THE STORY: Enlisting the help of two fellow students, Jay attempts a “demonstration” to reenact (and perhaps fathom) a disconcerting episode from his past. The action centers on a photo of a back-country East Texas wedding party, which Jay has hung over his desk, and the violence that erupts from the normally placid “Little David” (impersonated by one of the other students) in reaction to Jay’s cruel taunts about the bumpkins shown in the picture. But this time, at the crucial moment, the person playing “Little David” balks at attacking Jay—so the third student (who has been assuming the part of “Al") steps into the role and sends Jay crashing to the floor. For a moment the demonstration becomes all too real—and when Jay offers the others their pay for taking part in it “Al” disdainfully passes his share on to “Little David.” Then they go, leaving Jay to recall the chilling, even darker nature of the original event and to ponder the reverberations that still emanate from it.
This remarkable short play, which the author describes as “a demonstration in one act,” deals with the ritual re-enactment by three college students of a crucial event in their lives.
Included in the collection
Picture, Animal, Crisscross.
