shatterings
//
Katherine is a young girl when the breakup of her parents’ marriage causes her to split in two.
Produced by Theatre Collide in Houston Texas. Directed by Stephanie Wittels.
Scene 1
(Marie and Mark are in an industrial toy store with their daughter Katherine. As Mark and Marie play out the scene, Katherine dances, ignoring the events taking place. When her lines are said she freezes and looks at her father, says the line, then continues dancing.)
MARIE
Katherine Braenard. Katherine Braenard, you get back here right now young lady.
MARK
Leave her alone.
MARIE
Katherine, you ignore your father immediately. That’s an order.
Katherine, you ignore your father immediately. That’s an order.
KATHERINE
Dad?
MARK
We’re leaving Marie.
We’re leaving Marie.
MARIE
You never loved me.
MARK
That’s right. I never loved you. Katherine never loved you. I doubt that your parents ever loved you.
MARIE
Now is not the time for your sarcasm.
MARK
Now is not the time for your drama.
MARIE
(raises the back of her hand to her forehead and moans)
MARK
Okay.
Okay.
MARIE
(raises the back of her hand to her forehead and moans)
MARK
Right, so we’re leaving.
KATHERINE
Dad?
(Mark and Katherine start to leave.)
MARIE
No!
(Mark and Katherine exit. Marie limply knocks a toy onto the ground.)
Scene 2
(Mark and Katherine sit at a table in a hookah bar. Some time passes. Mark fiddles with the hookah on the table, trying to figure it out.)
KATHERINE
Dad?
MARK
My sweet.
KATHERINE
Dad, what are we doing here?
MARK
I want to expose you to eastern philosophy.
KATHERINE
I want to be a princess.
MARK
Oh sweetheart.
KATHERINE
Why?
MARK
Why what?
KATHERINE
Why eastern philosophy?
MARK
Sweetie, in the east they understand complex notions of self and identity that we in the west haven’t yet….
KATHERINE
Why eastern philosophy when you know that I want to be a princess?
MARK
Well Katherine…
KATHERINE
Princesses are hardcore. No one tells them what to do.
MARK
You’ll have to understand many things about the world, both western and eastern, to control your minions.
KATHERINE
What’s a minion?
MARK
An obsequious follower or dependent: a sycophant.
KATHERINE
What does that mean?
MARK
A minion is someone who does what you tell them to.
KATHERINE
Am I your minion Daddy?
MARK
No sweetheart. That would make me a princess.
No sweetheart. That would make me a princess.
KATHERINE
What if mom were a princess?
MARK
I suppose that in that case you could be considered a minion honey.
KATHERINE
What if Mom were the king of the whole world?
MARK
She would probably be very happy that way.
KATHERINE
Why?
MARK
Your mother can be very controlling.
(a waiter carrying two plates with broken glass on them comes to the table.)
MARK
Ah, here we are. (to Waiter) Thanks very much.
(the waiter nods and exits.)
KATHERINE
Daddy, I want to be a princess.
MARK
Yes sweetie I know. Maybe you can be a princess tomorrow.
KATHERINE
What happens tomorrow?
MARK
I don’t know. You might become a princess.
KATHERINE
I have hopes and dreams.
MARK
You have hopes and dreams.
KATHERINE
Do you want to know what they are?
MARK
Yes.
Yes.
KATHERINE
I want to balance an elephant on my nose.
MARK
Oh sweetheart.
KATHERINE
And grow flowers out of my ears.
MARK
Katherine honey, if you want too much, you will never be satisfied.
Katherine honey, if you want too much, you will never be satisfied.
KATHERINE
And be a dolphin.
MARK
I want you to be whatever you want.
KATHERINE
Maybe a mule….. because they can pull heavy things.
MARK
A mule is the sterile hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse, characterized by its long ears and a short mane.
A mule is the sterile hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse, characterized by its long ears and a short mane.
KATHERINE
Maybe I could be some kind of combination…
MARK
(poking with his fork at the glass)
This is broken glass.
KATHERINE
Dad, this is stupid.
MARK
I can’t believe they served us broken glass. Excuse me, waiter! Waiter!
(The waiter approaches the table and nods curiously.)
MARK
Hi. Yes. I’m sorry to disturb you, but our plates have broken glass on them.
Hi. Yes. I’m sorry to disturb you, but our plates have broken glass on them.
(the waiter nods)
MARK
Yes, well, maybe there is something that you can do about that?
(the waiter nods)
MARK
You see, it isn’t much good to us as is. It’s used.
(the waiter nods three times)
MARK
Take it back and bring us something new.
(the waiter takes their bowls while nodding. He exits. Mark and Katherine briefly sit in silence.)
KATHERINE
Dad?
MARK
My sweet.
KATHERINE
Why did you bring me here?
MARK
Eastern philosophy.
Eastern philosophy.
KATHERINE
why?
