Written by Larry Mollin www.stagerights.com SEARCH: PAUL CLAYTON Copyright © 2013 by Larry Mollin All Rights Reserved All performances and public readings of SEARCH: PAUL CLAYTON are subject to royalties. It is fully protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America, of all countries covered by the International Copyright Union, of all countries covered by the Pan-American Copyright Convention and the Universal Copyright Convention, and all countries with which the United States has reciprocal copyright relations. All rights are strictly reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, by any means, including mechanical, electronics, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author. Publication of this play does not necessarily imply that it is available for performance by amateurs or professionals. It is strongly recommended all interested parties apply to Steele Spring Stage Rights for performance rights before starting rehearsals or advertising. No changes shall be made in the play for the purpose of your production without prior written consent. All billing stipulations in your license agreement must be strictly adhered to. No person, firm or entity may receive credit larger or more prominent than that accorded the Author. For all stage performance inquiries, please contact: Steele Spring Stage Rights 3845 Cazador Street Los Angeles, CA 90065 (323) 739-0413 www.stagerights.com PRODUCTION HISTORY First staged reading – Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse – 7/2013 Premiere production – Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse – 7/2014 3-week run for 15 shows Director ...................................................... Randal Myler Musical Director .......................................... Fred Mollin Paul Clayton ................................................. Peter Oyloe Bob Dylan .................................................... Jared Weiss Carla Rotolo & others .............................. Jaime Babbitt Dave Van Ronk & others ............... Stephen G. Anthony Suze Rotolo & others ................................ Ereni Sevasti Rev. Gary Davis .................................... Chic Street Man Staged reading – Triad Theatre – New York City – 12/14 for 2 shows New York Production – Triad Theatre – 5/2015 for 13 shows CHARACTERS PAUL CLAYTON: Charismatic, flamboyant, late 20s-mid 30s gay, musician-scholar; master degree in folk song. GUITAR, VOCALS. BOB DYLAN: Ten years younger than Paul, 18-25. Enigmatic, talented, ambitious. Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals. THE ENSEMBLE SUZE ROTOLO: 18-early 20s. Bob Dylan’s idealistic, socially conscious girlfriend. Also playing; folk queen JOAN BAEZ, YOUNG MARYBIRD, and CHORUS. Possible instruments: Guitar, Fiddle, Mandolin, Vocals. DAVE VAN RONK: 30-45. Bohemian, anti-establishment, folk-performer and Village original. Also playing; PAUL’S FATHER, KEITH (English rocker), and CHORUS. Guitar, Standup Bass, Vocals. CARLA ROTOLO: 30s-40. Paul Clayton’s girlfriend, a cynical New Yorker. Also playing; folksinger CAROLYN HESTER, PAUL’S MOTHER, MARYBIRD and CHORUS. Possible instruments: Guitar, Mandolin, Vocals. REV. GARY DAVIS: 50s. Blind, seminal, African-American guitar player and teacher who hung downtown with the folkies while preaching uptown. A peaceful prescence among the chaos of their relationships. Also playing; CHORUS. Guitar, Slide Guitar, Vocals. THE SETTING Mostly Greenwich Village in the early 1960s: Washington Square Park, Paul’s apartments and Various coffeehouses/clubs/bandstands/jam sessions in NYC and Virginia. THE SET There are three large RISERS of various heights on a bare proscenium stage. One Stage Left, one Stage Right and one that also serves as a larger bandstand, Up Center Stage. The open Downstage area serves at times, with set dressing, as; Paul’s first Apartment, Paul’s last Apartment, and the Washington Square fountain area. There is at least one MEDIA SCREEN hung and active. RUN TIME With intermission: 100 minutes including ENCORE SONG MUSICAL NUMBERS 1. SHENANDOAH: Paul Clayton on guitar. 2. BRAES OF BALQUIDDER: This is performed by a family trio: PAUL, ADAH (mother), and CLAYTON (father). Instrumentation TBD. 3. ACROSS THE BLUE MOUNTAIN: This is performed by MARYBIRD accompanied by granddaughter YOUNG MARYBIRD, and PAUL. It can also be performed as a MARYBIRD solo. Guitars, mandolin. Instrumentation and presentation TBD. 4. GOTTA TRAVEL ON: Performed acoustic as a trio: PAUL, DAVE and CAROLYN HESTER. Instrumentation TBD. 5. BABY LET ME FOLLOW YOU DOWN: Performed by BOB with guitar and harmonica. 6. THE TWA SISTERS (traditional): A few verses. Performed by PAUL on guitar or a capella. 7. WHO’LL BUY YOU RIBBONS: Performed by PAUL on guitar. 8. TWELVE GATES TO THE CITY: Performed by REV. GARY and an extended CHORUS. Instrumentation TBD. 9. WHO’LL BUY YOU RIBBONS / DON’T THINK TWICE (licensed/fair use): A few verses. Performed by BOB. Guitar and harmonica. 