Welcomeby Richard Stuart Dixon
© Richard Stuart Dixon, 2003
(Note: Performance of this play requires the author’s permission. Please contact Good School Plays for details.)
Production Notes:
• running time: approx. 45 minutes
• style: ensemble storytelling
• suitable for general audiences
• 32 characters (20 female, 12 male)
• gender-flexible casting
• black-box staging (no set required)
Summary of Script Content:
• “Deep Lake” is the story of a group of survivors from three small towns who have gathered in front of a video camera to tell the tale of a harrowing and mystifying collective experience, in the hope that someone will find the video and come to their aid.
(This play was first performed in October, 2003, at Gleneagle Secondary School in Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada.)
Published Online by Good School Plays, February 18, 2018.
Go to:
Act One, Scene 1
Act One, Scene 2
Act One, Scene 3
Act One, Scene 4
Act Two, Scene 1
Act Two, Scene 2
Act Two, Scene 3
Act Two, Scene 4
CHARACTERS:
Group 1: Morningstar
Tommy Bradshaw, 42, owner of the Petrocan gas station.
Veronica Bradshaw*, 39, wife of Tommy Bradshaw.
Hank Burstwick*, 23, blind bee keeper.
Bethany Rosenfeld, 34, single parent, pub waitress at the Prairie Dog Hotel.
Summer Rosenfeld*, 14, Bethany Rosenfeld’s daughter.
Eternity Delacroix*, 68, widow of a farmer.
Damien Finn*, 26, unemployed roofer.
Valdez Sinclair*, 38, taxidermist.
Carmen Sinclair, 36, Valdez’s wife, a photographer.
Fancy Modesto*, 13, a girl who wants to be a vet.
Tina Schultz, 13, Fancy’s best friend.
Group 2: Silver Willow
Viktor Montoya*, 35, street sweeping machine operator.
Gabrielle Montoya, 34, his wife, an artist.
Flex Martin, 19, Produce Dept. trainee at the Silver Willow IGA.
Tania Rasmussen*, 17, checkout clerk at IGA, Flex’s girlfriend.
Sally Horton*, 28, wife of the minister of St. Mark’s Anglican Church.
Erwin “Ernie” Rayner*, 44, owner/operator of Do It Again Recycle Depot.
Tandy Gullow, 37, English teacher at Silver Willow Secondary School.
Tristan Gullow, 12, her son.
Frank Undermeyer*, 50, custodian at Silver Willow Secondary School.
Gloria Kamisky, 41, owner of the North Star Cafe.
Bernadette Holister*, 31, waitress at the North Star Cafe.
Group 3: Jacob’s Ladder
Constable Gerhardt Baker, 34, Jacob’s Ladder RCMP Detachment.
Millie Baker*, 31, his wife.
Old Willy Benz*, 80, retired farmer.
Nina Benz, 16, granddaughter of Willy Benz.
Jamie Costello, 40, owner of Sweet & Sassy Hair Salon and Tanning Studio.
Evangeline Costello, 11, Jamie Costello’s daughter.
Gus Kramer*, 44, heavy duty mechanic, Jamie Costello’s boyfriend.
Emma Truman, 21, flag person, Saskatchewan Highways.
Bunny Jensen*, 21, flag person, Saskatchewan Highways.
Theodore Gibran*, 40, pharmacist at Shoppers Drug Mart.
(Characters with stars after their names are the “dreamers” who had visions about Deep Lake.)
Deep Lake by Richard Stuart Dixon, Good School Plays.
Act One, Scene 1:
(The cast is arranged in three groups, each group representing one of the three towns. “Jacob’s Ladder” is centrestage, “Morningstar” is stage left, and “Silver Willow” is stage right. As the play opens, the townspeople look dazed, disoriented, and in a collective state of shock. CONSTABLE BAKER is the self-appointed “leader” of the three groups, due to his background in police work. He is standing downstage.)
CONSTABLE BAKER
Okay.
(goes upstage and joins the “Jacob’s Ladder group)
The camera’s recording. Let’s get started. Everyone comfortable?
(some half-hearted responses)
Right. First, let’s introduce ourselves.
(speaking toward the imaginary camera)
This video is being made in the Legion Hall in the town of Jacob’s Ladder, Saskatchewan. I’m Constable Gerhardt Baker from the RCMP detachment here. These folks sitting around me are all from Jacob’s Ladder too.
(some of the Jacob’s Ladder people half-heartedly wave at the camera)
Missus Horton? You want to introduce your group?
SALLY HORTON
(standing)
Thank you, Constable Baker. My name is Sally Horton. I’m from the town of Silver Willow, Saskatchewan.I am…was…the wife of the Anglican Church minister there. These people you see around me are all from Silver Willow too.
(The Silver Willow people nod their heads, or make small waves at the camera.)
CONSTABLE BAKER
Thanks, Missus Horton. You did real well.
(she sits)
I guess it’s your turn, Mr. Bradshaw.
TOMMY BRADSHAW
(standing)
Yeah, I guess it is. I’m Tommy Bradshaw, and me and these good folks sitting around me are from the little town of Morningstar, Saskatchewan. I’m the owner of the Petrocan station there, and, well, all these folks know me pretty good, so they asked me to speak for them.
(The Morningstar people nod their heads, and some offer light applause, in support of TOMMY.)
CONSTABLE BAKER
Thank you, Mr. Bradshaw…Tommy.
(TOMMY nods and sits.)
OLD WILLY BENZ
Constable Baker, don’t you think we all oughta indroduce ourselves? Just for the record, I mean.
NINA BENZ
Grandpa, the constable knows what he’s doing.
JAMIE COSTELLO
(standing)
I agree with old Mr. Benz here. We need to state our names, in case the authorities see the video we’re making, so our loved ones can find us.
DAMIEN FINN
What authorities? There ain’t no authorities.
JAMIE COSTELLO
We don’t know that for sure.
THEODORE GIBRAN
No authorities and no loved ones.
GUS KRAMER
(standing)
Now hold on. Jamie here’s just saying we got to do this properly.
EVANGELINE COSTELLO
My mom knows what she’s talking about. She owns a beauty salon. You got to be smart to run your own business.
BETHANY ROSENFELD
(standing)
You folks from Jacob’s Ladder is always trying to run things. Who said you was the leaders? We didn’t have no vote or nothing.
(This causes everyone to react and talk among themselves.)
