, out of accomplishment, out of pride. He knew this would save everyone he loved. This was it. But as he picked up the beast's head, he noticed something strange. Something in the beast's eyes, tears, big, shaky tears like raindrops. They were tears of a deep fear, a deep fear of the unknown and the boy couldn't stand to look at them. He took his hands and he dug deep into the beast's eyes and he ripped them out quick and violently so he wouldn't have to look at them anymore. And with his bloody and beaten hands, the boy took the beast's head and placed it upon a large rock, a boulder in the middle of an open field, put on display for all to see. The boy knew the beast wouldn't bother them ever again. And this, this, dear friends, is the first ancient use of a true gargoyle. The first beast ever to be put on display in such a way to ensure that the other monsters wouldn't attack ever again. Because of this, it is said that a little bit of the monster's soul, its being, its energy, finds its way into the very center of every single gargoyle made after it. Lights flick on, illusion dismantles. With a spooky, atmospheric story, we just heard a school project. Shauna stands with paper copy of the speech. Ty watches on the edge of his seat so excited with the words. Yes, yes, yes. It's brilliant. It's perfect. Listen to me, Ty. Tybo, Tyra. Don't call me that. Like, all for it. And I really love. I promise, the story even is a thick and formative speech to skate to an A. No! Please, just do it. Everyone will love it. No, like, you know, sleeping or high or both. Oh my God, like Grace Camps. Wait, you heard about that? Yeah. She had, like, drugs in her locker. Not just any drugs, heroin. Heroin? I heard it was something else. No, it was heroin. I totally knew she'd get caught. I totally called it. Why would she even bring heroin to school? Because she's an idiot, obviously, I don't imagine her, like, finasses refiring properly. Actually, synapses refer to the nervous system of the film. I just meant she was pretty messed up at all. And you know, Tyra. Don't call me that. And you know, Tybo, you shouldn't, like, always feel the need to be so smart. That cell phone rings. She checks it but doesn't answer. It rings again. You gonna get that? No. She silences the phones. Wait for a minute. Ew. Stop talking like that. You sound like what I imagine mom and dad would sound like if they, like, actually talked to us. Yeah, well, that's because I sort of care about you. So, know that. But you do need to, like... Does this mean that you're gonna stop pulling strings for me? No. So don't worry your pretty little head over it. All your work is being turned in. Your teacher's got things spoken to. Thanks. Don't mention it. For writing this for me and directing the theatrical spectacular television, but I think I'm going to just give a simple normal speech. Boo! Uh, other drugs? Yeah. It was on the news. They were saying that police are freaking out because they found a whole collection of drugs in Grace's locker. Some they couldn't identify. There were, like, little packs of powder stuck between the pages of To Kill a Mockingbird or something. Aw, poor little gnarly holes everywhere, like pincushion. All the boys think it's super sexy. Then why did they send it out to have its chemical compounds tested or whatever? What? Send it out like where? Like to the FDA. The FDA? Bullshit. Seriously? Shit. Yeah, big time. No clue. Probably some, like, bad shit. Your help on this? Any time. They're all their own. All slightly different, totally unique from each other. They're already in the stone, you know. I just have to release this. Ooh, I like that. Yeah. They're protectors. That's why they're on cathedrals and other ancient architecture. They protected the foundations from well, from rain, but also from, like, bad shit. Oh, my layer. It's late. Yeah, what time is it? Shawn, it checks his phone. 12-12. Wow. Late. Wow, it's officially tomorrow? Meaning it's officially our birthday. Oh, right. Why be excited? You know mom won't remember. Again. Maybe this year it'll be different. Well, on that rather depressing note, I'm outing. I want to get upstairs before mom falls asleep on the couch again, and I have to, like, ninja pastor. Hey, Shawna, wait. Before you go, you should add something else to your speech. Oh, God. No, no, no. It's good. It's really funny. Hysterical. It's about the London Building Act of 1724. Yeah, I bet it's a real laugh riot. Oh, seriously. Because of the act of 1724, the use of down pipes were made compulsory on all new construction of gargoyles. You know, for support. But because heavy statues were breaking off, like falling off the building they were attached to and, like, crushing people. Like, they would be walking and this huge stone gargoyle would just, like, fall on them and, like, crush them, smash their faces, kill them. So they, like, passed the act of 1724 to save people. It's like the absolute best catalyst for historical change ever. That's fucked up. Yeah, I'll add that. Shawna's phone rings again. She checks it, then quickly silences it. Have fun with your rocks. Don't stay up too late. I won't. Happy birthday, Shawna. UT Tyra. Tyra continues to work. The light shift. Later still, the backyard. It's dark. The sounds from an old acoustic guitar fill our ears. We see rusty sitting, smoking. He has this old, once-loved guitar on his lap. He stops playing and takes a drag. In the yard around him, we see a slew of homemade gargoyles adorning the landscaping. Rebecca enters. Oh, Mr. Halner. The little gimby. She takes note of all the gargoyle statues around. Jesus. Thanks, Rusty. You should be more supportive of your son's craft of his art. You scared me. I didn't see you. No? Jesus, thanks, Rusty. Sounds like a pretty standard greeting, Beck. Yeah. What were you mumbling when you walked up? Couldn't quite make it out, but I'm guessing you were outlining some massive misstep I made with a work project or detailing just one more thing of which please don't start not tonight and you don't have to tell me that I'm late. Long day. Don't apologize. Just be better. I was dinner with Muriel. Don't say her name like that. Like what? Like you have shit in your mouth when you say it. He smokes a drag. He plays a simple sound on the guitar. Why did you dig out that old thing? No. Feeling nostalgic. You can still play. Not something I'll ever lose, no matter how much time passes. He smokes a drag. Are you smoking? Yep. Great. That is an expensive shirt, which will now reek of cigarette smoke. Ah, this is a joint. A joint? Perfect. He exhales a cloud of smoke. It dances. We are not 16 anymore, Rusty. I know that well. And what is that? Is that a new statue? I asked you not to put any more out here. Yeah, well, I told hi you could. And we placed it, we placed them just so. With the landscaping in mind. They look really great. I don't like our yard being crowded by these monster things, whatever they are, okay? They're gargoyles which are different from monsters and if you ever talked to him, asked him about them, you know why Why? Why does he make them? Because they protect us. Protect us from what? Bad shit, I guess. Well, I don't think they're working. Still me a favor. What? Be careful with playing this role, will you? Because it's not a legitimate one. What role is that, Rusty? The depressed and distracted working woman juggling being a wife and mother, so we ease up and cut him some slack. That role? That's not a legitimate one. Well, then neither is yours. And what role is that, please? Total shit bag of a husband but a decent father so ease up and cut him some slack, that one. Do you ever listen to yourself? No, I don't. I never listen to myself because I'm too busy listening to you and to the kids and to our clients and the murial and everything else around, I never listen to myself. Rusty smokes a drag. Really sorry about about everything. This project is a bitch. Don't get so stressed out, they're asshole clients. Asshole clients that'll bring our company so by extension, us, a lot of money. We already have a lot of money. So we don't need more? Do you want to continue to have a job? Because I can find another contractor just as capable of you. Not better, so just let me know. I'll let you know. I'm not lying, I'm not dumb. I can see your lack of what the word is, investment maybe. I think that's an accurate word. This was never what I wanted to do, Beck. I have been trying. Then we just may disagree on what that word actually means. Be a fucking rockstar, Rusty. Rusty stopped playing his guitar. I'm going to bed. Wait, really? Don't act surprised, you know how this goes. Good night. And I don't think you should sleep on the couch again. That's not a good for the kids to see. Well? Well, nothing. I saw it happen to my mom and it like it fucks you up, okay? We need to be more aware of what we're doing to the kids. Rusty? Jesus, what? You look sexy today. Working in your denim and your boots. I liked being the horny boss overlooking her sexy employee. The sexy employee just happens to be my husband. How does your ass still look so good in a pair of jeans? You're not my boss, we're partners. You want to be something, start with a good mother and a good wife. Good night. Are we really this far gone? What? Are we this far gone, Rusty? How? I can't answer that question right now. I'll try. Because I just want to know like a fucking ballpark, okay? How far gone is this? I have a difficult time ever seeing happiness for us. So what then? What I should be concerned with right now is saving the remains and the fragments and the appearance. We need to make it look like it's working even if it's not. It disappears into the house. Rebecca sits alone. She looks at the stars. The light shift. The bedroom. We're in the darkness of the bedroom that Rebecca hasn't slept in for some time. We see Rusty asleep in bed. The sort of bed that obnoxious rich people have, you know way too many pillows and thick bulky comforters seriously are everywhere. Oh Rusty. An isolated light reveals Rebecca standing in an evening gown. She sways sort of dances. A simple but sexy tarantella type movement. Faint distorted music in a minor key is heard far off in the distance. So far off we barely hear it. I saw the way you handled your tools and materials. I saw the way your hands big I might add dominated them. I like that. I like that a lot. But I want you to understand one thing moving forward. We're not partners. I'm your boss. You're my employee. I'm the architect. You're the contractor. I design. You build. Got it. No answer from sleeping Rusty. Now that you understand that we need to have our annual review a little early. But first we need to turn these lights down. We need to turn these lights so far down they go out. The soft light fades and with it the music in the darkness we hear the sounds of blankets moving of Rebecca getting into bed. Then a loud harsh noise a smash a break. Jesus Christ Rusty my face. Lights shift. Six. The next morning. Lights rise on a kitchen where Rusty is making breakfast. He's wearing his well-worn manly man contractor clothes. We can't really see this. They're obstructed by the frilly apron he wears. He actually looks real cute. He attempts to set the table but doesn't know where to properly place any of the silverware. He tries the fork on the left then the right on the plate. Nothing works. Finally he just throws it all together in the center of the table with a shrug. Shawna enters. Bullshit! You're not like actually cooking breakfast, are you? Watch your mouth. Don't say bullshit. What? Okay. No, actually as of today you are officially 18. So yes, I'm actually cooking for you and your brother to celebrate birthdays. Aw. I believe so. Yes. I heard you banging shit around all night. Sorry, I tried to be quiet. Well, mission failed. What were you even doing? Sorry about the noise. Hey, what's up with you? You look different. Are you smiling? I am, in fact, smiling. Why? Well, when I woke up this rather delightful morning I heard the sounds of little birds chirping outside my window like almost talking to me. You know, fairy tale style. And I felt this strange, radiant something caressing my face. Okay. And so I rolled over in bed, smiling, and heard, you know, one of those mornings things hurt just so- Imagine that! Imagine mom. Glad you liked the card, babe. Was that much like her? Because