You Go Girl!

A ten minute play

By Bill McCann, Jr.

Characters

(in order of appearance)

Mother: 62, a woman who is scared of both her husband and the world

Stephanie: 45, a scared victim of sexual and physical abuse who is standing up

to her abuser, for the first time.

Dad: age 70, a domineering man who has physically and sexually abused

his two now grown daughters Stephanie and Alice (39).

Off Stage Voices : These should be just one or a few initially and grow in number and volume as the play progresses. They may belong to people of either gender, by play's end but should initially belong only to a woman or women.

TIME: 10 am, May 2, 1970

SETTING: The interior of a small middle class home, Kent, OH. We see two rooms: the kitchen and living room.

NOTICES:

This play is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual people or events, except the historical event of the riots on the campus of Kent State University in Kent, OH in May 1970, is both coincidental and unintentional.

You Go Girl, Page 2

AT RISE: MOTHER has her back to the audience, she is drying dishes; DAD is sitting in the living room reading. STEPHANIE comes through the kitchen door.

STEPHANIE

Hello, Mother.

MOTHER

Hello, dear. What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be teaching today?

STEPHANIE

It's Saturday, Mother.

Mayor Satrom has discussed a state of emergency for the Kent campus and surrounding areas, so even if I had any classes today, I wouldn't be able to teach them.

How's Dad?

MOTHER

Oh, you know your father. He's his grumpy old self. Why?

STEPHANIE

The campus students have inspired me-- I'm going to stand up to the son-of-a-bitch!

MOTHER

My God! What are you talking about, Steph?

STEPHANIE

Dad abused me for years. I've kept silent, long enough. I don't have a copy of the Constitution to bury, but today is the day I declare my independence!

MOTHER

Oh Steph, you can't mean that! Your dad loves you. He never did anything to you dear.

You Go Girl, Page 3

STEPHANIE

Mother, you know otherwise.

Now get out of the doorway.

MOTHER moves out of the entrance to the Living Room.

STEPHANIE (Cont)

Hello, Mr. Harshawl. How're you?

DAD

Stephanie? Mr. Hardshawl?

STEPHANIE

Yeah. Mr. Hardshawl.

You're not my dad any more. Today is my independence day.

MOTHER

(from the doorway)

You go girl.

DAD looks toward doorway. When MOTHER realizes she made her comment aloud, she goes back to doing the dishes.

DAD

Speak up. What'd you say, bitch?

STEPHANIE

(quietly, gaining strength as she goes)

I said, today is my independence day.

VOICES (off stage)

You go girl.

You Go Girl, Page 4

DAD

You been listening to too many long haired freaks over where you teach. Shit, you've been independent for 20 odd years and married for 17. Is that what this is about? You're finally leaving that no- good Fred you've been married to?

STEPHANIE

Fred's a good man. He's not the problem, you are.

DAD

I'm the problem? I'm the Problem? Bitch, you don't know what the fuck you're talking about. I put a roof over your head, fed you and cared for you like you was my very own.

STEPHANIE

I was your very own!

Why the hell did you rape me repeatedly?

DAD

Tell her Connie! Tell your bastard bitch daughter that she weren't never mine.

MOTHER enters from the Kitchen.

MOTHER

I... I'm so sorry, honey, I.....

DAD

Tell her, Godamn you, Connie!

STEPHANIE

I already knew that. It doesn't matter Mother. It also is no excuse for raping me repeatedly from the time I was 8 until I was thirteen.

DAD

I never raped you. You always wanted it.

You Go Girl, Page 5

MOTHER

(very quietly)

That isn't true Herald.

VOICES (off stage)

You go girl.

DAD

Who the fuck asked you? Go finish the godamn dishes, whore!

MOTHER exits tot the kitchen. She stops just inside the doorway, to listen.

DAD (Cont)

I see you bitch. Do the fuckin' dishes.

MOTHER turns her back on the conversation and dries dishes; she never turns around again.

STEPHANIE

Stop it! This is about me, damn it. Why the fuck did you rape me?

DAD

I didn't fuckin' rape you! You wanted it. You'd come up behind me, put your hands over my eyes and say guess who? I'd get up and chase after you, while you was gigglin' like a little girl. We was havin' fun.

STEPHANIE

That was fun-- until one day when I only had a pair of cotton undies on you caught me, threw me on the bed and rammed your finger up my vagina and asked if I liked it. I was crying and bleeding and trying to push you off me and you think I wanted that? Were you fuckin' crazy?

VOICES (off stage)

You go girl!

You Go Girl, Page 6

DAD

Of course you wanted it! Why else would you wear blue cotton undies with butterflies and nothin' else?

STEPHANIE

I was eight years old!

DAD

Damn right. Your Mother should've taught you how to dress appropriately in the presence of a real man.

STEPHANIE

Real men don't rape little girls.

DAD

You warn't no little girl. You was eight years old.

STEPHANIE

Old enough to pee, old enough for me?

DAD

Some'pin like that.

STEPHANIE

God. You're disgusting!

VOICES (off stage)

You Go Girl.

STEPHANIE

I'm leaving town. I won't be by to see you again.

VOICES (Off stage)

You go girl.

You Go Girl, Page 7

DAD

You'll be back. Next time you need a fuck, from a real man. You're Daddy's little girl and always will be.

STEPHANIE

Fred and I are going to San Francisco.

DAD

Going to join the hippie mob, are you?

STEPHANIE

Fred has a teaching job lined up. Not sure what I'll do, maybe volunteer work.

DAD

That'll sure make you wealthy. Well, don't come back here lookin' for a handout. There won't be one

STEPHANIE

Of that you can be sure. I'm not comin' back here until you're dead and buried.

VOICES (from off stage)

You go girl!

DAD

Even from the grave, I'll find a way to fuck with you little girl.

STEPHANIE

One more thing, Mr. Hardshawl.

DAD

Yeah?

You Go Girl, Page 8

VOICES (From Off Stage)

You go girl.

STEPHANIE

I'm changing my name.

DAD

Finally, divorcing Fred?

STEPHANIE

No. I'm just changing my name.

DAD

Changing it back to Hardshawl are you?

STEPHANIE

Hell no!

VOICES

(off stage and in the audience)

You go girl.

DAD

Oh?

So what's it going to be now? Bitch? Bastardess?

STEPHANIE

Goddess.

DAD

Goddess?

You Go Girl, Page 9

STEPHANIE

Goddess. Fred has made me realize I have a lot to offer. I'm smart and funny and beautiful. Goddess is what he calls me. So I'm

taking that as my new last name.

DAD

What a couple of fuckin' flakes. You was meant for each other.

STEPHANIE

Yeah, Mr. Hardshawl, we were.

VOICES

(off stage and in the audience)

You go girl!

DAD sits down, picks up his book. He ignores STEPHANIE, so she starts to leave.

STEPHANIE

Oh, one more thing, Mr Hardshawl.

DAD ignores her.

Dad?

DAD

(without anger)

Yes?

STEPHANIE

My new name will be Goddess.

(beat)

But you can call me God.

STEPHANIE exits through the kitchen door.

BLACKOUT

You Go Girl, Page 10

VOICES

(off stage and in the audience)

YOU GO GIRL!

CURTAIN-- End of Play.

Last edited on Tue Mar 18th, 2008 06:54 pm by muncy