CONSTABLE BAKER
(working hard to regain control)
All right, folks, settle down. No one’s “the leader”. We’ve just got to start somewhere to get this all sorted out. Maybe we should tell the camera our names. Can’t hurt, and it might just help.
SALLY HORTON
(standing)
Names are important, like the names of our towns: Silver Willow, Morningstar, Jacob’s Ladder. No matter what happens, our names stay the same, so let’s tell the camera who we are. Nothing can change who we are.
(Her speech settles the crowd. They find comfort in it.)
Deep Lake by Richard Stuart Dixon, Good School Plays.
Act One, Scene 2:
TOMMY BRADSHAW
You folks from Morningstar, you just go right down there in front of the camera and state your names and anything else you need to tell about who you are. Then the other towns can do likewise.
(to his wife)
Honey, you want to go first?
VERONICA BRADSHAW
I guess so, Tommy.
(goes downstage)
Veronica Bradshaw. That’s me. I’m Tommy’s wife. We’ve been married for seventeen years. Seventeen years. Mom and Dad? If you’re out there somewhere, I just want to say I love you.
(She goes back to her group.)
TOMMY BRADSHAW
Mrs. Delacroix? Go ahead. It’s just a camera.
ETERNITY DELACROIX
(goes downstage)
My name is Eternity Delacroix. I’m sixty-eight years old. Me and my husband Eddie retired three years ago, but Eddie died last winter. I got one daughter, Christy, who’s in Toronto. Christy, if you see this, I want you to know that I’m going to be all right.
(She goes back to her group.)
VALDEZ SINCLAIR
(to FANCY MODESTO and TINA SCHULTZ)
You two kids better run down there and state your names.
(The two girls look at each other, then go downstage.)
FANCY MODESTO
I’m Fancy…Fancy Modesto. I’m thirteen and I don’t know where my folks are. Their names are Jane and Robert Modesto. If you see this video, please try to find them for me.
TINA SCHULTZ
Fancy Modesto is my best friend and I’m Tina Schultz. My mom and dad are gone, too. I’m here because Tina made me believe in her dream.
(They look at each other for a moment, then hurry back to their seats.)
VALDEZ SINCLAIR
(to his wife)
Come on, Carmen, let’s have our ten seconds of fame.
(goes downstage)
The name’s Sinclair. Valdez Sinclair. I’m a taxidermist. My work’s won prizes. That’s in the past now. If any of my brothers see this, try to get a message to me, okay?
CARMEN VALDEZ
I’m his wife Carmen. I’m a photographer. The last photograph I took was of my neighbour and best friend Janet Sacharoff. Now she’s disappeared. Mom, if you’re out there, don’t worry about me, okay?
(They go back to their places as DAMIEN FINN goes downstage.)
DAMIEN FINN
Don’t see much point in doing this but what the hell. I’m Damien Finn. I’m a roofer, but I been unemployed lately. There ain’t been much roofing going on in Morningstar. Maybe folks sensed what was gonna happen. Fred, you better not be dead because you owe me five hundred bucks.
(He goes back to his group.)
TOMMY BRADSHAW
Bethany, you want to take Summer and go down there now?
BETHANY ROSENFELD
Come on, Summer.
(She leads SUMMER downstage. SUMMER looks dejected. BETHANY whispers to her.)
BETHANY ROSENFELD
Straighten up, honey. Don’t slump in front of the camera.
(SUMMER tries to straighten up a bit.)
BETHANY ROSENFELD
I’m Bethany Rosenfeld. I’m a barmaid down at the Prairie Dog Hotel in Morningstar. This is my daughter Summer. She’s fourteen. Say something to the camera, Summer.
SUMMER ROSENFELD
I don’t know what to say.
BETHANY ROSENFELD
Say your full name, honey, and be proud of it.
SUMMER ROSENFELD
Melanie Jane Rosenfeld. But everyone calls me Summer.
BETHANY ROSENFELD
You see? That wasn’t so bad, was it.
(SUMMER shrugs.)
Trevor, if you and Leanne are still okay out there in Calgary, try to find us, okay?
(They go back to their group.)
HANK BURSTWICK
Mr. Bradshaw? I guess I should take my turn.
TOMMY BRADSHAW
Fancy and Tina, you two help Hank get down there.
FANCY MODESTO
Yes, Mr. Bradshaw.
(FANCY and TINA go to HANK BURSTWICK and help him downstage and stand back while he speaks, looking at him anxiously.)
HANK BURSTWICK
I guess you can see that I’m blind. Have been all my life. I just turned twenty-three. My name’s Hank Burstwick. I’m a bee keeper, a blind bee keeper. It’s not so hard as it sounds. The bees…well…the bees have always been good to me, if you can believe that. Mr. Anderson from the CNIB, if you made it, I know you’re probably worried about me. But I’ll be okay.
(He turns to go back to his group, and FANCY and TINA hurry to help him.)
VERONICA BRADSHAW
That’s everyone from Morningstar, Tommy.
TOMMY BRADSHAW
Thanks, folks.
Deep Lake by Richard Stuart Dixon, Good School Plays.
Act One, Scene 3:
CONSTABLE BAKER
Would you folks from Silver Willow like to speak next?
SALLY HORTON
Viktor, why don’t you and Gabrielle start?
VIKTOR MONTOYA
You bet, Mrs. Horton Come on, Gabrielle, the camera’s waiting.
(SALLY and VIKTOR go downstage and VIKTOR speaks first.)
VIKTOR MONTOYA
I’m Viktor Montoya. This is my wife Gabrielle. I drive the street-sweeping machine in Silver Willow in the summer, and the snowplow in the winter. Mom, I love you.
GABRIELLE MONTOYA
My name is Gabrielle Montoya. Viktor and I came to Canada seven years ago. I used to paint pictures of Silver Willow, and the people who live there. Now I don’t want to look at those pictures because they are from before. Uncle Hector in Vancouver, if you’re alive please try to find us.
(They return to their group.)
FRANK UNDERMEYER
Guess I’ll go.
(goes downstage)
The name’s Undermeyer, Frank Undermeyer. I’m the janitor down at Silver Willow Secondary, have been for fifteen years. Flex and Tanya graduated from there.
(He looks back at FLEX MARTIN and TANIA RASMUSSEN. They smile and give shy waves back.)
