Characters
MARIA (17) Female
High school senior.
MR HARRIS (37) Male
High school drama teacher.
Setting
Sidewalk outside a high school two hours after the school play.
Time
The present. 11:00 PM.
After the school play, Maria knows her dad is not coming to pick her up and Maria’s director, Mr. Harris, must decide if he can do what any decent person would do.
(At rise MARIA is sitting on a bench writing in a journal. MR. HARRIS sees her and walks to her.)
MR. HARRIS
I thought you’d be gone long ago.
MARIA
I was waiting for my dad to pick me up.
MR. HARRIS
The play ended two hours ago. Did he forget about you?
MARIA
No. He had something come up… an emergency.
MR. HARRIS
Well I can’t just leave you here to be kidnapped.
MARIA
Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I have a lot of writing to do anyway.
MR. HARRIS
No, no, I’ll wait with you.
MARIA
Thanks, but I’m safe here. I promise I won’t jump into the first car that gives me candy.
MR. HARRIS
Sounds like you were trained well.
MARIA
I was, you can go.
MR. HARRIS
No, no, I’m responsible for you.
MARIA
Were you watching everyone else get picked up tonight?
MR. HARRIS
Well, no but—
MARIA
So, just imagine that you never saw me and assume I got picked up.
MR. HARRIS
Let me just keep you company until he shows up.
MARIA
Please, Mr. Harris, your wife is waiting for you. My dad might be a while.
MR. HARRIS
My wife never waits up for me the night of a play. I’m never home before midnight.
(MARIA looks at her phone and answers a call.)
MARIA
It’s my dad. Hey Dad… okay great. I’m right in front of the school. Okay. (She hangs up) He’ll be here in a minute, you don’t have to wait anymore.
MR. HARRIS
I got to talk to him a couple of times on opening night. He was really proud of you.
MARIA
Yeah, he really liked Christine, she was his favorite, and the ending with Michael. He really liked that.
MR. HARRIS
I’m sure you were his favorite.
MARIA
Besides me.
MR. HARRIS
He told me how excited he was to come again tonight. I’m sorry he couldn’t make it.
MARIA
The emergency.
MR. HARRIS
I’m glad he enjoyed it. Before the play he told me that he wasn’t a big fan of dramas. He was really hoping it was going to be funny.
MARIA
He’s pretty emotional and he just doesn’t like to cry in front of strangers.
MR. HARRIS
Is that why he sat in the back?
MARIA
Yeah. He cried when we were all taken away at the end. I saw him wiping tears when we walked past him.
MR. HARRIS
That part gets me every time. (beat) He told me you were interested in going to college for acting. Is this new?
MARIA
It was just a thought. I don’t think so now.
MR. HARRIS
You changed your mind since yesterday?
MARIA
I don’t think I’m going to college.
MR. HARRIS
Why not? Your grades are good and there are lots of scholarships out there and community college is practically free.
MARIA
You don’t have to wait. He’ll be here soon.
MR. HARRIS
It’s no problem at all, I’d love to tell him how well you did tonight.
(MARIA looks at her phone and answers a call.)
MARIA
Sorry, it’s my dad again. Where are ya?… Okay… Okay… Mr Harris is here waiting with me… Okay… I’ll be here. (She hangs up.) He’ll be here soon and he said for you to go. That you don’t have to wait anymore.
MR. HARRIS
He said that?
MARIA
Yeah. So, um, you can go. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.
MR. HARRIS
So I’m free to go then?
MARIA
Yep.
MR. HARRIS
I think I’ll just wait with you for a few more minutes, then I’ll go.
MARIA
Please don’t.
MR. HARRIS
What’s going on?
MARIA
Nothing, I just don’t want you to waste your time.
MR. HARRIS
You’re usually a pretty good actress, but the phone call was not very convincing.
MARIA
What are you talking about? That was my dad I was talking to.
MR. HARRIS
Nope.
MARIA
Are you saying I’m lying to you? Mr. Harris, I wouldn’t lie to you.
MR. HARRIS
Maria… Stop. I know it wasn’t your dad on the phone, because you weren’t talking to anyone on the phone. Your phone didn’t light up when you pretended to take the call. I’m a teacher, I have all kinds of super powers when it comes to teens and their phones.
MARIA
I’m sorry. He’s going to be a while and I didn’t want you to have to wait.
MR. HARRIS
Come on, it’ll give us time to chat.
MARIA
Okay… I guess.
MR. HARRIS
Your dad told me that you’ve wanted to be an actress since you were five.
MARIA
Yeah.
MR. HARRIS
College is a great place to get trained and gain experience.
MARIA
That was the plan.
MR. HARRIS
Something changed that plan?
MARIA
I think so. I think a lot’s changed.
MR. HARRIS
Do you still want to act?
MARIA
I do, but—
MR. HARRIS
Tell me why. Why do you love acting?
MARIA
Well… I love to feel someone else’s feelings and be in someone else’s story. It’s like I become more of a person.
MR. HARRIS
More of a person… I like that.
MARIA
I even started my first diary on the day you cast the show.
MR. HARRIS
Really? Is that your diary.
MARIA
It is. It’s not a very exciting read right now, but I have a lot to write about from the last two days.
MR. HARRIS
I bet. Opening night was pretty eventful and tonight with Spencer forgetting his lines. You covered those really well.
