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On a warm and pleasant late afternoon, an unemployed actor walks along a crowded sidewalk in a major city. He stops at a corner magazine stand and purchases a Variety. Anxious to find an opportunity for work, he crosses the street, sits on a bench at a bus stop and opens the publication to check audition listings. Intrigued by one of the listings, he looks at his watch, stands up and peers down the street. Seeing a bus approaching from a block away, he runs across the busy thoroughfare and waves it down. The bus stops and the actor gets on board. On the bus, the actor quickly sits and opens his Variety to double-check the listing information. He then looks out of the bus windows to make sure that he's going in the right direction. When convinced, he leans back in his seat and begins mumbling the words of an intense Shakespearian monologue, in character. The person sitting next to the actor glares at him like he's out of his mind. Still mumbling, the actor returns the glare and finishes the monologue, then smiles at the person, firmly affixed in some sort of portentous Meisnerian trance. Assorted camera angles follow the bus through town until it pulls up to a curb in front of a theater building, and the actor gets out carrying his Variety magazine. The person who was sitting next to the actor also gets off the bus and walks away quickly, throwing a few worried and suspicious glances in the actor's direction. The actor looks up at the theater building. From the actor's point-of-view, we observe a blank marquis with chase lights flashing around it. The actor walks to the door of the theater building and peers through the glass. From the actor's point-of-view, we see nothing but darkness inside the door. Feeling apprehensive, the actor absent-mindedly backs up to the middle of the sidewalk while opening his Variety to check the address. As he does this, several people walk by, aggravated at having to manipulate themselves around his apparent lack of courtesy. He awkwardly looks up at them, smiling uncomfortably and adjusting himself as he confirms the address. Feeling clumsy and self-conscious, as well as a bit skeptical about these circumstances, the actor again walks to the door of the theater building, finds it unlocked, and goes inside. Inside the building, the actor finds a vacant and dimly lit lobby. He walks through the lobby, his footsteps echoing in an otherwise silent space. Looking about for some sign of people, he finds none. He then opens a door leading into the performance hall, and walks inside. Inside the performance hall, the house lights are off and stage lights up. The actor is alone. He observes a simple, bare proscenium stage and an empty house. Slowly walking down an aisle toward the brightly lit stage, he peers through the shadowy house and says "hello" a few times, but there is no response. When he gets to the stage, he turns and considers the empty hall once again, standing in the front aisle. Then he sits in the first row of seats. Frustrated about this seemingly dubious audition opportunity, he opens the Variety and finds just enough light emanating from the stage to read the other listings. Totally absorbed in his reading, the actor is startled by a noise from the stage. He lowers the Variety and looks up. From the actor's point-of-view, we see that a janitor is standing center stage with his bucket and mop. Facing upstage, he is hunched over, mopping the stage floor with great energy. We do not see his face. Looking at the janitor over his magazine, the actor calls out for his attention. From the actor's point-of-view, we see the janitor stop mopping. Aside from lifting his head a bit, he remains frozen in his hunched position- mop in hand. We still do not see the janitor's face. Thoroughly upset, the actor noisily folds up his Variety magazine, throws it down on the seat next to him, stands up and loudly says: "Hey you!" From the actor's point-of-view, we see the janitor turn quickly toward the camera. While the janitor is an entirely different character, we immediately recognize that he is portrayed by the same person who portrayed the actor. The janitor peers toward the house. From the janitor's point-of-view, we see that the hall is empty- the actor is nowhere to be seen. However, the Variety magazine remains on a seat in the front row, where the actor threw it down. Mop in hand, the janitor goes to the Variety magazine, picks it up and unfolds it. He stands looking at the cover for a minute, then glances around suspiciously. He shrugs, rolls up the magazine and slides it into a pocket. After checking his watch, the janitor goes back to his bucket on stage, picks it up and carries it off- mop still in hand. The janitor puts his bucket and mop in a storage closet, gets his coat, puts on a hat and walks to the backstage entrance of the theater building. He opens the door and walks outside into an alley. After closing the door, he notices that the sun is going down and it's getting chilly, so he puts on his coat. He then walks through the alley to the street. Having reached