FRANK UNDERMEYER
Tania just graduated last June. Don’t look like there’s gonna be much graduating going on next year. My wife Nadine has disappeared. Can’t even begin to guess what could have happened to her.
(He returns to his group.)
SALLY HORTON
Tandy, why don’t you and Tristan go up now.
TANDY GULLOW
All right. Come on, Tristan, it’ll only take a second.
(She and TRISTAN go downstage and TANDY speaks first.)
TANDY GULLOW
I know Frank quite well because I’m an English teacher at Silver Willow Secondary. Frank told me about his dream. That’s why I’m here, and my son Tristan too. Tristan, go ahead and say anything you want.
TRISTAN GULLOW
You didn’t say your name, Mom.
TANDY GULLOW
Oh yes. I’m Tandy Gullow. The kids at school used to call me “Ms. Gullible” because I’d believe almost anything they’d tell me.
TRISTAN GULLOW
Good thing you believed Mr. Undermeyer, Mom.
(to the camera)
I’m her kid, Tristan Gullow. I don’t know where my dad is. He left us five years ago. Guess I’ll never see him again.
TANDY GULLOW
Oh, now Tristan, we don’t know that. John, if somehow you get this message, try to find us, for Tristan’s sake.
(They go back to their group.)
GLORIA KAMISKY
Guess I’ll go now. Bernadette, you got me into this so you better go down with me.
(She and BERNADETTE HOLISTER go downstage.)
GLORIA KAMISY
I’m Gloria Kamisky, owner of the North Star Café in Silver Willow. Kenny, Jasmine, Mom, I want you to know that whatever happens next, I’ll make the best of it. Go ahead, Bernadette.
BERNADETTE HOLISTER
I’m Bernadette Hollister, one of the ones that had the dream. I work…used to work…for Gloria here, waiting tables at the North Star. Nobody to wait on now. Don’t know where my husband Ben is. I don’t got no kids, thank god. If there’s anybody out there from my family, try to get a message to me…anything…I got to have something to hold onto, some kind of hope.
GLORIA KAMISKY
She’s taking it pretty hard. C’mon, honey, let’s get you back to your seat.
(They return to their group.)
ERNIE RAYNER
Hell, no time like the present to make a damn fool of myself one more time.
(goes downstage)
I’m Ernie Rayner, owner of Do It Again Recycling Depot in Silver Willow. All that effort to recycle cans and bottles and paper and such don’t mean nothing now. Brenda, even though we haven’t talked since the divorce, I want you to know I love you and I hope you’re okay.
(He goes back to his place.)
TANIA RASMUSSEN
(to FLEX MARTIN)
Come on, Flex. We’re last but not least.
FLEX MARTIN I guess.
(they go downstage)
TANIA RASMUSSEN
Flex here is my boyfriend. We used to work at the Silver Willow IGA. I was a checkout clerk and Flex was a trainee in the produce department. Then I had the dream, and I talked Flex into joining me and one thing led to another and here we are.
FLEX MARTIN
At first I thought she was crazy. I’m glad I listened though, and did what she said. We don’t know what happened to our families. We just got each other now. I’m Flex, Flex Martin. Dad, I won’t give up on believing you’re alive, and I’ll try to find you.
TANIA RASMUSSEN
If anyone from my family sees this, I want you to know that Flex and me are going to try to build some kind of life out of this no matter what happens.
(They go back to their places.)
SALLY HORTON
That’s everybody from Silver Willow, Constable Baker. You folks from Jacob’s Ladder can take your turn now.
Deep Lake by Richard Stuart Dixon, Good School Plays.
Act One, Scene 4:
CONSTABLE BAKER
Thanks, Mrs. Horton. Jamie, why don’t you go down there with Evangeline and Gus and have your say?
JAMIE COSTELLO
Now Gus and Evangeline, we got to get our names and faces on that camera, so look right in the lens and speak clearly.
(JAMIE, GUS, and EVANGELINE go downstage.)
JAMIE COSTELLO
My name is Jamie-Rae Costello. I’m the owner of the Sweet and Sassy Hair Salon and Tanning Studio. Pop, if you see this, I want you to know that me and Evangeline are dong fine, and Gus too. We send you our love. I’ll let Evangeline speak now.
EVANGELINE COSTELLO
You already told the camera my name, Mom. Do I got to say it again?
JAMIE COSTELLO
Yes. You got to get up close to the lens and say it yourself, Evangeline, so the authorities can look for you if they find the film.
EVANGELINE COSTELLO
My name’s Evangeline Costello. I’m eleven years old. I hope someone finds this film and comes looking for us. Is that good, Mom?
JAMIE COSTELLO
Fine. Gus, you go ahead now.
(GUS knows JAMIE is on the verge of a breakdown. He takes her hands.)
GUS KRAMER
Jamie, you got to try to take it easy, honey. Everything will be all right.
(lets go of JAMIE’s hands and faces the camera)
I’m Gus Kramer, Jamie’s partner and Evangeline’s stepdad. I’m a heavy duty mechanic. Don’t expect I’ll be doing much of that from now on. I was getting too old for it anyway. It’s hard on the back, and a real bitch in the wintertime…pardon my language. That’s all.
(They go back to their group.)
CONSTABLE BAKER
(gently)
Millie, would you like to go down there now?
(MILLIE seems to be in a state of shock.)
MILLIE BAKER
What? What did you say, Gerry?
CONSTABLE BAKER
Come on, I’ll help you.
(leads her downstage)
Just look into the camera there and say your name, Millie. Then, if someone finds the tape, they’ll know we’re alive…
MILLIE BAKER
(looking at the camera as if seeing it for the first time)
A camera? What good is a camera, Jerry?
CONSTABLE BAKER
Just look at it and say your name, just for the record, Millie.
MILLIE BAKER
(moving closer to the camera)
I am Millie Baker, the daughter of Ralph and Margaret Baker of Regina, Saskatchewan. I’m married to Constable Gerhardt Baker, this man beside me, and I live…I live in Jacob’s Ladder, Saskatchewan.
(She slumps against CONSTABLE BAKER.)
CONSTABLE BAKER
That was fine, Millie, just fine.
(He helps MILLIE back to her place.)
CONSTABLE BAKER
Mr. Benz, maybe you and Nina could go next.
OLD WILLY BENZ
I never did like those damn video cameras, but now I’m hoping it’ll help us somehow. Come on, Nina, help me down there.
NINA BENZ
Sure, Grandpa.