that's what you wrote in my card. That I am absolutely her daughter looking more and more like her every day. That's true. Absolutely true. How many pancakes, babe? What are you doing? Shauna moves like she's going to leave but instead pours a glass of OJ for cellphone rings. She checks it and quickly silencees it. Ben? Tyra, breakfast! Don't call him that, it's mean. Why would that be mean? Calling him Tyra. It's like, you know, calling him a girl. Yeah, that's why it's funny. You're gonna make him self-conscious. About what? a little weird because of his gargoyle statue thingy? Yeah, and a little, you know, I just mean, isn't he a little feminine? Feminine? Oh my God. No, am I wrong? I'd obviously be totally cool with it if he was, you know. I just want to make sure it's not like a thing people say about him at school. He's not getting made fun of, right? When he actually goes to school, you mean? What? Whoop, nip, nip. Ty enters. He's carrying a heavy medium-sized homemade gargoyle statue. It's protest and beautiful and impressive. He sets it on the counter. Good. Morning, Dad. Morning, Shauna. Finished another one, Dad. Worked all night. Think there's room in the yard? We'll make room, bub. Awesome. Wait, are you cooking breakfast? Are you skipping school? Where's Mom? You wrote me a birthday card. Weird. I know, me too. It was so weird, right? Don't change the subject. Are you skipping school? I mean, skipping school? You're what? Spending time with your boyfriend. Shauna, shut it. Wait, what? What is this? What's going on? Why are you skipping? Again, not skipping. Editing. What are you doing, Dad? You can't be doing that. I have a skull thing to do here. It'll have to wait. Shauna skips a lot, too. Masshole. What's going on with you two? A lot. Okay, kids. Let's be honest with each other. Okay, kids. Let's be real with each other. Try that. It's more hip, and we're more apt to listen. Okay, dork. Let's be real with each other. Better. Are you guys okay? Don't call me that. Okay, fine. Ty? Yep, I'm good. Are you sure? Because I care about you both. A lot. A whole shit-tongue, okay? You may be worrying about this a bit too much, Dad. Yeah, I mean, I think we're fine. But if you're not fine, I need you to tell me. Because I know things are rough right now between your mother and I. Yeah, I saw her sleep on the couch. Yeah, that's just because she says it's more comfortable than our bed. But look, just because we're working things out between us, doesn't mean I love you guys any less. Huh? Good. So I want you to look at me. Huh? What do I have on under this extremely sexy apron? Come on. What do you see? Faded jeans. Work boots. A stain t-shirt. Bingo. What else? Calisthenes. And sadly, not from playing sold-out rock shows. You have lines right there by your mouth and frowning. Yeah, man. I do. Because I'm exhausted all the time. And look, I don't want this to be YouTube. You hear me? This won't be YouTube. Dad, look, we're totally like modern kids of the now or whatever. We're way better at dealing with shitty home lives than you think. We're maybe even better at dealing with them than you and Momor. A bite. Hurry up and eat your pancakes. We got birthdays to celebrate. Lights shift. A doctor's office. A sudden, light, harsh sterile on Rebecca. Her face is wrapped in gauze. We can see only her eyes and mouth, where her nose should be, is a splatter of blood. Also, often the distance behind her in the dark can see another woman. It's a shape of frame, a shadow, but we can't see any real detail. She addresses a doctor we never see. Thank you so much for taking the time to see me today, doctor. To examine me, to fit me in, doctor. I know you must have absolutely other people to see today, but really, sincerely, I appreciate you taking the time to see me. The doctor says something to her. I need nasal reconstruction. You can see that? The doctor says something to her. Well, yes, of course, rhinoplasty, of course. The doctor says something to her. The break? Oh, what cost it? Do you really want to know? Are you sure you want to know? I could say. I should say a lot of things. A lot of things cause the break, and I'd show you the break that I can't move this gauze. I haven't been able to remove this gauze as if your blood would gush out all over and cover your office Is that even a thing? No. Of course, that's not a thing. Well, maybe it is a thing in, like, what's that book called? What's that story called? The Bible? Yeah, the Bible. Maybe it is a thing in the Bible, but before you ask what caused the break, the blood, I'm curious about things. And I'm a very busy woman, and I'll have a lot of time to sit and chat with you, to chat with you, to chat with you. I have a ton of work to do, but I don't want Rusty to fuck it up. But again, I'm curious about things. And my face, it, ow, it, ow. Something about the word and the way I say it, ow, there again, because I can't really say A-I-T, without it hurting. Do you see longs? Just souvre-les? He says that to me. He says that to me. We don't have anything to say to one another. Longs. Do you see longs? Just souvre-les? The angel beside me has just blew past, and that's been happening a lot. Things with wings just flying past right here in front of my eyes. They fly right past like that. They fly right past. They may be angels or demons, dragons or gargoyles, because, well, you see, my son is involved in, how does one say stone masonry? Yes, stone masonry. And it's weird for a boy to say A should be a high school boy to be involved in, how does one say stone masonry? Yes, stone masonry. And he makes these things, these angels or demons or dragons or gargoyles, I can't really tell which, but he makes these things and they have wings and they have eyes, and they look at you with double fright, fly right into your ribcage, puncture your lungs, find your heart, devour it, ravenously before you even have a chance to feel it. They're terrifying. But he says he craves beauty. He says he craves the freeing of the being and the freeing from the soul, from within the stone, which is a nice thought. A contractor is a good one. With a name like Rusty, he has to be good at something, and men are sexier, Rusty are usually assholes, but he makes no exception. Rusty's a contractor and he builds walls, he builds strong walls, load-bearing walls, impenetrable walls, walls between us. So last night, in a rare moment of affection, in a strange moment of attraction to him, I wanted to have sex, I wanted to have sex with him. Because I'm a woman, doctor, I have needs and I wanted too well, I wanted to fuck him. I turned in bed and the sheets were moving against my body and I hit my face against something hard there in the bed. Rusty appears in the bedroom of the house. So does the wall in their bed. It's an actual wall, most likely aged brick, dividing the bed down the middle. Rusty begins to work, adding another layer of bricks to the wall in their bed. He's a pro. Well made, harsh, but with the crafted sort of beauty and Rusty builds these strong walls between us, so I figured I'd come to you, doctor, because, well, quite frankly, I haven't felt like this in a long time, in a very long time. I feel something, doctor, for the first time in a very long time and it's a little alarming, it's a little frightening. I feel like I'm riding on the wings of those angels or demons or dragons or gargoyles, but it's a little alarming, it's a little frightening. Rusty finishes the new layer of bricks, he goes to clean up, he disappears. It's like this wave, doctor, this wave, doctor of newfound feeling, this wave, doctor, just washed right through me the minute I felt... Yes, you're probably right. I'm just emotionally wrong right now. I'm sorry to unload it on you, really. Really? You'll be able to do it today? I'll be okay after surgery. Yes, you're right. I'll be okay after surgery. Lights shift. Eight, the helmer house. A bit later, that same morning, Shauna sits with notebooks and paper spread out before her. A calculator's spreadsheets. She's working, her cell phone rings. Shauna checks the number. Okay, look. I am going to kick your ass if you keep calling me. Yes, I've gotten your voicemails and yes, eventually, I just need... I enter as I fixated on a piece of paper he has in his hands. She doesn't see him. Okay, good, because yes, we should talk about our little plan. Shut up, it'll be okay. I'll see you when I see you. Keep calm and tell those crazy bitches to shut up and get to reading their stupid books. Who was that? Holy sweet shit! Jeez, sorry. What the hell is your problem? Are you high? What? No? Are you sure? Yes, I'm sure. Are you gay? What? No? Are you sure? Yes, I'm sure. Shauna is high. Ty is gay. What are you doing? Just, you know, the school work and shit. She notices the paper he has tightly clenched in his fist. What's that? The most important document I've ever read ever. Have you seen it? If I knew what it was. I found it in the stack of mail from yesterday. This is it. This is it, Shauna. Yo, face cadet. What is it? The Holy Grail. Look, here. They're doing a massive gentrification of Crog Park and the neighborhood around it. Oh, why? I always found Crog Park to be a TV little gem. Big open field, beer cans, and used condoms sprinkled among the dying foliage. It's exactly why they want to clean it up. Bye bye, seedy little gem. The city has had enough complaints. There was a petition and now they're going to clean it up. Local businesses donated a whole bunch of money to the cause. They're going to make it more safe. Get rid of all the drug dealers and hoodlums. Do people still say that? Hoodlums? We'll check it out. They want local artists to submit proposals. They're going to have this large stone display pedestal and they want the centerpiece to be a locally created art piece. Shauna, this is it. You think they're going to pick one of your scary ass gargoyle thingies? What? I mean, they're great. They're totally great. They're trying to clean up the park, you know? Fuck you. Wow. Inspirational. You think? Flowers and pretty birds and shit. Well, maybe I can do something lofty and pretty. Nah, that's not you. You gotta stay true to yourself, you know? Self-preservation and all that. Yeah, maybe. He crumbles up the paper. Thank you for successfully destroying every dream I've ever had in my entire life. Ty? Hey Ty. Do you trust me? Well, I just crumbled up the notice so... No, not about that. In general. I'm thinking big scale. Do you trust me? I guess so. Why? Because I just need you to trust me. Lights shift. After the surgery. Rusty and Rebecca in a car. He's in the driver's seat. She's in the passengers. She doesn't. Internal tubes and packing are inside her nose. There are bandages on the outside for structural support. She's loopy from the anesthesia, but in a child-like way. It's sort of charming. I thank you for picking me up, but I'm not thankful. I'm Rebecca. You're doped up, so sit back and be quiet and get us home safely. It was a very quick procedure. Zip, zip, nipped up, brake join. I'm surprised. I feel wonderful. That's the anesthesia. No? Well, yeah. I mean, I feel wonderful because I'm doped up. Not the dope you had, but the Mary Jane, but the doctor's dope. Oh, man. Rusty, I feel wonderful. Listen to my voice. Do you hear it? It's changed from the flatness to depression, isn't it? And they say no talking. They said limited talking. So then limit it. I am. I just feel something. You'll come down in a few hours, then the real pain will begin. You're not getting it, Rusty. I don't feel... I'm ashamed. I feel like I knew an ugly sound, especially coming from you. Rebecca, it's... You couldn't be satisfied with simply dishing out emotional hurt. You had to bring in some of the physical... We can't even begin to discuss the concept of emotional hurt. We don't have enough time in our lives to discuss that. Why is there a wall in our bed? Because if I make it right, which I will, you won't be able to see or hear anything through it. We can each have our own separate spaces but still be in the same room and in the same bed, sort of. We have a guest room no one uses. Yeah, but that's noticeable. The kids will notice if we're in separate rooms. But they won't notice that there's a wall in our bed. When's the last time I do them to step foot in our room? They don't, ever. Besides, they won't even notice it with all those fucking pillows