My name is Kay and I'd like to submit my play "Encore" as consideration for the Featured Playwright in the future. "Encore" is ten pages long.

I'm a playwright and screenwriter. My plays have been produced around the country and in London, England. I've also had two short films produced "Suburban Psycho" and "Holiday Plans"- both in Los Angeles. Earlier this month, I optioned my full length screenplay.

My inspiration for the play was the recent death of my favorite singer. I wrote the play to give him an ending- even if on paper- that I thought he deserved.


Thank you for considering my work and I look forward to hearing from you.


Sincerely,
Kay Poiro


Encore

Dark stage. JAMES, late 40s/ early 50s, lawyer, 21st century Judas, and dermatologist to the stars DR. BENNIE enter with flashlights. Behind them are KIKI, 30s, ditzy nurse and JO, tall, white woman. All but Jo carry cardboard boxes.

JAMES
(sings)
“It’s close to midnight, something evil’s lurking in the dark...”

KIKI
That’s not funny. Do you know what my horoscope said this morning? “Tragic events”. I’m a Cancer. Cancers can’t handle tragedy.

JO
Anyway, James, this anonymous caller calls and says what, exactly?

JAMES
He said there’s another will.

DR. BENNIE
There’s always another will. Another will, another lawsuit, another lost record...

JAMES
Damn the records. This is about the cash.

Dr. Bennie and Kiki look around, nervous

JAMES
Tell me you guys don’t buy that “haunted house” shit.

DR. BENNIE
(quickly)
I just came ‘cuz I want to look around one last time. And maybe ride the Ferris wheel. Seventeen years and I never got to ride it.

JAMES
Whatever. You play Peter Pan, I’ll find the will, get rid of it and get the hell out of here.

DR. BENNIE
You’re going to get rid of it?

JAMES
Unless it’s in our favor, of course. Don’t worry, man. Don’t you always get your cut?

James leaves

KIKI
(from behind the boxes)
Where can I put these?

JO
Hmm? Wonder what your cut’ll be this time?

DR. BENNIE
You’re still here?

JO
Well, when James said the usual suspects were going back to the ranch, I thought, what a story! “Lawyer James and Dr. Feelgood- Dead Wrong”. Ever heard of someone literally being scared to death?

KIKI
This stuff is really heavy. I think I’ll just set it over here...

She stumbles around the room

DR. BENNIE
(to Jo)
You’re full of it.

KIKI
Guys? I don’t think I can hold these much longer!

JO
Say what you want, but ten grand says he shows up tonight.

James returns with more boxes

JAMES
Even if he did, how would you know? He went from a black man to a white woman in the span of twenty years. Nice work, by the way.

He claps the uncomfortable Dr. Bennie on the back

DR. BENNIE
(to Jo)
First of all, there isn’t going to be a headline because this place isn’t-

KiKi drops the boxes with a thud. Dr. Bennie jumps.

JAMES
(to Jo)
Did I mention how gorgeous you look tonight?

He tries to touch her, she smacks his hand away

JAMES
Anybody know why there’s KFC in the kitchen?

They all search through the boxes

KIKI
That used to be his favorite food. What if he’s...?

DR. BENNIE
He’s dead, Kiki.

JO
And you know this because...

DR. BENNIE
Because me and a bazillion other people watched the memorial on T.V.

JO
You mean that circus with the fake tears and the big, gold, empty casket?

JAMES
Please.

DR. BENNIE
That casket wasn’t empty.

KIKI
I heard it was empty, too. I heard he was still alive.

Everyone groans

KIKI
I’m serious! You didn’t see the video of him in the helicopter? Or his ghost on CNN?

JAMES
Sure, I saw it. Trust me, the man’s as cold as his singing career.

KIKI
James! How could you? Weren’t you his lawyer?

JAMES
Yep, and that’s how I can say we’re better off. That freak did a lot toward healing the world when he left it.


JO
You might want to keep the harsh words to a minimum, James. Especially in his living room.

KIKI
Jo’s right. The walls might have ears.

DR. BENNIE
Boy, if these walls could talk...

JO
And what would they say, doctor? Would they tell on you?

JAMES
Here we go again...

After a long pause, Kiki starts talking, almost to herself

KIKI
I was at a stoplight on La Brea. Tasha texted me. He was dead. Heart attack. I thought it was a joke. Then, I got a text from Dr. Bennie. I couldn’t believe it. I mean, I only met him a couple of times at the end of my shift, but I sensed a connection...I just loved him so much!

She breaks down. Jo comforts her.

KIKI
(hysterical)
Ever since I was a little girl, I used to talk to my poster, the one where he’s wearing the yellow sweater? I didn’t see why everybody said he was a-

DR. BENNIE
Nutcase?

