PARLANCEFORATHESPIAN:

REKINDILINGTHE
TEACHERSTONGUE

APlayinOneAct
by
GrahamMacBean

CastofCharacters
TheBard:Aghostofamanin16thcenturyattire.

JefferySamuels:Adramateacherinhis50s.

Scene
AoneroomapartmentinToronto.
Time
Thepresent.
ACT1
Scene1
SETTING:Thesceneisdark.Adigital
clockreads11:28.Atstageright,
adeskispointeddirectlyatthe
audience.Thedeskismessy,
litteredwithcoffeemugs,papers,
andotherstationarysupplies.At
thestageleftsideofthedesk
sitsagrayprinterpointed
towardsthebed.Nexttothedesk,
undertheprinterliesan
overflowingwastebin,asifhis
worknaturallyfallsintothe
trash.Whilethereexista
keyboardandamouse,theyarenot
connectedtoacomputerscreen.
Instead,adimblueglowis
projectedagainstthestage,
washingtheroominasoulless,
eternallight,butwithoutthe
powertoilluminatethestage,or
bringlighttoMr.Samuelslife.
Stageleftholdsasimplebed,
paralleltotheaudience.Therest
ofthestageisbare,though
effortshouldbemadetoconvey
thattheapartmentisinfact
small,lifeless,andnumbing.
ATRISE:

JEFFERYSAMUELSisasleepathis
desk.Heiswearingadrab
housecoatandsadslippers,with
theobviousintentionofgoingto
bedsoon.Aftersometime,his

3
phonevibratesloudlyonthedesk,
wakinghim.JEFFERYstaresatit
morosely,andthenignoresthe
call,cuttingoffthevibration.
Hethenlooksattheclock,and
letsoutanexasperatedsigh.
Afteralonginglooktohisbed,
hetakesasipofcoldandbitter
coffeeandthenreturnstohis
lessonplanning.Aftersometime,
thecomputerserroralertsound
isheard.)
JEFFERY
What.(reads)Wordhasencounteredaproblemandneedsto
close.No.Nononononono.Pleasebesaved.Pleasebesaved.
(JEFFERYtentativelymakes
somemouseclicks)
Shit!No!Dammit!Sonofaaugghh!!!
(JEFFERYhitshimselfinthe
headwithatextbooklyingon
hisdesk.)
Stupid!Stupid!Stupid!
THEBARD
(off)
Doyouthinkyoucouldbealittlequieter?
JEFFERY
(asifthroughawall)Sorry!Sorry!Itwonthappenagain!
THEBARD
(off)
NotunlessyougetabackupsystemIexpect.Youknowinmyday
weusedtojustwriteonpaper.Imaginethat.
JEFFERY
Whosthere?Areyouinmyhouse?Thedoorwaslocked!Illcall
thepolice!
(JEFFERYholdsuphisphone,
whichfeeblyilluminatesTHE

4
BARD.THEBARDenters,wearing
16thcenturyattireandwith
grey,ghostlyskin.Otherwise,
heappearsnormalinspeech
andmannerisms.)
THEBARD
Idoubttheyappreciateprankcallsaboutdeadplaywrightsnear
midnight.
JEFFERY
GoodGod!Whoareyou!Stayawayfromme!
THEBARD
Onlyyourfavouriteauthor.Ithoughtyouwouldbepleased.At
leastIfiguredIwasyoufavouritebasedonhowoftenyouhave
yourstudentsbutchermyplays.
JEFFERY
Shakespeare?Haveyoucometohauntme?
THEBARD
Please.CallmeWilliam.AndsurelyIhavebetterthingstodo
withmytime,thoughitisvirtuallyinfinite,thantodeprive
dramateachersoftheirsleep,asenjoyableasitadmittedlyis.
JEFFERY
Thenwhyareyouhere?
THEBARD
WellyouseeMr.SamuelsmayIcallyouJeffery?OrJeff?You
seeJeff,amansworklivesonafterhim,forbetterorfor
worse.Shouldyoubeluckyenoughtoberemembered,apieceof
youremainsineverypartofyourcreatedart,makingyou
immortal.Yetthereisapricetopayforsuchfame.Youarehow
youareremembered,hencewhyImustwearthissorelyoutdated
outfit.Onlywhenoneiswhollyforgottencanpeacebefound.As
thatisunlikelytohappenanytimeinthenearfutureforme,I
havesetmyselfonataskofsettingdramateachersstraightso
astopreservewhatlittletruthaboutmyselfstillremains.
JEFFERY
Imterriblysorry;Imeantnodisrespect.WhatcanIpossibly
do?
THEBARD

