21209791

English Extension 2: SCRIPT

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NOTES ON STAGING.

CHARACTERS.

Regarding the characters, age, sex, and race are not to be taken into account when

considering the role undertaken. The actor/actress must be willing to break away from dominant

gendered discourses for the role; this particularly applies to costumes, which must be highly

eccentric and elaborate, although there are no specific outfit requirements for the drags. Roles

will occasionally double up.

HERMAPHRODITE: A biological half-man, half-woman struggling to identify a ‘self’ in a

changing world.

DRAG ONE: Former Vogue model with pride, political consciousness, and inner confidence.

DRAG TWO: Once kicked out of home, now a sharp, independent - if rather cynical -

individual.

DRAG THREE: Sexually open, sexually experienced, with strong physical confidence.

SAVIOR: A man who completely contradicts the notion of “Prince Charming.” Later becomes

DRAG FOUR.

OPPRESSED WOMAN: A woman on a perpetual hunt for the perfect man. Later becomes

DRAG FIVE.

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SETTING.

Although the location changes, the setting consists of three circular tables in a triangular

shape, with two on either corner down-stage, and one in the centre. At the back wall, there is a

door with a clear unisex sign, and a large electronic screen depicting various photos of drags.

The luminosity of these images is constantly manipulated by lighting based on the location, but

they remain the perpetual backdrop of the set unless otherwise stated.

STRUCTURE.

The play is episodic in its structure. Lights are not to go down between episodes unless

stated; instead, each episode is separated by a bright flash of light, as if a huge camera flash has

just gone off. The characters have between three and five seconds to position themselves for the

following scene. There is no intermission.

CAMERAS.

It should be referenced within advertising that the audience is allowed to take photos

with their cameras, but only during the final minute of the play. Alternatively, members of the

audience may be provided with disposal cameras.

THE RIGHT PARADE.

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The lights are completely dark, and everything is silent. After a few

seconds, a voice cuts through the darkness.

VOICE: Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of God to join together these

individuals in holy matrimony - into this holy estate these two persons present come now to be

joined. If any drag can show just cause why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him

now speak, or else hereafter forever hold his peace.

The lights snap on to reveal the five drags dressed in bright eccentric

colours, standing in a “V” shape mirroring a traditional wedding party of a

priest, the couple and their closest friends. There is no distinguishable

‘bride’ or ‘groom’ other than their position on the stage; they’re both

wearing heavy make-up, and various articles of clothing and accessories.

VOICE: May the purity of your souls bless, preserve, and keep you; the Lord mercifully with

his favour look upon you, and fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace; that you may so

live together in this life. Drag and drag, you may now kiss.

Abruptly, the entire cast turns to face the audience whilst a big band cover

of The Candy Man sounds in the background. Bright colourful lights are

projected all around the stage. The cast may also enter the audience,

providing them with small cans of hairspray and disposal cameras,

attempting to fix their hair and smooth their clothes.

DRAG ONE: Who can take convention,

Twist it round and round,

Dress it quite theatrically, in a way sure to astound,

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The Draggy Drags,

ALL: Yes, the Draggy Drags can.

DRAG ONE: The Draggy Drags can cos we’re individuals and we make the world feel good.

DRAG TWO: Who can take oppression,

Fight it with a wig,

Cake on the mascara, shocking those narrow-minded pigs,

The Draggy Drags,

ALL: Yes the Draggy Drags can.

DRAG TWO: The Draggy Drags can cos we’re individuals and we make the world feel good.

DRAG THREE: Who can take biology,

And make it what it’s not?

You can be anybody, if that hits your spot,

The Draggy Drags,

ALL: Yes, the Draggy Drags can.

DRAG THREE: The Draggy Drags can cos we’re individuals and we make the world feel

good.

DRAG FOUR: My wonderful friends, let me point out once again that there is no need for

your oppression here! Vibrators, an old shawl, big wide-rimmed glasses - pull them out!

DRAG FIVE: A wig! A pair of odd socks! A disturbing secret you’ve been dying to get off your

chest! Throw it out there!

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DRAG ONE: A penis! Breasts! Anything you please! Bring them out!

Because the Draggy Drags...

ALL: Yes, the Draggy Drags can.

THE RIGHTS PARADE.

A pair of homosexual rights activists and a pair of feminists march out

from behind the stage, holding rainbow flags and chanting slogans.

GAYS: We’re here! We’re queer! Get used to it!

FEMINISTS: We’re here! We’re clear! We don’t need men!

GAYS: We’re fierce! We’re fantastic! We’re downright fucking fabulous!

FEMINISTS: Fair hours, fair wages! Fair hours, fair wages!

GAYS: Hey, ho! Hey, ho! Homophobia’s got to go!

FEMINISTS: We’re here! We’re clear! Wimmin’s independence!

VOICE (offstage): No one cares about this stuff anymore! Get with the times and shut the

hell up!

Looking surprised and disappointed, the activists sidle back offstage, casting

an awkward apologetic look around at the audience.

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THE MONSTROSITY OF SUBURBIA.

Enter DRAG TWO’s parents (played by OPPRESSED WOMAN and

SAVIOUR). Immersed in conversation, they sit at the kitchen table. Every

aspect of their emotions seems robotic and vague, as if they’re acting

according to a textbook. On the screen appears an image of a traditional

single storey suburban house with a perfectly-trimmed front lawn identical

to that of the neighbours. The image looks comfortable, yet terribly bland. A

packed suitcase sits to the side, blending into the colour of the wall,

unnoticed.

FATHER: We can’t let something like that stay under our roof. It’s just not possible.

MOTHER: Can you imagine what the neighbours would say?

FATHER: It’d be the end of our lives.

MOTHER: We’d have to move!

FATHER: But even in a whole new neighbourhood, what difference would it make?

MOTHER: You’re right.

