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Read an Excerpt Excerpt Terms & Conditions This excerpt is available to assist you in the play selection process. You may view, print and download any of our excerpts for perusal purposes. Excerpts are not intended for performance, classroom or other academic use. In any of these cases you will need to purchase playbooks via our website or by phone, fax or mail. A short excerpt is not always indicative of the entire work, and we strongly suggest reading the whole play before planning a production or ordering a cast quantity of scripts. Family Plays WEST OF PECOS COMEDY BY TIM KELLY ©Family Plays WEST OF PECOS “There were lots of interesting and fun-to-create character roles.” —Valerie McMahan, Okemah High School, Okemah, Okla. Comedy. By Tim Kelly. Cast: 8m., 12w., extras if desired. Judge Roy Bean, “The Law West of Pecos,” has decreed Orin Powers must hang for shooting up a poster of his beloved Lily Langtry, the famed frontier actress. The sentence has the town of Langtry, Texas, in a stew. Bad men want Orin to swing. Good citizens want him to live. Only one thing will save the unfortunate lad from the gallows— the appearance of Lily herself. What happens when the dazzling and glamorous “toast of two continents” meets the grizzled old “Bean” constitutes the fun, romance and drama that make up the legend. One int. set. Approximate running time: 85 minutes. Code: W17. ISBN 10: 0-87602-426-6 ISBN 13: 978-0-87602-426-3 311 Washington St., Woodstock, IL 60098-3308 Phone: (800) 448-7469 / (815) 338-7170 Fax: (800) 334-5302 / (815) 338-8981 www.FamilyPlays.com West of Pecos ©Family Plays WEST OF PECOS COMEDY BY TIM KELLY 311 Washington St., Woodstock, IL 60098-3308 Phone: (800) 448-7469 / (815) 338-7170 • Fax: (800) 334-5302 / (815) 338-8981 www.FamilyPlays.com ©Family Plays *** NOTICE *** The amateur and stock acting rights to this work are controlled exclusively by FAMILY PLAYS without whose permission in writing no performance of it may be given. Royalty must be paid every time a play is performed whether or not it is presented for profit and whether or not admission is charged. A play is performed any time it is acted before an audience. Current royalty rates, applications and restrictions may be found at our website www.FamilyPlays.com, or we may be contacted by mail at: FAMILY PLAYS, 311 Washington St., Woodstock IL 60098. COPYRIGHT LAW GIVES THE AUTHOR OR THE AUTHOR’S AGENT THE EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO MAKE COPIES. This law provides authors with a fair return for their creative efforts. Authors earn their living from the royalties they receive from book sales and from the performance of their work. Conscientious observance of copyright law is not only ethical it encourages authors to continue their creative work. This work is fully protected by copyright. No alterations, deletions or substitutions may be made in the work without the prior written consent of the publisher. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, videotape, film, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. It may not be performed either by professionals or amateurs without payment of royalty. All rights, including, but not limited to, the professional, motion picture, radio, television, videotape, foreign language, tabloid, recitation, lecturing, publication and reading, are reserved. In all programs this notice must appear: “Produced by special arrangement with family plays of Woodstock, Illinois” For performance of any songs, music and recordings mentioned in this play which are in copyright, the permission of the copyright owners must be obtained or other songs and recordings in the public domain substituted. © 1971 by TIM KELLY Printed in the United States of America All Rights Reserved (WEST OF PECOS) ISBN: 978-0-88680-426-3 ©Family Plays WEST OF PECOS A Comedy in Th�ee Aats For Eight Men, Twelve Women, Extras if desired CHARACTERS (in order of appearance) ORIN • • • • • a young coUJboy ZERALDA • his sUJeethea�t MRS. POWERS Orin's mother MRS. OATES ZeraZda's mother MRS. HAYES a neighbor SNOW FEATHER an Indian maiden RANGER the Jud9e's deputy MONTANA a young femaZe joupnaZist JOHNNY- BEHIND-THE-ACE • a youn� bad man SPURS • • • • • • • • • anothe� bad man 1ST WOMAN PASSENGER a hungry traveZer 2ND WOMAN PASSENGER anothe� hung�y t1'ave Ze1' SOCRATES FOGG a Zawye� MRS. FOGG his wife JUDGE ROY BEAN . a dominee!'ing frontier justice CAYO CLAIBORNE Roy's adopted son LILY LANGTRY the famed English act1'ess ACTRESS a young member of the acting troupe PEWTREE vitlain of the acting t�oupe EXTRAS bad men, citizens train passenge�s, etc. PLACE: Langt�y� Te:r:as TIME: A hot summe� day, 1885 3 ©Family Plays SYNOPSIS OF SCENES The action of the play takes place in The Lilly, a gathering place for the populace of Langtry, Texas. ACT ONE: A hot summer day, 1885. ACT TWO: The same. One hour later. ACT THREE: The same. Following immediately. 