Morisseau - Pipeline

PIPELINE BOOKS BY DOMINIQUE MORISSEAU
PUBLISHED BY TCG: The Detroit Project
INCLUDES:
Paradise Blue
Detroit 67
Skeleton CrewPipeline PIPELINE DOMINIQUE MORISSEAU THEATRE COMMUNICATIONS GROUPNEW YORK2018 Pipeline is copyright 2018 by Dominique Morisseau Pipeline is published by Theatre Communications Group, Inc.,
520 Eighth Avenue, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10018-4156 All rights reserved. Except for brief passages quoted in newspaper, magazine, radio or television reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Professionals and amateurs are hereby warned that this material, being fully protected under the Copyright Laws of the United States of America and all other countries of the Berne and Universal Copyright Conventions, is subject to a royalty. All rights, including but not limited to, professional, amateur, recording, motion picture, recitation, lecturing, public reading, radio and television broadcasting, and the rights of translation into foreign languages are expressly reserved. Particular emphasis is placed on the question of readings and all uses of this book by educational institutions, permission for which must be secured from the authors representative: Jonathan Mills, Paradigm Agency, 140 Broadway, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10005, 212-897-6400. We Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks.

Used By Consent of Brooks Permissions. The publication of Pipeline by Dominique Morisseau, through TCGs Book Program, is made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. TCG books are exclusively distributed to the book trade by Consortium Book Sales and Distribution. ISBN 978-1-55936-587-1 (paperback) ISBN 978-1-55936-902-2 (ebook) A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. Book design and composition by Lisa Govan Cover design by Monet Cogbill Cover image by James McMullan First Edition, September 2018 This play is for my mother, a master-educator and proud public school teacher for forty years in Highland Park, Michigan. This isnt her story.

Its just a similar world in which she was a fiercely committed educator, and worked very hard to help her students transcend. I salute you, Mama. Love, Dominique CONTENTS PIPELINE PRODUCTION HISTORYPipeline was commissioned by Chicagos Steppenwolf Theatre Company (Martha Lavey, Artistic Director; David Hawkanson, Executive Director). Pipeline received its world premiere on July 10, 2017, at Lincoln Center Theater (Andr Bishop, Producing Artistic Director, Adam Siegel, Managing Director) in New York City. It was directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz; the scenic design was by Matt Saunders, the costume design was by Montana Levi Bianco, the lighting design was by Yi Zhao, the sound design was by Justin Ellington, the projection design was by Hannah Wasileski; the stage manager was Charles M. Turner III.

The cast was:

Strong but burning out. Smoker. Sometimes drinker. Holding together by a thread. OMARI, Black man, late teens. Smart and astute.

Rage without release. Tender and honest at his core. Something profoundly sensitive amidst the anger. Wrestling with his identity between private school education and being from a so-called urban community. Nyas son. JASMINE, Black or Latina woman, late teens.

Sensitive and tough. A sharp bite, a soft smile. Profoundly aware of herself and her environment. Attends upstate private school but from a so-called urban environment. In touch with the poetry of her own language. XAVIER, Black man, mid-late thirties.

Single father, struggling to connect to his own son. Marketing executive. Wounded relationship with his ex-wife. Financially stable. Emotionally impoverished. Nyas ex-husband, Omaris father.

LAURIE, White woman, fifties. Pistol of a woman. Teaches in public high school and can hold her own against the tough students and the stressed environment. Doesnt bite her tongue. A dont-fuck-with-me chick. DUN, Black man, early-mid-thirties.

Public high school security guard. Fit and optimistic. Charismatic with women. Genuine and thoughtful and trying to be a gentleman in a stressed environment. Its not easy. NOTE ABOUT THE SETTING Not necessarily New York City, but definitely modeled after it.

Can be any inner city environment where the public school system is under duress. However, the quick pace of the language is New York Cityinspired and should be maintained in any setting. Present day. Also, we have undefined space. This is a place where location doesnt matter. It is sometimes an alternate reality bleeding into reality.

It is sometimes just isolated reality that doesnt require a setting. Only words. NOTE ABOUT THE TEXT A / indicates when the next line of dialogue begins. Lights up on Nya. She is on the phone, though we dont have to really see her holding anything. As she speaks, images flow behind her: camera-phone video clips of school fights, disjointed and perhaps emerging less into video and more into large overwhelming shadows. As she speaks, images flow behind her: camera-phone video clips of school fights, disjointed and perhaps emerging less into video and more into large overwhelming shadows.

NYA: Hey its its me. I know I shouldnt but I dont know what else to we need to talk. Its about our son. He got in a fight. On school grounds. Theyre going to theyre talking about theyre talking kicking him out.

Theyre talking pressing charges. Theyre going to I dont know what theyre going to Im just (Beat beat beat) Im exhausted. You know that? Like there is no more helium. Im sinking. Like there is all this weight I cant fight gravity. You know? Like I just cant even fight this pulling down taking all of myI dont know.

I dont know. I dont even know. (Beat beat beat beat beat)(Then randomly enthusiastic) So anyway! Give me a call back when you get a moment. So we can talk. Talk about. Our son. Our son.

Us (Long, awkward pause.) Yep. Okay. Bye. (Quick pause.) I um I also miss you. (Beat.) Fuck. I shouldnt have said that.

Im gonna I should delete that. Im gonna delete that. (She pushes a button. We hear the prompt that says: To erase and rerecord, press 3. She presses 3. Then, very professionally:) Hey, Xavier, its Nya.

Calling to talk to you about our son. Give me a call back when you get this. Thanks. Bye. (Nya stands in silence for a moment. Then lights a cigarette.

She leans her head to the side. Puffs. We hear a school bell ring. The distant sound of a school day starting. Hallways filled with lockers closing and gossip and trampling feet. A public address announcement comes through.

It is fast and static:) PA (Offstage): Good morning students, welcome to another glorious day at Chadsey High. Please remember to take off your hats. No sagging allowed. New policy in effect todayhomeroom teachers are now going to lock your cell phones and other non-school-issued devices in their drawers. You will retrieve them at the end of the day. If you have any objections to this, then you are free to leave your devices at home.