Joseph’s Commitment

 
 
 
 

Figures :

Joseph : A young man, age 21, intelligent but delusional;

Cadence : Joseph’s mother, a small woman in her early forties;

Adam : Cadence’s father, a stubborn retiree in his late-sixties;

Doctor : Joseph’s middle-aged psychiatrist, good-humored but always professional.

Scene :

Front Lobby, Deliverance County Mental Hospital, September 11, 1999, 7:30 p.m.

Note :

This is written as a one-act play. Each Fragment represents a different episode of the action. Each Division (Joseph’s words) should be incorporated as narrative voice-overs from an invisible source while all onstage action is 'frozen.'

X

Fragment I Internal Divisions Fragment II External Divisions Fragment III External Creations Fragment IV Internal Creations Fragment V

The stage is dark, save for a lit analogue clock in the center of the background. From the far right the red light of an exit sign lightly shines over a few chairs arranged around a table partially covered with magazines and pamphlets. On the left side of the stage is a large receptionist’s desk. Beside the desk is a set of doors leading to the rest of the hospital. A sign near the door indicates that only authorized persons are allowed beyond it.

Enter stage-left: Doctor

The lights suddenly come on, dispelling the mysteriousness of the darkness. The lobby suddenly appears drab and real. The doctor sets a clipboard on the desk and goes over to the doors under the exit sign, fiddling with a few keys at the lock until the door opens.

Enter stage-right: Adam and Cadence