FATHER: We’ve got to make changes.

MOTHER: Nosey woman next-door was craning her head over the fence, trying to get a good

look at us.

FATHER: Nothing but a bored old gossip, she is. Why can’t people mind their own business?

We don’t butt into other people’s affairs!

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MOTHER: Of course not! Although I did hear the youngest boy from Number 10 was spotted

smoking marijuana in the park around the corner.

FATHER: I’d rather a dope-smoking son than -

MOTHER: Teenage daughter’s pregnant. Whole family in a mess.

FATHER: Though somehow their lawn remains trimmed and tidy.

MOTHER: Not as bad as -

FATHER: Nowhere near as bad as -

MOTHER: Oh dear, we’ll have to move.

FATHER: We need to make our message clear. Action must be taken.

MOTHER: Really put our foot down?

FATHER: It’s time to go.

At this point, DRAG TWO enters through the side-door, dressed very

eccentrically, hastily and unsuccessfully attempting to remove makeup from

his face. The door slams and the couple look up with a start.

FATHER: Oh.

MOTHER: (shaking her head) No.

DRAG TWO: I’ll just -

FATHER: It’s time to go.

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MOTHER: You don’t belong here.

DRAG TWO: What?

FATHER: It’s time to go.

DRAG TWO: Go where?

FATHER: Somewhere else, anywhere...

MOTHER: We don’t care.

FATHER: Just leave.

DRAG TWO: What did I do?

MOTHER: Neighbours are staring -

FATHER: Prying -

MOTHER: So disgusted -

FATHER: So ashamed -

MOTHER: Completely abnormal.

FATHER: We never raised you to be like this.

MOTHER: We gave you an education. Raised you in a beautiful suburb, paid for a nice Catholic

school, introduced you to lovely people.

FATHER: And like a dagger to our hearts, it’s all been thrown back at us.

MOTHER: Absolutely pierced our hearts.

FATHER: We’ve packed your things.

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For the first time, the parents indicate to the suitcase. DRAG TWO stares at it

for a few seconds in increased horror and disbelief, before rounding back.

DRAG TWO: You can’t kick me out! I’ve done nothing wrong! What do I do? Where will I go?

MOTHER: Be careful. Your breakables are packed on top.

FATHER: Take a sweater, it’s cold outside.

DRAG TWO: What did I do?

MOTHER: I’m sure you can stay with those lovely friends of yours.

FATHER: But always say please and thank you. That’s very important.

DRAG TWO: I’m probably the only authentic person in this uptight shithole of a suburb!

MOTHER: (Gazing out the window) Oh dear, the grass is getting a bit long again.

FATHER: Shouldn’t go beyond the two-inch limit, oh no. I’ll get started on that tomorrow.

MOTHER: But what if it rains tonight? Lawn mower’s outside, don’t want it muddy and rusted

again.

FATHER: I’ll keep it in the spare room dear.

MOTHER: Perfect.

FATHER: Everything is now in its place.

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MOTHER turns to some kitchen utensils behind her and busies herself, whilst

FATHER walks off-stage in the other direction. DRAG TWO is left standing by

the suitcase.

DRAG TWO: Mum? Dad? A complete silence, then - WHAT DID I DO?

He grabs the suitcase, walks out the door and slams it shut. MOTHER and

FATHER turn to each other, nod, and depart in the other direction.

THE HERMAPHRODITE.

The hermaphrodite sits in a chair in front of the middle table, slightly

off-centre.

(To the audience.) You're all freaks! Freaks, I say! A bunch of hideous conformists! (To an

audience member) What's all this? Why so much makeup? I could practically drown in

your eyeliner and foundation and mascara! No, no wait - I am drowning in your eyeliner and

foundation and mascara! I'm screaming (dramatically mimes struggling on the floor)

"Oh dear God! Somebody! Somebody help me! I need a boat load of sane people to save me

from these ridiculous illusions! (He returns to his feet.) Leave the room! Go on, leave. No,

don't just stand there and look up at me with that pathetic little grin on your face. Leave! All of

you - leave! (It sits in its chair, visibly shaking, and stares into the mirror.) I .. I ..

I a - I am.. I .. No. Not when you're right in the middle. The world doesn't work that way, my

friend. It's one or the other. You can't have both! You've got to – wait... No... No... No! You don't

have to do anything! You're sitting in your own glassy little world where there's just you and

nobody else and you get to be the height of everything - you are the God damn social norm! But

I .. I .. I a - I am.. I .. No! Oh for God's sake. (Clears throat) Ladies and gen - no. Queens and
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ki - no. Er. Everyone. Everyone, let me tell you a pretty little tale about the world. There was

this beautiful girl named Cinderella. Oh, how in tune she was with her emotions! How she

longed for love! How passionate, spirited and dreamy she was! Well, one day she met this

extremely handsome man named Prince Charming, with his clean, sharp looks and neat, short

hair. He was so loving, so kind and so strong. So dedicated. His only job in life was to sweep the

beautiful Cinderella off her feet and whisk her away into a magical heaven. A beautiful, classic

fairy-tale ending. So whisk he did! And the conclusion, everyone? They fucked. They fucked

all night long in complete ecstasy, over and over and upside down, their feet didn't even touch

the ground, whilst everybody else applauded and kept them alive for centuries. Because that's

the way it's supposed to be! In every situation - in any situation - there's supposed to be a

Cinderella and a Prince Charming! That's the natural order of things. That's what everyone looks

- that's what I've been looking for! But ... but... no. I don't get to be Cinderella or Prince

Charming. I - I'm running out of time. The freaks rule over everything and soon people like me

will cease to exist! Because you know what I am? I'm real. I'm not pretending to be something

I'm not! I am not an actor! I am not a performer! You're the performers!

