The English Teacher Page #2

the purity of a love

that asks for no reward...

Oh! Hi!

- Oh, my goodness.

- Sorry to interrupt.

- No, no, no. Come on in.

- No, no, no...

Everyone's gonna be

so excited to meet you.

- No, no, no.

- Please, please. No.

Class, I have

a surprise for you.

This is Jason Sherwood.

He's a former student,

and a graduate of the Dramatic Writing

Program at NYU.

And I'm sure many of you remember

reading his wonderful story,

The Hidden Court.

Oh.

Sorry about that.

Um, I just came

to drop this off...

Oh, that's terrific.

Thank you so much.

- You're welcome to join us.

- Oh, no, I'm okay.

I'm just gonna go.

You guys should feel very lucky to have

Ms. Sinclair as a teacher.

I had many genius

writing teachers at NYU,

and she's up there

with the best.

Thank you.

- Bye.

- Goodbye.

Okay, I admit it.

I bribed him to say that.

All right, Noble Sacrifice.

- Dr. Sherwood!

- Yeah.

I saw your son today.

Uh, I'm Linda Sinclair.

- I was Jason's English teacher...

- Yeah, I know who you are.

Yeah, Jason's back home.

He told me all about New York.

It's very sad.

You know, I think he just reached a point

where he felt like he had to stop

and take stock of things.

It's very normal.

But it would be such a shame for him

to give up his writing.

Because he's

so very talented.

Yeah. But that's a very,

very tough racket, you know.

Not everyone's

cut out for it.

I'm excited

to read his play.

- He showed you his play?

- Yes.

I'm very excited

to read it.

- I hope you like it.

- Well, I'm sure I will.

Did you like it?

I can't exactly say

it was my thing.

- Nice to see you, Mrs...

- Miss.

Miss Sinclair.

Ms. Sinclair.

Right.

- Hello?

- I'm calling from the...

No, thank you. And please

take me off your list.

- This will only take a second.

- Thank you very much.

Ma'am?

Ma'am?

"Ms Sinclair, for what is worth,

here's 'The Crysalis.' Jason."

Jason? It's Linda Sinclair.

Did I wake you?

What? No.

No, no, no, no. Hi.

Hi.

How are you?

What's up?

Well, I read the play.

You did?

And it's fantastic!

You like it?

I loved it!

It's remarkable, I've been

crying for the last half hour.

You have?

Are you kidding,

with that ending, I mean,

how can you even think about

law school, you belong in New York.

That's so nice

of you to say.

No, no.

I'm not being nice.

I'm being honest.

And I can't bear the thought that

no one's gonna get to see this.

Yeah, me too. I mean, that's just

the way it is though.

You know, uh,

it's fine, you know...

I'll be a lawyer.

I just...

I have to let it go.

But what if there were

a way to get it produced.

Right now.

Would you be

interested in that?

I mean, honestly,

there isn't...

- Because... - Do you

remember Carl Kapinas?

Mr. Ka-penis,

the drama teacher?

Jason, please,

he's a friend.

Sorry. Kapinas.

Well, he's always

complaining about

having to direct the same show

year after year

and I wanna give him

The Chrysalis.

Yeah, well, I'm...

I'm not sure really how I feel

about that exactly.

Because if he flips for it,

like I know he will...

There's a very real chance that he

could mount a production of it.

- You mean at the high school?

- Mmm-hmm.

God damn it.

- With him directing?

- That's right.

He can come on a little strong,

but say what you will,

the man understands drama.

Linda,

are you in there?

Lin... Sorry.

- Linda?

- Carl.

I can't wait. I've just had the most

transcendent experience!

- Did you hear me?

- Yeah, I heard you. I heard you.

- Hurry!

- Okay.

Oh, Linda... Linda...

- Oh, you liked it?

- Liked it?

It's my story.

The boy wrote it for me.

I know! I felt

exactly the same way!

Naturally.

The tale is archetypal,

-and thus universal in its appeal.

- Mmm-hmm.

- Of course.

- Oh, but it's so extraordinary.

I feel I've been

transformed...

Wait... We should use

that for the posters.

"The Chrysalis will transform you."

Period. "Forever."

Exclamation point.

Linda, I'll do such

fantastic things with it.

I see it all

so clearly up here.

Ah, for the design,

I'm picturing a sort of

Neo-Edwardian-German-

Expressionist gestalt.

But colorful and fun.

- Halle Anderson would make

an ideal lead. - Oh, yes.

And Sheila Nussbaum

as the Irish stepmother.

Oh! She excels at dialect.

I've harvested a bountiful and

talented crop of actors this year!

Do you really

think we can do it?

Oh, we can.

And we must.

Don't you see?

I've become

an artistic zombie,

walking lifelessly through

the same old productions

year after year

after year.

I'm supposed to direct

The Importance of Being Earnest

this semester

for the fifth time.

Try breathing life into

that antiquated sitcom.

And how can I,

after reading this play?

This is O'Neill meets Kafka

meets Spielberg

and then they all

walk into a bar.

It's fresh!

It's new! It's...

It's not gonna

happen, people.

And why is that, Phil?

Because this is not

a high school play, Carl!

What do you know about what is

and isn't a high school play?

I've done 38 productions.

Thirty-eight

over 19 years!

I believe

I'm the authority here.

- No one is questioning your

authority. - Oh, yeah.

- All Phil is saying...

- Phil would be happy

if we put on Our Town

twice a year.

Sue me, I like Our Town.

I think it's wholesome.

- Everybody likes it.

- I... Just for me...

I thought we were doing The Importance

of Being Earnest as the play.

Trudie, if I have to spend

another two months

making trays

of cucumber sandwiches,

I will curl into a fetal

position and die.

like that time you did Oklahoma

with those idiotic masks.

It was in the traditional

Japanese Noh style,

And Lydia Plotke at the Times Leader called

it "profoundly imaginative."

Yeah, well, I thought

it profoundly stank.

This from a man who thinks

American Buffalo

- is about an American buffalo.

- That's what it's called!

Well, in the words of

David Mamet, "F*** you!"

Hey, ya, pal!

Now time out!

Now just dial it down

a notch.

I'm sorry.

Accepted.

Now as for this play,

The Chrysalis.

You know, I am impressed by what

this alumnus has written,

but I have to wonder...

You know, is it appropriate for

a high school audience?

- Yes.

- Right.

- What will the parents think?

- Exactly.

Can we clear it

before the Board?

I'm sorry, what's the actual

issue here?

Hello?

Have you read the thing?

It's got language,

it's got violence...

Obviously we'd tone

all of that down.

That goes without saying.

Not to mention the cost,

with all these crazy special effects,

and, you know,

costumes.

Plus that girl who turns herself

into a bug-monster...

What is that?

This is not Broadway.

I'm painfully

aware of that.

We are dealing

with a limited budget.

But this is about

more than money.

This is about the kids.

to perform the work of a playwright

who used to be one of them.

You want to sell the Board?

You want to sell the parents?

Then sell them

on Jason Sherwood,

a former Kingston High School

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