GREENWOOD CAST LIST and SIDES 1 Greenwood: An American Dream Destroyed Cast of characters: Grandmother Boley, 70’s Matriarch of the Boley family, owner of “The Boley Eating Establishment,” She cooks and cares for family and community. Frank Boley, 50’s Prosperous real estate agent in Greenwood, a leader, well educated, believes education and class will save the race. Molly Boley, 50’s Socialite wife of Frank, mother of daughter Solene. Obsessed with image of her family and Greenwood. Solene Boley, 22 Spoiled only child of Frank and Molly Boley. She’s in love with the shoeshine boy but engaged to a wealthy farmer. Bill Boley, 30’s A World War I veteran, a butcher in the family restaurant, he desperately tries to put the war behind him. Della, 30, Fun loving, live-in maid for rich white family, she visits Greenwood often to see her paramour Bill. Dick Rowland (Jimmie Jones), 22 An enterprising shoeshine boy, in love with Solene, Accused of assaulting a white girl Peg Leg (Horace) 40 World War I veteran, Bill’s friend, does odd jobs, always in uniform, always ready for a fight. Dr. A.C. Jackson, 50’s Soft spoken, prominent doctor in Greenwood Leviticus Solomon, 30 Wealthy landowner, in love and engaged to Solene. Lawrence Pritchard, unspecified age Photographer/reporter hired by Molly to record Greenwood’s prosperity. Maria Bonilla, 20’s, Spanish speaking Black girl, from Honduras, works at Boley Restaurant. /Users/nm15/Dropbox/BlkLatinoPlayConf/BLPC 2020 TRIBUTE GusEdwards/*Greenwood cast list and sides.docx GREENWOOD CAST LIST and SIDES 2 SOLENE Oh, I wish I was back in Paris again. But I want more than things. I want the world! (Whirling around) Since I’ve come back from Paris, I know that I can have it too. I met Negro people from everywhere--Harlem, Africa, the Caribbean. Look at these new books I’m reading. Gertrude Stein: “Paris is not so much what Paris gives you as what it doesn’t take a way.” That’s what I loved about it. It didn’t take away my womanhood just because I was a Negro girl. All kinds of fellows gave me the wink--Italians, Senegalese, Frenchmen— Grandmother I never felt so ladylike as when I was in Paris. Here in the U.S., all you hear is White womanhood this, White womanhood that. But there, I felt MY womanhood. END MOTHER BOLEY (Reprimanding) Now here! What kind of way is that for a girl to be talking who ‘bout to be married? Womanhood. Come here, child, sit down. Now you just carrying on and slinging around all those big words. You know you have to slow down for Grandmother. I’m from Greenwood Mississippi. And don’t you forget where you come from either. I’m glad you went to Paris and all, but you just calm yourself down--Now sit down, and talk to grandmother…now what is it? Come on, I can tell something’s bothering you. Is it Jimmie Jones? (No answer) Your mama was hoping that trip would take your mind off of him. Did it? (Solene shakes head no) Child, now, you got to get over that boy, ‘cause your mama is bound and determined for you to marry that potato farmer. END MOLLY Wonderful! You must marry up. The single most important decision a woman can make in life is whom she decides to marry. Now, your father and I have the real estate holdings and of course, the oil money, but what if the wells run dry or the price of crude drops? Even we can’t provide like Leviticus Solomon Esquire can. A woman must always think of her future. Leviticus is a country gentleman. He owns the largest potato farm west of the Mississippi and thousands of acres of rich bottom land that they rent out, so their well will never run dry. He has the wherewithal to keep you in the comforts befitting your station in life. END BILL & DELLA BILL Hey there Della. DELLA Hey Bill, is the Huntington order ready yet? BILL Good ‘n ready. Where you headed doll face? /Users/nm15/Dropbox/BlkLatinoPlayConf/BLPC 2020 TRIBUTE GusEdwards/*Greenwood cast list and sides.docx GREENWOOD CAST LIST and SIDES 3 DELLA Just dropped off the girls off at the beauty shop, got to run a few errands, then go back and pick’em up. Umm…this smells so good, I can’t wait to serve it. I tell you, those white girls love your barbeque. (Bill chuckles) BILL Well, they really going to like this. Just cooked up a new sauce--fresh rubbed