MacLeod - Toronto, Mississippi

Copyright 2008 Joan MacLeod Talonbooks 278 East First Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V5T 1A6 www.talonbooks.com First Printing: 2008 Electronic edition: February 2016 Cover design by Adam Swica The publisher gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts; the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program; and the Province of British Columbia through the British Columbia Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit for our publishing activities. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the publisher or a licence from Access Copyright (The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency). For a copyright licence, visit accesscopyright.ca or call toll free to 1-800-893-5777. Rights to produce Toronto, Mississippi in whole or in part, in any medium by any group, amateur or professional, are retained by the author. Interested persons are requested to apply to her agent: Pam Winter, Gary Goddard Agency, 10 St.

Mary Street, Suite 305, Toronto, ON M4Y 1P9; tel.: (416) 928-0299; fax: (416) 924-9593. Toronto, Mississippi was originally published by Playwrights Canada Press in 1987. Cataloguing data available from Library and Archives Canada. ISBN-13: 978-0-88922-583-1 (pbk.) ISBN-13: 978-1-77201-056-5 (EPUB) ISBN-13: 978-1-77201-057-2 (Kindle) ISBN-13: 978-1-77201-058-9 (PDF) Toronto, Mississippi premiered at Tarragon Theatre in Toronto on October 6, 1987, with the following cast: JHANA : Brooke Johnson BILL : Jim Warren MADDIE : Marlane OBrien KING : Bruce McFee Directed by Andy McKim Set and Costume design by Sue LePage Lighting Design by Louise Guinand Characters KING , forty, Elvis impersonator, Jhanas father JHANA , eighteen, moderately mentally handicapped, hyperactive with symptoms of autism, employed at a sheltered workshop BILL , thirty, poet, part-time college instructor, boarding with Jhana and Maddie MADDIE , forty, high school English teacher, Jhanas mother Setting A middle-class living room in Toronto. Authors Note In Jhanas first scene she is slightly rocking back and forth. It is something she does to comfort herself, and a signal to Bill that shes phasing out a little.

This is what Maddie refers to later as stimming out and considers inappropriate. Later in this scene Jhana (pronounced Jahnah ) says, Well all be at workshop. Well all be at drop-in. The social circle mentally handicapped people move in is often quite small. The same people Jhana went to school with she now works with, bowls with, and goes to drop-in with. Drop-in is a Friday night event for handicapped people at the local community centre.

Jhana later says, I am mentally handicapped. This is something she does not like having to say. In this case she becomes angry with her mother for making her say it and she yells, Close the patio door! Jhana is imitating something her mother said earlier but its the emotion behind the phrase shes imitating rather than the meaning something she does often. Jhana whines off-stage about finding her clothes, vacuuming, etc. She is being very lazy about the way she speaks partly because she finds the tasks at hand uninteresting but also because her mother understands her even when shes talking silly. If you had to say all your sentences backwards for the next half hour it would be very difficult and concentrated work; in a way this is what Jhana has to do all the time.

The way she talks naturally is very jumbled but when she is interested in communicating well she can do it; at the very end of the play when she dials 911 she speaks in perfect sentences. Jhana is obsessed about her father visiting because she loves him and hasnt seen him for a while. But carrying one thought at a time rather than a half dozen at once is also part of her mental handicap and comes up often. Jhana also often repeats the last line of what her father is saying; she does this to show she is interested but doesnt have a clue what is being talked about. Shell repeat, shell agree, shell imitate the emotion she picks up from that person. Her father often talks over her head because he doesnt live with her.

When Jhana says Betty died, she refers to the fact that some of the people she went to school with and worked with also have physical handicaps and sometimes a shorter life span. Jhana doesnt have this problem but she is much more accustomed to death than the average eighteen-year-old. The best way to approach Jhana is to find the Jhana within shes just like any eighteen-year-old but not as slick, and once that discoverys happened there are some mentally handicapped traits that can be added. There is sometimes a flatness to a mentally handicapped persons speech or inappropriate emphasis because whats being said isnt always understood statements become questions and vice versa. Physically theres stimming out and inappropriate physical behaviour. Mentally handicapped people also often have high anxiety rates and low self-esteem; think of a job interview you dont feel qualified for but you fake your way through.

Jhana is hyper-active, her energy is nearly always unrelenting. She is mentally handicapped with only some symptoms of autism so dont think of Jhana as autistic. Jhana is based partly on a friend of mine who is a very lovely woman who is also mentally handicapped. The most important think I can tell you about playing Jhana is that a mental handicap or any handicap is a sad thing but this life, this particular person, is also a joy. PROLOGUE Black on set, spot on KING at microphone, costumed like early Elvis, with a Memphis accent. KING: Mrs.

Priscilla Presley has just left the building and believe you me folks, that is something we can all be grateful for. So now we can kick our heels up, have a good time. I thank you all for coming out tonight but before I begin a big hello to a special someone whos sitting out there front row centre. I mean, friends and women they come and go. They certainly have been marching away from me at a steady rate these days. But children well its just a very precious thing to have a child.

Ladies and gentlemen, my daughter, my little girl Lisa Marie Presley. Stand up honey, dont be scared. Shes still real little so lets treat her nice, lets make her feel right at home. Blackout. ACT ONE Scene One Lights up on set. JHANA is dancing full out to loud, early Elvis music.

Eventually she sits and begins rocking back and forth in a trance-like manner. BILL enters and stops her rocking and turns off the music. BILL: You be Priscilla and Ill be Elvis. JHANA: Im Elvis Presley! BILL: Five minutes on nine one one and then its bed. Deal? JHANA: Im Elvis Presley! BILL: Youre always Elvis. How about being Lisa Marie? JHANA: No.

Bills Priscilla. Its funny. Right? BILL: Why cant we both be Elvis? I hate being her. JHANA: She isnt dead. BILL: Good Point. So you be Priscilla JHANA: Youre hating nine one one, right? BILL: Five minutes.

When your mum gives us shit for staying up half the night, you can amaze her with nine one one. ( role playing Elvis ) I smell something burning, Cilla. If Graceland burnt ? Lawdy, lawdy Cmon Jhana. JHANA: Im Elvis Presley! BILL: Alright. You win. ( role playing Priscilla ) Elvis? How many of those pills did you take? You hear me? Are you sick honey? Eh? JHANA: ( role playing Elvis ) Hi, Priscilla.

Youre funny, right? BILL: Im perfectly fine but you look a little rough. Half dead if you want to know the truth. I dont care if you are Elvis Presley or the President of the United States. Im gonna call you an ambulance. Now how on earth do you suppose I do that? JHANA: Nine one one. BILL: Show me.

JHANA: Nine one one. On her telephone. Pick it up. BILL: The whole phone? JHANA: Bill! ( picks up receiver and offers it to BILL ) BILL: Dial it. JHANA: Why? BILL: Look Jhana. This isnt my idea of a great time either.