and shit you have on the bed. You didn't. Fine, I'll take the guest room. Rebecca, no, the kids. You can't keep sleeping on the couch. Boy, your parents really messed you up. Was it more mommy or more dad? Is that where the fidelity issues come from? I'm betting it was mom. I'm done arguing with you. Did you ever like me at all? Did you? Did you ever want me? Did you ever like me? Did you ever like having sex with me? Rebecca. Because I liked it with you. I love you a lot. I liked your muzzle. Your ass. I loved it. You made my body move. You made me sweat. You made me want. Good. Rusty nail, rusty chain, rusty build-up. Did I ever do that for you, rusty? Of course you did. You know you did. Now please be quiet. You really do have the perfect dick. It's literally perfect. You know that, right? Thank you. It was. It was perfect. Technically. What is the medical term? The break of spring fracture and infarction. Stop. Is that why you have so much resentment and hostility toward me? Because I snapped your dick. I'm going to get out of the car and make you find your own dick bone. You don't stop talking right now. You're the one that love me being the wild little fuck doll, right? You love throwing me around and really just giving it to me, didn't you? You wanted me to sit on it. You wanted me to spit on it. Don't you blame me for your your penile fracture. Your cracked dick was not my problem. Technically it was, Rebecca. It absolutely was. Anymore, right? Maybe. Maybe that's why. It changed shape when it healed. Your dick, I mean. It's diminished for two? Or at least it feels that way. Now there's like this curve, this sort of hook, sort of bowed, which actually feels better for me quite honestly. And if you ever used it anymore, see, I didn't break it. I customized it. Drugs will make you sick if you keep thinking and talking. Do you sit playing your guitar with your leg up in the hole in your jeans showing your beautiful skin underneath, giving her a little taste in you? You're the world you're talking about now. You're the woman you're fucking, that isn't me. You do that for her? You sit like that? Shut up. I am flying high right now like flying. Riding on the backs of the creatures in the sky. So just tell me, are you having a thing? We've been through this, no. I am not. Denied and not you tell me if you were. If you want to have this conversation, we can have it when you're not stoned out of your mind. We can have this conversation then. You told me happiness is no longer an option for us. So I'm just trying to understand to escape this unhappiness. Rusty, don't you understand I have fallen so deeply into this place, this land, the land of waking up to the dark blue before morning and there's no light anywhere at all, but you still get up for the day. No. We haven't even left the parking lot. Shit. Good afternoon. Later. There's a quiet knock on the door. Muriel enters. She's carrying a plate of homemade donuts. Knock knock. Muriel's here. Anyone home? Shut the fuck up. Ty's home. He's in the basement. Are there donuts? Yes. Yes they are. They're delicious, have one. Are you fucking kidding me? Why would you bring donuts over during a... Because I, unlike you, am good at planning. I consider every possible situation. It's a good cover. Donuts are a very good cover. There's some donuts for you all freshly made. Oh, sweet. Let's see. The sound of the front door opening and a loopy Rebecca causing a commotion. Guys, what the hell are you doing? Why aren't you at school? Who is this bandaged monster you're bringing? Bandaged monster. That's a good one. What happened to her face? Bandaged monster. An autobiography by Rebecca Helmer. She decided she wanted a nose job. What? Why did you have a nose job? Why the hell are you two at school? Didn't we just talk? Oh, come on Rusty. Shut up. Drop the stern dad roll, yeah? So boring. Isn't it boring? Well, I for one think it's boring. Now I also think it's nice that we're all home together. Our main concern now should be the appearance, right, Rusty? Rebecca, stop talking. Stop. Move in your lips. She's pretty far gone, kids. I'm sorry. Nice. Where do they have her on? I won't ask again. Why aren't you in school? I went today, dad, really, but we have half day. We got out early. I wasn't kidding. He said they got out early. Rusty, gee. Leave him alone. Come on, Ty. Nick-tied, bow-tied, tie-fighter. Come sit with your mother, pat, pat, here on this couch, and I'll tell you about what your father and I used to do on our early days. Rusty. That's Ty, right? So they can't really see what is black eye. I'll be downstairs. I have work to do. No, stay here. It's really, really important work. They all just sort of scurry away from me, don't they? Can you blame them? I don't mean to be rude, but we do, in fact, have a guest standing right here in front of you all without being greeted. So, please, use your manners and take notice and say hello. Who is that? I can't really see. It's me, Beck. Who's me? I'm me, Muriel. Muriel, dear. I hope I'm not intruding. I'd absolutely hate to intrude. Well, truth is, Muriel, you sort of are. Muriel! Wait. Muriel? Why are you here, Muriel? Well, I just stopped over, dear, to bring some treats for you all. Hopefully, these will make up for the intrusion, huh? She offers her plate of donuts in front of them like a ceasefire. Take a moment and just smell the aroma. Smell. Thanks, Muriel. That was very nice of you. Yes. Well, I just wanted to drop by and say hello. Drop off the donuts, check in on you all, maybe get an update on that development project in Dubai. Tom just doesn't tell me anything. See how the kids are doing in school. I mean, holy heights. Well, they ever stop growing. My help, dear. I'd be happy to help in any way that I can. That's why I'm here. Well, you can start at the very beginning. Rusty, ask Rusty what really happened to my nose. There's a story. I just love a good story. You want a good story? How about the Big O story? Now, dear, that's not appropriate. What a stupid story. No one calls it that, Beck. Why do? I really should beat your ass, Muriel. Forever introducing me to him, to Rusty, to Rust-covered Rusty. It's all your fault. Thanks for the donuts, Muriel. I'll see you to the door. Oh, okay. I guess I'm leaving. Here, Shauna, please take these donuts. Don't gobble them up yourself now, or I'll just have to bring over more. Thanks, Muriel. Very much appreciated. Come on, Muriel. I'll walk you out. No, dear, stop on over. I'll cook us another delicious dinner. Absolutely. I can't wait. It's nice seeing you again. Awesome do you feel right now. Right this very second. Because I feel pretty fucking awesome. Sounds of the front door opening. Lights fade. End of act one. Linking solutions that give you an unparalleled sense of escape before you without any sort of emotional or physical crash whatsoever? Huh? Huh? No? You're just a petty little pathetic buyer I brought into the game because I saw an opportunity to use you. Don't discredit my role in this. You're a mule, nothing else. I've expanded our business tenfold. All of my friends, all of the women in the neighborhood wouldn't have dare to Whoa, slow your old bitch. You think I wouldn't have been able to reach all you delusional housewives sitting around on Saturday mornings in your bolting yoga pants and tacky ass ugg boots discussing some shitty ass book by what's her fucked Jodie Vicoe without your help? I brought it to them. I did that, discreetly and successfully. And discussions have been so much more lively since. They want more. You need to cook more, which is why we need to postpone the stop date. Look, Muriel, be certain of one thing. I run a tight ass game. If you no longer want to be a part of that game, I'll gladly knock your paw off the board. We're keeping our stop date, which is in fact, rapidly approaching. Deal with it. Your last batch wasn't even up to standards. Oh, there's a standard now? Yes. Tasted different. You need to improve the formula or something. I just know it didn't mix as well in the coffee. It didn't fully dissolve. It left a weird ring around the bottom of the mug. I'm not the only one who noticed the weakness of the last batch. So you want stronger drugs? Stop calling me. But yes, the candy needs to be stronger. I think the candy is fine, Muriel. Maybe you're building a tolerance and addiction, which is why I'm keeping our stop date. I'll cook one more large batch. That's it. After that, I'm out. No, you can't do that. You knew from the start this was just a temporary thing, a temporary calm to your ills, a way to escape for a bit and make some quick cash. That's it. It was never a permanent thing. Well, it could be. So don't get comfortable. Kingpin. Thanks to Grace Camp, we now have a new market to consider. Did you sell to Grace? No. Then how'd she get our drug? I've been more than diligent in keeping them out of school. If I had to guess, she swiped it from our mother's medicine cabinet. Glannery Camp is one of our best customers. And Lord knows, Grace wouldn't have kept the discovery to herself. So who did she share with? One person? 10 people? 20 people? We're on the map now. We can't stop now. You're reaching new markets. That sort of expensive market was never one of my goals. I wanted to keep this shit limited to the neighborhood, limited to you stupid, lonely, pathetic housewives or unbelievably easy targets. So I'll make one more batch and that's it. It has to be a big one. It'll be a big one and then that's it. And after that, you'll shut the fuck up about it and we'll both move on from each other. Perfect freedom from both sides. Shawna takes a donut from the plate and takes a bite. Understand? Muriel follows and takes a donut as well. She takes a bite. Yes, I understand. Good. They stand together, eating donuts. But we've got a problem. What problem? Mom knows, a.k.a. she'll be in recovery, a.k.a. she'll be in recovery and she'll be at home, a.k.a. she'll be in recovery and she'll be at home and I won't be able to cook if the last big batch in my room. Shit. And if what I saw of her behavior is any indication of what's in store for me this week, we're royally effed in the a. At least she'll be home. Yes, Muriel, that's the very issue. I meant... Never mind. You meant what? I just meant maybe you'll actually have an opportunity to sit down and talk to her. Maybe you'll actually have time to be a daughter. Maybe she'll actually have time to be a mother. Muriel, our boundaries were clearly outlined at the start. You're not to talk about my family. You know that. You're right, I'm sorry. I really wish you had a son. I really wish you had a son. And that he was my age. Because I'd be friends with him and then I'd fuck him and get pregnant with this baby and talk him into keeping it and convince him we'll be great parents together and that we're in love forever and that we're the perfect couple. And I'm going to have to bring him and get an abortion just to make him upset so I could rip his heart right out of his chest and chew on it and then puke the mangled little pieces of his destroyed heart back up onto your stupid fucking face. That's what I wish. Light shift. 