5
Wellyoucanbeginbythankingyourcomputerforerasingthat
rubbishyouwerewritingamomentago.
JEFFERY
(returningtohisdesk.)
Excuseme!Ivebeenteachingdramafor30yearsnow.IthinkI
knowhowtowritealessonplan.Whatdoyouknowabout
teaching?
THEBARD
YouforgetIhavebeenlivinghundredsofyearslongerthanyou.
Butthatisbesidethepoint.Myissueisnotwithyour
teaching,butratherthecontentwhichyouteach.
JEFFERY
IsupposeyouregoingtotellmenowthatIamdirectingmy
studentswrongandmessingupyourplays.WellIllhaveyou
knowthateachdirectorisentitledtomakeaplayhisown!Im
sorrythatyouhavetolivewiththat,literally,butitisthe
plightofallartiststohavetheirworkreinterpreted.Whatis
yourfearwithcreatingsomethingnewfromtheold?
THEBARD
Ihonestlydontcarethatyoudecidedtoreversethegendersin
yourlastproduction,sinceyourmalestudentswantnothingto
dowiththeatre,andareplanningtosetthisyearsproduction
inmoderntimesinafeebleattempttostayrelevant.WhatI
careaboutisyourdisregardformywords!Languageisagift
Jeffery!Wordsaremorselstobeconsumedbythemind!
JEFFERY
WellIhatetobreakittoyou,butthekidscantreadwhatyou
wrote.Heck,theirparentsdutifullyattendingeachyeardont
evenknowwhatisbeingsaidhalfthetime.Ifocusonacting:
thatsmyjob.Ifyouthinkitsashamethatnoonecan
understandyourwritingthengohauntthelanguageartsteacher.
THEBARD
OhIvespokenwithher.Butcreatingaliterateschoolpopulace
isajobforallteachers,andwhobettertoteachthemthana
dramateacher,whobringsthetexttolife!Spreadforthbefore
themafeastoflanguages!
JEFFERY
Didyoujustquoteoneofyourownplays?Thatisanewlevelof
conceitedness.

6
THEBARD
LikeIsaid,theyareallthatislefttome.Andyou,aman
witheverymomentfreetobewhatyouwill,choosetohandicap
yourutilizationofthetrippingtongue.
JEFFERY
Wellwhatwouldyouhavemedo?
THEBARD
Imgladyoufinallyasked.First,considerthis:notalltext
iswritten.ConsidertheplayTribes;isnotsignlanguageas
beautifulasthespokenword?WhatoftheKahawiDanceTheatre?
Isnotanindigenousdanceaspowerfulacommunicativetool?
JEFFERY
Idontknowanythingabouteitherofthose.Doyouthinkthat
I,at52,amgoingtolearntodancetonight?
THEBARD
(THEBARDretirestothebed.
Movementforbothcharacters
untilnextnotedisleftto
thedirectorsdiscretion.)
No,Idontexpectyoushall.Thatdoesntmeanyoucantbring
itintoyourclassroomthough.Youdontneedtospeakit
yourselftoletthosewithdifferentformsofliteracyknowthey
arewelcomeinyourclass.Letstudentswriteorperformin
theirnativetongue,oraboutthingswhichmattertothem.Let
theirartbetheirown!CanyouimaginehowmuchmoreupsetI
wouldbewithyouifmymemorywastrappedinartIdidnteven
identifywith?
JEFFERY
Isupposeso.ButhowcouldImarksuchathing?Thissounds
likealotofextrawork.
THEBARD
Itismorework.Butthestudentswillwanttodoit,because
theywillcare.Andreadingandwritingisaprocess,notanend
point.Youarentmarkingtheirpiece;youareguidingtheir
learningfromacreativesparktoasharedcreation.Doyouhave
anyideahowmanywordsImadeupwhichyounowuse?
JEFFERY

7
Look,Ijustwanttogetthisdoneandgotobed.Imnotgoing
tocreateanewrubricforeverystudentwhothinkstheyare
specialenoughnottolearnlikeeveryoneelse.Besides,ifI
listenedtoyouIwouldhavetowritesomethingdifferentnot
onlyforeachstudent,butforeverygrade.
THEBARD
Themindofthechildcancomprehendmorethanyougivecredit,
andtheyoungadultcanlearninwaystypicallyassociatedwith
youngeraudiences.Apicturebookmayspeaktoa17yearoldin
waysyouneverwouldhavethought,andanovelmaybejustwhat
ayoungerchildneeded.Whymusteachchildreadthesamebook
atthesamepaceandbelievethesamethingaboutit?
JEFFERY
Istilldontseewhatanyofthishastodowithyouorme.The
studentshatereading,theywanttoplaygamesorwatchmovies.
Andwhyshouldyoucare?Youwroteplaysbecauseyouhadto,but
youwereadirectorandanactor!Thetextisatemplateforthe
realartonthestage!
THEBARD
Wouldyouhavetheplaysatalliftheywerenotwritten?Could
yourstudentslearntheirlinesiftheywereilliterate?You
havenotonlyadutytofosterliteracyforthepreservationof
theatre,butanopportunitytodosoinawayfewotherteachers
have.Reading,writing,andspeakingaboutplaysarejustthe
start.Literacyiscommunicationofideas;andthisisthe
backboneofdrama.Dramaispoetry,itisdebate,anditis
life.
JEFFERY
Allright!Couldyoubelessgrandiose?Illdoit.Ijustneed
toknowhow.
THEBARD
That,myfriend,istheexcitingpart.Dontjustgivehistoric
workslikeminealivingvoice,butencouragethevoicesofyour
students.Findoutwhattheycareabout,andshowthemthatthe
samehumanspiritisaliveintheplaysofallcultures,creeds,
andcenturies.Havethemwritetheirownplays,orrewriteold
playsinwaysthatfittheirownunderstandingoftheworld.
Betteryet,havethemwriteplaysinmorethanjustatextual
manner,butincludeotherartformsaswell.Dramaisdance,
music,combat,andeveryotherfacetofwhatmakesushuman.
Makeyourstudentscreators,notjustconsumers,ofliterature.