10. STONES IN MY PASSWAY / CORINNA CORINNA: Performed by REV. GARY, DAVE, PAUL, BOB and possibly CARLA and/or SUZE. Instrumentation TBD. 11. HOUSE CARPENTER: Performed by PAUL, BOB, and JOAN BAEZ. Instrumentation TBD. Possibility: Joan can sing only allowing the two men to play. 12. THE MERMAID: A few verses of the sea chanty. PAUL sings acapella. 13. TALKING BOB DYLAN CROSS COUNTRY BLUES: Performed by BOB and PAUL; guitars and harmonica. 14. HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN: Performed by DAVE on guitar. Accompanied by REV. GARY. 15. COCAINE/LITTLE SADIE: Performed by KEITH, BOB and PAUL on guitars, stand-up bass. 16. WHO’LL BUY YOU RIBBONS: A produced, pre-record for LIVE playback of Paul singing his song. 17. THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND: Full Cast - Instrumentation TBD. 18. ENCORE SONG - THIS TRAIN: Full Cast - Instrumentation TBD. *Note to Reader: For ease of reading, many songs have been abbreviated, For complete performance music, please refer to the music charts. SEARCH: PAUL CLAYTON – PRODUCTION SCRIPT 1 ACT I Lights slowly rise. We hear resounding, building applause and shouts of “MORE,” and “ENCORE.” CS we see an elevated rock and roll bandstand, instruments waiting for the band to return. A media screen hangs above with a projection illuminated: PROJECTION - THE BANNER: ROLLING THUNDER REVUE It’s 1976. Applause explodes as BOB DYLAN comes back on stage for his encore. He waves for quiet, then addresses the audience. BOB Thank you. Like to dedicate this to… Paul Clayton. Wherever you are. He wrote this, “Gotta Travel On”… A… one… two… The bandstand lights go black. A spotlight appears DSR. We see PAUL CLAYTON, a 60s-style folk troubadour with a guitar strapped on his back; late 30s, thin moustache, musician-scholar look. With aplomb, he stops BOB’s music before it starts and addresses the audience. PAUL FACT: In 1976 Bob Dylan dedicated the encore of his Rolling Thunder Revue to Paul Clayton. Assumption: 99.9% of the audience had no idea who Clayton was and that continues to this day. Tonight you are going to find out. (Paul speaks to the media screen as the spotlight dims) Search: Paul Clayton. P-a-u-l C-l-a-y-t-o-n. On it a projection appears— PROJECTION - THE WIKIPEDIA PAGE OF PAUL CLAYTON —with full biographical text as if on a computer screen. We hear: COMPUTER VOICE [V.O.] Paul Clayton born Paul Worthington, March 3rd, 1931, New Bedford, Massachusetts— died March 30th, 1967, New York City; was an American folk singer and folklorist. Lights reveal PAUL seated on a stool on the bandstand beneath a Kettle Of Fish sign as— PROJECTION - “KETTLE OF FISH” SIGN A small club’s welcoming applause is heard. He plays and sings the folk classic SHENANDOAH. He finishes to small club applause and steps downstage to address the audience. SONG #1: SHENANDOAH PAUL Folk singer. That’s me in a nut shell, nut sack, same difference. Menu, please. 2 SEARCH: PAUL CLAYTON – PRODUCTION SCRIPT Highlighted Wiki text appears on the screen and COMPUTER VOICE is heard. COMPUTER VOICE [V.O.] 1. Early years PAUL Not easy with parents who fought like mine. Music was my refuge. COMPUTER VOICE [V.O.] 2. Folk song scholar. PAUL With a graduate degree from UVA. Collecting the roots music of rural Virginny. The world of song- catching opened up to me. Among other… openings. COMPUTER VOICE [V.O.] 3. Recordings and copyrights, starting in 1951. PAUL By 1961— I was the most recorded young folk singer in America. Eleven albums and one hit song with copyright problems. Like herpes, it never goes away. COMPUTER VOICE [V.O.] 4. Greenwich Village salad days. PAUL I was Pablo on the street. No one had more friends and admirers at those wild, Sunday afternoon jam sessions in Washington Square Park. COMPUTER VOICE [V.O.] 5. Relationship with Bob Dylan. PAUL Even after all that happened between us I still love him. From SL, BOB is seen at the SL wings trying to get PAUL’s attention. He stage whispers. BOB Remember… I get my to have my say here too. PAUL Don’t you always have the last word? But everyone knows your story, your songs. This Wiki- musical is about me. Can we continue? COMPUTER VOICE [V.O.] 6. Plagiarism by Bob Dylan. BOB speaks again from the wings, calmly adding: BOB Alleged plagiarism. PAUL (to audience) You be the judge… Number 7… SEARCH: PAUL CLAYTON – PRODUCTION SCRIPT 3 COMPUTER VOICE [V.O.] 1964 cross-country road trip with Bob Dylan. PAUL looks SL. PAUL Confirm or deny? BOB Confirm. PAUL Those highway days and nights, in the back seat of a Ford station wagon with a typewriter on his lap, he wrote a lot of the Another Side Of Bob Dylan album. But in New Orleans, I may have discovered another, another side. BOB rushes out onto the stage again. BOB Pablo, you get into that, there will be lawsuits. This show will be shut down pronto. PAUL C’mon. This is a musical not a documentary. As solid as something you read on a crowd-sourced, internet encyclopedia. And besides, you know I don’t kiss and tell.