(She helps him down. He’s arthritic, which makes movement painful, but he’s a tough old man.)
OLD WILLY BENZ
I’m Willy Benz. I’m eighty years old. Used to have a farm near Jacob’s Ladder, but I’m retired now. Like the other folks here, I don’t know what in hell happened to the rest of my family. But I’m sure glad that Nina’s here. she’s a good kid. Don’t think I’d have made it without her.
NINA BENZ
Grandpa’s got arthritis. When he told me about his dream, I knew I’d have to help him get to the lake. My name’s Nina Benz. I’m sixteen. I sure miss Mom and Dad. They thought me and Grandpa were crazy and wouldn’t have nothing to do with the dream. I guess that’s all.
(She helps WILLY back to his place.)
CONSTABLE BAKER
Mr. Gibran, could you go down there and tell the camera your name, please?
THEODORE GIBRAN
Of course. It’s a simple thing to do, even though I believe it is pointless.
(goes downstage)
I am Theodore Gibran, the pharmacist at the Shoppers Drug Mart in Jacob’s Ladder. I was one of the ones who had the dream. I have no family and few friends, no one to mourn. Perhaps it would have been better if I had ignored the dream. But the will to survive is strong.
(He goes back to his place.)
CONSTABLE BAKER
Bunny and Emma, would you two like to record your names?
EMMA TRUMAN
Come on, Bunny.
(they go downstage)
I’m Emma Truman, and this is Bunny Jensen. We’re university students from Regina. We got summer jobs in Jacob’s Ladder working for Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation as flag persons. Then Bunny had the dream. Mom, Dad, if you see this, I just want you to know that I can handle what’s happening, and that I love you.
BUNNY JENSEN
I’m Bunny Jensen, from Regina. Mom, I hope you see this some day. I’m all right, Mom. I had a dream, and I believed in it and did what it said, and Emma believed too. So we’re alive, right? We’re alive.
(They return to their group.)
CONSTABLE BAKER
Did anyone get missed?
(no one responds)
Thank you all. I hope the batteries on the camera hold up. They’re supposed to last an hour. If we hurry, we’ll get our story told. Then at least there’s some sort of visual record that we’re alive.
Deep Lake by Richard Stuart Dixon, Good School Plays.
Act Two, Scene 1:
SALLY HORTON
Perhaps those of us who had the dream should stand, so we can all see each other, and the camera can record us.
TOMMY BRADSHAW
We don’t even know how many of us here had the dream. It’d be a good idea to sort that out right now.
CONSTABLE BAKER
All right, if you don’t mind, if you’re one of the dreamers, please stand.
(The DREAMERS stand, some quickly, others more hesitantly, according to their natures.)
TOMMY BRADSHAW
Let’s see…
(does a quick count)
That’s eighteen. Which leaves fourteen of us who didn’t dream.
VERONICA BRADSHAW
But you all believed in us, in our dream. So many people didn’t.
TANDY GULLOW
Could you dreamers tell us about the dream again, for the camera? It should go on the record…it’s so important to the story.
(The DREAMERS look at one another. SALLY HORTON is first to speak.)
SALLY HORTON
Well, I’ll start. You others may as well sit down. Interrupt me whenever you want. We’ve all got to listen to each other.
(the DREAMERS sit)
Let’s see. It was just four nights ago…Saturday evening…that’s hard to believe, it seems like years. I was sitting on the rectory porch, watching the evening sky, and I fell asleep right there in the chair…and I dreamed that my mother was speaking to me…my mother who’s been dead for ten years…
(She stops. That’s all she can say.)
VERONICA BRADSHAW
I dreamed my grandfather was talking to me. He’s been gone for many, many years. He said the time had come for me to face the greatest crisis of my life, and that I would have to be brave and have faith in his words.
VIKTOR MONTOYA
In my dream, I saw my grandmother…my mother’s mother…I knew her only because of photographs I have seen. She too died long ago. She spoke to me as though I was a small child.
GABRIELLE MONTOYA
Viktor told me she seemed very happy and excited in the dream, as if she had finally completed a very difficult but important task.
CONSTABLE BAKER
Millie…Millie…
(MILLIE seems to awaken, as if from a dream.)
CONSTABLE BAKER
Could you tell the people here a little bit about your dream. It’d be a great help to us all, honey.
MILLIE BAKER
(very tentatively)
I dreamed my Aunt came to me. She wasn’t sick, like the last time I saw her in the hospital just before she died. She was all light, like sunshine. She told me to walk to Deep Lake. She said I’d have to go under the water even though I’m afraid of water…I can’t swim, you see…then she disappeared and I was awake…I was awake.
HANK BURSTWICK
In my dream there was just a voice…I’m blind when I dream, just like when I’m awake. It was my father’s voice. I remembered it so well even though I hadn’t heard it for twelve years, since the accident…since he was killed. He told me to walk to Deep Lake. He said I needn’t be afraid because my feet would find their own way there.
FLEX MARTIN
Tanya, tell them about your Uncle John.
TANIA RASMUSSEN
Uncle John, who was Mom’s favourite brother before he died, appeared to me in my dream. He told me that I should tell everyone about Deep Lake. So I did. But Flex was the only one who believed me.
OLD WILLY BENZ
I was snoozing on the couch and I’ll be damned if I didn’t dream about Old Man Flatbush, my grade six teacher some seventy years ago. He was hollering at me about walking to Deep Lake on midsummer night, and I listened real good, let me tell you. He’d have tanned my backside if I didn’t, even if it was just a dream. When I woke up, I was ready to start hiking, even though I got arthritis in my knees.
NINA BENZ
Grandpa said that in the dream he was just a little boy, and that after he woke up, it was like as if he suddenly remembered a dream he’d had seventy years before.
BETHANY ROSENFELD
Summer, tell them about your dream. C’mon, honey…it’s real important.
SUMMER ROSENFELD
In my dream, it was winter and I was out on the snowy prairie in my nightgown. A woman I didn’t know came up to me and said she was my great-great grandmother. She was all light, and warm like a fire. She told me to go to the lake in the middle of summer and cover myself with the water. I knew she was the truth…the purest, most perfect truth.
ERNIE RAYNER
I dreamed I was sitting in my pickup. I looked at the passenger side and there was my old man, looking real worried. When he was alive, he was a drunk who couldn’t tell the truth if his life depended on it. But in my dream, he was sober and serious, and I believed every word he said. Every word.
