Act 2

by Martha Cinader

and Charlotte Taylor

based on the original story by

Martha Cinader

copyright 1994-99 Martha Cinader and Charlotte Taylor

Key:

White=Stage

Red=Sound Cues

Blue=TV

Light Green=Wall Projection

Pink=Light Cues

Characters in Order of Appearance

SpaceWoman

Corporal Crunch

Goddess

EarthWoman

CeeCee

Mistress Mona Love

Speaker of the House

Preacher

BeggarWoman

LandLord

Miss Sprocket

EarthWoman’s Agent

CeeCee’s Father

Pimp

People Dancing in Nightclub

Tinkerbelle

Musician(s)

EarthWoman’s Agent

Producer

Waiter

Woman #1

Woman #2

Megaphone #1

Megaphone #2

Megaphone #3

Green Planet Citizens

The Seven Sisters

Janitor

ACT TWO

SCENE ONE

ENTER GODDESS

WALL (live) GODDESS

GODDESS

Love resides in a place no one can touch,

where wind can never extinguish the flame.

Perhaps Corporal Crunch, doesn’t know much,

but the truths he repeats remain the same.

We all once believed with childish trust

what we were told, when we were boys and girls,

then grew up to do what we thought we must,

never intending to destroy our worlds.

EarthWoman and SpaceWoman together

stand at the border of a new frontier,

beyond slickly sliding doors, a doctor’s

needle, data analysis, and fear.

Mistress Mona Love in Compassion’s wig

presides at the Ritual of the Fig.

REGENERATION CEREMONY

GREEN PLANET CITIZENS moving to the soundtrack, wearing HEADGEAR attached to the TV. SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE is sitting petrified by the TV, trying to reach someone on his CELLULAR PHONE.

TV (live over internet) POEMS E-MAILED TO WWW.MISSIONOFLOVE.COM,
WRITTEN IN IAMBIC PENTAMETER AND NOT CONTAINING THE WORD "LOVE" SCROLL ON WEB TV.

MEGAPHONES are milling around speaking a TRUTH at regular intervals. The whole atmosphere is surreal and charged with sexuality, as the GREEN PLANET CITIZENS go through their pre-mating ritual. But even so they stop each time to respond to the megaphone.

MUSIC ALSO STOPS FOR THE MEGAPHONE RESPONSE AND STARTS AGAIN IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE CITIZENS RESPOND.

MEGAPHONES

Dream Helmets keep our Common Dream alive.

We must report malfunctions before five.

GREEN PLANET CITIZENS

We are children of the Seven Sisters.

MEGAPHONES

Our Children keep our Common Dream alive.

We must report conception before five.

GREEN PLANET CITIZENS

We are children of the Seven Sisters.

TV (live) crackles, MISTRESS MONA LOVE appears.

MISTRESS MONA LOVE

The Sister of Compassion is Alive.

She is your Mistress of Love after five.

I’ll ask you who you are and where you’ve been.

My pleasure is your original sin.

MEGAPHONE #1 approaches TV

GREEN PLANET CITIZENS

We are children of original sin.

MEGAPHONES #2 & #3

The Sister of Compassion is Alive.

We must report to the Fig before five.

GREEN PLANET CITIZENS

We are children of the Mistress of Love.

MISTRESS MONA LOVE

You’re going to dive right into my jive.

I am the live Sister of Compassion

MISTRESS MONA LOVE (cont.)

Giving you much more than just your ration

of love and goodbye and pie in the sky.

You’ll fly and you’ll cry and you won’t ask why.

I’ll bring you your fig and feed it to you.

You’ll be asking me what else you can do.

GREEN PLANET CITIZENS

We are children of the pie in the sky.

MEGAPHONE #1 drops the megaphone to side, and speaks directly to TV.

MEGAPHONE #1

What was that word? I’ve never heard of "love."

GREEN PLANET CITIZENS

We are the children of the word love.

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE grabs BULLHORN.

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

I am the Speaker of the House and I

demand to know what is going on here!

I have plainly been placed in a lie

of the most preposterous proportions!

MEGAPHONES #2 & #3

Our common children are our common goal.

We must speak our lines and obey the roles.

GREEN PLANET CITIZENS

We are children of preposterous lies.

MEGAPHONE #1 grabs BULLHORN back from Speaker of the House.

SPOTLIGHT on EARTHWOMAN and SPACEWOMAN

EARTHWOMAN is lying on a table with the same kind of HEADGEAR, attached to, and being examined by, SPACEWOMAN

WALL (taped), REPLAY of TINKERBELL dancing in nightclub. (act one, scene two.)

