Pillars of the International Economic and Social Organization

Marina Dean

Description

Pillars of the International Economic and Social Organization is a play about the campaign of IESOuniversity women to reform the organization's salary system. The action of the six-character play, with one simple set, takes place in an office in the IESO building in London. The play deals with work, money, human rights, race and religion. Nearly everyone had the opportunity, but who actually murdered Ingrid Roper?Detective Chief Inspector Christy is on the case. The most obvious suspect is Ingrid's jealous husband, Abdullah, but Christy finds it odd that Ingrid's secretary, Barbara, was absent when the murder took place. DCIChristy thinks that Maria, the Chair of IESOUniversity Women's Union, knows who the killer is. He questions her and she tells him about the greed, corruption and incompetence of the management and about the university women's campaign to introduce the minimum salary for university graduates. Then Abdullah is murdered in a shocking turn of events, leading Christy to re-examine the case entirely...

Informations

• Publié par: Troubador Publishing Ltd
• Date de parution: 28 juin 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781784626464
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

PILLARS OF THE INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATION
A PLAY BY MARINA DEAN
[All events and characters are fictitious, including murders and controversial views]
 
 
 
 
 
 
Copyright © 2015 Marina Dean
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All rights reserved. No performance, professional or amateur, may be given without the prior written permission from the publishers. For permission to perform the play apply to the publishers at the address below. No performance may be given unless a licence has first been obtained.
Matador ®
9 Priory Business Park,
Wistow Road, Kibworth Beauchamp,
Leicestershire. LE8 0RX
Tel: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Web: www.troubador.co.uk/matador
eISBN 978 1784626 464
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Matador ® is an imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd
 
 
Contents
Characters
Act I
Scene 1
Scene 2
Scene 3
Scene 4
Scene 5
Scene 6
Act II
Scene 1
Scene 2
Scene 3
Scene 4
Scene 5
 
 
CHARACTERS
(in order of appearance)
Maria Forsyth
Jude Israelson
Barbara Israelson
Abdullah Roper
Ingrid Roper
Inspector Christy
The action of the play takes place in an office tower on the Isle of Dogs, London. Time – the present .
All events and characters are fictitious, including murders and controversial views . Act I    Scene 1   Early morning in November Act I    Scene 2   Early morning in November Act I    Scene 3   The evening of the 25 th of November Act I    Scene 4   The afternoon of the 26 th of November Act I    Scene 5   Later that afternoon Act I   Scene 6   Later that afternoon Act II    Scene 1   Early morning of the 27 th of November Act II    Scene 2   Early morning of the 27 th of November Act II    Scene 3   The following afternoon Act II    Scene 4   Later that afternoon Act II    Scene 5   Later that afternoon
 