JAMIE COSTELLO
Gus, tell them how my mom appeared to you, even though you’d never met her before.
EVANGELINE COSTELLO
It’s true. He never knew my granny, but she was in his dream.
GUS KRAMER
In my dream, it was my partner Jamie’s mom. I’d only seen her in photos, because she died some time back. She told me about the lake and then she says to me, “Gus, you got to do this for Jamie, and for Evangeline. You got to make them go with you. You got to save them.”
ETERNITY DELACROIX
I dreamed I was in the kitchen trying to open a jar of saskatoon berries I’d canned last summer, and suddenly my husband Eddie was standing there in his work clothes…his old overalls, and that “Saskatchewan Wheat Pool” cap he wore day and night. But he was…transluscent…like a glass statue. And he said to me, “Eternity, I bin dead since last winter but I got to come back and tell you to take a hike out to Deep Lake.” His words got printed in my mind like instructions in a cook book.
TRISTAN GULLOW
Mom, maybe Mr. Undermeyer should tell everyone about his dream, just like he told us.
TANDY GULLOW
Frank, would you like to say a few words about seeing your mother?
FRANK UNDERMEYER
Like some of you Silver Willow folks might recall, Mama died some years back all alone out at the farm in winter. But there she was in my dream, all warm and full of sass. She ordered me to go to that lake, and she wasn’t taking no for an answer.
BUNNY JENSEN
When I was in high school, I did volunteer work at a hospital. There was this one sweet old woman I used to read to. One day while I was reading to her, she put her hand on my arm and said, “Thank you, my dear…” and she closed her eyes and died. And when I had my dream, there she was, alive and well and standing there in her hospital gown. She said I was an angel whose time had come. She said I should go to Deep Lake and walk into the water at midnight.
EMMA TRUMAN
And I believe what the old lady said. I believe that Bunny is, in a way, an angel. Perhaps we all are.
(This causes everyone to be still, silent, and thoughtful for a moment.)
TOMMY BRADSHAW
Damien, you look like you got something to say. Go ahead.
DAMIEN FINN
My grandpa was a mean old bastard. I didn’t even care when he died from a stroke while he was digging fence posts out on that quarter section of his. But when I seen him in the dream, he was gentle as a lamb, and he said that even though I was a sorry son-of-a-bitch who couldn’t hold a job, I didn’t deserve to die. Then he told me about the lake and said I’d better get my skinny butt down there on midsumer night and throw myself in at the stroke of twelve, or I’d spend eternity picking roots and rocks at his homestead down in hell. After that, I was motivated, let me tell you.
GLORIA KAMISKY
Bernadette, I know it’s hard for you to talk about your sister, but now’s the time to do it if you’re ever gonna do it. These folks are the best audience you’ll ever have.
BERNADETTE HOLISTER
She was alive again…my sister was alive. I don’t like to talk about what happened to her, but let me just say she took her own life, and leave it at that. In the dream, she wasn’t all dark and depressed like I remember her in life. She was laughing and singing, and when she seen me she said, “Bernadette, you got to forgive me for doing what I did.” Then she told me about Deep Lake and midnight and all the rest of it. She looked so pretty. I didn’t want to wake up.
CONSTABLE BAKER
(seeing THEODOR GIBRAN looking distressed)
Mr. Gibran, could you help us out by telling us a little bit about your dream? We’d be grateful if you could share a few words with us.
THEODORE GIBRAN
It sounds silly, like the dream of a little boy. A tiger was chasing me down a tunnel. I was terrified, but something made me turn and face the tiger. It stopped chasing me and turned into an angel. And then the angel became my mother, who has been in her grave for seven years. She said, “Theodore, why do you always run away from me? I have something important to tell you.” And she told me about the lake, and begged me to go there.
CARMEN SINCLAIR
Valdez dreamed about an old woman he hadn’t seen for thirty years. Go ahead and tell them, honey.
VALDEZ SINCLAIR
Old Sophie was our neighbour when I was a kid. Me and my brothers used to raid her garden. She’d come over to our place, yelling and threatening to beat the crap out of us, then laugh and give us fresh muffins. When she died, I felt bad inside, and cried off and on for a week. Then I seen her in my dream, and she offered me a muffin and told me to get the hell down to the lake or she really would beat the crap out of me. So I went, and so did Carmen.
TINA SCHULTZ
Fancy’s dream was different from everyone else’s. In her dream, she talked to a king from long ago, someone who probably never even knew about our little town of Morningstar. It’s okay, Fancy, they won’t laugh at you if you tell them, like some of those other people did.
FANCY MODESTO
When I was in Brownies, I used to look at this picture of an English king that was on the wall of the hall where we had our meetings. The king looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn’t because he was just a picture. Then I saw him in my dream, and he gave me instructions about the lake. He said to walk out to Deep Lake with nothing but the clothes I was wearing, and at midnight on midsummer night, to plunge under the water. The king said to tell everyone else I cared about to do the same thing. Then he turned back into a picture and I woke up.
(There is a moment of silence as everyone digests the statements of the DREAMERS.)
Deep Lake by Richard Stuart Dixon, Good School Plays.
Act Two, Scene 2:
BETHANY ROSENFELD
Them dreams all got the same basic ingredients: a dead person who tells the dreamer to go to Deep Lake on Midsummer Night.
GABRIELLE MONTOYA
And to go on foot, not in a vehicle of any kind.
NINA BENZ
And with no baggage, or equipment, just the clothes you’re wearing.
CARMEN SINCLAIR
And then to go into the water at midnight.
TANDY GULLOW
Right into the water, to be completely covered.
JAMIE COSTELLO
And to tell everyone you know to do the same thing, just like Gus told me.
EVANGELINE COSTELLO
When Gus first told Mom, she said he was nuts. She even laughed at him, and made him mad.
JAMIE COSTELLO
I’ve never seen him so angry. And scared, too, like as if something terrible would happen if we didn’t believe him. I’d never seen Gus act scared before.
GUS KRAME
I was scared, Jamie, for you and Evangeline.
JAMIE COSTELLO
That’s why I started to believe you, Gus, because you weren’t scared for yourself. You was scared for us. And the way you described Mom, even though you’d never met her…it was as if you’d talked with her for hours.
TINA SCHULTZ
All those people in the dreams…the ones that had come back from death…they were all like light. They were all warm.