SFX ON VOICES OF EARTHWOMAN AND SPACEWOMAN

SPACEWOMAN

You are in a state of relaxation.

Your every need is taken care of.

You will sing every love song that you know.

You will sing and Tinkerbell will not go.

EARTHWOMAN

I don’t know why but I’m feeling so sad.

I don’t know why but I’m feeling so sad.

I long to try something I never had.

I don’t think that love is really so bad.

EARTHWOMAN

As long as lovers kiss and poets strive,

EARTHWOMAN & SPACEWOMAN

so long this song will keep our love alive.

END SFX ON EARTHWOMAN and SPACEWOMAN

SPACEWOMAN

He’s fading away! Tinkerbell is gone!

EARTHWOMAN

Where in the world am I? Who are you?

SPACEWOMAN

Please, you should not have removed your helmet!

Put it on before your love can escape!

EARTHWOMAN

What exactly have you done with my head?

SPACEWOMAN

Don’t ask me questions. Put your helmet on!

He was alive again and now he’s gone!

You must sing to him and sigh and he’ll live!

EARTHWOMAN

I’m not putting this helmet on. I’m gone.

EARTHWOMAN tries to leave. SPACEWOMAN tries to stop her. EARTHWOMAN looks out the WINDOW and sees regeneration ceremony going on.

MEGAPHONES

Mistress Mona Love has come from above.

The Sister of Compassion knows of love.

GREEN PLANET CITIZENS

The Sister of Compassion is alive.

EARTHWOMAN

Where are we, and how do I get back home?

SPACEWOMAN

Just put the helmet on and you’ll be fine.

EARTHWOMAN

Everything is not melody and fine.

How long has this affair been going on?

I have to make a call! Where is my phone?

SPACEWOMAN

Lovers are kissing. You must really strive.

And I’m going to keep our love alive!

Your telephone is out of range right now.

EARTHWOMAN

I have to know what Cee Cee is doing.

SPACEWOMAN

She is at the Grinch Grinchrich Orphanage.

I’m sure she is being well taken care of.

EARTHWOMAN

How do you know what Cee Cee is doing?

SPACEWOMAN

I shouldn’t be answering your questions.

EARTHWOMAN

You shouldn’t even have me here at all.

SPACEWOMAN

You are right! I’ve been infected with love!

I am not a qualified love agent.

There is going to be revolution!

The Green Planet will never be the same!

I’m a failure.

EARTHWOMAN

You are a lunatic.

You have to help me.

SPACEWOMAN

But I can’t help you.

EARTHWOMAN

Cee Cee will think I don’t really love her.

SPACEWOMAN

Just put your helmet on and you’ll be fine.

Everything will be melody and fine.

I’ll call the janitor. He’ll clean this mess.

I’ll go to the Sister of Compassion.

Maybe it’s not too late, if I confess.

EARTHWOMAN

What’s so bad about falling in love?

I thought you wanted to know what it means.

SPACEWOMAN

What’s so bad? I’ll tell you just what’s so bad.

When you love one, you don’t love another.

When you love money, you always want more.

You love your country and you go to war.

Without love there is no need to suffer.

I was an agent of love prevention.

But I have become a victim of love!

It’s really your fault. You taught me that song.

EARTHWOMAN

You don’t understand. I have to go home.

SPACEWOMAN

You can’t go home because you should not be here.

Put your helmet on and you’ll be happy.

It’s a fact that I have to go right now.

I have to fix everything before five.

EARTHWOMAN

You have to help me get back to Cee Cee.

WALL (live) CEE CEE.

SPACEWOMAN

You can see her but you just can’t touch her.

EARTHWOMAN turns to look at Cee Cee on WALL. SPACEWOMAN slips away.

MISSION OF LOVE THEME

CEE CEE

Here I am alone. I wish I could go home.

This place is no fun. I don’t get to run.

I’m really not bad but I feel so sad.

I hope Mom is OK for one more day.

I hope they will see she didn't leave me.

ENTER JANITOR

EARTHWOMAN

Now you must think of the stories I told.

You have to ride the rainbow and find gold.

CEE CEE

Why haven’t you come for me yet Mommy?

I'm trying to be strong, like you told me.

But that priest said he won’t let you take me.

He said you’re not even a good Mommy.

EARTHWOMAN

Love is pain when the one you love suffers,

in the tangled webs woven by others.