12. The next day. Face still wrapped. She looks at herself from various angles. Feels the wrapping applies pressure at the new nose. Behind her on the bed we see she's grown taller. Rusty enters panic. Rebecca, what the hell? My phone isn't stopped going off. It's 11.30. You missed two morning meetings. Rebecca, you missed two meetings. I don't think I'm going to make it into the day. You're deciding this now? No. I decided earlier to split my mind to tell you. I'm definitely not going to make it into the day. So... So you can deal with it? Are you feeling okay? I feel great. Really wonderful, actually. I said the anesthesia should have worn off by now. Oh, it has. I've just been thinking about what you said and I think you're right. I'm not your boss. We're partners. Oh. Okay, really? You should be able to handle things, right? You're serious? Mm-hmm. Okay. Are you good? Yes. I gotta head out. I am now late for meetings. I didn't know I was attending. You'll see back. I'm capable of handling this. Hey, Rusty. What do you think about my eyes? Huh? My eyes. What do you think about my eyes? Do you think I should have something done with my eyes? Something like what? I don't know. Something... a change. Your eyes are fine. They're the crescent of... Yeah. Sunset silver metallic clear coat. Right. Really gotta go. See you later. And I mean it. I'm more than capable back. Okay. We'll see. Go. Good luck. Thanks. Lights shift. Thirteen. The basement. Ty, where he usually is in the basement. He's wrapping his hands in gauze. Somewhere nearby that partially hidden is a large something under a drop cloth. Shawna enters. Tyva? Shawna? Holy shit! What's wrong with your hands? Nothing. They're fine. They're gnarly. We may see some blood, broken skin, sores. No. They're not fine. They're disgusting. What happened? Been working really hard. That's all. You need to watch it, Ty. This looks serious. I said they're fine. What did you need? Shawna, what did you need? Oh, um, right. Um, I wanted to run something by you to get your thoughts and considering the tragic state of your hands it may be a really perfect timing. And you need to like not freak out. Cool? What do you need? Oh, you know, just a small favor. Just like a tiny favor. Can you use the basement for a couple of days? Use the basement how? I need to, um, so I have this school project I'm working on and I need to like, I need like space and like privacy so I think this would really be ideal and you've never even know I was here and yeah. What sort of project? Do you need help? Like, you should be able to help with those intertools. I'll be okay, but I can't be down here. I need you to like do something else for a few days. Let your hands heal. What? Absolutely not. Please, Ty, please, please, please. I'll pay you a lot. She notices the drop flop. Whoa, holy shit, what is that? It's nothing. Holy shit, nothing? What is that? Please, stop. It's nothing. It's not ready yet. It is something. Yes. It's the reason you can't use the basement. It's my entry for the Crog Park Art Contest. I decided against your advice and I'm going to enter. But it's not ready yet. So, I want to see what you're destroying your hands over. Since when have you peered so much? Someone has to, right? It's like, okay. Do you remember when we were turned 12 and I really wanted to get my ears pierced so mom took me to have it done and it hurt like a bitch, but I was super stoic and proud of my new earrings. The pain didn't even matter. Yeah? Well, I'll never forget that day because I remember going over to Erin to show her my new earrings and her being like all horrified and shit. She was like so freaked out that mom even let me do it because apparently Erin's mom told her she wasn't allowed to get her hers pierced because let's did. What does that have to do with anything? It's just nice to know someone cares about you but like in this case I'm Erin's mom and you're Erin and I care about you enough to like forbid you from getting your ears pierced and becoming a slut. So, can I please see what's under the cloth? I won't say a single word. I promise. Okay, you can sneak a peek but it's not up for critiques yet. Got it? Ty goes to the thing under the drop cloth and pushes it over to Shauna. It's on a rickety work stamp with rollers. It's massive. But be careful, there's a lot of weight on the pedestal. Ty and Shauna lift up the cloth but only a bit. We still can't see anything. Ty does and he looks on proud. Shauna does too. Holy shit! Ty! Shauna, wait! Rusty at work in the office of he and Rebecca's architectural firm. It's a sleek modern well-designed office that he clashes against. He's still wearing his contractor clothes. A worker parading as a boss. The office phone rings. Is this my 130? No, I can't see anyone right now without an appointment. What? Jesus. Okay, I'll make it quick. There's a knock on his office door. Knock? Muriel's here. Anyone home? She enters but stays near the door. She's holding a coffee mug which she sips for courage throughout. Muriel. Oh. I expected a better greeting. I can't really see you right now, Muriel. I have a meeting soon. A meeting I'll need to be alone in this office for. I wanted to check in with you about the Dubai project. Get an update. Tom didn't have much to say about it. What are you here for, Muriel? Do I have to have a specific reason to want to come and see you, Russ? Don't call me that. Yes, yes, you do. I need you to leave if you don't have... I just thought you'd want to see me after I showed up at your house like that. She locks the door from the inside and saunters over to him. How are things at home? It's none of your business. None of my business. Muriel. Cut the shit, Rusty. Are we going to do this or not? You become so sure of yourself. Oh, it's the little things, you know. I've been discovering myself with new talents and passions. I found a great new coffee. Strong taste. Strong effects. It's like time travel, really. Wakes me right up. Makes me feel things. She downs the rest of her drink. This office, Muriel, right now. No one can see you here. Who will see us? Rebecca's at home, right? Healing? She's at home. Healing, Rusty. I spoke with her this morning just to check in. It's so rare to see her take a day off. Isn't it? Muriel, I think we should talk about some things about us, about this. I don't think we should really do this anymore. Do what? Each other? Why is that? Rebecca and I are going to try to work things out. You are? You were saying? It turns hot. They make their way over to his desk. They begin to undress. Light shift. Fifteen. Later that day. She stands in front of a mirror looking at herself. Her face is wrapped in more gauze than before. She's carrying two large, overly packed bags. Hey, Mom. Yeah? Oh, are you okay? You pale. What happened? What happened to you? I thought you were healing nicely. I was healing more than nicely. I was healing great. So I went back for another small procedure. So convenient. Really? Come here. See this area of my eye? Yeah, why is it so red? I had eyelash transplant. What does that even mean? It's a safe and effective way to restore living and growing lashes to your eyelid. What did you have done? You'll see them a bit more clearly in a few hours. The doctor said it was normal for them to be a bit cloudy after surgery. Like surgery, surgery? Uh-huh. I look into my eyes. My eyes aren't ghostly gray anymore. Now, they're lavender slate. They're artificial irises. Why didn't you just get color contact? They've had those now for like 20 years. Artificial irises are permanent with a custom-made color. No one in the world but me will have this exact eye color. Cool, I guess. Hey, look. The artificial irises are thin, but very flexible silicone that's folded and inserted into the eye through a surgical precision incision about three millimeters in length. Holy shit. No, no, it's fine. The procedure was safe and painless and only took about 15 minutes in each eye. It's just so convenient. I love the changes. I really do. But you can't even see what they'll look like right now. It's all that swelling. But I can feel them. I can feel them. And I can tell they're beautiful. Okay. But listen. The real reason I came to talk to you before I was distracted by your seemingly entire reconstructed face is to say that I'm going to be staying over Erin's place for a few days. Is that cool? Her little dog died and both love that little bitch. So we're both pretty shaken up about it. So I'm going to stay with her and comfort her. I'm really good at that. And she requested my presence. Oh, yeah, of course. That's totally fine, babe. I'm sorry you're upset about it. What did you just call me? Babe? Am I allowed to call you that? Yeah, okay. It's cool, I guess. Um, I'm sure it will when the swelling goes down. Me too. I'm going to grab lunch before you head over to Erin's. I could drop you off after. Uh, no, I'm okay. Thanks? Okay, that's fine. All that. What do you mean? You're going to look different. Exactly. But I thought you said that I look more and more... Never mind. I think it'll look nice. Me too. Lights shift. 16. Later still. At the office. Rusty and Muriel post-coital getting dressed. Wow. Glad you've taken up new passions and talents or whatever. Yeah? Yeah. You were great. Thanks. Keep drinking that new coffee. As long as it's available. I love the woman it turns me into. Good. Me too. Really? I just said it, didn't I? You love the woman it turns me into? Ah. I didn't, uh... No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean, I'm sorry. Yeah. They continue dressing. I don't want to... Rusty, no, I didn't mean that I wanted... Wanted what? I didn't mean to bring that word into it. Good. Because you know this is just... Just what? I don't know. Can you tell me what this is exactly? I thought the rules were clearly outlined from the start. You know? It's a temporary thing. Temporary calm to our ills. Way to escape for a bit. Quick bun. No? I just encourage you to consider the way things develop, Rust. Natural progression, you know. They begin as something and then they turn into something else, right? Not all things. I'm not even a man that you want to... Look, it's just a way for both of us to have one thing. Our lives away from each other. And then something else, a life on the side. That's like a basic human want, right? And we figured out a way to make that happen and that's nice. There's no reason things should ever overlap or interfere or interrupt the other, right? You know, I actually struggle with that. With what? That delineation, that sort of separation. Well, I'm sorry about that, Muriel, but that's not ever going to change. Don't you? What? Struggle with juggling both things. I try to make them both work. Okay. They're dressed. Rusty tucks in his shirt. Rusty, I should. I don't even see why you and Rebecca even want me. Not something to want, really. Why would you say that? Because you've both known me long enough to see what I've become. And what do you think you've become? Not myself. My dick doesn't even work like it used to. Stop. You really have a perfect dick. You know that, right? I gotta get back to work. I have some shit to do. Ty's expecting me to make up a new pedestal for his statues. I should get on it. How is Ty? How are the kids? I gotta get back to work, Muriel. Rusty, just tell me now. Should I abandon all hope of this ever turning into something more than afternoon meetups? Because I should know. I'm working through some things, Muriel, so I don't know. But you should know that I love Rebecca very much. Even if that's not always clear to you, I do. I love her a lot. Fair enough. Gotta get back to work. You should fix your hair, huh? Looks like you've just been fucked over an office desk. People be suspicious. I've shipped. 2017. They're sitting with Rusty's guitar. She's smoking a joint. Her face is wrapped in gauze, almost completely covered. Faint from the house, we can hear the sounds of Ty aggressively at work in the basement. Jesus, Beck. Your face? How could you even see? Oh, I can see. It looks worse than it is. It's hard to take you seriously. You look like a mummy. I look like a cocoon. It's going to look great. I had a few more procedures, just some cosmetic stuff. Is that hopey? It's totally fine. The doctor says I have a very hearty system. He said I'm handling this incredibly well, both emotionally and physically. Isn't that great? You say so. I do. I do say so. Rebecca takes a large drag off her joint. She strums the guitar. Are you smoking? Yeah, I finished off your bag. Can I have a hit of that? I don't think you should. You have work tomorrow. Yeah, I do. It's been interesting. Harder than you thought? Maybe a bit. Yeah, maybe a bit. I'm handling it well. If you say so. I do. I do say so. I miss being home so much with the kids. But you're here now, right? You connecting with them at all? I will. Good. Because they shouldn't be punished for our shit. Yeah. Rebecca hands him the joint. He takes a long drag. She strums the guitar. That's good. No, shut up. I'm trying. You're not holding it right. Adjust your hands. Where? Here. Hold him the joint in his mouth. He moves so that he is behind her. There. Like this. Hold these fingers down when you stroke the neck. It doesn't sound like they hope. But it was an attempt. I don't have the fingers for it. You've shown me. With your. His leg up. The hole in his jeans shows us a patch of his beautiful skin. He plays a lovely sound. What is that? It's beautiful. It's just me playing. You play something else? A quick, lovely sound. Here. You try. One more time. No. I just want to sit here and listen. Sure. Good. Rusty continues to play his lovely music. By the way. I think you should stop spending time with Muriel. Like that? I just. I don't know. I got to talking with Tom today. At the office. Oh yeah. How is he? What do you have to say? I just think you should stop hanging out with her. She may be a little jealous of you or whatever. What does she have to be jealous of? I don't know. She just seems desperate. Desperate people can be dangerous. You know? Shh. Just keep playing. Shh. Such an ugly sound, especially from you. Don't shit me. Just keep playing. I just want to sit here and listen. Rusty continues to play his lovely music. Rebecca sits, looking at her hands. Lights shift. 