kk Epidemic Episodes ;

(from MEN ABOUT TOWN)
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Scene One: Early 1980s. Paul and Leo are happily living on a steady diet of anonymous sex. Paul, seemingly more responsible, has heard rumors of an illness - rumors Leo is quick to dismiss.

Scene Two: One year later. Even though the two are at rock bottom (friends ill and dying), Leo rejects Paul's suggestion to volunteer ("Leather Queens with a Lamp? I don't think so").

Scene Three: Several years later. Leo has thrown himself into volunteering while Paul, who lost a friend, has withdrawn. (Paul: "Some people mourn longer than others." Leo: "You're not mourning. You're doing Queen Victoria.")

Scene Four: The Future. As the men plan an evening out, we learn the crisis has receded -- but for Leo only. Paul, feeling he did not do enough when it mattered, spends his days in frantic activity while Leo confidently awaits the future.

EPIDEMIC EPISODES compresses 25 years into 18 minutes of economical dialogue that show two completely different ways of coping with the defining crisis of our times. It is raw, humorous and unforgiving. The parts offer both actors an enormous arc of growth.

Characters

• Paul: Oxford button-down and a necktie
• Leo: Flannel shirt and levis

Setting

• Scenes 1 and 2: anywhere two people might meet: coffee shop, laundromat, the park
• Scene 3: an office
• Scene 4: two chairs behind a low railing. ("A warm light tells us it is late summer.")

Running Time

• 18-20 minutes

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Copyright © 2005 Michael Conley. All rights reserved.