the street, the janitor looks in both directions. He notices a taxi parked in front of the theater building, checks his watch once again, and walks toward the cab. At the taxi, the janitor tries the back door, but finds it locked. The front seat passenger-side window is rolled down, and the janitor looks in at the driver. From the janitor's point-of-view, we see the taxi driver is leaning back in his seat asleep, with his hat pulled down over his face. The janitor knocks on the windshield to awaken the taxi driver. From the janitor's point-of-view, we see the taxi driver, still sleeping. The hat remains over his face. The janitor slaps the top of the car and says: "Hey, wake up!" From the janitor's point-of-view, we see the taxi driver, still sleeping- he grunts and adjusts his position a bit. The hat remains over his face. The janitor takes the Variety magazine from his pocket and throws it at the taxi driver, yelling: "Rise and shine, you bonehead!" From the janitor's point-of-view, we see the magazine hit the taxi driver on the shoulder. The driver awakens with a start. His hat falls to his lap and he looks toward us with a mixture of confusion and outrage. While the taxi driver is an entirely different character, we immediately recognize that he is portrayed by the same person who portrayed the actor and the janitor. From the taxi driver's point-of-view, we see that there is nobody outside the car. The janitor is nowhere to be seen. Feeling a bit foggy, the taxi driver looks down at the front passenger seat and sees the Variety. He picks it up, looks around himself again, then unrolls the magazine and studies the front page for a moment. Muttering something about "bullshit in rags," he tosses it into the back seat and starts the car. The taxi pulls away from the curb and drives down the street. From diverse angles, we observe the taxi driving through the city until it pulls over and parks at the curb in a more unsavory part of town. The taxi driver chuckles and turns off the motor. He gets a half-pint from the glove compartment, takes a few healthy pulls, then looks out the windows of his car to enjoy the sights. From the taxi driver's point-of-view, we see an assortment of murky characters here and there - male and female prostitutes, a few drunks, vagrants and one or two rather guilt-ridden and hoping-not-to-be-seen husbands. The taxi driver laughs at the show and drinks. He suddenly hears the back door of his taxi open, and he turns to see who his next client is. From the taxi driver's point-of-view, we see a well-dressed business man, brief case in hand, climb into the back seat. While the business man is an entirely diferent character, we immediately recognize that he is portrayed by the same person who portrayed the actor, the janitor and the taxi driver. Seeming a little distressed, and with his tie loose and top shirt button undone, the business man shuts the car door. He brushes at his overcoat a few times, then looks toward the driver. |
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From the business man's point-of-view, we see that there is no-one at the wheel of the cab. The taxi driver is nowhere to be seen. Surprised, the business man leans forward and examines the front seat of the car. Perplexed at finding nothing, he leans back. Looking at the seat to his left, he notices the Variety and picks it up, glancing with curiosity for a moment or two across the front page. A garishly adorned male prostitute suddenly shoves his head inside the open front passenger window of the taxi and says: "Lookin' for a ride, cute stuff?" The business man tells the protitute to leave him alone, then sees a second male prostitute sneering at him through the rolled-up rear car window. This one smiles and slowly runs his tongue up the window glass. The desperate business man swats at both the window and the front seat several times with the Variety magazine in a feeble attempt to threaten his tenacious Casanovas. The male prostitutes persist in teasing the man with lewd antics, cursing at him and pounding on the taxi. Finally they get bored and walk away, intent on finding a more lucrative venture. Inside the taxi, the shaken business man regains some composure. He looks around, puts the Variety under his arm, grabs his brief case, opens the car door and gets out. The nervous business man stands on the sidewalk next to the car, trying to decide what to do next. He then starts down the sidewalk, stepping at a brisk pace. With an assortment of camera angles, we observe the man as he moves through the seedy area. As he walks, he is approached several times by panhandlers, prostitutes and drug dealers, but manages to avoid any dangerous confrontation. Finally, he goes down some steps entering into a subway station. We follow the business man as he walks into the station, produces the necessary fare and goes trackside. A train pulls up and he gets on board. On the train, the man seems a bit more relaxed. As the train begins to move, he looks about and sees no-one else with him in the car. He begins walking down the aisle. From the business man's