18. Later that night. The basement. Ty is alone. He's not working, but instead has hydrogen peroxide. He is foreign and a box of heavy duty bandages in front of him. His hands are bloody and beaten from working so hard. He begins to stress his wounds. Once he has them wrapped, he gets up and goes over to his massive statue again covered in the drop cloth. He puts on a pair of heavy gloves. He goes to remove the drop cloth. Rusty enters. He's carrying a wooden box, a pedestal for a statue. Hey Ty Boat, you down here right? Yeah, what's up? Seeing the massive statue. Dude, stepping up your game, aren't you? I hope. It's for that thing, that Crog Park cleanup thing. Really wants to win. Nice. What is it? It's just, you know, something. Well, I made you this. He sets the wooden box down. I didn't know your statue was going to be so, so big. So this may be an inadequate pedestal. It's fine. I didn't know either. Think you can make me a bigger one? The one I have it on now is pretty unstable. Sure, but no problem. Give me a couple days. Cool. I see it. That's cool. I'm trying something a bit new. Oh yeah? Yeah, Shauna said no one wants my, like, scary gargoyle statues. So I'm going to try something new. A bit more person. Well, that's cool. Do what you want, right? Sometimes I think that's the most important thing in this world. You only have one life, right? So why not do what you want? It seems sort of selfish. Yeah, selfishness is a little underrated, I think. Maybe. Remember how I told you that gargoyles protect us from bad shit? Yeah. Well, with my new one, I'm making it to, well, I don't, I don't want to sound stupid. It won't tell me. I'm making it to, like, protect us. Yeah? Yeah. You know I'm proud of you, right? All this, I'm very proud of you, bub. I mean, you're total weirdo, but you're my weirdo. Really? Absolutely. Your work is pretty incredible, man. You know, other guys can say, oh, my son scored three touchdowns, or my son's playing a rock show tonight, he's pretty good, he's calm, or did you see the girl my son knocked up? She's beautiful. Me? I can say, yeah. Well, my son took this ugly ass, boring looking rock, and carved it into that beautiful statue in my backyard. I think that's pretty fucking cool. Yeah, me too. Plus, Dad, you know that, like, you know that I won't ever, like, never, ever knock up a beautiful girl, right? You know what I mean, right, without having to say it. Yeah, but, I do. And that's okay. But hey, Dad, is there a difference between beautiful and perfect? Because I thought I was making something perfect, but now I'm not really sure. What is that? I don't know, really, but what I do know is that I'm making something beautiful. I know you are. I'm sure I can't see it. I guess he can. Can you help me wheel it over? It's tough with my hands, they're really sore, it's pretty heavy. Of course, yeah. It pushed the massive statue into light, rusty stands back, high and covers it. He has uncovered a large, deeply grotesque and disturbing statue unlike anything he's ever made before or that we've ever seen. There are four figures with tortured bodies, harsh chiseled features with faces that look inhuman. The four bodies are wrapped around each other into a tight knot, limbs and expressions gnarled into each other. Lights fade. Nineteen, the next day. Ty is with his massive creation, now uncovered. He gets out his smartphone and dials a number. John up here is answering hers. Hey Ty, what do you want? He didn't come home last night. I know. Where are you? I thought I told you, I'm staying at Aaron's place for a few days. Aaron? You hate Aaron. Yeah, well, her dog died and I got to go with her. I'll talk to you soon Ty, though. Please come home. I'll show you the full statue, you just saw a part of it. You just got a peek of it. I can't do that. Why not? I didn't like what I saw. I know, I could tell. I know my statue made you uncomfortable, but come home. Come home and we can talk about it if you want. It's super fucked up. I didn't like the way that thing made me feel. It's like super disturbing. It's not supposed to be disturbing and it's not supposed to be perfect. It's supposed to be beautiful. It's going to save us, Shauna. It's going to protect us. It's like if I scrape and chisel and carve hard enough, I'll get to that spot where the spirit is and everything will fall into place exactly right. Okay. I can't help it if you felt its power. Dad saw it and he liked it. Okay Ty, I got to go. Do you trust me, Shauna? Because I need you to trust me. She hangs up. So does Ty. She gets revealed. She's standing with Muriel. They're in her house and Shauna still carries the large packed bags. Shauna and Muriel, the guest room of Muriel's house. It was a good decision. Thank you for suggesting I stay here. We don't have another option, do we? No, we don't. But be careful and let me handle all this stuff. I don't want you to fuck anything up. If we try hard enough, maybe spending this time together will be nice. Yeah, maybe. Can I use this desk? Of course. Good. We need to really focus on manufacturing this last batch. The linen's on the better plane. Thank you. And they're fresh towels on the closet. Thank you. You're welcome. Shauna moves over to her bags, opens them. That's all you need. You can fit everything you need into a few overnight bags. That's it. The drug and the manufacturing process share the same defining traits. Discrete and portable. Good. Shauna continues going through her bags. Muriel. Yes? Why didn't you and Tom have any children? That's a big question, Shauna. You just seem like a type of woman who would want children. Tom said that two lovers become a different kind of relative when they have children and then he didn't want that for us. Well, I found out very early in my life that I'm unable to conceive. Wow. Yeah. Sorry. Well, I'm going to start cooking this if you want to watch. No. I don't think I'd like to, you know, see that. Let me know if you need anything. I'll be downstairs. Your mother's coming over for a late lunch, so you'll need to be quiet up here, yeah? Yeah. You won't even know I'm here. Okay. What do you mean? Before they became the ugly, tangled mess that they are now. We're not going to talk about your family. The rules were outlined from the start. Oh, no. That rule is only effect when you bring them up. I'm allowed to bring them up. And you're the only one that knows what they used to be like. We all have changed a lot. If you want to know, you'll have to ask them. No, I'm asking you. Muriel. Please. It's all pretty obvious to me if you want the honest truth. I've seen things change in your parents the same way I've seen things change between Tom and I. He came to me a few weeks ago while I was in the kitchen attempting to make Grandma Opal's apple pie. Not my Grandma Opal. I don't have one. It's just what the recipe was called for. It was supposed to be the best damn pie you'd ever had. And Tom came to me while I was in the kitchen and he came up behind me and looked over my shoulder to see what I was doing. And he dipped his finger into the bowl and he tasted the sweet glaze. Half a cup of white sugar. Half a cup of brown sugar. Half a cup of unsalted butter. A teaspoon of maple syrup, which was a nice touch. And eight peeled Granny Smith apples. Turned around and smiled at him and I thought, Side, I even hoped that he would kiss me. Take me right there in the kitchen. Looking my body up so I could sit on the counter with him standing in front of me. But he didn't do that. He had this look in his eyes. I could see him something for the first time. Revelation. His skin on his face. Rested on his bones in such a way that I could tell. This is it, I thought. This is it. This is over. We are over. It's okay because we'll settle into that routine of domesticity and act like everything is perfectly fine. Muriel, I asked you about my parents. You did. Look, Shauna, this is what it is. There are lots of people in this world. People who choose a life, who select it, who weather it, who stay to finish it out. And there are people who are given a lot. Who fight it and break it and leave it behind. And I think your father is quite unhappy that he was given a life. And he's going to leave. Do you think that's true? I do. Your mother and father never wanted children. They didn't even want to get married. They were young and dumb. They were young and getting naked with each other at every opportunity they could. Thank you. That's what happens with total infatuation. But they were children. We were children. Your father was going to become famous. A filthy, sexy rock star playing sold out shows in every city in America. And your mother was going to go with him and join him on the road. They had it all figured out. A sweaty, sexy rocker and his plating doll of a wife. But things derailed. They were both given a life. They're fighting it. They're breaking it and somebody's going to leave. Muriel? Yes, dear. You don't know shit. Well, you ask. Lights shift. 21. Later that day at Muriel's house downstairs. Muriel stands, coffee mug in hand. Also though there are three other coffee mugs in front of her. When she finishes the one in her hand, she picks up another and finishes it in one long go. The doorbell rings. She goes to answer the door but stops. She hurries back over to the second and finishes it in one long go. The doorbell rings again. Coming! She goes to answer the door but stops. She hurries back over to the third coffee mug and begins to chug it down. Rebecca enters mid-gold. She's covered in more gauze than before. Other than her mouth and eyes, we can't really see her face. Also, there is gauze wrapping on her fingers and hands. It looks funny. Everything okay in here, Muriel? So sorry, Rebecca. I just watched. Well, I've been at the door for a bit. Jesus Christ. What happened to you? I've just had some work done. That's all. New talents and passions, right? You mean new passions and addictions, right? Excuse me? What did you just say? Nothing. I was kidding. Have a laugh. Are you okay? No, I'm good. From upstairs there's a loud noise, a thud. What was that? The floorboards? Have they always sounded like that? Uh-huh. They talk to me often. Sometimes I think they're my only friends. Oh, okay. There's another loud noise. See, there they go again. Never heard them before. Well, now you have. What's up? Are we going to have lunch? Lunch. You invited me over for lunch, Muriel? Oh, poop. You're right. I did. Yeah, poop. You did. Did you forget? I must have. But I've got to have some more coffee. Would you like some? No, thank you. It's really not my place to keep asking, but I can see something is up. Okay? Well, hey, look, Rusty said something to me. What? More empty promises? Excuse me? Huh? You were saying Rusty? Yeah, Rusty said something to me about you, and I wanted to ask you about it. Good. Ask you something too. Okay. You first. Please, I insist. No, you know what? Never mind. I'll go first. Oh, okay. When we had dinner the other night, you said that if you really thought about it, you could pinpoint the exact moment when things started going downhill with you and Rusty. Oh, yeah. Then what's it? Oh, God, why are you thinking about that? Is everything okay? I've been thinking a lot lately. Okay. And I figured if you were so good at knowing when Rusty lost interest, you could probably help me identify it too. In Tom? In Tom, right. Yes. Because I have no idea what to look for. Wouldn't it be easy if there was an easy answer? It's strange, though, Rusty and I have actually been getting along lately. Oh, really? Sort of. In a way. Great. Not really. I just still feel... So, when did he lose interest? Oh, right. Okay. Look, I need you to keep this between us. Of course. I think maybe Rusty feels at peace in a strange way, with a broken nose with all the gauze. What do you mean? I broke his dick. Years ago. That is absolutely not what I expected you to say. I did. Isn't that crazy? Did you know that could happen? No. We were having sex, the wild dirty kinky sex that I snapped his dick. There was this audible crack and then it just sort of went limp. He screamed and threw me off of him. He ran into the bathroom. It literally snapped, Muriel. The doctors had to, like, operate on his urethra and patchwork it back together. It's healed now, but different. He won't ever forget about it. That's when, that's exactly when things went crooked for us. What did she say? Nothing. Yes. Yes, you did. Did you, Muriel? I just mean you've told me. You mentioned it before. No. No, Muriel, I haven't. I have never told you that. Ever. Excuse me? I'm sorry. What else do you want me to say? Can I say more than that? Are you kidding me? How does that even... Muriel? I didn't do it to hurt you, Rebecca. Oh, no? Then what? That's in his life, Beck. Yes, Muriel, we do. Can we at least try? Try to what? What should we try, Muriel? I don't know what I was going to say. But I thought I should try and protest. Yeah. Possibly have to say to me. I'm sorry that I hurt you. Huh. Don't think for one second that you've had any effect on me at all. Because you haven't. Eat shit and die, Muriel. White shift. 