I just want to be somebody. My ultimate goal in life is to stand up dramatically and be able to

yell to the world, "I am...!' But of course, I can't do that. I can't say I'm anything because I'm

everything and when you're everything, you're nothing. And when you're nothing, you're...

well... I... Oh, for the love of God! Can you please just give me a chance to find my defi-

fucking-nition!? Do you know what it's like to go out in public and not even be able to say, "I

am?" Well of course you can say what you are - you're all the bloody same! Just ask the person

next to you! "Oh hi there, I'm ... (to an audience member) what's your name? No, not your birth

name, your new name. Your "Oh-I-relinquish-all-forms-of-performativity-in-my-gender-so-I'm-

going-

to-perform-drag-instead” name! Oh don't even bother! My real name is going to be dead like

yours soon anyway! Don't you people realize that you're just making absolute fools of
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yourselves? (To the nearest woman) What are you doing? Ridiculous. Absolutely

ridiculous.

(It stares into the mirror for a while.) Well you know what? I'm a person too. It's not

like language is an incredible, all-controlling power system. I can give life to words just as

easily as any of you can! No - if you're trying to eradicate my dreams, then I'm going to

eradicate all of you! You're all freaks. Get ready for drag nation! Hold onto your vibrators whilst

you still can! Things are about to get a whole lot livelier.

THE OPPRESSED WOMAN.

Spotlight on a beautiful girl with very long blonde hair. She stands on top of

the middle table, her hair coming down one side and almost touching the

ground. The manner in which she presents herself is extremely

melodramatic; she throws her hands wildly in the air, her voice soars high

and with an excess of passion. She pretends to faint numerous times, she

throws her weight forward as if she is a terrible actress believing that her

melodrama makes her wonderful.

Oh, how awful it is to be trapped up here, so far away from where I belong! I’ve been

imprisoned in this dreadful tower for years! Oh, that horrible, beastly witch who imprisoned

me! I curse that terrible woman! I have nothing! Nothing but useless thoughts and beautiful hair.

(She flicks her hair out dramatically.) Does anybody understand? I’m miserable! I

need a man to find me, to save me, to show me the happiness that I’ve never known! (A

dramatic sob.) Oh, how I long for love! If only somebody could hear my cries for help,
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approach this awful tower and rescue me! (She pauses for a few seconds, waiting.

With an air of confusion she raises her voice, looking offstage.) Er - if only

somebody could hear my cries for help, approach this awful tower and rescue me!

(She pauses again, and there is another complete silence. She looks to the

audience and laughs nervously.) It - this isn’t - er... Not to worry! Not to worry! (She

takes off the blonde wig, turns away from the audience and replaces it with

a shorter blonde wig and one glass slipper, picks up a broom and adopts a

terribly downcast expression.) Oh, how awful it is to live with my wicked stepsisters,

and my evil stepmother! I cook and clean all day long, yet never do I receive a word of thanks

or encouragement! (She looks to the audience.) You know I went to the ball last night.

(She lowers her voice and indicates behind her.) They don’t have a clue, of course!

No, they just saw me in my beautiful blue dress and gaped. Everything was going fabulously

well until the fateful stroke of midnight. The beautiful carriage became a bunch of pumpkins!

My beautiful white horses became scared little mice! And my slipper! Oh my beautiful, lovely,

one-of-a-kind glass slipper! (She looks down at her foot with a sense of tragedy,

and raises her voice again.) And now I shall be left for eternity to wash and clean and

work like a dirty little slave! If only the prince could find me! (She pauses. Another long

silence. She clears her throat.) Yes - if only the prince could find me. (A few

more seconds of lonely, awkward silence. Then with frustration, she takes off

her one glass slipper and hurls it against the wall. She stands there, panting,

watching it for a few seconds.) Ahah! (She turns away once more, replaces

the wig and broom with a red shawl and cloak to cover her head, picks up a

basket and walks in a very deliberate manner across the stage, staring at

the audience with a smile.) This forest is so beautiful! And so safe. I hardly think

anything could ever go wrong! (She pauses.) Yes, I’m completely alone! No one is

prowling after me at all! It is HIGHLY UNLIKELY that ANYONE will appear from these

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woods to question me as to the contents of my basket, let alone a figure whose presence is

symbolic of my postmodern attempt to highlight the normalising powers of the staples of

misogynist narratives and their role in perpetuating the oppression of women. Thus I can

proceed, without question or encumberance, to continue highlighting the constricting nature of

gender. (She wiggles her basket, staring around expectantly. Her face goes

blank and confused.) Maybe I need to fast forward in time. (She dramatically throws

the basket into the air, rolls herself into a ball and screams, rocking back

and forth with her arms shaking in the air, as if she is compressed.) AHHHH!

The wolf has swallowed me! I’m dying! I haven’t got much longer! I’ve been deceived! I’ve

been eaten! I’ve been swallowed whole! I’m going to suffocate in his horrible swamp-like belly!

If you happen to have an axe will you please, please chop open this evil wolf’s stomach and

free me from this foul fate! (There is yet another silence for a few seconds. She

pauses. Everything is still. Then, once more in vain -) AHHHH! (She waves

her arms dramatically in the air, looks around with one last hopeful glance

and then stops.) Oh for fuck’s sake, fine - I’ve been pricked by a needle and I’m going to

sleep for eternity. Wake me when the bastard decides to show up. Men... they’re always

running late. (She slumps offstage looking grumpy and frustrated, slightly

mumbling to herself.)

THE JOURNALIST.

The HERMAPHRODITE sits at the table on the left, behind a laptop

featuring a blended symbol of the Mac and Windows icons. The screen on

the back wall projects a futuristic image of Sydney - technology has clearly

advanced and several buildings are bright neon colours. Underneath, the

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following dialogue is presented on the screen. It is also spoken as a

voiceover, whilst the HERMAPHRODITE continues typing.

