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Secor, James L. (American playwright, professor, writer, editor, gadfly, 1947-____), “Deliver the Keys of the City,”

a 32-minute absurdist play in English, set anywhere, anytime,

3m1f;

  •  © 1999 by James L. Secor;  •  script/rights available from James L. Secor, P.O. Box 26, Lawrence, Kansas 66044, U.S.A., e-mail jimsecor@earthlink.net, telephone (home) 785-749-3428.  •  Cited by James L. Secor, via ftp November 5, 1999; Secor says,

  § Dramatis Personae Blindeye/Nihil/Patriot (m); Blindeye/Nihil/Patriot (f); Young Man (m); Old Man (m).

  § Synopsis “(Scene i) The Blindeyes discuss their day and the expectation of visitors and the social reality of people not going out into the streets and not visiting. (Scene ii) The Nihils undertake very much the same conversation in the same set but talk about going out to visit the Blindeyes. (Scene iii) The same as scene two. (Scene iv) At the Blindeyes again, instead of visitors, the Patriots break in the door and beat the Blindeyes. (Epilogue) The Young Man removes an Old Man.

  § Comment “Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights are being slowly whittled away. Most Americans do not even know what Fourth Amendment rights are! Privacy and Search and Seizure. Amendment IV states, ‘The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.’ People are just complacently giving their rights away with no understanding. The situation is absurd—hence, the play. One box set. No special requirements beyond black humor.”

  § Themes absurdist, black humor, complacency, Constitution, Fourth Amendment rights, privacy, search, seizure.

See also James L. Secor’s

• “Ch-ch-changes,” a 10-minute anti-war drama in English, set one evening during a prolonged war in the U.S., 1f (or 1m + cat)
• “Welcome to My World or When Rahula Rang the Bell,” a 6-1/2-minute non-traditional play in English, set wherever it’s done, whatever time it’s done, 1m1f or 2m or 2f

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Page mounted November 11, 1999, and updated January 14, 2000, by the site Webmaster.