CEE CEE

For every minute there is a rule.

We had to clean all day instead of school.

But I didn’t get paid any money.

And they feed us all oats without honey.

CEE CEE (cont.)

The Speaker of the House will come today.

He doesn’t know I have something to say.

EARTHWOMAN

Say it loud and clear and I’ll be near you.

CEE CEE

Don’t forget I love you and you love me.

EARTHWOMAN

What ever we do, wherever we be.

CEE CEE

Even if I watched from a distant star

I’d still reside wherever you are.

WALL FADES.

EARTHWOMAN

CEE CEE please don’t leave me here all alone!

JANITOR

I never knew pleasure gave birth to pain.

I never knew the word love ‘til you came.

I was content to work and pay my rent

then you spoke of love and my world was bent.

Now you have opened the door to my heart

but I feel like I’m being torn apart.

I could say that I wish you never came

but I wish you would say you feel the same.

EARTHWOMAN

Who are you, and where did you just come from?

JANITOR

I’m the janitor. I clean up messes.

Could I touch your beautiful brown tresses?

EARTHWOMAN

I would prefer you kept your distance please.

JANITOR

I always preferred blondes, then I met you.

I liked short women, but then I met you.

EARTHWOMAN

You didn’t meet me. You don’t even know my name.

JANITOR

Your brown eyes are holding me entranced

In a strange world peculiarly enhanced

By the funny twist of your thin lipped smile

And the way you dress without any style.

There must be strong forces working above.

It must be this word you are using, "love."

EARTHWOMAN

Whenever I fall in love it’s a mess.

Tinkerbell’s gone and Cee Cee’s in trouble.

JANITOR

I’m the janitor. I clean up messes.

End Act Two, Scene One

Act Two, Scene Two

SPOTLIGHT on REGENERATION CEREMONY

TV (live) MISTRESS MONA LOVE continues

MISTRESS MONA LOVE

My older sisters are getting tired

They aren’t anxious to be admired.

But we are young and we want to have fun.

MEGAPHONE #2 & #3

Fun keeps us all young. We all must have fun.

GREEN PLANET CITIZENS

We are children keeping young having fun.

MEGAPHONE #1

The Sister of Compassion speaks new rhymes.

This must be a sign of the changing times.

Green Planet Citizens

We are all children of the changing times.

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

I demand to see whoever’s in charge!

I am the Speaker! Who is my equal?

ENTER SPACEWOMAN

SPACEWOMAN

Corporal Crunch Sir! There’s been an error!

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

What is your title? Your name and rank please.

Someone’s head is gonna roll. Someone will suffer!

SPACEWOMAN

Corporal Crunch have you been infected?

You know that suffering is not allowed.

MISTRESS MONA LOVE

Some men appear to be more than they are,

and some men exist only in our dreams.

But this man here is from a distant star.

and nothing you believe is what it seems.

SPACEWOMAN

The Mistress of Compassion is alive.

Could it be that love has awakened her?

MEGAPHONE #1

Love has awakened and now we’re alive

We must believe in what seems in our dreams.

GREEN PLANET CITIZENS

We are children of the seven lovers.

ENTER EARTHWOMAN, JANITOR

EARTHWOMAN

You’re the one who got me into this mess.

Everything was just melody and fine

until you came along and wrecked my life.

SPACEWOMAN

The Janitor was supposed to mop you.

My requisition must not have gone through.

MEGAPHONE #2 & #3

Dream Helmets can keep us out of messes.

Everything will be melody and fine.

GREEN PLANET CITIZENS

We are children of the sisters lovers.

JANITOR

I must consider the infrastructure.

This is a bigger mess than you realize.

I do complicated engineering.

I have a form here that you must sign first.

EARTHWOMAN (to Speaker of the House)

You! You oughtta be ashamed of yourself!

I knew the government was behind this.

MEGAPHONES

Sisterhood, the mother of brotherhood.

We must eat the figs our mother provides.

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

I bet you’re one of those single mothers.

This is a subversive revolution.

It must be contained at no end to cost.

MISTRESS MONA LOVE

The old order, a fading falling star,

is far away from this place where you are.

The Sister of Compassion is your friend.

You will savor her ripe figs in the end.

GREEN PLANET CITIZENS

We are the children of your fading friends.

SPACEWOMAN

The revolution is happening now!

I alone have made a cosmic error!

I wish I could share this with Tinkerbell!

EARTHWOMAN

Would someone please pay attention to me!