This incomprehensible and disturbingly outrageous movement has slowly taken its toll

on the world, with individuals in even the most conservative of countries blurring the

boundaries. Has this so-called “drag movement” pushed the boundaries of humanity into a new

world order? Of course, nobody would have thought so fifty years ago. We all know of confused

teenage boys wearing eyeliner, the occasional man with a pony tail, and high powered women

who have bypassed motherhood in order to join the upper echelon of the nations’ largest

companies. But this is entirely something else. Now we must all reassess our perspectives of

normal and abnormal, for drag appears to be taking over the world.

The notion of “drag kings and queens” became prominent in the late twentieth century,

with men and women deciding to “individualise” themselves, railing against what they believed

to be the stifling conventions of their sex. The “dragsters” were viewed as frightening by some;

others viewed them as inspiring. Most people viewed them merely as entertaining. Certainly, in

my opinion, there is nothing entertaining about an epidemic of militant and shameless misfits

parading themselves in the most explicit of fashions. What is fashion? Once upon a time,

fashion was wearable art; it stood for individualistic creativity, personality, colour. But now?

Fashion is dead. Fashion has been replaced by a misguided belief that there is no difference

between fashion and reality - so what are we? For that matter, what is Vogue? Alas, the notion

of individuality has most strongly been called into question, and the primary cause of this

appears to be the hijacking by perverts of the terms by which an individual could once identify

him or herself.

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At this moment, some loud yelling is heard from offstage. Suddenly,

three drags enter. The hermaphrodite’s dialogue continues, and should be

slightly muffled by the noise of the drags, but still audible. They enter

singing the final chorus of Madonna's Vogue in ‘unison’. They appear to be

rather drunk as they move to the centre of the stage and sit at the table.

DRAGS: Vogue!

They all strike a theatrical pose as they sit in their seats, the most notable

being DRAG THREE, who looks as if he is getting intimate with the chair. At

this point the lighting dims on the hermaphrodite's table until we can only

see the outline of the actors - the sharpest focus is on the drags. The

hermaphrodite continues typing, occasionally throwing a dirty glance in their

direction, but without making much significant movement.

Recently the movement has led me to question my own identity. I’ve hidden myself for

so many years under the belief that having my name and picture shown would cause

considerable confusion and distress for people who weren’t in agreement with my beliefs and

opinions. I feared that ‘going public’ would promote anger and violence against me. But at this

point, does that even matter? With the prevalence of this movement, the notion of identity in its

traditional form is becoming a thing of the past. Every collective term that we use is slowly

being eradicated, as rampant, egotistical individualism takes hold. (The voiceover ceases.

It looks up to the audience.) I ask - have you ever looked in the mirror, and felt you

would never be able to say, “I am?” (The hermaphrodite pauses for a few seconds,

staring appraisingly around at the audience.)

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THE NEW ERA.

DRAG ONE: My darling waits! Please fetch us three menus!

DRAG THREE: Or three martinis!

DRAG TWO: Sounds perfect!

DRAG THREE: And what will the two of you be drinking?

DRAG ONE: What is this, a sixteen-year-old’s house party?

DRAG THREE: We’re celebrating!

DRAG THREE reaches into zha bag and pulls out a rather crumpled

magazine. Zie smooths it on the table, and holds it up to the others, so that

the audience can also see it as an edition of Vogue, featuring DRAG ONE

posed on the cover in the same outfit worn during the opening scene.

DRAG THREE: Just look at that. My best friend on the cover of Vogue.

DRAG TWO: You look amazing, really.

DRAG ONE: You’ve got to stop pulling that out. It’s just a stupid photo-shoot.

DRAG THREE: It is not just a stupid photo-shoot. Today, with the release of this wonderful

magazine, we celebrate the marriage of our best friend - the fashion icon of the century. You’re

famous. Three martinis is just the beginning.

DRAG ONE: It’s not even about fame!

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DRAG TWO: It’s Vogue.

DRAG ONE: It’s about individualism.

DRAG THREE: It’s about everyone picking up the magazine and saying, “For the love of

RuPaul, I want that in bed!”

DRAG TWO: He’s married, so RuPaul’s going to tell you to keep it in your pants.

At this point, a drag delivers three martinis on a tray.

DRAG ONE: It’s Vogue, not some tacky men’s mag. The battle against false dichotimies is

over. We’re no longer playing the “gender game.” All it did was lead to retribution -

DRAG THREE: But the sex was still good.

DRAG TWO: For the love of humanity, please never get married.

DRAG ONE: Look the point is, without these boundaries (He indicates to the magazine)

we’re no longer tunnel visioned, that’s all. We’re not celebrating me, we’re celebrating a new

era.

DRAG TWO and DRAG THREE look at DRAG ONE with an amused expression,

and then -

DRAG TWO AND THREE: To a new era! (They clink glasses.)

THE SAVIOUR.

A man bursts onto the stage holding a sword and shield, with a tough

and terrifying expression. His hair is long and disgustingly greasy, his body

lacks any definition and he is missing a shoe.

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Fear not, for I am here to save you, beautiful girl! I heard your cries, I felt instantaneously

summoned to aid you, and so I leapt onto my white horse, ready to slay dragons and -

He stops, having realised the stage is empty. Hello? A pause for a few

seconds. H - hello?

OPPRESSED WOMAN (offstage): Oh! I’m here!

The oppressed woman runs onstage with excitement, stops short upon

seeing the not-so-ideal man, hesitates for a second, and then lies on the

floor. Oh how awful it is to be ... er ... trapped in the body of this wolf, with my - I mean, how

awful it was to be pricked by that terrible needle. Oh, how terrible! Oh, how I need saving!

MAN: Fear not, beautiful girl, for I am here!