22. Later. Rebecca is in the kitchen making a late lunch. Or attempting to. She drops a piece of silverware realizing that she can't really hold anything. Making a sandwich is difficult with her hands wrapped up. She drops the silverware. She picks it up in attempts again but drops the silverware again. What are you doing? Oh, shit. You scared me. Hey, Tybo, I need your help. What are you doing? What am I actually doing? Or what am I attempting to do? Because I am attempting to make a late lunch. Looks like a lavish lunch. Yeah. Yeah, I'm great. I just need some help, you know, holding things but otherwise, really great. You seem great. Yeah. I mean, it's hard to take you seriously when you look like you've been attacked, eaten and devoured by medical gauze but you seem pleasant. Pleasant? I'll take pleasant, right? Sure. I just feel like so much weight I've been lifted off my shoulders. I feel light. I'm good. I feel good. Good. Oh, what's with the gloves, babe? Ty removes his gloves. His hands, too, are covered in bloody gauze. Ouch, what happened? It's fine, really. Occupational hazard and working really hard on a project. Yeah, another statue. Yes, kind of. Awesome. I can't wait to see it. If it's done, maybe we can find something somewhere really great to put it maybe in the front yard. Really? Sure, yeah. I think I'm almost done, actually. Well, I think it's almost done. I never really decide. The gargoyles usually decide on their owner once they're released from the stone. I think that's a really lovely thought. Yeah. Salvation through release, yeah. Me, too. Maybe one day you can make a statue of me. Yeah, maybe. He helps her make the sandwich. Is that all you want on this? Yeah, I'm not hard to please. He finishes making her sandwich. Rebecca begins to attempt to clean up. She drops shit. Ty picks it up. You can just leave it out. I'm going to make one, too. Oh, okay. That is, if you don't mind some company for lunch? No, baby. Not at all. What about your sandwich? What about you? What happened to your hands? Oh, just a little something. A quick procedure the doctor told me about. On your hands? I wanted my fingers thinned. I didn't really care for the look of them. It's a simple shave down of the bone. A tightening of the skin. Bam! You're done. Did it hurt? Not at all. Does it hurt now? No, nothing really does. Good. I also had my palms smoothed out. I had too many lines. Too much texture. But with a simple chemical peel to remove a layer of skin, a graft to introduce new smoother skin to the palms, they'll be brand new in no time. Just as soon as I heal. Also, I had my lips crafted. Some. They call it a pronounced cupid's bow. They formed a little dip in my top lip. It's going to be really cute. Especially with the grin lift I had them do too. They cut the skin under my chin and pulled it up. And then they made these small incisions in the corner of my mouth so that I will have a more natural grin when my face is in a resting position. Holy shit, mom. That's a lot. Yeah, but it's good. Is it? Yes. I'm going tomorrow to have the pitch of my voice altered. It's just a simple procedure. Oh, yeah. I'm going to lift. Yes. That's actually what it's called. The doctor will inject collagen in the vocal folds so they'll plump up and become more limber. I'll sound younger. Oh, when it's all finished will you come see my... Your gargoyle? My statue. Yes, honey, of course. Dad saw it? Did he? Yes. Well, I bet it is, babe. Lights shift. 23. Later that day. Muriel stands in her guest room turned to drug lab. Shauna is asleep, passed out in the bed. Muriel watches Shauna sleep. Then Rusty's voice is heard somewhere off. Muriel, hey, trusty. I'm sorry about the knocking earlier. I'm trying to be quiet. This isn't about the drugs. Well, can I please get a quick nap and I'm exhausted. I'm not right now. Wake up. We have a visitor. What? A visitor? Who? Hey, Muriel, you home? Shit, Dad. Hurry. Go to him before he comes up here. He's coming up the stairs. Hurry. Get under the bed. Grab your things. You want me to hide under the bed? Yes, hurry. Be quiet this time. Shauna hides her shit under the bed and slips under too. Rusty appears in the door. Muriel, the front door was open. It's a good thing we live in a safe neighborhood. What can I do for you? What are you doing up here? He sits on the bed. Guest room, if you must know. Though that's none of your business. Can I help you? Oh, you're being pretty cold. Well... Well, what? Okay, let's talk. Let's not. We really shouldn't have any sort of talk right now, Rusty. Please, it really needs to wait. Can you get up? I have to make the bed. Rusty gets up, moves toward the door. Okay. Look, I'm sorry for anything I may have put you through. Everything's fine, dude. We can talk about this some other time. Come on, I'll show you how. Muriel, don't do that. We're not going to talk about this now, Rusty. But yeah, we should, because I'm calling in quits. I'm done. Rusty, please. I had a great time with you, really. Not now. And I love that you aren't my wife and I love that we don't have kids to deal with together, you know? Two people become a different sort of relative when they have kids. It's like I told you the other day. There's something so nice about leaving everything you have. The life you were given behind. Even for a few minutes or an hour or an afternoon or whatever. Just to remember what it's like to not be yourself. Stop. Don't be upset. I need you to leave. I need you to leave now. Yeah. Don't say shit like that. Shauna and Ty are great kids. They're wonderful, smart kids. They're beautiful. You shouldn't ever take that for granted. I don't. Good. I just meant having a wife and kids fucking sucks sometimes. Doesn't. You love them. You love Ty. You love Shauna very much and you always will. Yeah, I do. And I always will. Which is why I'm working on my own shit and stopping all this with you. Once I figure out my shit, I can better help them with theirs. Bye Rusty. See you around Muriel. Shauna crawls out from under the bed. Like shit. 24, the next morning. Ty in the basement. He stands before his massive creation. It looks different than before. More intricate and more disturbing. The gargoyles, all four of them are starting to merge as recognizable faces. Rebecca, Rusty, Ty, and Shauna. Recognizable, but distorted renderings of them. He's hard at work on it. The sounds of his work punch away the scene. Get your shit together. We gotta go. We're leaving. What? Let go, let pack our shit and flee. Why? We're leaving before anyone else. What are you talking about? Are you serious? Someone leaves. Someone always leaves. I'd rather be the one to do it. I don't want to be the one who's left. And you should come with me. I'll watch after you. Rusty appears in his office at work. He sits at his lavish desk, still in his contractor clothes. He has his guitar. He begins to strum a sound. He looks empty a shell. Stop laughing like that asshole. I'm being serious. I know information that you don't. So you're running away? If we go now, we'll be able to escape mostly in harm. You haven't been home these last few days, so you wouldn't know this. And I don't want to freak you out because you've already expressed some intense and confusing resistance to my... Shut the fuck up about your statue, Ty! Don't you see what's going on? Ty's pounding and Rusty's guitar but begin to blend. The sounds bleed into each other, forming a new pulsing sort of trance sound. Dad came downstairs and said my statue was beautiful and then Mom and Dad sat outside the other day together and laughed. Not only did they laugh but they sat together while Dad played his guitar and they shared a joint. I smelled it through this basement window. It was nice, Sean. Mom and I made sandwiches together. It's working, Sean. It's really working. Shut up about your stupid fucking statues. Shut up about your stupid... stupid doing shit over or it will be soon. I set it all up by lab, by drug lab, at Muir Restroom. And before I left to come get you, I called the police and gave her up. We're all fucked and there's nothing we're going to be able to do to stop it. Things aren't getting better for us or anyone. They're rotting and soon they'll die. And we're going... We're just going to leave now. No. I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here and I'm going to finish this gargoyle. I'll get to that spot where the spirit is. And there are two types of people in this world. Thai people who are given a life and people who choose a life. Shauna gets up and with the rage of a wild animal or an angry beast charges the massive statue. She collides with it, scratching, clawing, pushing, attempting to destroy it. What the fuck are you doing? Stop! Thai tries to stop her. They struggle. Shauna's anger makes her strong. Thai's need to protect his creation makes him strong. They fight. The statue with one final breath of intense anger and hurt and Thai can't restrain her. The massive gargoyle wobbles and falls off its pedestal. The gargoyle shatters into a million pieces. The lights go out. There are sounds of wings, of breath. The pieces broken in the dark begin to glow. There's a hum. There's a static. There's breathing. Rusty stops playing his guitar almost as if he heard the shattering of the gargoyle. Muriel appears. She's brain smoking a thousand cigarettes and crying. She too looks as if she heard the shattering of the gargoyle. Suddenly she's bathed in the red and blue lights of the police cars coming to arrest her. Rebecca appears. Even if we can't see her features due to being wrapped in so much gauze, she appears nonetheless. And it looks like she's smiling. Lights shift. 