TRISTAN GULLOW
But they were all kinds of different people. One was even a king.
EMMA TRUMAN
Every one of them had passed on. Every one of them was known in some way by the person who had the dream. It all must mean something.
FLEX MARTIN
We could go on talking about those dreams forever, but we’re just talking in circles.
GLORIA KAMISKY
That’s right. Talking in circles. It don’t change what’s happened. It don’t explain nothing. I say we should be planning our next move.
SALLY HORTON
We agreed to meet here to put our stories into a camera, as a record. It could help us in the future, if someone finds it. If not, then at least we’ve listened to one another, and become closer.
DAMIEN FINN
So what? Talking ain’t gonna get the power turned back on, or the telephones working, or rebuild the only bridge that connects us with the rest of the province. It ain’t gonna make one of us able to fly one of them airplanes sitting all useless at the Silver Willow Airstrip. We got to make a plan.
ETERNITY DELACROIX
Young man, don’t you see that everything’s changed forever? Don’t you understand that we got start thinking in a whole different way?
TANIA RASMUSSEN
But what way? How are we going to survive? We’re all alone.
ERNIE RAYNER
Now Tania, we don’t absolutely know that for sure. There may be others out there like us…people who had dreams and believed them and followed the instructions.
MILLIE BAKER
(with sudden energy)
This is crazy! We’re all crazy! I want to get out of here!
(She tries to go, but CONSTABLE BAKER holds her back.)
CONSTABLE BAKER
Millie, there’s nowhere for you to go.
MILLIE BAKER
Let me go! Let me go!
(She struggles, but CONSTABLE BAKER holds her tightly.)
FLEX MARTIN
If she wants to go, maybe you should let her, Constable Baker. We’re still free people. Each of us is free to do what they think’s best.
CONSTABLE BAKER
She’s my wife, son…my wife. I have to do my best to keep her safe. Can’t you see that she’s not herself?
(MILLIE suddenly loses her energy, and CONSTABLE BAKER helps her sit.)
THEODORE GIBRAN
Perhaps we should end this meeting now. Perhaps we should each go our own way, instead of clinging together like frightened rats on a piece of timber from a shipwreck.
(This statement produces a big reaction from everyone. People start to get up. Others try to make them sit down. People start arguing, shouting, fussing. Then HANK BURSTWICK strains to get everyone’s attention. They finally stop and listen to him.)
HANK BURSTWICK
Folks! Folks, please. Please listen to me! Please listen!
(finally they quiet down)
I don’t know much, and I don’t have the gift of sight. But I’m a bee keeper, and right now you’re acting like a swarm of bees. You’re all buzzing and buzzing and trying to sting each other. Now, when I want to work with bees, I know I got to stay calm. Stay calm. And if I’m calm, the bees stay calm too and don’t sting me. And you all, you’ve got to be calm, because we’ve got to stay together, like the bees. And if we’re calm enough, we won’t hurt each other. We don’t want to hurt each other, do we? Do we?
(This sobers the crowd. People become quiet and thoughtful.)
VALDEZ SINCLAIR
Hank’s right. We got to stick together. If we break up now, if we go our separate ways, ain’t none of us going to make it.
CARMEN SINCLAIR
There’s no one out there for us to turn to. We have to work things out between us, find a way to come to terms with what’s happened and then move on, together.
CONSTABLE BAKER
The camera’s still recording.
(Everyone reacts to this, realizing the camera has filmed them arguing.)
CONSTABLE BAKER
The battery on that thing will soon be dead, so let’s try to finish what we started. Let’s finish telling the story.
Deep Lake by Richard Stuart Dixon, Good School Plays.
Act Two, Scene 3:
TOMMY BRADSHAW
Right. Now, why don’t we tell each other how we all started walking to the lake. Carmen, why don’t you start?
CARMEN SINCLAIR
My husband Valdez shook me awake at about one in the morning…Sunday morning…and told me about his dream. He was really worked up…kind of shaky and worried.
VALDEZ SINCLAIR
I told her I thought the dream was the truth…that we should walk out to Deep Lake and do what Sophie said…what the dream woman commanded me to do.
SALLY HORTON
When I told my husband Jack about my dream, he said that an Anglican Church minister couldn’t possibly take part in some sort of crazy pagan ritual. He said that if I walked to Deep Lake, it would be an embarrassment for him because people would talk.
OLD WILLY BENZ
I got a lot of relatives. They’re all over the place…or were. After I had my dream, I did what I could to get hold of them.
BETHANY ROSENFELD
I got home from working at the pub at about two in the morning on Sunday. Summer was sitting on the couch crying. She said she’d seen her great grandma in a dream.
SUMMER ROSENFELD
I told Mom everything. She didn’t laugh at me or call me crazy or anything.
ERQIN RAYNER
When I woke up from my dream, I made a pot of coffee and sat down to think. Then I got my phone book and started phoning people…everyone I could think of.
GUS KRAMER
First thing I did after the dream was wake Jamie and get her to fix a pot of tea. I’ve always loved tea. She didn’t ask no questions, just put on her housecoat and went to put the kettle on the stove. While she was fixing the tea, I tried to figure out how to tell her about the dream.
VIKTOR MONTOYA
No one would take me seriously…only Gabrielle. When I told her about the dream, she said she’d married me because I was the only man she’d ever completely trusted, and she wasn’t going to quit trusting me now.
GABRIELLE MONTOYA
Viktor would never have asked me to do something like walk to that lake unless he was sure it was the right thing to do. A marriage is based on faith, and my faith in Viktor saved us both.
OLD WILLY BENZ
My relatives heard what I had to say, and tried to tell me that it was only a real intense dream and nothing more.
ETERNITY DELACROIX
I tried to tell other people about the dream, but they thought I was just a lonely old widow crazy with grief. Then I started walking, and when I saw others walking too, my heart lifted up and I became strong.
GUS KRAMER
Jamie likes the plain truth, so that’s what I decided to give her. When I was done, she looked at me for a second, then started laughing.
CARMEN SINCLAIR
I argued with Valdez for a long time, right until morning. By six o’clock I was convinced. We started calling people…our friends and relatives…trying to get them to join us.
VALDEZ SINCLAIR
Not one of them was willing to trust my dream. Can’t say I blame them. We didn’t really know for sure whether we were doing the right thing or not.
