The Waiting Room, I

The Waiting Room, I

Performance Time & Location:

Lobby of the ART or similar before a performance.

MC:

MIC CHECK

MIC CHECK

THE OCCUPATION REQUESTS YOUR ATTENTION

THIS IS MY TICKET.

THIS IS YOURS.

Troupe enters, takes places, hands out flyers.

Time & Place

June-teenth, third weekend in June, Emancipation Day.

Waiting Room of the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital of last resort, Boston, MA.

Props and Staging

Four chairs labeled Lemuel Shattuck up stage. A card table rear stage where the Receptionist sits and talks to the MD who stands. Calendar hung from front of card table. Stage left, card board doors to the waiting room held by unseen stage hands, tamborine unseen on doors.

Characters

Irma: an older white woman. It is unclear as to whether she’s homeless.

Prisoner, a black man in shackles. He sits motionless during most of the action.

Two officers

Seth, a teenage boy with severe cramps. He may be drunk.

Mary, a middle class white woman.

Receptionist

MD

C:The Large Crowd, off stage. This is Occupy Boston commemorating Emancipation Day in Franklin Park just outside the hospital. During most of the action there is at least low level crowd noise coming from off stage. At other points there’s dialogue heard via a bullhorn or Mic Check.

Act I

Action begins with Receptionist on stage at the card table.

Irma wanders in talking to herself and takes a seat. A few minutes later the Prisoner is escorted in by two officers and told to take a seat, which he does. Pause.

The MD enter and heads for the prisoner.

Receptionist: Dr. I have the treatment stack.

The MD changes direction and stands a bit away from the table to talk to the Receptionist.

MD: The Prisoner needs to be evaluated as soon as possible. I’ll need two guards who have keys to the shackles.

R: That patient’s care is paid for by a state grant, which is subsidized by the federal government, which is closed.

C: EMANCIPATION NOW NOW NOW WHAT DO WE WANT? WHAT DO WE WANT?

The doors rattle.

MD and receptionist freeze.

I: to the Prisoner: I gotta have my ears cleaned out.

P does not answer.

I: I tried to get an appointment with my doctor, but he said December! December! I can’t wait until December.

P does not answer. Seth and Mary enter and sit down. Seth is clearly suffering from severe abdominal pain.

MD: If I care for the Prisoner now, will I be paid when the government opens again?

C: CAIN, WHERE IS ABLE YOUR BROTHER ABLE? ABLE? Cheers, the doors rattle.

MD and R are startled and pause a minute before resuming.

R: Irma Bombeck is on Medicare, but this is not a public hospital.

I to M: They told me not to go here, but I figure a hospital is a hospital.They got Dr.’s, right?

MD: But, all these patients are on the Romney plan, so their care will eventually be paid for, right?

R: Correct. I think you should see Mary first.

MD: Mary has bunions. I saw her yesterday.

R: I think you should see Mary first.

C: CAIN WHERE IS YOUR BROTHER ABEL? ABEL?

The doors rattle.

MD: Where are the new patients in the stack? Did you get that other fellow’s name? Something like Sable, or Table?

At this point the audience should have noticed the dead body under the table wrapped in sheepskin.

R: That information is not available.

MD: How about I clean out Irma’s ears while you come up with a list?

C: WE ARE ALL ONE BODY! ONE BODY! WE ARE ALL ONE BODY! ONE BODY!

Doors rattle.

S: moans, clutches his gut and says, “I think I’m gonna puke.”

MD: Let me start with him.

R: The reimbursement rate for stomach pumping of a minor covered by his parents healthcare plan, in this case unauthorized emergency room, is not known. I can tell you that the reimbursement for a 10 minute consultation under the plan held by Mary, is $1,500/minute before taxes.

Prisoner stands,stretches, groans and sits. Everyone except the R. is startled and scared. Mary and Irma move away. Seth can’t move. The MD heads towards the Prisoner. The receptionist puts her hand on his arm:

R: Your reimbursement for care of that patient is not guarranteed.

C: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? THE VOICE OF YOUR BROTHER’S BLOOD IS CRYING. THE VOICE OF YOUR BROTHER’S BLOOD IS CRYING. Cheering, the doors to the waiting room shake.

Seth: groans.

I to M: Did you hear something?

M: Doctor! Doctor!

M walks towards the R. and MD.

M: I really think you should see that boy right away, I can wait a little bit.

R: Thank  you for your concern. Could you fill out these forms? The Dr. will be with you in just a minute.

M. takes the forms and goes back to her seat.

MD: I work under bundled care, not fee for service. And I’m a state employee.

R: We will reimburse the state according to a fee for service model which will bring down the fee for the all of Mary’s care by an unknown percent. The other patients are not eligible to be seen at this hospital. I think you should see Mary first.

M and I try to make Seth feel better. He calms down a bit and lays down on the floor. Pause.

M to I: I worked for the Federal Reserve for 20 years. Twenty years of counting money standing up. I got a great pension and bunions, really bad bunions.

I (looking confused). Did you hear something? Pause. At the other hospital, the candy stripers bring snacks at about this time.

Seth starts groaning again. The Prisoner gets up and starts whispering to Seth.

C: WHEN I WAS HUNGRY

WHEN I WAS HUNGRY

YOU FED ME,

YOU FED ME

I WAS IN PRISON

I WAS IN PRISON

AND YOU CAME TO ME

AND YOU CAME TO M

Prolonged loud cheering. Bob Marley begins to play, interrupted by cheering.

M and I move back to the Prisoner and Seth, all look at the shaking doors.

MD to Receptionist: Listen, you have to make a decision.

C (very loud with much door rattling)

I AM

I AM

MY BROTHER’S

Crowd burst through door:

MY BROTHER’S KEEPER

KEEPER

The crowd races across stage, everyone except the receptionist follows them, off stage right. The receptionist falls to the ground unconscious.