Living with the Question

Characters

The SKEPTIC

The NOVICE

The IDEALIST

MR. SOCK

MARTIN LUTHER

SMALL CHILD

ANNA MADSEN

PASTOR

(Author's Note: In the following scenes, when dialogue contains [Character's name in brackets], please replace the bracketed name with the name of the person playing that particular character. Any other dialogue in the script that is [in brackets] can be read as-is or ad-libbed to more closely match the current reality of the actors and the community.) 

(Endnotes are indicated by numbers in parentheses.) 

(OPEN. The SKEPTIC gazes intently at a newspaper (or a cell phone, if that would be more accurate to the portrayal). The NOVICE walks past, hands in pockets. The NOVICE's hands should remain in their pockets during the entire first section of dialogue, for reasons that will soon become apparent.)

SKEPTIC: (Reading) Wow.

NOVICE: What?

SKEPTIC: Check this out, [NOVICE] - [there are almost sixty-five thousand people in Los Angeles who are homeless (1)]!

(NOVICE stops and reads over SKEPTIC's shoulder)

NOVICE: That's terrible!

SKEPTIC: [Sixty-five thousand people! A six, and a five, with three zeroes after them!]

NOVICE: Dang. I wish there were something we could do.

SKEPTIC: Yeah.

(IDEALIST enters, passing by.)

IDEALIST: Hey, you two. What's up?

SKEPTIC: [Sixty-five thousand people in Los Angeles are homeless.]

IDEALIST: (A sudden, full stop) Wow.

NOVICE: Yeah.

IDEALIST: They oughta do something about that, you know? It's so unfair that people are suffering like that in the wealthiest country in the world.

SKEPTIC: It's terrible. I was thinking about collecting some money and sending it to [a homeless shelter].

NOVICE: That's a great idea, [SKEPTIC]! Can I help? 

SKEPTIC: Sure! Do you want to help, too, [IDEALIST]?

IDEALIST: Yeah. Sure. I guess.

SKEPTIC: You guess? People need help!

IDEALIST: No, I know. I mean, I get that people need help. It's just... do you really think this is a problem that we can solve just by throwing some money at it?

SKEPTIC: It couldn't hurt.

NOVICE: People need help, [IDEALIST]!

IDEALIST: Right, but... if all we do is give money to [a homeless shelter], it's not going to do anything to help [prevent people from becoming homeless]. It's not going to magically solve the problem of [sixty-five thousand people in Los Angeles without a place to live].

SKEPTIC: That's out of our hands, [IDEALIST].

IDEALIST: No, it isn't! Listen! We've got [this church-related event] coming up tonight! I'm going to talk to Pastor [What's-Their-Name] and see if we can start a petition! Join an advocacy group! We can help fight for [affordable housing] and start taking on the systems that treat people as if they were disposable!