THEODORE GIBRAN
In my dream, my mother told me to tell others about the lake. So early Sunday morning I wrote it all down in a little book and took the book to work with me. When customers came to get their prescriptions filled, I would show them the book and say, “Read this, if you want.”
DAMIEN FINN
No one believed me. When I started walking to that lake, I left behind me everyone I’d ever cared about.
CONSTABLE BAKER
My wife Millie here, she hasn’t been too well of late. In fact, she had to spend a couple of weeks in the hospital last spring because of these anxiety attacks she gets. So when she woke me up on Sunday morning and told me she’d had a strange dream, it didn’t strike me as anything unusual.
SALLY HORTON
My husband Jack told me not to tell anyone else about the dream. I did anyway, even though no one believed me. I knew Jack’s career as a minister would be hurt, but my heart told me that I must do what my mother had asked me to do, in the dream…and so I did.
GUS KRAMER
Jamie must have seen the scared look on my face, because she stopped laughing and asked me to tell her about her mom. After I was done, she said to me, “Gus, if you know that much about my mom because of a dream, then I got to take that dream seriously.” And she did.
JAMIE COSTELLO
I’ve built a reputation in Jacob’s Ladder for being a sensible woman. My hair salon is a solid business, and I’m a member in good standing in the Chamber of Commerce. So when Gus started phoning people about his dream, I knew they’d judge him on what I decided to do.
BETHANY ROSENFELD
When you’re a barmaid, you meet a lot of folks and hear a lot of stories. You learn to tell the difference between truth and lies. I knew that whatever Summer had experienced was the truth, and I backed her one hundred percent.
THEODOR GIBRAN
Some of my customers read my story, some of them didn’t. One or two of them asked me if I was really going to walk to the lake. None of them offered to join me.
DAMIEN FINN
I won’t say I was scared, but I was lonely, and I didn’t feel no better when I seen you others walking along, doing the same thing as me.
JAMIE COSTELLO
If I let Gus take that walk without me, they’d say Gus had lost it. If I went with him, they’d say there must be something to his story if I was willing to go along with it.
ERNIE RAYNER
The people I phoned all listened to what I had to say. Some even said they’d think about it. But not one of them joined me for that walk. God knows where they are now.
OLD WILLY BENZ
I was worried some of my relatives would come up to Jacob’s Ladder and stop me from taking that walk to Deep Lake. Then on Monday morning, my granddaughter Nina here showed up at my front door.
NINA BENZ
Mom and Dad told me about Grandpa’s dream. They said they thought he was beginning to suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s or something. But I knew different. That night, I left a note and snuck out of the house and caught the Greyhound to Jacob’s Ladder.
SUMMER ROSENFELD
Mom warned lots of people. And so did I. But they thought we were crazy. We knew that hike to Deep Lake would be a lonely one.
BETHANY ROSENFELD
But I took that walk because my daughter wanted me to, and I was proud to do it.
BERKNADETTE HOLISTER
When I woke up after the dream, the first thing I did was phone people…my family and a couple of friends. But mostly they just tried to calm me down instead of taking me seriously.
THEODORE GIBRAN
When I set out for the lake on Monday morning, I felt as if I was leaving the world behind forever. I was empty inside, and I felt clean, as if I didn’t have to worry about anything anymore. And I was lonely, very lonely.
FLEX MARTIN
Tania phoned me right after she had the dream. She was really worked up. I could tell from the way she was talking that something had changed for her, and that I had to accept that change or lose her.
TANIA RASMUSSEN
I knew Flex was upset about me, and about my dream. I could hear the worry in his voice.
CONSTABLE BAKER
When Millie said she was going to walk to Deep Lake, I started getting worried. I thought about taking her back to the hospital, but I couldn’t do it. I decided to let her do what she needed to do. And when she asked me to go with her, I let go of everything…everything…and went with her.
MILLIE BAKER
(it is very difficult for her to speak)
Gerry’s a good man. He knew that people would think he was a fool if he went with me to Deep Lake. He knew it could damage his career…a police officer going off with his eccentric wife to do something crazy at a lake with all the town knowing about it. (she touches his arm)
But he did it anyway, because, for some reason, he loves me.
BERNADETTE HOLISTER
The people I called must have had a field day phoning each other afterwards to gossip about me. I didn’t call Gloria. For some reason I wanted to tell her in person.
GLORIA KAMISKY
I’m a busy woman, eh? I got to run a restaurant, and that takes a lot of energy. I don’t got time for nonsense. So when Bernadette came in on Sunday morning all worked up and wanting to talk, I thought to myself, “I hope this don’t take long.”
TINA SCHULTZ
Fancy phoned me early Sunday morning…real early. I was sleeping. She told me she’d had a dream, and that we should go to Deep Lake.
FANCY MODESTO
I told Mom and Dad, but they said I was being silly, that it was only a bad dream. But Tina believed me.
JAMIE COSTELLO
I didn’t know if Gus’ dream had anything to do with reality. But I did know that I loved the man, and I wasn’t going to let him down.
EVANGELINE COSTELLO
Mom always tells me everything. When she explained to me that Gus had had a dream, and that at first she’d thought it was funny, but later she knew it was serious, I decided I’d do whatever she wanted me to do.
TANIA RASMUSSEN
Flex and I aren’t the kind of kids who do crazy stunts to get attention, and here I was asking him to walk forty kilometers to a lake for a midnight swim because my dead uncle told me to in a dream.
FLEX MARTIN
Tania told me she had to take that walk, no matter what. Even though I just couldn’t see the sense in it, I went with her, to support her, because she’s my girlfriend…because…I love her.
NINA SCHULTZ
On Monday, Mom phoned me at Grandpa’s house and said she was going to drive out and pick me up. I begged her to let me stay until Tuesday, and she finally agreed. Later that day, me and Grandpa walked to the lake.
TINA SCHULTZ
I knew Fancy wouldn’t be telling me about the dream if she didn’t believe it herself. She said she was going to walk to that lake no matter what. So I said I’d go with her.
FANCY MODESTO
Tina was the only who believed in me and the dream. And so here we are, still alive.
GLORIA KAMISKY
An hour went by and I was still sitting with Bernadette talking about that dream. I’m telling you, she was a changed woman. And even though I pride myself on keeping both feet on the ground, I had to believe her.
TOMMY BRADSHAW
Veronica here woke up crying in the middle of the night. I asked her what was wrong. She said she felt bad about crying, because she’d had a dream about her grandfather, and he’d told her she had to be brave.