JEFFERY
SoundslikeIneedtocreateandconsumesomemorecoffee.
THEBARD
Aucontraire!Webothknowyouwontwriteanygoodlessons
tonight.Gotobed,andinthemorningwritedownyourdreamsin
yourjournal.Thatwillbethefirstauthenticpieceofpersonal
literacyyouhavewritteninyears.
(THEBARDpicksupajournal
leftbesidethebedandplaces
itonthedesk.)
JEFFERY
Ifyouinsist.IguessIllbeginbyaskingmystudentstowrite
ashortscenethatspeakstothemthentomorrow.Thatwillsave
havingtowriteareallessontonight.
THEBARD
Ireconyouwroteamorereallessonjustnowthanyouwould
havehadyourcomputernotcrashed.ButImustbeonmyway.My
workhereisdone.
JEFFERY
Already?ButInevergottotalktoyouaboutanythingthat
mattered!Tellmeaboutyourlife!Ihavesomuchtoaskyou!

(JEFFERYrisesfromhis
chairtofollowTHEBARD,
whorecedestobackofthe
stage,asifheisbeing
absorbedintotheether.
Thesoundofapoweroutage
isheardcombinedwiththe
completeblackoutofthe
stage.)
JEFFERY
No!Notnow!Areyoustillthere?
THEBARD
(off)

9
ItwasnicetalkingwithyouJeffery.RememberwhatIsaid.But
Imustbeoff.Thereisatideintheaffairsofmenmenmen
(Thesoundofanalarmclock
blendswiththemensound
spokenbyTHEBARDandthen
takesover.Daybreakhitsthe
apartment.Thealarmclock
reads7:00am.JEFFERYisfound
wakingupinhisdesk,and
silencestheclockwitha
whack,puttingastoptothe
obnoxiousMen!Men!Men!
sound.Theonlyvisiblechange
fromthebeginningisthatthe
journalhasmovedfromthebed
tothedesk.JEFFERYlooksat
thescreen,andisoverjoyed
thatitwasalladream,and
hisdocumentisstillsafe.
Afterafewkeystrokes,he
printshislessonplanwith
muchsatisfaction.Looking
overtheprintedcopy,he
noticesthejournalonthe
desk,andtriestocomprehend
itsplacement.Aftermuch
deliberation,JEFFERY
reluctantlyputshislesson
planinthewastebin,takesa
penfromhispocket,liesdown
onhisbedandbeginstowrite
inhisjournal.Afteralook
athiswatch,BLACKOUT)
(ENDOFACT)
WorksConsulted
Chambers,C.,&Balanoff,H.(22095,Fall).Domyliteraciescountasliteracy?Aninquiryinto
Inuinnaqtunliteracies.Literacies,6,1820.
Christensen,L.(200).WhereImfrom:Invitingstudentslivesintotheclassroom.InReading,
writing,andrisingup:Teachingaboutsocialjusticeandthewrittenword(pp.1822).
Milwaukee,WI:RethinkingSchools.

10

Cummins,J.,Bismilla,V.,Chow,P.,Choen,S.,Giampapa,F.,Leoni,L.,Sandhu,P.,&Sastri,
P.(2005).Affirmingidentityinmultilingualclassrooms.EducationalLeadership,63(1),
3843.
Tompkins,G.,Bright,R.,&Windsor,P.(2015).Thewritingprocess,InLanguagearts:
ContentandTeachingstrategies(6thed.)(pp.177192).Toronto,ON:Person.
Smith,J.(2009).Whatisreading?InEarlyliteracyinstruction(2nded.)(pp.122).Toronto,
ON:Pearson.
Knipper,K.,&Duggan,T.(2006).Writingtolearnacrossthecurriculum:Toolsfor
comprehensionincontentareas.TheReadingTeacher,59(5),462470.
Murphy,P.(2009).Usingpicturebookstoengagemiddleschoolstudents.MiddleSchool
Journal,40(4),2024.