He runs over, and drops his sword and shield right beside her head. Startled,

she jumps up in alarm, looks around and quickly lowers her head again, eyes

shut.

I have searched all over the kingdom, looking for a particular girl - size eight and with excellent

taste - who would prove herself to be the beautiful girl I danced with at the ball. She is to come

away with me, and we will live happily ever after. Now, I must ask you to put your foot out, so I

can -

WOMAN (in a hiss, under her breath): You’re supposed to wake me up first!

MAN: Oh! Of course! A confused pause. Nescafe?

WOMAN: Kiss me! (He bends down) Wait! (She grabs breath-freshener from her

dress pocket, sprays it once into her mouth, and hurriedly puts it back to her

pocket.) Okay, proceed.

MAN: Yes.
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The man shakes his greasy hair out as if he is in a shampoo commercial, but

positions it so his face will not be covered from the view of the audience. He

shuts his eyes, romantically bends down to the girl, and kisses her once,

softly, on the lips. Then... he begins to feel passionate. He starts attempting

to kiss her more passionately, using tongue, but even as she opens her

mouth a little, he ends up licking her face and chin all over, eyes shut, lost in

his passion. The woman opens her eyes, startled, and pushes his face away

from hers.

WOMAN (still wiping spit off her face): Thank you for rescuing me. I’m so grateful.

MAN: Would you like to leave this prison and come away with me?

WOMAN: Of course! But shouldn’t you first authenticate the fact that I am truly the girl of your

dreams?

MAN: Ah! He reaches into his pockets, fumbling about. He does this for

several seconds, looking confused. He looks nervously at the audience, and

audibly whispers to the woman. You wouldn’t happen to have your other glass slipper,

would you?

The woman stares at him in horror.

WOMAN: You forgot the glass slipper?

MAN: No, no. It’s just... I just thought I’d try it on to see if -

WOMAN: You were wearing the glass slipper?!

MAN: You are size eight and you have excellent taste.

WOMAN: What happened to the perfect man who would bend down, kiss me, throw me onto

his white horse and -

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MAN: I did kiss you!

WOMAN: You tried to eat my face off!

They stare at each other, horrified.

MAN: You’re too demanding! Lower your expectations! What happened to the subservient little

girl who will accept the gallant male saviour and leave with him for a magical kingdom, far, far

away?

WOMAN: What happened to the strong, masculine man who would be a romantic and know

how to kiss properly, and who would not smell like urine?

MAN: I’m not that man. I cannot be that man. That man is an illusion.

WOMAN: Well, so are your narrow preconceptions of women!

MAN: Do you really need a man to rescue you?

WOMAN: Do you really need a woman to protect?

BOTH: No!

They turn to the audience and smile.

BOTH: Let’s turn drag!

An abrupt segue into Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.” The first verse and chorus

plays whilst the former SAVIOUR and OPPRESSED WOMAN ballroom dance. At

the same time, the other drags enter the stage and begin to dress them in

colourful accessories and garments. The two share a kiss towards the end of

the chorus, and as the sound fades away, everyone exits through the side-

door.

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THE PANSEXUAL.

For a few seconds, there is complete silence. Then, an exaggerated

orgasm is heard from the side-door. The door opens. DRAG THREE is revealed

to be passionately kissing another drag. He stops, as if just becoming aware

of the audience, blinks for a couple of seconds... and then resumes instantly.

They passionately make their way away from the door and towards the

centre of the stage. Through heavy breathing, DRAG THREE speaks whilst

still being kissed and touched.

I’m not much of a relationship person. I believe in sex. I love sex. And I love the

liberation that results from sex. In their passion, the two characters end up

horizontal on the floor for a few seconds, before DRAG THREE pushes his

partner off and stands back up. Because it is liberating! Don’t you feel free when you

can just see a big, perfect penis or an absolutely beautiful vagina and just know that the world is

completely open to your exploration? Personally, I can’t see a difference. Who needs identity

politics! We’ve removed the boundaries. A holistic approach to the sexual revolution: I have sex

when I want, where I want, with who I want, and there is no shame in that. I don’t have to

justify myself to anybody. Nor do you. Sexuality is bigger than words. A photo of a penis

and a vagina appear on the slide. Shapes with no boundaries! Life is based on the

pursuit of pleasure - I like to fuck, I like to get fucked. I can suck, I can munch, I can crunch. I

am real.

THE MODEL CITIZEN.

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An interview is taking place between DRAG ONE and the EDITOR of

Vogue, on opposite sides of the centre table.

EDITOR: Don’t be stupid! Stunning, idealistic, just married - you’re exactly what we want.

DRAG ONE: I don’t know. I’ve never exactly posed for a magazine before.

EDITOR: Look, do you know what this company stands for?

DRAG ONE: Beauty? Fash -

EDITOR: Reality. Life. It’s not just Vogue - it’s a perpetual vogue. It’s new, it’s different, it’s

forever changing. It’s trends, it’s style. It’s “here is our world, bound up in web gloss pages and

distributed.” You represent our world. You are our world.

DRAG ONE: I’m not anybody!

EDITOR: Exactly!

DRAG ONE: Oh.

EDITOR: You’re just another individual, uncategorized and completely human, chosen without

bias or prerequisites. You’re completely embodied in fashion, yet you’re sitting before me

completely nude, completely uncovered. This is the world at its best. This is a universe of

people, of freedom. You could remove every article of clothing you possess, walk these

busy streets and nobody would stop you. We want you on this cover. We want to say: the

individual cultivates himself. The individual is walking art. And that is the vogue.

DRAG ONE: (After a brief silence) Will you edit the picture if my skin looks oily?

EDITOR: We’ve banned Photoshop from our premises.

