SISTERS THREE (A Dance Play)

 

When shall we three meet again,

in thunder, lightning, or in rain?

When the hurly-burly’s done,

when the battle’s lost and won. 

-- Macbeth 

 

 Scene:  A bare stage.

 Now. 

Characters:  Three women. 

The sound of rain …

darkness …

 

THREE SISTERS emerge from upstage,

wearing similar raincoats …

faintly lit …

they move slowly downstage,

walking separately

against tremendous resistance

(inner or outer) …

 

Sound is the ominous grinding

of rusty hinges, bass viols …

eventually,

a bell-like tinkling interweaves itself …

 

 

 

SISTER 1 begins to open the lapels

of her coat ...

 

The SISTERS arrive near the foot of the stage,

extremely anxious,

poised for fight, flight or freeze …

 

As the tinkling takes over

and the bass sounds recede

(but do not disappear),

SISTER 1 continues opening her coat,

revealing a child’s clothes -

pajamas or a frilled frock ...

 

           

  

SISTER 1

Here …

I …?

 

Examines herself,

removing and dropping her raincoat.

 

I.

Here …

 

SISTER 1 examines her surroundings,

but does not see SISTERS 2 and 3,

nor the audience ...

Suddenly --

 

Hungry.

 

Looking about quickly,

expectantly.

 

Here, here?
I, I?

 

[Repeats from “Looking about.”]

Then … sees something welcome arriving

from down center.

 

Here … here …

I …

 

Opens mouth, receives.

 

Aaah …

 

Closes her eyes, hums,

begins swaying …

SISTERS 2 and 3 sway slightly with her,

as if affected by her ...

 

SISTER 1 begins a dance,

tentatively at first,

then moving outward a bit.

She keeps meeting barriers

of her own uncertainty, newness,

and then overcoming them

into moments of joyful discovery.

SISTERS 2 and 3 quietly mirror her,

containing her space.

 

After several moments,

all the SISTERS stop --

SISTER 1 snaps her eyes open --

 

[Repeat from “Hungry.”]

 

This time, SISTER 1 snaps her eyes open,

and starts to welcome what she sees …

 

Here … here …

 

She becomes confused, 

nd turns her head aside

to avoid what’s coming --

 

N-no, I …

 

Her head is violently snapped back,

her mouth pulled open --

 

No! NO!!

 

Her mouth is stuffed,

she gags

and her head begins to jerk

back and forth, rhythmically --

 

SISTER 2 leaps,

arms flung apart,

between SISTER 1

and whatever is assailing her --

 

 

SISTER 2

 

NO !!!

 

She turns to face SISTER 1,

rips off her own raincoat

(revealing denim overalls

with no shirt)

and wraps SISTER 1 in it,

gently leading her a few steps away

and making her curl down, soothing her …

 

 

SISTER 1 falls into an unseeing,

open-eyed trance, looking out and up…

 

SISTER 2 returns to where SISTER 1 was,

squares her shoulders and faces out,

her mouth cruelly smiling, her eyes flat ...

 

 

SISTER 2 (cont’d.)

 

May I cut in?

 

Opens her mouth,

it is stuffed, she gags,

and her head begins to jerk

back and forth, rhythmically …

SISTER 1 resumes humming …

 

After several seconds,

SISTER 2’s mouth is released,

she gasps …

then looks down at her dress --

…

She recoils in disgust,

starts to wear a look of shame --

then lifts a hand

and wipes her face blank

as before ..

Ha.

I feel nothing.

You can’t make me. 

 

She executes a dance

accompanied by brass and drums,

in which fluid movements

are arrested suddenly by a shock,

then poses of strength,

resistance …

At each pose, she repeats:

 

I feel nothing.

You can’t make me.

 

Toward the end of her dance,

SISTER 1’s humming turns to wailing.

In the final pose, SISTER 2 says:

 

I feel nothing.

 

SISTER 1 emits a howl.

SISTER 2 turns, falling from her pose

to a half-kneel, looking at SISTER 1.

 

 

SISTER 2 (cont’d.)

 

You …

 

She goes over to SISTER 1,

kneels beside her.

 

You can make me.

 

SISTER 2  takes out a pen knife,

and begins to cut the underside

of her forearm in a stylized gesture,

as SISTER 1 howls.

 

This slowly calms SISTER 1;

SISTER 2 then resumes her dance.

 

[Repeat twice from “Ha.  I feel nothing.”]

The second repetition is cut off by:

 

 

SISTER 3

 

STOP !!

This is no way to live.