MARIA
Thanks.
MR. HARRIS
Two more shows to go. I’m sure it’ll get a lot more interesting.
MARIA
You’ve acted before, right?
MR. HARRIS
I have. I know what you mean by becoming more of a person.
MARIA
Do you get the same feeling when you direct a play? Like, do you feel what Mr. Frank feels? Does he become part of you?
MR. HARRIS
I do. Not as much as the actors of course, but yes. Even Anne will always be a small part of me.
MARIA
How many plays have you directed?
MR. HARRIS
Almost a hundred.
MARIA
Wow, that’s a lot of small parts in there.
MR. HARRIS
It’s getting a little crowded.
MARIA
That’s a lot of empathy.
MR. HARRIS
Like I’ve told you, that’s what the arts do best.
MARIA
So, with all that empathy, do you think you would have hidden a Jewish family in your attic?
MR. HARRIS
I’d like to think I would. I hope I’d have the courage to do the right thing.
MARIA
Yeah, me too. Did you know that Miep Gies never thought of herself as a hero. She said, “I did what any decent person would have done.”
MR. HARRIS
You really did your research.
MARIA
I learned more about World War Two by doing this play and all the research than anything Ms. Jackson ever taught us.
MR. HARRIS
Did you know that Mr. Kraler went to a concentration camp for hiding Anne and her family.
MARIA
And he escaped.
MR. HARRIS
That’s right, he did.
MARIA
Mr. Harris… My dad’s not coming.
MR. HARRIS
How do you know that?
MARIA
I can’t go back home.
MR. HARRIS
What’s going on Maria? Come on, tell me the truth.
MARIA
You sure?
MR. HARRIS
I’m sure. Just know that I’m a mandated reporter. I have to report any abuse you tell me about.
MARIA
Whoa, Mr. Harris, my dad is not abusing me! It’s nothing like that.
MR. HARRIS
Well, I’m glad to hear that.
MARIA
It’s a lot worse.
MR. HARRIS
Worse?
MARIA
Mr. Harris…
MR. HARRIS
Are you sure I’m the one you want to tell?
MARIA
I just know there’s a lot of people in this town that I would never tell this to.
MR. HARRIS
What about your dad?
MARIA
Oh, he knows.
MR. HARRIS
And he supports you?
MARIA
Mr. Harris… Stop trying to guess what I’m about to tell you… I’m not gay.
MR. HARRIS
Okay, sorry.
MARIA
You said there’s a little bit of Anne inside you. I’m really counting on that right now. My dad didn’t come to the play tonight. He was going to bring my brother. They were excited. When he didn’t show up, I called him at intermission. I called my brother. I called my grandma. No one answered. I walked home after the play. There were flowers on the ground next to our car. They were for me, for the performance tonight. He always brought flowers. They were on their way to see me in the show.
MR. HARRIS
What happened?
MARIA
I won’t be at school tomorrow, but I will be there for the play. I just have to find somewhere to go tonight.
MR. HARRIS
To go? Not home?
MARIA
You said… you’d like to think you would hide a family. (beat) My dad is undocumented… My grandma is undocumented… My younger brother is undocumented…. And I need a place to hide. Just for a little while.
MR. HARRIS
That’s… I’m so sorry… I can’t believe they just took them.
MARIA
I can’t go back home, they must be looking for me.
MR. HARRIS
Your family?
MARIA
No. (beat) Mr. Harris, can you help me?
MR. HARRIS
I can call someone for you.
MARIA
Who do you think you’re going to call that’s going to do the right thing?
MR. HARRIS
Do you have any friends or other family that would put you up for a few days?
MARIA
We don’t have any family here, and you’re the one adult I trust in this town.
MR. HARRIS
Yeah… um, let me call my wife and tell her what’s happening? See what we can do. (He calls his wife) Hi, I know it’s late but it’s a bit of an emergency. My student Maria, she played Mrs. Frank… yeah, that’s her, she needs to stay at our house for a while… yeah, her family was just deported, or detained, and she has nowhere to go… right… I know… yeah, pretty horrible… oh, right… right… that’s okay, we’ll figure something out… Okay, see ya soon. (Hangs up)
MARIA
That’s a no, right?
MR. HARRIS
We only have one extra room that’s available and it’s filled with our living room furniture. We had a leak in a wall and now it all needs to be repainted. So, there’s nowhere to put you.
MARIA
You have an attic?
MR. HARRIS
I wouldn’t put you in the attic.
MARIA
No, I guess you wouldn’t. Maybe you can just make that phone call you were going to make earlier.
MR. HARRIS
I’m sure that child protective services can help find you a place. Let me find the number. I’ll stay here and wait with you until someone comes to pick you up. Here it is. (Calls the number).
MARIA
Your phone lit up.
MR. HARRIS
What?
MARIA
Just now, your phone lit up your face. Now I see what you were talking about – the super power.
MR. HARRIS
Oh, right.
MARIA
When you called your wife, it didn’t light up. I’m sorry Mr. Harris, this was a lot to ask of you. I suppose you did what any decent person would have done. Look, I’m just going to my cousin’s house. It’s just around the corner. I’ll see ‘ya, Mr. Harris.
(MARIA quickly walks away, leaving her diary behind. MR. HARRIS watches her leave. He sees the diary and picks it up.)
END OF PLAY