VERONICA BRADSHAW
Tommy was very patient with me. At first he thought I was having some kind of breakdown.
TANDY GULLOW
On Sunday morning just after breakfast, Mr. Undermeyer phoned me. He said he’d been phoning everyone, and then he told me about his dream.
HANK BURSTWICK
When I tried to tell people about my dream, I couldn’t find the right words. But when I started walking, my feet knew just which way to go, just like my father’s voice said they would.
EVANGELINE COSTELLO
I didn’t care that other kids would laugh at me. I was going to walk with my family to that lake, because my family’s more important than a bunch of stupid kids. And so I walked thirty-five kilometers to Deep Lake and went into the water and when I came out, there wasn’t any kids left to laugh at me, and that made me cry.
TOMMY BRADSHAW
When Veronica explained her dream to me, I chose to believe her, and to go with her, because believing her meant I didn’t have to question her sanity. I was more afraid of her being crazy then I was of her being right.
VERONICA BRADSHAW
And I was right, because here we are.
NINA BENZ
I still don’t know how Grandpa managed to walk to the lake with those bad knees of his. But he was determined, and so was I.
TANDY GULLOW
At first I thought Mr. Undermeyer was making some kind of joke, something some of my students had got him to do. But there was something in his voice, a kind of honest urgency, and I couldn’t help but believe him.
TRISTAN GULLOW
Mom trusts people. She always believes me when I tell her stuff, and she let’s me do pretty much whatever I want. So I never lie to her, or at least, not much. And she asks me for advice, which is something other grownups never do. She told me about Mr. Undermeyer’s dream, and asked me what I would do. I told her I’d walk to the lake and jump right in at midnight, just because it would be fun. So she phoned Mr. Undermeyer and said we’d go with him.
FRANK UNDERMEYER
Mrs. Gullow and her boy Tristan was the only ones who said they’d walk with me to the lake. The others was mostly polite when I told them, but they all said no, even my wife Nadine. I could tell from the way they all spoke to me that they thought I’d gone a bit crazy. Now they’re all gone and I’m still here, crazy or not.
BERNADETTE HOLISTER
As soon as the North Star opened on Sunday, I went in and told Gloria everything. Afterwards, she said, “Bernadette, you’re completely bloody nuts but I’m going with you.” And she did.
EMMA TRUMAN
Bunny and I shared a motel unit at the Prairie Wind Motel, so we’d save on costs while we were working our summer jobs as flag persons. I got the bedroom, and Bunny slept on a cot in the other room. The night she had her dream, I heard her get up and turn the television on. So I got up too, and we watched late night TV for a while. Then she suddenly turned off the TV and said, “I had a dream Emma. I’m not going to work on Monday. Instead, I’m going to walk to a lake a long way from here.” She told me all about the dream, and when she was finished she went out to the parking lot and stood there looking up at the night sky. I took a sheet of paper and wrote “I’m going with you” on it. Then I went out to her and put the paper in her hand and went back to bed.
BUNNY JENSEN
Nothing could have stopped me from going to the lake. In all my life, it was the first time that I knew with absolute certainty what I had to do. I also knew that Emma would be the only one who would go with me, out of all the people I had to tell. Words weren’t enough to convince anyone that the dream was the truth. There had to be something more than words. That’s why so few of us actually made the journey, and why we’re all alone now.
Deep Lake by Richard Stuart Dixon, Good School Plays.
Act Two, Scene 4:
(There is a silence. CONSTABLE BAKER slowly stands up to speak.)
CONSTABLE BAKER
Thank you, folks. Now everyone’s told their story and all that’s left is to tell the camera what happened when we all got to the lake. Is there anyone who wants to do that for us?
(NINA BENZ stands up.)
NINA BENZ
I’ll tell that part of the story, if no one else minds.
OLD WILLY BENZ
Are you sure you want to, Nina?
NINA BENZ
Yes, Grandpa. It’ll be all right.
SUMMER ROSENFELD
(standing)
I’d like to help.
TANIA RASMUSSEN
(standing)
Me too.
NINA BENZ
Thank you.
(TANIA and SUMMER join NINA and they go downstage and speaks to the camera, with NINA going first.)
NINA BENZ
By Monday evening, we’d all arrived at Deep Lake. We were tired and hungry because we’d had nothing to eat all day.
SUMMER ROSENFELD
The lake is a quiet place that has hardly any visitors because it’s at the end of a dirt road and you have to walk the last kilometer. But by evening, there were lots of people there who’d come to watch us.
TANIA RASMUSSEN
Word had gotten out and there was even a news crew from the local TV station. It was like some kind of party, with people asking us questions and some of them drinking beer and yelling stuff.
NINA BENZ
When it got close to midnight, we gathered together, all thirty-two of us, and waded out through the weeds to the open water.
SUMMER ROSENFELD
The lake was shallow there, about waist level. We stood there in a circle and joined hands. Some of the people on the bank were shouting at us. Constable Baker and one or two others had watches set to the exact time, and five seconds before midnight, Constable Baker shouted “Now!”
TANIA RASMUSSEN
We all ducked under the water and stayed down there counting slowly to ten. It was absolutely silent under there. Then we came up out of the water and everything had changed. The people who had been watching us were gone…every one of them.
NINA BENZ
Their things…bottles, cans, lawnchairs…were lying on the lakeshore, but they were gone, and it was absolutely silent.
TANIA RASMUSSEN
We felt the need to go home as quickly as possible, and agreed that we’d meet up here in Jacob’s Ladder at the Legion on Wednesday…today…and set out at once.
NINA BENZ
It was extremely difficult for Grandpa and I hoped we’d be able to catch a ride, but no cars came by.
SUMMER ROSENFELD
And when we reached our towns, they were empty. Everyone’s gone. Everyone.
TANIA RASMUSSEN
Even the animals…cats, dogs, pets of all kinds…are gone.
NINA BENZ
The power’s off. There’s no television or radio, no computers. Cars and trucks won’t start. Nothing works except this one camera. Constable Baker hiked out to the bridge and it’s gone…our only road and rail link with the rest of the province…gone as if it had never been there.
SUMMER ROSENFELD
So we all came here today, to tell the story of what happened.
CONSTABLE BAKER
The light’s going out on the camera…the battery’s dying…It’s going to stop recording…
END OF PLAY.