rosemary, garlic, basil, red onion, hint of mint an’ peach wine brandy. Best on the Avenue! DELLA Umm, umm! Oh, and listen, be careful tonight. I think some white hoodlums from Irving Heights might be planning to cause some mischief, over here, throwing firecrackers and stuff y’know, like they do on Halloween. BILL I’ll be on the lookout. We still on for tonight? DELLA You bet. Can’t wait for the fireworks. BILL Me neither. I’m going to slay you tonight. DELLA You think so, huh? BILL Oh yeah, I been practicing up on those dance steps you taught me. DELLA We’ll see big daddy. END JIMMIE & SOLENE JIMMIE Solene, Solene, I missed you so much! SOLENE Oh Jimmie, darling, I missed you too! JIMMIE You sure you missed me? Seems like you had a real good time in Paris, dancing cheek to cheek. /Users/nm15/Dropbox/BlkLatinoPlayConf/BLPC 2020 TRIBUTE GusEdwards/*Greenwood cast list and sides.docx GREENWOOD CAST LIST and SIDES 4 SOLENE I heard about the good time you had while I was away. JIMMIE What you mean? What did you hear? SOLENE Mother said that you were keeping company with a different girl every day of the week. JIMMIE What? SOLENE Oh, don’t try to act so innocent, Jimmie Jones. I heard all about it. I told you before I left that if you kept being friends with all of those girls, it was going to be the end of us. JIMMIE No kidding? I thought when you started talking about marrying that potato farmer, I thought that was gonna be the end of us. SOLENE It’s not me talking about it. It’s-it’s mother, she’s making all of these plans and- JIMMIE And you’re going along with’em- SOLENE Not really, but you know how she is, she won’t listen- JIMMIE Well, you just have to make her listen, tell her we have our own plans. SOLENE I am but, it’s not as easy as I first thought—I mean, for us just to run off and get married, it’s not that easy— JIMMIE How come? SOLENE Well…you don’t understand, Jimmie- JIMMIE I sure don’t. When I want to do something I just do it- /Users/nm15/Dropbox/BlkLatinoPlayConf/BLPC 2020 TRIBUTE GusEdwards/*Greenwood cast list and sides.docx GREENWOOD CAST LIST and SIDES 5 SOLENE But I have family to think about. JIMMIE You mean your mama that’s who, she thinks she’s better than me, calling me “Mr. Jones” all the time. SOLENE Oh, Jimmie, she’s just being polite—and hey, not so fast, you just wait a minute--let’s get back to our conversation. Ever since I got back all I’ve been hearing is talk about you and those girls- JIMMIE They’re just our classmates, that’s all- SOLENE Oh really, well I heard that you and- JIMMIE I don’t care what you heard, none of those girls can hold a candle to you, none of’em. SOLENE What about the Williams girl? She said that you and she- JIMMIE Solene, sweetheart, don’t believe nothing those girls say. They just crowd around me because I played football, that’s all. But they don’t really care nothing about me, none of them, not like you do….You really care about me, and what I think and what I feel…(Touching her hair) Remember the last time we met, before you left…what we said to each other? That we weren’t going to let anybody separate us… SOLENE/JIMMIE It was you and me against the world. JIMMIE Yeah. You and me. You still going to run away with me to California? SOLENE Sometimes I don’t know Jimmie… …are you really ready to settle down…? JIMMIE I’ m ready, Solene, I love you Solene, and I can’t stand to hear you making plans to marry another boy. If you don’t marry me, I can’t stay here, no kidding, I’m leaving town. /Users/nm15/Dropbox/BlkLatinoPlayConf/BLPC 2020 TRIBUTE GusEdwards/*Greenwood cast list and sides.docx GREENWOOD CAST LIST and SIDES 6 SOLENE Oh…With whom? JIMMIE With—what you mean with who? With you. SOLENE Oh, I thought it might be the Williams girl. I heard you took her to the club on Cherry Hill. JIMMIE Come on, cut it out, stop being so jealous. You were in Paris dancing and drinking with men in tuxedos. And here I was shining shoes, that’s all. Making money for me and you to go to California. And ok, maybe I danced with her a little bit, and she danced back. And ok, maybe I went to a movie with a couple of girls, just to get my mind off you, but that’s all it was to it. END BILL … a thousand white hot bombs lit up the sky,…French 75s roaring...busting my eardrums...