BACK MEMORIAL 4'?m2f AIDS memorial, commemorating dangerous behavior LIZ -- (enters carrying notebook, crosses to podium, opens notebook, looks around, looks at watch, paces briefly, looks at watch, reads) Allan Anderson... Fred Anderson... Ralph Ardell... Eugene Ardmore... AMY -- (enters, looks around, approaches) Excuse me? LIZ -- Yes? AMY -- What are you doing? LIZ -- This was supposed to be an AIDS memorial, but nobody showed up. I thought I'd read the names anyway. AMY -- Read the names. LIZ -- The names of the people who died of AIDS. AMY -- Hence the title AIDS Memorial. LIZ -- Exactly. (reads) James Aston, Robert Atwater... AMY -- Excuse me? LIZ -- Yes? AMY -- These names you're reading, these are war veterans, right? LIZ -- (scans notebook, pages) No. I don't think so... (pages) No. Definitely not. (points) I know this person. He was never in the military. (reads) Walter Azimov... Frank Baker... AMY -- Excuse me? LIZ -- Yes? AMY -- What did these people do... why are you memorializing them? LIZ -- I thought I told you that. They died of AIDS. AMY -- That's it? LIZ -- Yes. AMY -- You're memorializing them because of the disease they died from? LIZ -- Yes. AMY -- Uh huh. LIZ -- (reads) James Barber... AMY -- Listen, I hate to keep interrupting... LIZ -- Yes? AMY -- Can I assume you also have a list of people who died of Heart Disease and another list of people who died of cancer? LIZ -- No. Just AIDS. This is an AIDS memorial. AMY -- AIDS only. LIZ -- Yes. AMY -- And they have nothing in common except that they died of the same disease. LIZ -- That's right. AMY -- And you think that's important to remember? LIZ -- Yes. I'm not the only one. There are dozens of AIDS memorials all over the country at this very hour. AMY -- And they're memorializing people who died of AIDS. LIZ -- Yes. (reads) David Bartholomew... Richard Battle... AMY -- Listen, I hate to be so dense. But... LIZ -- Yes? AMY -- Well, I don't understand why one person, let alone people in several cities would want to memorialize people for the disease they died from. LIZ -- You can't? AMY -- No. I mean, I applauded the memorial of the men who died of radiation poisoning after they contained the Chernobel nuclear accident, because they got sick while saving lives. Did any of these (points) people get their disease while saving lives? LIZ -- I don't think so. AMY -- How did these people get their disease? LIZ -- Mostly by having unprotected sex with several different sex partners. (quickly) But some of them got AIDS by injecting drugs with infected syringes. AMY -- So, what you're saying is that these people you're memorializing died of a disease that could have been prevented? LIZ -- Yes. AMY -- Oh, I see. You know, to be fair, you should include the other victims of preventable deaths too, like those who died of alcoholism, serosis of the liver, drug overdoses, and those who died in gun battles with police. LIZ -- No. This is only an AIDS memorial. AMY -- But, why? What is there about them that you would WANT to remember?! Who were you expecting to show up here? The sex partners they infected with AIDS? LIZ -- (pauses, looks to audience, looks to Amy) I don't know. It sounded like a real noble cause. But when you put it like that, I think I know why nobody showed up. (moves toward exit) AMY -- (follows) But you haven't finished yet. You're only on the B's. LIZ -- (turns) Listen, I won't tell anybody I was here if you don't. ©2013 Bob Snook. Conditions for use: Do not sell any part of this script, even if you rewrite it. Pay no royalties, even if you make money from performances. You may reproduce and distribute this script freely, but all copies must contain this copyright statement. http://www.bobsnook.org email: [email protected] BACK |