JO-Eccentric. If I were you, I’d stay right here in this room, wait until daylight and then leave. Peacefully. With your sanity.

DR. BENNIE
What about the Ferris Wheel?

KIKI
Guys, I never told you this but I’m a little bit psychic.

She closes her eyes, concentrating. James pulls a jacket and hat out of a box, slips them on

KIKI
He’s here.

DR. BENNIE
Don’t get yourself worked up again.

KIKI
And he wants us out of his house.

DR. BENNIE
It’s not his house. The bank owns it. He abandoned the house and he abandoned us.


KIKI/ JO/ JAMES
“Us”?

Dr. Bennie continues talking and searching through the boxes, talks as if nobody is there.

DR. BENNIE
After the second trial, I told him “fire everybody”. The handlers, the advisors- everybody. I told him he needs to go on T.V. and just blast those lying sons-of-bitches. I wanted him to get pissed! Stand up, look us in the eye and say he didn’t do it.
(pause)
He was a patient, but goddamn if he wasn’t a friend. None of us got to say goodbye. Not even his kids. What kind of man does that to his kids...?

JO
Let he who is without sin, Dr. Feelgood...

DR. BENNIE
(angry)
Stop calling me that! I’m not saying I didn’t do my part, all right? I knew I was wrong, I’m not saying that it wasn’t. But he was a fifty year old man. He knew what he was doing.


James doubles over, groaning. He wears a fedora and a high school letterman’s jacket.

KIKI
Are you all right?

DR. BENNIE
What happened?

James looks up, mimicking a werewolf.

JAMES
Go away!

KiKi screams as James falls over, laughing.

JAMES
I can’t believe you idiots! Where’s your sense of humor?

JO
“Thriller”. Clever.

JAMES
See? At least documentary filmmaker lady gets it. How do you like the outfit? There’s all kind of crap in these boxes.

KIKI
I don’t like it. I don’t like any of this. (she gets into her coat) I need some air.

She leaves, upset

DR. BENNIE
Wait. I’ll go with you.

Kiki and Dr. Bennie leave

JAMES
Well, that’s it. No will and another waste of time. Let’s get this mess back down to the basement.

He starts packing up boxes; Jo calmly locks the door

JO
You sure talk a lot of noise about him, you know that?

JAMES
So what? His own brothers talk about him.

JO
You talk noise, and then have the nerve to break into his house and rifle through his past-

JAMES
Whoa! Legally, it’s my house. Legally, I own everything from the train station to the monkey cages.

JO
Oh, please. You’re trespassing and you know it. I’ve seen you on T.V. You don’t think that hurts?

From outside, KiKi screams

JAMES
What the hell was that?

Jo ignores him

JAMES
Look, we can get them in the morning. Let’s get out of here.

Jo tenderly runs her fingers over the windowsills and walls.

JO
This place was so magical. Would you believe, that after all this, the only thing I wanted was someone to talk to? It’s true. Someone to talk to and a real friend.

James looks confused.

JO
Sh’mon, James. You didn’t think you’d get away with this, did you?

JAMES
(laughs nervously)
You’re fucking with me.

JO
(mimicking James)
“He’s had so much surgery, he went from a black man to a white woman.”

James realizes what’s happening and bolts for the door, it’s locked. Jo patiently waits for him to stop struggling

JAMES
I’m not the only one. What about Bennie?

As she talks, she advances on James, cornering him.

JO
I trusted you, James. You were my lawyer! I brought you around my children, my mother. Then you go on Larry King and CNN with your filthy lies...I trusted you!

She kicks over boxes, furious

JAMES
I...I didn’t mean half that stuff.

JO
Then why did you say it?

JAMES
I...I don’t know. ‘Cause I thought it was funny?

JO
It wasn’t.

JAMES
I’m sorry.

JO
Too late.

JAMES
Hey, look. Bennie’s got some stuff out in the car.

Jo scoffs

JAMES
Come on. A couple hundred cc’s of your “milk” and you’ll feel much better. Get some sleep, right? It’ll be just like old times.

JO
These are new times, James. Better times.

Pause

JAMES
Are you- are you gonna kill me?

Jo giggles; from outside, Kiki yells “Oh, my God!”

JAMES
What’s going on out there?

JO
They must have found your body. I begged you to stay with me, but you went anyway. You slipped and fell and your poor head was cracked wide open. Blood everywhere.

James sits, realizing his fate. Jo takes the fedora from him, puts it on.

JO
So, how about it, James? One last show? For old times’ sake?

James whimpers, shakes his head frantically.

JO
No? Come on. I promise it’ll be “dangerous”. Dangerous and really, really...

She snaps her fingers.

Stage Black.


JO
Bad.


END