25. Later that night. It's dark. Okay. He has the old once-loved guitar in his lap. Rebecca enters covered in so much gauze we can't see her face. Her voice sounds slightly different. Rusty? Are you out here? Hey, what happened to your voice? I was surprised you noticed. I had a voice left. It was in the night. Another surgery? Are you able to talk or does it hurt? Yes, I can talk fine. But that doesn't mean this won't hurt you. I know. What do you know? About you two. Rebecca. Done. Should I apologize? Because Rebecca listened to me, I really want to apologize. Rebecca begins to remove the gauze from her head. Some of her hair peeks out and falls down in large curls. No. Rusty, you don't have to apologize. But I want to. I don't. You want to say, Rebecca? Please don't leave me. That's what you really want to say. To say. Say? Or don't. I don't mind. Because I am. I am leaving you. She begins to remove the gauze from her face. Some of her skin peeks out. It's beautiful. I don't want you to resist because I know we'll both be happier without each other. Just because I'm a wife and a mother doesn't mean I'm a good one. And I don't want to be a part of it anymore. In this sense. I've had a miserable life with you. And now I've found something deep inside myself that I need to recognize. There is a wall in our bed Rusty. I started to take it down, Rebecca. I thought that we were starting to work on things. We're going to connect again. We were. You're right. But I was still so deeply unhappy with you. When it was bad, when it was good, it didn't matter. I was always deeply and constantly unhappy. She removes the totality of the gauze from her face. We see her now for the first time in a long time uncovered. She's unrecognizable. A different actress stands before us. But it's Rebecca. A new Rebecca. Holy shit. Rebecca. Yeah. You look beautiful. Absolutely. Unlike yourself. But beautiful. Good. Because I can't stay here with her. With that woman I was. I just wanted you to be fair and good to me and that couldn't happen. No, Beck. I am fair and good to the people who let me be fair and good to them. You want to do this in front of them? No. I do not. Which is why I asked where they were. You'll be a better father to them without me here. Then when you all wake up tomorrow you'll feel the sun on your face in a way that I hadn't for so long. Cut it out, Rebecca. Please. That's what marriage is. Rebecca, wake up. Marriage isn't always sunshine. It's fucking hard. I'm going tonight. And you'll be free of any responsibility you have to me and I to you. Perfect freedom on both sides. Some people would say that when you find yourself in a situation no matter how much you don't like it or no matter how much unhappiness it causes you your job is to stay with it and work to fix it. Don't. Like a mature person. And some people would say that you should preserve yourself before you preserve others. You will all be fine without me. Don't think that you won't. Do you even consider the fact that you're my wife? That you're Ty and Shawna's mother? I don't want to be yours. I don't want to be theirs. I want to be mine. Goodbye, Rusty. Tell Ty and Shawna that I love them. Rebecca exits. Rusty remains. He looks at the stars. Lights shift. 26. Epilogue. It's a proud part on the west side. It's a beautiful day in a beautiful part. Time has passed. We see a large statue. It's a gorgeous rendering of a woman in a calm, serene pose that very much resembles Rebecca before her physical transformation. Ty sits nearby on a park bench looking up to it. He looks older. A woman enters. It's the woman we've been seeing, the woman that appeared in the shadows throughout. But now we see her in full force. It's Rebecca after her physical transformation. She stands, watching the statue, watching Ty. She goes over to the bench near him. May I? She's something, isn't she? Yeah, she's beautiful. You think? Yes. They sit, watching the statue together. The former Rebecca enters. They don't see her. She too sits on the bench. What brings you to the park today? Even the fresh air. Yes, me too. They sit, all three, watching the statue together. New Rebecca pulls out a sandwich from her bag, begins to eat it. Would you like the other half of my sandwich? Oh, no, no thanks. She was part of a larger piece. The statue here, she was part of a larger piece. They sit, watching the statue together. It's quiet. The former self, Rebecca, gets up. She looks at them, smiles. They still don't see her. She leaves. Sort of float, dances off. She disappears. Longes de silence. Just souvenirs. Lights fade. End of play. Can't address any questions, records, just play right at this point. And then after we have a couple minutes of that kind of conversation, I'm going to talk to him and find out what you want to find out from him. So, before we do that though, I'm really curious about what is popping for you right into second. Without analysis, is that really like trying to figure out a good, smart answer? Just up the top of your head, what are you feeling? What kind of images are sticking with you? What relationships are popping for you? What's up on your mind at like, where are these? That's a great start. There were these wonderfully well-developed parts. It wasn't just one component. It's like there were a lot of difficult things flushed out. A lot of difficult metaphors and analogies and timing and settings and dialogue. The complexity of it and its presentation is like, so when the tide comes up, they're like, oh shit, I gotta go away. But at the time it starts to fade back like, oh wait, no, the water is leaving. This is my opportunity. And it's back and forth like that between all the lovely characters. To amplify the first comment when I think about it, there really are far more than a legal number of complexities that should occur than to ask. And yet I think keeping the number of characters small and allows us to sort through that with the characters without having to keep up with who this wound. I think there's an audience not having seen how many characters from the beginning are going to be in the play would keep expecting other characters to enter and probably would get well into the first act or do the end of the first act or they realize there's nobody else. This is it. And I think that limiting that number of characters really allows and I would have thought otherwise if I had not seen it play out I would have thought otherwise. That limiting that number of characters actually plays to the advantage of having sufficient complexity. It's interesting that you have Dolls House parallels or are many obvious that is almost just like a framework in which this play exists because at its core it doesn't seem to be about the same thing as it is but I'm just now processing what the hell it is about and still put it like mulling around. So it's almost I think about movie Crash and right when we got to the end of that last part lights are blinking, boom, boom, boom and everybody is on stage I was ready to go watch out and then it was like we took a breath and in one sense it was almost like the filmmaker couldn't decide what to anymore oh there's more. So that's the one thing that kind of I was ready to do and then we took a breath and then it stopped and I kind of knew it was going to stop but because we kind of had the first time I thought oh it's going to happen the second time. Thank you, thank you, that's very interesting. It was a nice reprieve that the kids were at least rooting for each other and having each other by the parents. So that was plus for you. Interesting. I'm really interested in hearing about the relationship. What do we think about the sibling relationship or the parent-child relationship? Is there any quality about those relationships that you find particularly attractive or resonates in some kind of way for you or that you have a question about? What was interesting? Do you find yourself right now talking about any of that? I think it was sad. I think that the people each of them were unhappiness themselves and they were searching for something with searching for some spirit to put in this this sculpture we're just doing. I think they were all unhappy and they were all seek something besides themselves and not deal with what was real in themselves. Yeah. That's between the relationship between Rebecca and her kids which is where I definitely, I think that parallel to the Dallas Housewives made much very strongly to me because the criticism of that plays in the case of the government's independence but she thinks her kids weren't they going to do. And I I know I guess the resolution here was that she just wasn't a good mother and that wasn't the thing and I guess the thing she wasn't enough of she had to be that mom or she could help her kids but I don't know maybe I just need to suspend my disbelief a little bit more but I and maybe this is just the question that of course wasn't for their kids and I don't know you have to but I guess I'm not exactly sure what to think of that. Am I supposed to just say well she's not a great mother and she's better off away from her kids or I mean was there really nothing did she really never before give cards to her kids if I'm not sure if I'm giving too much love to that relationship. That's a question you have. Yeah it did seem awfully abrupt in a way. What do we think about the father's relationship with the kids? Do we have a sense of that in any way? Any moment in the play now that you had a couple minutes since it was in the play that you thought that are going to stick with you maybe a particular moment or an exchange or a scene or an image that you think is ah I'm going to remember that. Yeah the first time that like cut it out for me the memo of the play for me was between the mistress slash neighbor slash suburban met head and the husband when she came to the office to talk about being there and the rest of said something to be effective. Well sometimes shit doesn't work out you know and she got cut it out. You didn't say that but that was the first time where I it was like you know there were so many cascades after that where that was reaffirmed and that was shaped more but the first time I was like oh that is that's the crack in the armor. Anybody else? The birthday card and it says you know you look too soft. That is the most disturbing thing in the play when the daughter realizes after being come she's looked like her mom didn't want to look that way. Some of our mothers deliberately That reminds me of the episode of Cheers though and the daughter was awkward and not pretty and she was visiting her father who worked for her and she looked like her mother. There's so much in it that like had a powerful and somehow sort of came from you know a really cool couple. It's arena not for the old room I'm going to leave it. And smile when she dance. Which I think I think that says something about the relationship she has with this. It doesn't seem to me to be like. She's not connected with any case. You see the twins were connected and his dad was trying. He's out of sorts a little bit. He doesn't look for anything that apron that he's wearing but like you described we're not doing that right. We're kind of comfortable with everything that's fine. So it's such an unusual place for it to go just in the normal world. You know if you're a mother or for you know TV viewing or movie viewing where the ending just has to be a certain way. The fact that she gets herself all squared up you know squared away and kind of healthy and has really nothing to do with wanting to be a parent to her. Yeah, yeah. Just because she doesn't necessarily want to be a great parent. Muriel says that too. They never wanted kids. What was my favorite line? It's like the one moment where it was like an awkward unsettling piece that I felt when she said I may be a mother I may be a wife but I'm not sitting there talking. And like you're just that resting smile like that piece as a woman. I think it's fascinating one of the things we've talked about is like gender roles in a family. So I agree that it's very culturally hard to accept a woman leaving her children. And not to get too personal or anything. My brother is a single father because his child's mother left them. So this is a very real piece. I mean this is it's hard to accept and it should be. It's a horrible thing for anybody to leave their kids but it happened. And so to me it doesn't seem and the fact that it is abrupt is very powerful to me because of course you don't ever see somebody leaving coming. I mean maybe you do sometimes but a lot of the time it's just like bam, done. I think it's also a different perspective as to the mother leaving and the mother. Gender roles. It works as a metaphor obviously but as something real it's so surreal that I found myself sort of losing track of the story because I kept going into my head and thinking how would that actually work? Number one where she would get into bed and not notice it so she could break her nose on it and how could you actually build some dialogue in your story because I'm trying to work this out in engineering. Okay, good thank you. I have a question to respond to that question and that's can you actually break your dick? Oh yeah. Really? She's not in my head. Well that's great news to know. I really like about that it's like there's this super awesome drug that you can just make out of a duffel bag you could put a brick wall in a bed and you could break your dick which were three things I thought you couldn't do. You could shake your dick. So there's this sort of surreal thing and it's like I really applaud the story being so compelling I don't really need to exist in the world anymore