4 ©Family Plays GENERAL SUGGESTIONS: It is important to keep the blocking neat . In any play with a large cast there is a tendency to bunch up . The director must take extra care to see that each performer is fully visible from the audience. Also, since many characters are on stage at the same time, it is vital thateach per­ former keep in the scene, reacting to what is be­ ing said and done according to his or her person­ ality. If possible, an overture adds considerably toward establishing a mood. A banj o solo is a g u a rante e d audience pleaser. Suggested tunes are: "Buffalo Gal Won't You Come Out Tonight, " "Sweet Betsy from Pike," "Rio Grande," "The Old Chisholm Trail, " etc. A drop curtain in lieu of a standard pull curtain offers a possibility if the stage is so con­ structed. The drop curtain should advertise pat­ ent medicines, dental services, magazines, gen­ eral stores, etc. For a curtain call a form a 1 pose might prove effective. Have various characters posed as if they were stationed for an 1885 photographer , that is, stiff and formal. For example, the Judge seated, derby in hand, with Lily on one side, Cayo on the other. Or, station entire cast as if it were advertising a scene from Buffalo Bill's "Wild West Show." HISTORICAL NOTE: Judge Roy Bean died on March 16, 1903, eight months before Lily Langtry was scheduled to arrive in his dusty kingdom. Lily lived until 1929, the year of America's Wall Street crash. 5 ©Family Plays PRODUCTION NOTES COSTUME NOTE: The period is anywhere from 1880 to the turn of the century. The general costuming is ob­ vious. Listed here are only the unusual outfits or those items that al-e essential to the plot. SNOW FEATHER: Indian dress, headband , moccasins. SOCRATES: Flashy stickpin in tie. ROY: Act I: Derby hat. Act II: Bandana . LILY: Act 1: A handsome, theatrical full- length gown, gloves, picture hat. Act II: For melodrama, a simple white dress. Act Ill: Same gown as Act I. ACTRESS in melodrama: Grandmother dress. LOUISE: Starched white apron. PEWTREE: Villain's outfit: top hat, frock coat, fake drooping mousuache, buggy whip. GENERAL: Two benches, shelves with groceries, sign reading "The Jersey Lilly, " "Din­ ing Room" sign, counter, law books, gavel, sign reading "Pickles 1¢" on one sid� and "Court in ses­ sion" on the other side, tray, glasses, bottles of sarsaparilla, water, scrapbooks with photos, two tables with three chairs each, two theatrical posters, additional stage dressing as desired: cracker barrels, cuspidors, hides, hang­ ing lamps, etc. For Act II: rocking chair or stool . 6 ©Family Plays PEWTREE: Buggy whip. SOCRATES: Handkerchief. RANGER: Pistol and holster. JOHNNY: Pistols and holsters, money. SPURS: Pistol and holster, money. ROY: Pistol and holster, money. MONTANA: Pocketbook, notebook, pencil. WOMEN PASSENGERS: Handkerchiefs. MRS. OATES, MRS. POWE RS, MRS. HAYES: Handkerchiefs. LOUISE: Box of props containing paper snow and cups. CA YO: Deck of cards. SNOW FEATHER: Box containing wedding dress, veil, paper flowers. SOUND EFFECTS Offstage gun shots, optional train whistle from off L, crowd noise from off L during Lily's arrival, the race, etc. Crowd noise is easily cre­ ated orally by the actors themselves or by the stage crew. 7 ©Family Plays CHART OF STAGE URC uc R R.C c LC L DJlC DC DLC _____ STAGE POSITIONS Upstage means away from the footlights, down­ stage means toward the footlights, and right and left are used with reference to the actor as he faces the audience. R means right, L means left, U means up, D means down, C means center, and these ab­ c as: breviations are used in ombination, UR for up right, R C for right center, D L C for down left cen­ ter, etc. A territory designated on the stage refers to a general area, rather than to a given point. NOO'E: Before starting rehearsals, chalk off your stage or rehearsalspace as indicated above in the Chart of Stage Positions. Then teach your ac­ tors the meanings and positions of these fundamen­ tal terms of stage movement by having them walk from one position to another until they are familiar with them. The use of these abbreviated terms in directing the play saves time, speeds up rehearsals, and reduces the amount of explanation the director has to give to his actors. 8 ©Family Plays - ACT ONE SCENE: "The jersey Lilly, " once a saloon, now a genera1 store, restaurant and waiting room for the Southern Pacific Railroad.
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