MARK
Citta: "Ordinary consciousness" in Hindu Yoga, as contrasted with Purusha: “our inner transcendent self.”
KATHERINE
You know everything.
MARK
No. It’s written on the napkins.
KATHERINE
Napkins?
MARK
Look, Honey, look at the paper by your plate.
KATHERINE
Am I learning?
MARK
That’s a question that only you can answer sweetheart.
That’s a question that only you can answer sweetheart.
KATHERINE
Then I say yes, I’m learning. “It’s a wonderful world.”
MARK
Who taught you that?
Who taught you that?
KATHERINE
A wonderful world with elephants, flowers, and mules. It’s on the napkins.
MARK
I don’t believe someone would write such a thing on napkins.
KATHERINE
But, it’s right here.
(The waiter carries two plates with unbroken glass on them.)
MARK
Much better, thank you.
KATHERINE
Dad, do you think mom is a princess?
(Mark takes his piece of glass and breaks it on his knee. Katherine’s mouth drops when the glass breaks and she screams silently.)
(pause.)
KATHERINE
Ow.
Scene 3
(Katherine sits on the stage making a beaded curtain. The beads are broken pieces of glass. Throughout the scene, her focus stays on building the curtain. Mark’s voice is either pre-recorded or he is staged in the background.)
KATHERINE
Dad
MARK
Katherine
KATHERINE
For years I didn’t realize that your name is Mark.
MARK
That’s my name sweetheart.
KATHERINE
It rhymes with spark, Dad. You can teach me one thing. Go.
MARK
It’s important to take a conscious role in building yourself.
KATHERINE
Thanks, Dad.
(Katherine stands up and stretches.)
Scene 4
(The setting is the same as scene 1. This time, we see the scene from a different, skewed point of view.)
MARIE
Katherine Braenard. Katherine Braenard, you get back here right now young lady.
MARK
Leave her alone.
MARIE
Katherine, you ignore your father immediately. That’s an order.
Katherine, you ignore your father immediately. That’s an order.
KATHERINE
Dad?
MARK
We’re leaving Marie.
We’re leaving Marie.
MARIE
You never loved me.
MARK
That’s right. I never loved you. Katherine never loved you. I doubt that your parents ever loved you.
MARIE
Now is not the time for your sarcasm.
MARK
Now is not the time for your drama.
MARIE
(raises the back of her hand to her forehead and moans)
MARK
Okay.
Okay.
MARIE
(raises the back of her hand to her forehead and moans)
MARK
Right, so we’re leaving.
KATHERINE
Dad?
(Mark and Katherine start to leave.)
MARIE
No!
(Mark and Katherine exit. Marie limply knocks a toy onto the ground.)
Scene 5
MARIE
I was going through some old boxes that never got unpacked from the move 8 years ago, and I found this. You remember this? It’s the essay that you wrote before Katherine was born. The paper is all faded now. “Man’s best attempt at being God.” Anyway, I think that you should write more. It makes you feel God-like. You say so right here. “I have always considered writing to be the closest that I could come to creating life. Now finally, a daughter will be born. And I will be a Father, a Creator.”
I want you to keep writing. I really did love you. I really do. It’s more important to me that things work out for you than it is that things work out for us. So please, don’t stop writing. I know how important it is for you.
One more thing. If you take Katherine from me, I’ll kill you. She’s half mine.
Scene 6
(This scene takes place in the past. Katherine and Marie sit in the living room of their house. Marie is stretching and dancing. They are listening to Cuban Jazz from the early 60’s.)
KATHERINE
Mom?
MARIE
Katherine, this is it, this is it Katherine.
Katherine, this is it, this is it Katherine.
KATHERINE
Mom?
MARIE
Do you dream about beaches Katherine? Do you ever dream about emerging from a body of water into pure natural heat, yellow and sweaty? Glorious sunshine that dries you before your body hits the towel?
KATHERINE
I like to bundle mom.
MARIE
What’s that sweetie?
KATHERINE
I like sweaters and scarves and intricate knitting patterns that play.
MARIE
Okay, come on sweetie, here is the best part. Everybody up. (singing) Ba Ba bam! Asi Asi! You’ll remember this later honey. You have to dance while you can. Those legs won’t last forever.
(pause.)
KATHERINE
You’re beautiful Mommy.
MARIE
C’mon Katherine, up up, this is what I want to give you. Give me my motherly-moment. You can make fun of me later to your friends.
…..
There you go. This is reality Katherine. You can’t buy music, only attempts to capture it. You can’t buy reality sweetheart.
(Katherine stands awkwardly as her mother dances with her arms. Katherine smiles as Marie tries to get her to dance.)
MARIE
Ah. I see that. I knew you would love it.
KATHERINE
(awkwardly) I’m a dancing machine!
Scene 7
(Mark and Katherine are sitting in an ice cream parlor. Some time passes.)