DRAG ONE (to the audience): I still wasn’t convinced. It felt like I was caught up in a

game of social politics: “show the world how far we’ve progressed!” But there’s nothing

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political about my life choices. My grandparents were co-founders of the dragsters’ movement

and my parents never told me much about the old society. Once upon a time, they told me, one

very brave generation started a trend - drag - that shook the world and eventually turned into a

global movement. I guess you could say we’ve replaced performative repetition with the

repetition of refusing to repeat. Of course, some people still debate this -

Lights on the hermaphrodite sitting at the right table, DRAG TWO and DRAG

THREE at the left. They all hold detached and almost mechanical,

dehumanized expressions. They are talking very fast.

HERMAPHRODITE: The infant experiences desire for its mother and hostility towards its

father, and its fear of punishment for the renunciation of these desires allows for the

identification with one member. The sex of the child is irrelevant, but it is the nature of desire

which establishes the child as masculine or feminine.

DRAG TWO: The Negative is highly misinformed in its contentions. Sexual dispositions are

effects of identification of the self with the world.

HERMAPHRODITE: The Affirmative is highly misinformed in its assumptions of

identification. Identification is based on a process of introjection, in which the child absorbs

elements into its ego to preserve them, in turn establishing the identity in question.

DRAG THREE: The Negative fails to realize that the phase of introjection and the

aforementioned Oedipal complex occurs after exposition to the prohibitions limiting choices

and identities.

HERMAPHRODITE: Biology. DRAGS: Performativity

DRAG ONE: ... but I suppose I’m just here for the ride.

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THE FREAKS.

Everyone is positional as they were in THE NEW ERA.

HERMAPHRODITE: You fucking freaks!

DRAG TWO: Excuse me?

HERMAPHRODITE: I’m trying to write an article, take your dirty showcase elsewhere!

DRAG THREE: Who’s a freak?

HERMAPHRODITE: You need therapy!

DRAG TWO: You need a black eye.

DRAG THREE: Without the use of Maybelline.

HERMAPHRODITE: That’s it, right there! Absolutely nothing without your make-up and

theatrics. That’s the difference. You’re artificial. I’m not. The world is not your stage. Am I the

only sane person left in the world?

DRAG ONE: How would you define sanity?

HERMAPHRODITE: It’s... It’s men and women! Boys! Girls! Penises! Vaginas! Normality!

Proper sex!

DRAG THREE: I don’t understand the problem. Why stick to one hole when we have about

seven?

DRAG ONE: Okay, I don’t even want to know what you’re into.

DRAG TWO: What’s your problem?

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HERMAPHRODITE: I’ve spent... my whole life... trying to work out who I am without...

being normal. And you people just walk in with everything intact, flaunt yourselves and make

up these bullshit ideologies to prevent me from ever figuring out who I am.

DRAG ONE: Oh, well that was whole-heartedly my intention. Sincere apologies.

HERMAPHRODITE: No security. I had to leave home in order to -

DRAG TWO: You are not the only one. I was also kicked out. I had nowhere to go but I still

refused to give up on this movement. That’s how important it is to me.

HERMAPHRODITE: It isn’t normal. It isn’t natural.

DRAG TWO: I didn’t know such narrow-minded people still exist in this day and age!

DRAG ONE: If you need to keep hunting for some oppressing, destructive meaning from within

what’s between the legs, you’re wasting your time.

HERMAPHRODITE: They should have killed the whole lot of you years ago.

DRAG ONE: Oh, my God. It’s as if Hitler has returned!

DRAG THREE: First the Jews, now the drags!

DRAG TWO: Welcome to the era of liberation and progress, you short-sighted narrow-

minded desperately-in-need-of-a-haircut piece of trash. Get with the times.

DRAG ONE: You’re in conflict because you maintain your adherence to the oppressive social

boundaries of the old era. Do you really believe in all-powerful collectivity?

DRAG THREE: The only thing you should feel the need to perform is yourself. Who wants to

be forced to be part of a pack?

HERMAPHRODITE: What a load of crap.

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DRAG TWO: Oh, very witty. (He applauds sarcastically) You’re the one that’s

psychologically disordered! (Mocking voice) ‘Oh my God, stop stifling me, I’m so oppressed

by these disgusting people, they’re such freaks, why can’t they just be normal!’ Nobody cares.

Get with the times.

HERMAPHRODITE: Liars!

DRAG TWO: Follower!

HERMAPHRODITE: Attention-seekers!

DRAG THREE: Non-entity!

HERMAPHRODITE: Destroyers!

DRAG ONE: Fascist!

ALL: Freaks!

DRAG TWO hurls his empty martini glass at the hermaphrodite. There is a

sound of glass smashing as the hermaphrodite hits the ground.

THE ILLUSION.

The scene takes place at the original restaurant, but now transformed as a

surreal, almost gothic setting. The photographs and paintings of the drags

are much more heavily contrasted black and white, so that the shadows

stand out, giving them a darker look. The tables are pushed closer together

so they are almost touching. Little flecks of light hail from the ceiling. Front-

centre of the stage is the hermaphrodite, head down, with black tape over

its mouth, blindfolded by a plain black cloth and sitting handcuffed to one of

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the restaurant chairs. There is light fog, the faint but audible sound of white

noise, and the lights should only reflect glimpses of the hermaphrodite. The

audience hears voices in the darkness saying the words "performance!"

"fake!" "unauthentic!" "liar!" "made!" over and over again, gradually

increasing in speed and volume, until DRAG ONE steps up to the

hermaphrodite.

