Senior Play lines- Julia Ferris

Helen: I know you will, Miss Benson; whoever gets the part.

Julia: Don’t you think it’s about time to be quitting? It’s almost 5 o’clock.

Helen: Goodbye, Mrs. Ferris.

Julia: Goodbye, Helen. How did it go?

Marsha: I’m beginning to get really excited about directing this play.

Julia: You can have it. You don’t know how grateful I am to you for doing this for me. Just because I happen to have drawn senior class sponsor certainly doesn’t qualify me to direct the senior play, any more than it does to coach the football team.

Marsha: Well, I’ll warn you, I’m not taking the football team if they assign you that.

Julia: (laughs) You certainly did a grand jobs with the junior play and those other district productions, Marsha. That made it even worse when I knew I’d be responsible for the senior one. Why, I don’t even know stage right from left.

Marsha: But I’d better hurry with this so I can post it this afternoon.

Julia: There’s one you won’t have to do any thinking about, that’s for sure.

Marsha: Who?

Julia: Didn’t Judy Hamilton try out for a part?

Marsha: Yes, the lead.

Julia: Then honey, she’s it. No need to worry about that part anymore.

Marsha: In fact, when I review my notes and have time to think about it, I don’t think I will cast her in the lead.

Julia: (laughing) Marsha, don’t act so naive. You’ve taught here for almost a whole year, and you know that what Judy Hamilton wants at this school, she gets, or rather, her mother gets it for her. And that includes the lead in the school play.

Marsha: Judy will be in the play though, because she’s good; I just have a feeling she won’t play the lead.

Julia: (pause) Marsha, do you remember the homecoming queen election last month?

Marsha: Yes (to hoco queen election)

Julia: Remember after everyone had voted, the contest was called off and a special faculty committee selected three girls for another vote. There was Judy, and then there were two others who wouldn’t give her too much competition. Judy won that time.

Marsha: Do you mean those three girls weren’t the three highest in the first voting?

Julia: Influence, my friend. Ruby Hamilton wants her daughter to have everything and be everything in this school. And she won’t take the democratic process for an answer, if the answer is no for Judy.

Marsha: Judy would already be outstanding without it.

Julia: Just outstanding isn’t good enough for Ruby. It’s got to be the most outstanding every time- and she works at it full time, promoting her little daughter Judy.

Marsha: I can’t believe he’d let a parent do that sort of thing. It’s so unfair.

Julia: Mr. Wilson values his job. He wants to remain principal of this school and he knows the Hamiltons could make it mighty hard for him if he tried to buck them. Didn’t you know, it’s Judy’s father who’s chairman of the school board?

Marsha: I’m casting this play strictly on students’ abilities.

Julia: (quitely, after a short pause) Marsha, I want to stay in this town too. I’ve lived here eight years; I’m buying a house; my two sons like this town and this school. Fatherless boys need something to hold to, and we all like it here. It would kill me to have to uproot everything and start looking for another job.

Marsha: I’m the director and I’m selecting the cast.

Julia: But I’m still in charge of the play. I’m the senior sponsor, and officially, I’m responsible for the senior play.

Marsha: It’s a wonder they’ll stand for it.

Julia: It’s a situation that isn’t generally known.

Marsha: Are her teachers afraid to even discuss the facts of the case?

Julia: Would you, if you gave in for fear of your job, or in the unpleasant scenes you might have to face? It simply isn’t the sort of thing teachers involved like to talk about.

Marsha: The fact that her father is chairman of the school board doesn’t make Judy a better actress.

Julia: It’s very convincing in some quarters. But what carries even more weight is that both her grandparents are quite powerful politically in this town and the superintendency is an elective office. Furthermore, our present superintendent wants to stay in office. Add all those facts up, and you might see that who gets the lead in the senior play isn’t quite as important as what the consequences might be.

Marsha: Julia, do you know Mr. Hamilton?

Julia: Yes. Well, slightly. He goes to our church, and I’ve talked with him several times at PTA meetings.

Marsha: What sort of person is he?

Julia: Oh, average. Intelligent, rather civic-minded, friendly. Why?

Marsha: Do you really suppose his wife could get him to use unfair pressure to gain special favors for Judy?

Julia: I just don’t know. It’s sometimes hard to tell what a wife can get-or a husband either, for that matter. I’ve known people who- (pauses). Marsha, you’re not really considering not giving the role to Judy are you? Because Marsha-

Marsha: I’ve got to consider everything.

Julia: Well, I can tell you right now, if Judy doesn’t get it, there will be trouble for all of us. If Ruby Hamilton can’t manage her husband, she can get what she wants from her father- everyone knows that. I wish to high heaven I’d gone on and directed this play myself. It wouldn’t have been nearly as good, but it would’ve caused a lot less trouble.

Marsha: I’ve no doubt of that.

Julia: I’ll wait in Mr. Wilson’s office until you’ve finished. And Marsha, I surely do hope you know what you’re doing.