point-of-view, the camera moves forward with him, then slowly pans right and stops to focus upon a homeless person sleeping on one of the seats. The homeless person's arm covers his head and face. The business man looks at the homeless person and tosses the Variety magazine at him with disgust. We see the Variety land on the homeless person's head. He awakens with a start and quickly sits up, looking around the subway car with indignation. While the homeless person is an entirely different character, we immediately recognize that he is portrayed by the same person who portrayed the actor, the janitor, the taxi driver and the business man. The light in the subway car hurts the man's eyes, and he tries to shield them as he looks. From the homeless person's point-of-view, the camera pans the car's interior. No-one else is on board. The business man is nowhere to be seen. The homeless person looks down at the floor next to his seat, where the Variety has ultimately landed. He picks it up and unfolds it. Stretching out on the seat once again, he puts the magazine over his head to keep the light away from his eyes. With two or three camera shots, we observe the subway train as it speeds through the tunnels beneath the city. The subway train pulls up and stops in another station. The homeless person gets off, swatting at a fly or two with the rolled-up Variety magazine. The subway station is deserted. We follow the man as he walks through the station and up a stairway to the street. It is night time. On the street, there are parked cars, but there is no sign of people or traffic. The man walks down the center-line of this dark and desolate boulevard. Having no idea where he is, he finally stops walking and stands entirely alone and frustrated in the middle of an intersection. He looks intently in one of the four directions- then another- then another- then the other. A fly buzzes about his head, and he swats at it with the Variety. After the fly is done away with, he looks again. From the homeless person's point-of-view, we are looking down a street at a theater building's marquis. Only chase lights surrounding the blank marquis pierce the darkness. The man starts walking toward the chase lights. When he arrives at the front of the theater, we recognize it as the place of audition, previously visited in the actor's portion of this story. Standing beneath the blank marquis, the homeless person looks up at the chase lights, then walks to an alley beyond the front entrance of the theater building. The homeless person looks down the alley. From the man's point-of-view, we see that the backstage door previously used by the janitor is slightly ajar, and a dim light escapes through the narrow opening. In need of shelter, the man walks through the alley to the backstage door and gingerly opens it. After peering inside for a moment, he cautiously enters the theater building. Inside the theater building, the camera follows the homeless person as he wanders a few dark hallways, then through a door that takes him into the wings of the brightly lit proscenium stage. Impressed by his surroundings, the man moves forward and into the glare of the lights. Shielding his eyes, he stops center stage and squints at the theater's shadowy house. From the man's point-of-view, the camera pans across the empty seats. The homeless person leaves the stage and walks up an aisle through the theater's house. Then he opens a door to the lobby and passes through. In the theater lobby, the man is entirely surrounded by darkness. With the help of an old crusty Zippo cigarette lighter, he makes his way across the vestibule and discovers a door to the men's restroom. He goes inside. In the restroom, the man manipulates his Zippo lighter is search of a light switch, which he finally discovers. He flicks on the switch, and the restroom is bathed in a bright flourescent glare. Extinguishing his Zippo, the man crosses to a sink, which has a mirror above it. He confronts himself in the mirror, staring in disbelief at his grimy and grubby appearance. He bends down, turns on the water and is relieved to feel the cool liquid running into and over his cupped hands. He drinks some of the water. Then after a few moments, he splashes the water onto his face while standing up straight to look into the mirror. Immediately, we recognize the wet features of the actor referred to in the first portion of this film, standing at the sink and staring at himself in the mirror with drenched hands remaining on his cheeks. After a moment, the actor lowers his hands, leans forward and studies his image in the mirror. At first, there is a sense of enigma and ambiguity. Then he cracks a slight smile, pulls a few paper towels and dries his face. Another man appears at the neighboring sink and asks the actor if he's auditioning today. The actor replies: "Wouldn't miss it." We follow the actor out of the restroom as he tosses the Variety magazine into the trash and enters a busy lobby in the late afternoon, crowded with other folks who've been waiting for a number. End Of Treatment Copyright 1998 by Lawrence Gard - All Rights Reserved |