DRAG ONE: You are constructed. Performing. Constrained. You make sense of your life

through a discourse of gender - an invisible totalitarianism that dominates your life and regulates

your actions, your movements, your thoughts. You use them to live your life - to make sense of

your being. Gender is not a noun, but a perpetuating verb. Gender is a lie. Now sex - sex is an

absolute truth. Sex is constantive. But gender... is neither constant nor natural. Gender takes

what we are, and varies it until we're so fucked up we can't think, we can't breathe. We can't live

without the oxygen provided to us by discourse and discourse alone. "I just want to find my

identity!" You poor, oppressed little thing. So reliant on a pre-fabricated identity. Look at the

normative framework which has been constructed all these centuries. Something can only be so

normal if there's something as abnormal - as freakish - as loathsome and pitying and disgusting

and as filthy and venomous as yourself. Since the dawn of time, something has been holding

people down. The same thing that's holding you down. The same thing that's held you down

since you were born - since mummy and daddy and that happy little man in a white coat said

"oh, my God, it's a - ' You're nothing without lies. That's the really frustrating thing. Not being

one of us gives you the prospect of emancipation - of being one of us. We're nothing without

everything we're without. But did you want unoriginality? Imitation? A dialogic relationship

with illusion? It's all yours.

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THE POSERS.

DRAG ONE spins the hermaphrodite around in its chair so that it is facing up

the stage. He removes the blindfold from the prisoner. Four fluroescent

spotlights come on in different colours - one each on DRAG TWO, DRAG

THREE, DRAG FOUR and DRAG FIVE. They are frozen until commanded to act.

DRAG ONE: Pose.

DRAG FIVE: I’m miserable! I need a man to find me, to save me, to show me the happiness

that I’ve otherwise never known!

DRAG ONE: Identify.

DRAG TWO: Gender -

DRAG THREE: Performativity -

DRAG FOUR: Imitation.

DRAG ONE: Pose.

DRAG THREE: Identity politics are grounded in oppression - marginalization.

DRAG ONE: Identify.

DRAG TWO: Gender -

DRAG FOUR: Performativity -

DRAG FIVE: Imitation.

DRAG ONE: Pose.

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DRAG TWO: Completely abnormal, we never raised you like this!

DRAG ONE: Identify.

DRAG THREE: Gender -

DRAG FOUR: Performativity -

DRAG FIVE: Imitation.

DRAG ONE: Pose.

DRAG FOUR: I’m not that man. I cannot be that man. That man is an illusion.

DRAG ONE: Identify.

DRAG THREE: Gender -

DRAG FIVE: Performativity -

DRAG TWO: Imitation.

ALL: Vogue.

DRAG TWO: I will not mix genres.

DRAG FIVE: I repeat -

DRAG THREE: Genres are not to be mixed.

DRAG FOUR: I will not mix them.

DRAG ONE: You can't escape what you are.

OTHERS: Only add to them.

DRAG ONE: But you'll always be haunted by the other -

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OTHERS: Your ghosts.

DRAG ONE: Your others. You can be the quintessence of -

OTHERS: Nothing.

DRAG ONE: And merely construct, identify, corrupt, perform -

OTHERS: Vogue.

THE JOURNALIST RETURNS.

DRAG ONE sits in the HERMAPHRODITE’s chair, reading the words on

the laptop. Then, he looks up at the audience.

Have you ever looked in the mirror, and felt you would never be able to say, “I am?”

(DRAG ONE pauses for a few seconds. He smiles.)

VOGUE.

An atmosphere of rapid movement and fast, overlapping dialogue. Dull

lights are flashing throughout the stage, the drags are all hurriedly fixing

clothes, applying makeup, drinking water and reconvening in the centre of

the stage.

VOICE (offstage): Ten seconds!

DRAG THREE: Do I look okay?

DRAG FOUR: You look amazing.

DRAG FIVE: Can someone fix my -

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DRAG TWO: Here. (He adjusts Five’s outfit.)

DRAG FOUR: Is - is he...she...gonna be - (gesturing towards the hermaphrodite)

DRAG ONE: It’ll be fine. It’ll learn. (Pause.) They all will.

DRAG THREE: This is so exciting!

DRAG TWO: Yeah, keep your panties on.

DRAG THREE: Who said I was wearing any?

DRAG FOUR: Hurry up, I have to get to work soon.

DRAG TWO: No - you stand over there -

DRAG THREE: Don’t stand that close!

DRAG FIVE: Yeah, he clearly needs some room down there.

DRAG ONE: Shh! Okay. Ready?

VOICE: (from offstage) Audience, you’re now invited to use your camera.

OTHERS: Yes.

DRAG ONE & TWO: Corrupt - VOICE: (offstage) Three -

DRAG THREE & FOUR: Identify -

DRAG ONE & FIVE: Construct - VOICE: (offstage) Two -

DRAG TWO & THREE: Perform - VOICE: (offstage) One -

ALL: Vogue.

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For a second, the lights go dark. Suddenly, a very strong flash from

the direction of the audience is cast on the drag group in their final pose,

like a large camera taking a photo, revealing them once more to the

audience for a fraction of a second. For about a minute, the drags remain

frozen and the lights remain dark. The audience is now allowed to take

photos of them in this pose, as if they are photographers of a new world era.

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REFLECTION

STATEMENT

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This project has its genesis in my study of genre and the notion of identity in Extension

1. My intention was to explore Derrida’s law of genre by reflecting more widely, or beyond the

literary, on contemporary society, particularly focusing on the exploration of gender politics and

the impact this has had in changing social conventions. This led me to investigation of the works

of different thinkers and writers, including Sigmund Freud and Michel Foucault. Perhaps the

most significant influence on my major work was the feminist author Judith Butler. Butler’s

thinking on the relationship between the individual and the external world, in regards to gender

and sexual orientation, offered insight into the formation of the individual. In accordance with

this, I conducted a separate study of changing understandings of gender and sexuality from the

mid-twentieth century to the present, as reflected in various studies, interviews and documented

observations.

Through highlighting the notion of genre as centrifugal in nature, Derrida fundamentally

acknowledges that identity is unfixed and unstable. This perception strongly influenced by

major work, which I narrowed down to an intricate examination of the relationship between

gender, sexuality and identity.