 

She slowly opens her raincoat,

revealing a conservative suit.

She takes a small bag out of the coat.

 

Someone’s got to handle things …

 

SISTER 3 folds her raincoat and lays it down,

as if in a drawer,

then opens the bag and begins

applying makeup.

 

SISTER 1 resumes humming, softly;

SISTER 2 puts away the knife,

and folds her body protectively

around SISTER 1.

 

After a few seconds,

SISTER 3 looks up --

 

 

SISTER 3 (cont’d.)

 

Yes?

Yes, Momma, I will.

 

She executes a graceful but restricted

brief dance, then returns to her position.

She resumes her makeup.

 

After a few seconds,

she looks up again --

 

Yes?

Yes, teacher, I can.

 

She repeats her dance,

moving farther into the space around her,

then returns to her position.

She resumes her makeup.

 

Shortly,

she looks up again --

 

Yes?

Yes, professor, I certainly do.

 

 

 

SISTER 3 repeats the dance

with variations, moving still farther

around the space, even around

SISTERS 1 and 2,

then returns to her position.

She resumes her makeup.

 

Shortly --

 

Yes?

Of course, darling, give me a moment --

 

She kneels to put away her makeup

and is looking for something.

 

What?

 

Looks about her on the ground,

confused.

 

Where is my --

What? 

 

Holds up a very short red dress

decorated with spangles and chains.

 

What … is this?

How did it get in my -- ?

 

SISTER 2 turns to her, rising.

 

 

SISTER 2

 

That’s mine.

 

She strides over to SISTER 3

and takes the dress,

draping it on herself, pleased.

 

Yeah.

Sexy.

 

 

SISTER 3

(aside)

Slutty.

 

 

SISTER 2

 

What?

Fuck you, bitch.

 

SISTER 2 flicks the dress at SISTER 3.

 

 

SISTER 3

 

Wha -- who -- are you?

 

 

SISTER 2

 

Call me Cutter.

 

 

SISTER 3

 

Cutter?

And what is your dress doing in my --

 

 

SISTER 2

 

Yours?!

That’s my closet, too, hon.

But I wouldn’t be caught dead

in any of that crap you wear --

 

 

SISTER 3

  

Wait a minute, “Cutter” --

if that’s a name --

How do you know about me?

           

SISTER 3 (CONT’D)

 

And how can you put your stuff in my closet,

when I’ve never --

 

 

SISTER 2

  

Roll up your sleeve, sister.

 

 

SISTER 3

 

What?!

 

 

SISTER 2

 

Your sleeve.

Either one.

 

She grabs SISTER 3’s suit jacket

and pulls it half off,

then undoes the exposed cuff

and starts rolling it up.

SISTER 3 pulls away.

 

 

SISTER 3

 

I can do that.

 

SISTER 3 rolls up her sleeve,

revealing old (white) and new (purple) scars.

 

What -- what --

where did those come from?

 

 

SISTER 2

           

They’ve always been there.

 

SISTER 1 starts to cry, loudly.

SISTERS 2 and 3 turn to look at her.

 

So has she.    

 

 

SISTER 3

 

But --

but who --?

 

SISTER 2 puts an arm around SISTER 3

and leads her toward SISTER 1.

 

 

SISTER 2

 

You know.

 

SISTER 2 half-kneels between them,

holding SISTER 3’s hand

and taking the hand of SISTER 1,

who abruptly stops crying.

 

Baby, meet Missy.

Missy, this is Baby. 

Our Baby.

 

 

SISTER 3

 

Baby …

 

SISTER 1 looks up, breaks into a smile.

 

 

SISTER 1

 

Here.

Here!

 

I …

I ...

           

 

SISTER 2

 

We.

 

 

SISTER 3

 

We.

 

 

SISTERS 2 and 3 lift SISTER 1,

and the three dance,

at first slowly

rotating around each other,

looking, recognizing,

then more and more open, fluid,

far-reaching  ...

 

As the dance ends:

 

  

SISTER 3

 

We … we’ve got --

 

 

SISTER 2

(interrupting)

-- each other.

 

 

SISTER 3

 

And …

a lot of work to do.

 

 

SISTER 2

 

You said it, sister.

 

 

SISTER 1

(trying a new word)

Sis - ter.

 

 

The grinding music resumes --

this time, with violins and winds

filling the middle between the bass lines

and the treble tinkling …

 

All THREE SISTERS pick up their raincoats,

fold them over their arms,

then join hands

and move slowly backward,

reversing the way they entered,

as the lights fade to black.

 

 

 

 

-- END OF PLAY --