I could be a little surreal and screw it it's not going to exactly check out all the time but I was totally moved along even though I knew that this metaphor was weird and there's probably no drug you can do that you probably can't get your pumps smooth it didn't bug me because the way the story turned out I was like yeah this is surreal and I'm down. Well I believe all of the surgical procedures described are actually Oh my god that's just the one for not only up the river he learned something new tonight Peter, the surgery Rebecca's attraction to the how did that land on you? I can't wait for Steve to see the station doctor. You gotta think you're having an argument here when she comes in wrapped in gauze you're having an argument with the state fuck marshmallow man. That's what you're going to see. The serious argument and yet they're wrapped in gauze. That image is very good. I must have staged it like this which could take care of something that you wouldn't have to see in the bed. How would you stage that? Doing it something like this maybe a little bit more would remove the bed would really distract people. That's on hand over here. I thought it was really what I had expected it to end up where she was turning into starting to look like one of his gargoyle sculptures I expected the gauze to come off like the Joker from Batman where she has a gargoyle. It was really interesting that she had become beautiful. As he was trying to starting to come around to her and maybe want to reconnect saying that he liked her eyes don't change them and she was changing the things that he was saying he liked. It was really interesting that either one as a post external the one internal was he went in tune to bring out the beauty of it where the other ones took things with drugs, making the drugs this and that. The son to me was probably the most healthiest person here. You may also do that stuff then? I can really agree with that. If we're going to like the message though that this is kind of asking us to question and even approve of a mother leading her kids so that the son is making really horrific challenging art and then when something really terrifying and another terrifying awful thing happens to him he makes a beautiful statue. I know you shouldn't draw that correlation it's not the right way to look at theater it's not the right way to be related necessarily but it's funny to say this awful thing happened something socially acceptable in a park. A production question I'm sure it has to be discussed having experienced playwrights and screenwriters who sometimes imagine things that are either impossible or expensive to create what why don't you all talk about regarding the mechanics of how her character will transform physically would she start off there is so much emphasis placed on the difference in her beginning to end it almost seems like more than an actor could do with just physical physicality it's a new actor there have to be two women that are the same bill but different people when she leaves when she takes her business off it's a different person so when she comes in to leave she'd be a different actor she was the shadow she was in so it's actually described in the page that from a voiceless moment forward she's completely swabbed you actually have to trade out the actress to reveal when the doves happen and then of course when the other thing that's on the page you can see both of them together Rebecca couldn't figure out what to do so she's playing the stage direction yeah the stage direction is going to shout out yeah we're actually going to invite Andrew to come up on stage so overarching in my life I have issues with domesticity and I have issues with considering and pondering roles gender roles but also familial roles and lover roles and sibling roles and all those things I feel like we put so much pressure on all of that and so I was considering that and then I had heard the sentiment of a mother or a woman should love her husband more than her children for a marriage to work and I was like that's sort of problematic to me and then I started thinking about the bait and switch I was like I wonder if it is a possible in a world in which we can have an actress and know her for about two hours and then at the last moment reveal as a different actress same character what would that what would happen right? we still don't know if it'll work but that's sort of the things that led me down the path so properties have done it for years fair point fair point seems like what you would what do you want to know about did you make it obviously the mother it was never enough it was always going further and further and then her fingers but the daughter she had a man she was going to do this and she had stopped of all of them and she stopped why was she on like the other three I'm drawn into like even though socially and culturally and in action maybe what she's doing is really harmful or negative I was interested in her having that sense of stability so she's really good at what she's doing what she's doing is terrible but she's really good at it and so I was interested in how can that be dismantled enough for her to kind of switch I wanted to see Shauna really hurt and I wanted to see her sad and I thought about her hearing information from her father so that's where that scene where she's under the bed came from and she's hurt thought whether she's hurt wearing a reality who ever puts when it's going that good how many people of these five people who almost died the most were there versions of your brain like in my head I thought they're going to get killed by the statue because it didn't have grounding you didn't kill my daughter I did too when we were reading it it was for the first time I went over it you were deep in it like who was going to die the most I think every single other play that I've ever written someone dies in and I think I was never interested in that with this piece I think one of the questions that I think the play asks or I intend to ask at some point is like like an end that we don't know like leaving or disappearing without death yet and so I didn't want to kill any of them or even offstage so none of them ever died yeah I mean you're going to die in prison but I think that there are possibilities for all of them to die in like the later story but your original mother died she like is gone yeah that's interesting do you have a question Jeremy Sony awesome and he wants to know where you came up with the phrase Angel of Silence just for the past oh so that bit of French I was actually reading so weird because I'm not sure that it really comes across in the play I was actually reading Victor Hugo's writing Hunchback of Notre Dame and he was fond of this phrase and he would say that he would look at the cathedrals and he would look at statues and he would look at gargoyles and he would wouldn't be able to talk which I thought was cool and that's where I mean that's sort of where it came from so I had my brother translate that what does this mean and then he told me and I was like oh that's awesome rest it on rest it on thank you what were the easiest characters as a writer what were the most difficult or it could be characters and in those difficult moments where did you find your inspiration to complete the picture that's a good question that's tough I think this play was hard for me to write because actually Doug and I were talking about it when he was in town mentoring he was like I don't know who you are in this play like I don't really know now that I know you and I know the play who are you in this play I don't know I think Ty maybe has some similarities and some honesty like personal honesty maybe in him I had fun writing them though but I don't know who was the easiest they were all pretty hard in some ways can you say what made them hard as a writer I'm usually interested in like heightened language and like kind of like chamber in plays of like non-realistic setting and time and place but still kind of emotionally honest and this play is like real in a way like you know it's domestic and there are limitations that go with that in some ways so I found that to be hard and I also I mean it's really hard to like write a quote unquote bad mom or like knowing there was never a version of this play where Rebecca stays she always left and everything to that was I had to figure that out the dialogue was great the dialogue is boom boom boom boom boom and it's like you walk into a room and you're in the middle of this there's this boardwalk and you're just watching cool thank you so it's great it's like Dave and then it's good he's incredibly talented we would come back a day later two days later whatever and there's two scenes on the table that haven't even been that was just because I was like oh shit people are going to see this I was like oh they're going to be finances in three days as a matter of fact that the first play reading the final scene well the final scene between Rusty and the scene where you know she's under the bed never been read, never we ran out of time and the blocking and everything and the editing and all that kind of stuff Martha looked at us and said oh my god I do want to say though to that end I think that's what's so amazing about this and has been amazing for me especially with these actors and director and fellow writers is that like they will not let you get away with anything which is awesome right if you're like having these really smart astute talented impulsive actors being like but wait like I can't do that I don't know why I'm doing that like we would have these conversations about like three lines right change the entire play in some ways and I mean that's just great y'all have a cool city here yay yes sir a question about your thoughts about physicality of the statues in that when you're putting on a play that is one of the characters as an artist you're limited to the skills of your set designer to how the statues in this case the gargoyles and the intertwined gargoyles look did you have a thought or was there a description maybe I missed it about how good the art was how expressive was it how would that be expressed in a staging of the play and also your ideas about how the statue that is eventually destroyed is that done not in not out on a fully realized play sure so I think that the second part is easier right so like I think that there's a way to do this play where there is this like probably styrofoam right like to paint it to look like stone statue that shawna may charge and the lights go out and you hear a crack like because the moment that follows that is fairly surreal right like we hear a gargoyle and it glows and things like that so the shattering is like I'm not really worried about I am I do have questions about like is ties work good and like what what the you know what will that look like yeah right but I think the cool thing is that's kind of it could look like anything because so much about the play is like I see a rock I see a statue I see horrendous surgery I see a beautiful woman so I think it can maybe look like anything and just the way they talk about it matters there's so many of them in the garden yeah where the father is sitting and then he has those in his studio I guess we've got opportunities to do various stages of as he's honing his talent correct yeah mm-hmm yeah yeah I also thought about projection that's what I guess that's what I think when I read this it's multimedia stuff I think like if you saw a photo of them like the daughter resembling the mother the dad being like right like and yeah like they kind of like mom dad son daughter frame it oh they're beautiful but then you know when the play starts I think that in some ways that's like an ideal right mom dad son daughter totally and they're wealthy and they have a decent amount of money and a great next door neighbor well well thank you honey yeah I didn't want I was uninterested in it starting the playoff with like establishing their perfection right I was like I'm going to screw them up right from the start yeah you you what well thank you very much for your participation this has been very useful and we really appreciate your being here tell your friends there's some more to come we're writing things for Friday Saturday night as well and let's end with a final round of applause for this month for playing with you guys thank you thank you