JANITOR

The thought of your hands on my naked skin

evokes fantasies where I've never been

before you came in with your crooked walk

and I listened to your spaced out talk.

EARTHWOMAN

This is really not the time or the place.

JANITOR

The thought of you bathed in neon light

while I hope and pray that one day you might

JANITOR (cont.)

just hold me in your awkward skinny arms

renders me a prisoner of your charms.

EARTHWOMAN

Are you going anywhere with all this?

JANITOR

I just want to be wherever you are

I will follow you to a distant star.

I can get you just where you want to be

and you are the one who can set me free.

MISTRESS MONA LOVE

True love can not be bought, or sold either.

I would say he’s suffering from fever.

JANITOR (to Speaker of the House)

You must fill this out. You’ll get due process.

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

I will sue you for useless suffering!

JANITOR

Suffering is strictly prohibited.

Please report right away for the love test.

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

But you don’t understand. I’m the speaker!

MISTRESS MONA LOVE

You’re a love agent now. There’s the Speaker.

WALL (taped) CORPORAL CRUNCH is giving a speech in front of flashing photographers bulbs and several microphones. CEE CEE is ducking around him trying to get in front of the camera.

CORPORAL CRUNCH

A real democratic institution

Would place each and every child in our care

And not distinguish one from another.

Then we’d each see ourselves in each child’s eyes.

CEE CEE

Mr. Speaker I need to speak to you.

I’m sure there must be something you can do.

My mother has been away a long time

She vanished without leaving any sign.

CORPORAL CRUNCH

I know you. Your mother sings those love songs.

CEE CEE

My mother’s spoken to me in my dreams

from the planet of the seven sisters.

CORPORAL CRUNCH

A great change is coming for everyone.

You must all report to the fig at five.

WALL CRACKLES and FADES to ANIMATION of the universe.

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

He is destroying my only career.

I’ll be the laughing stock of Washington!

JANITOR (to SpaceWoman)

You must turn this in to the office now.

SPACEWOMAN

But you don’t understand. It’s all over!

JANITOR

No, you’re wrong. It’s only just beginning.

SPACEWOMAN

But what ever happened to Tinkerbell?

EARTHWOMAN (to Janitor)

If you get me home I’ll give you a try

but if it doesn’t work out please don’t cry

or tell me what I should or shouldn’t do

or blame me if I’m not in love with you.

SPACEWOMAN

Has everyone abandoned the mission?

EARTHWOMAN

Everything will be melody and fine.

JANITOR and EARTHWOMAN vanish

EXIT EARTHWOMAN, JANITOR

MISTRESS MONA LOVE

All is fair in the war of the ages.

When we’ve loved and lost we become sages.

You will not be allowed to suffer here.

It is something about the atmosphere.

TV goes to COMMERCIAL

EXIT SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE, GREEN PLANET CITIZENS.

TV (live) EARTHWOMAN and CEE CEE.. JANITOR standing at a distance watching.

MEGAPHONES

She came alive. We dived into her jive.

We must rehearse tomorrow before five.

EXIT MEGAPHONES

SPACEWOMAN

So love was here and I did not know it.

Love can’t be seen even when you show it.

EARTHWOMAN

Girl have I got a story to tell you.

CEE CEE

Not like the story I have to tell you.

EXIT EARTHWOMAN, CEE CEE

JANITOR

My love is my light in a strange, new world.

Even though her hair would look better curled.

EXIT JANITOR FADE TO AUDIENCE

SPACEWOMAN

But our love will never fade in the light

nor your smile lose its' charm as years go by,

nor shall death keep our love from taking flight,

when this song is sung and lonely girls sigh:

so long as lovers kiss and poets strive,

so long this song will keep our love alive.

SPOTLIGHT FADES on SPACEWOMAN.

ENTER GODDESS

SPOTLIGHT on GODDESS

SEVEN SISTERS VIDEO MONTAGE on WALL

MISSION OF LOVE THEME

GODDESS

In a world without love there is no pain.

The only reason for being alive

when there’s nothing to suffer or to gain,

is to finish all your work before five.

We all share one destiny in the sky

perhaps without even stopping to ask

where our blessings come from or even why

we take our most beloved friends to task.

When we lack the things that we think we need

and forget our love for living itself,

GODDESS (cont.)

we must turn to our neighbors and plant seeds

or put some food on an empty shelf.

The final word from the Goddess above

Is that we’re all on a Mission of Love.

The End