Butler contends that gender is ultimately a social construction. She sees “gender” as an

illusion produced through sex organs which act as ‘signifiers’ for non-absolute meanings. In an

argument that is reminiscent of Bakhtin’s theory of dialogism, which we explored in the

preliminary Extension 1 course, Butler posits that the very notion of “gender” is established

through an individual’s observation, adoption and performance of specific actions and

movements, which he or she perceives as inherently natural. This theory, as well as the implicit

underlying notion in her works of a universal hermaphroditism, forms the intellectual and

creative centre of my major work.

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My major work contends that the success of an oppressed minority’s rights movement

paradoxically requires the eradication of the minority itself. My research has suggested that a

perpetual increase in tolerance across time has led to the blurring of the divisions between man

and woman, homosexuality and heterosexuality. In contemporary society, elements of cross-

dressing and bisexuality have become more widely accepted, and in certain instances trendy and

appealing. My major work serves as a logical extension of this trend, being set in a future time

in which society has almost completely ‘progressed’ beyond perpetuating inequality through

sex-based dichotomies. This conceit is in accordance with Butler’s thinking on gender

performativity, as it highlights that identity is unstable, and conventional understandings can -

and always are - changing, thus the very nature of definition paradoxically lacks fluidity.

My decision to write a theatre script stemmed from my passion for drama. More

importantly, however, I felt that the reality of such a world would require visual spectacle for an

audience, in order to more strongly assert the political message inherent within the work. Also, I

felt the distinctive characters could be better expressed through dialogue. A very high level of

energy is perpetuated throughout the major work, and I decided a live audience would be

necessary for this.

Vogue is intended for an avant garde and adult audience, and was written with the

intention of challenging dominant understandings of the individual’s place in the world from a

theatrical and comedic perspective. The script’s purpose is to entertain and provoke. To these

ends, its utopian conception of an ideal age lacking in social conflict is represented through

satire, and the parodying of gender and social norms. Such qualities are also the essence of drag

itself.

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The central conflicting character, simply referred to as The Hermaphrodite, serves as the

force of opposition in an otherwise politically united world. I attempted to twist social

perceptions through this character, whose refusal to acknowledge “the end of gender” leads to

its paradoxical inability to define itself, and subsequent self-isolation. It is also used to highlight

the pivotal difference between “genital duality” and “gender duality”, or sex and gender, which

allows for the contention, following Butler, that gender is performative – an embodied and

enacted “genre”, if you like, because it is also defined by characteristic features and rituals.

The two initially “non-conforming” characters, referred to as The Oppressed Woman and

The Savior, were recontextualised into a post-modern fairytale scenario. In attempting to convey

their oppression through struggling to conform to gender conventions, I also attempted to

highlight Bakhtin’s notion of dialogism (which is indirectly linked to Butler’s theory of gender

performativity) through showing that fairytales - stories that have remained alive through

numerous centuries - reinforce gender conventions given their emphasis on performative

conformity. This is symbolic of the dialogic nature of society in establishing and ensuring the

perpetuation of gender and sexuality.

The ‘drags’, referred to as One, Two and Three, serve to highlight the socio-political

state of the world around them. In differentiating the characters, I attempted to highlight a

different aspect of this world: the first ‘drag’ highlights the history of the movement and justifies

it objectively, with its marriage and modeling role serving as a symbol of the recognized

acceptance and ubiquity of drag; the second ‘drag’ highlights the movement away from

ontological violence and the consequential “blandness” of life based on its family history; the

third drag highlights a sexual revolution - in addition to representing the pansexuality of this

movement, it serves as an exaggerated metaphor for the complete liberation of the individual

from conservative social norms.

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The Vogue motif refers to the magazine in today’s culture. I researched the exact

definition of the word “vogue” and decided it fit perfectly with the ideas I was attempting to

convey. This was the point in which I added the magazine theme into my major work, which

was to serve as a more exaggerated symbol for the meaning of the word itself: the prevailing

normality of a particular time. The plot of the Vogue magazine is constantly reinforced through

the use of a large flash for transitions. The invitation to the audience to photograph the

characters at the end was added for numerous reasons: to challenge their tolerance, to openly

defy the standard “no-camera” policy at any live performance and thus in a sense signify

liberation within the theatre itself, to more actively involve them and establish a relationship

with the characters to heighten their understanding of and connection to the political aspects of

the play, and to distort their own meaning of themselves by placing them in the photographer’s

role. This additionally softens the barrier between this world and the audience’s world, linking

back to the primary idea that everyone is fundamentally equal before they ‘perform’.

Perhaps my greatest difficulty was giving a distinct voice to each character, particularly

whilst also establishing a flowing dialogue. A similar difficulty was incorporating a substantial

quantity of critical analysis into the work whilst maintaining the plot, entertainment factor and

“interest level” for the sake of the audience without sounding preachy or imposing. The

establishment of an overall comedic tone and a sense of humour was thus very important, as I

wanted to use this to make the inherently hostile and preachy ideas explored less so. I found the

monologues easier to write, as subconsciously their style and level of energy was influenced by

my preferred type of performance - thus, in a strange way I had a lot of fun writing certain

sections.

The idea of employing an episodic structure came from a text I have encountered in my

wide reading,. Originally there was an attempted balance at creative writing and critical analysis

woven throughout, but I decided it would be much more effective to just break everything up

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and evoke certain responses through certain episodes. I decided to use episodes to maintain the

audience’s attention, “tidy up” the delivery, clearly distinguish the characters and offer insight

into each character (and each according aspect of this world) at different moments. When I

changed the structure a lot of things about the major work appeared to fall into place, as it

suddenly became easier to write and read.

This product is the result of independent investigation and sustained composition over a

set period of time, during which I have planned and developed an original script.

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