 
ACT I
Before the curtain rises Maria Forsyth enters DL and walks to DC. She is a dignified, classy lady in her forties. She addresses the audience . MARIA   Most of you work.     (pointing with a finger at a woman in the audience) Does your chief have a high IQ?     (pointing with a finger at another woman in the audience) Does your chief have a university degree?     (pointing with a finger at a man in the audience) Does your chief have twenty years of experience in his field?     (pointing with a finger at another man in the audience) Does your chief communicate very well? Is he polite? Pause .     I am working for IESO. For the International Economic and Social Organization. My chief is not even qualified let alone the best for the job. Maria exits DR. The curtain rises .
SCENE 1
The International Economic and Social Organization Building, the Isle of Dogs. Jude Israelson’s office. Early morning in November. The suggestion of an office. Very abstract. A desk and a chair. Five comfortable office chairs. A map of the world and a picture of a jigsaw. Jude Israelson, a strong man in his forties, is at his desk. Barbara Israelson, an attractive, cheerful young woman, is looking out of the window. She is wearing a low-cut blouse with the IESO-Drama-Club sign, a short skirt and shoes . BARBARA   Jude! A man! Carrying a bomb! He is going to blow us up! JUDE   A bomb! Jude jumps up and crosses to the window . BARBARA   He’s going to blow up IESO! JUDE   Where is he? BARBARA   On the Plaza. JUDE   Where? Barbara laughs .     Playing a trick on me. Pause .     If you weren’t the most attractive woman I’ve ever met – Barbara kisses him .     (seriously) I am the Deputy Chief of Security. I can’t have such jokes in my office. Barbara embraces him .     Barbara. Pause .     We are not on our honeymoon any more. Barbara embraces him .     We are not at home. BARBARA   It’s early. Nobody’s here. Jude pretends he is her chief . JUDE   If you don’t behave yourself, you’ll lose your job. Barbara pretends she is afraid she’ll lose her job . BARBARA   (pretending) Lose my job. JUDE (pretending) Yes. You’ll be dismissed. BARBARA   (pretending) Dismissed. Oh my God. JUDE   (pretending) Outrageous behaviour. BARBARA   (pretending) Because of one kiss? I haven’t seen you for a month. JUDE   (pretending) You did not appreciate what you had. Summary dismissal for serious misconduct. They laugh. Barbara crosses to the window. Turns around . BARBARA   I am here on business. I’ve come to ask you – JUDE   Come here. I don’t want people to see you. Some people are stupid. Jump to the wrong conclusion. BARBARA   Nobody’s here. Barbara crosses from the window to Jude .     Far enough? JUDE   Yes. Pause .     You look glamorous. Barbara displays her skirt and blouse like a model .     Turn around. Barbara turns her back to Jude showing the IESO-Drama-Club sign .     Let me see. BARBARA   The IESO Drama Club. JUDE   You’re advertising. BARBARA   (coquettishly) I am playing a dancer, who entertains a tired businessman. With music. JUDE   A dancer? BARBARA   (laughing) Yes. JUDE   Tonight? BARBARA   No, at one o’clock. During our lunch break. You could come. JUDE   I am not a theatre lover. BARBARA   It’s great. It’s fun. I need fun so I can put up with Mrs Roper. She thinks I am her servant, not her secretary. There is a knock on the door. Maria enters . MARIA   (upset) My name is Maria Forsyth. I got out of the lift on the tenth floor. Two minutes ago. I saw a woman who looked like Mrs Roper. She opened a briefcase full of pound notes and showed it to me. I asked her what the money was for. She shut the briefcase and ran away. Like a thief. JUDE   In which direction did she go? Maria points DL . JUDE   Do you have an eyewitness? MARIA   No. Pause .     I swear. I am telling you the truth. I am not a liar. JUDE   We’d have the woman’s name and signature. And we’d know who she is. MARIA   (shouting) I am not a liar!!! JUDE   Not enough substance. MARIA   (shouting) Maybe the money was for me. JUDE   That is just an unsubstantiated allegation. So I can’t write a report. Maria exits slamming the door. Jude makes a face . BARBARA   I am here on business. JUDE   I’m all ears. BARBARA   (opening her handbag and taking out the notes she’d jotted down for a report) I’ve come to ask you to help me report the Ropers. JUDE   What happened? BARBARA   They quarrelled in her office yesterday. JUDE   Married couples sometimes quarrel. BARBARA   He shouted at her. JUDE   So what? Barbara gives the notes to Jude. Jude glances at the notes . BARBARA   She is a sleepwalker. She could fall asleep and hit me. JUDE   Better mind your own business. BARBARA   I can’t take it any more. JUDE   Is she so difficult? BARBARA   She is dishonest. And she lies so much. JUDE   Stupid people behave badly. BARBARA   He is a danger too. He is so aggressive. When he gets angry anything can happen. So I want to report them. JUDE   You want to report that your chief quarrelled with her husband? BARBARA   You never take me seriously. JUDE   You gossip so much. BARBARA   I just add a little to the rumours I hear to make them interesting. JUDE   Add a little? Sometimes you say things that are pure fantasy. BARBARA   You’ve got to be cheerful. And a positive thinker. JUDE   But you do gossip a lot. BARBARA   I want to report them. JUDE   It’s better not to get involved. Some people are so stupid. BARBARA   I saw you having lunch with her in the cafeteria before you left. JUDE   I’ve never had lunch with her. You’re keeping an eye on me. BARBARA   Your ex-wife kept an eye on you? JUDE   I blurted out that my father was the poorest farmer in the village. She then found out that I went around in Israel disguised as a Catholic priest. Oh, what did I say. She walked out on me. BARBARA   She divorced you? JUDE   Yes. During the following Barbara opens her handbag and takes out pen and paper . BARBARA   You were single for a long time. JUDE   I wanted to enjoy myself. I fought a war. BARBARA   A war. Must be terrible. Dead. Wounded. JUDE   You do something for your country. BARBARA   If you are ordered to shoot somebody dead, you have to do it? JUDE   Yes. You obey orders. The person who gives orders is responsible. BARBARA   Still. JUDE   And you mature. If you haven’t experienced a war, if you haven’t seen death, you don’t know much about life. BARBARA   That’s why you want to have fun. JUDE   When we retire, we’ll live on a small island. BARBARA   I’ve come to ask you to help me write a report about the Ropers. You could tell me how to write it so I am not disciplined. JUDE   I don’t have much time. BARBARA   He told her yesterday if she did not stop going out with a man, he’d kill her. JUDE   Are you sure? BARBARA   Yes. Pause .     She can fall asleep, start sleepwalking and run amok. JUDE   Run amok?! BARBARA   If she has a problem she can’t solve, she sleepwalks. JUDE   Really? BARBARA   Yes. She made big blunders with staff members’ files and salary grades. That is an unsolved problem. She is afraid she’ll be sentenced. That’s why she sleepwalks. JUDE   You did not see. You did not hear. BARBARA   If you don’t want to help me, I’ll write a short report as well as I can. JUDE   (suppressing his anger) Better stay out of trouble. BARBARA   She is getting divorced. JUDE   (impatiently) Is that the latest rumour in your section? BARBARA   I have it from a reliable source. JUDE   (suppressing his anger) You did not hear. BARBARA   I don’t want to lie. JUDE   (suppressing his anger) You’ve forgotten. BARBARA   She is not normal. JUDE   (suppressing his anger) You don’t know. BARBARA   I don’t want to be slapped. She could slap me while sleepwalking. JUDE   (suppressing his anger) It is better not to get involved. BARBARA   I don’t want to be hit. JUDE   (angrily) Mind your own business! BARBARA   I don’t want to be beaten. JUDE   (angrily) Keep your mouth shut! BARBARA   I thought you’d help me. JUDE   (angrily) Don’t breathe a word of this to anyone! BARBARA