Fame - New Faces

"New Faces"

Written by Harry & Renee Longstreet
Directed by Win Phelps

"Look and Learn" by Larry Johnson, Larry Robinson & Victor Claynum
"Rock and Roll Will Stand" by Dave Alvin


Scene: School Hallway

Ian sees Jesse down the hallway
and catches up with him.

Ian:
Hey!

Jesse:
Hey , I was just going to go find you.


Ian:
Oh yeah?

Jesse:
Yeah, Listen, I was hoping we could
rehearse during lunch






Ian:
Again?

Jesse:
Yeah. I've been thinking about the
scene and I've got some great ideas.





Ian:
Leave off Velasquez.
We've worked bloody hard on it
and it's fine the way it is.

Jesse:
No no no. It's got to be better.
It's got to be twice as good as it is now

Ian:
It's just a scene for class..





Jesse slams his locker shut.


Jesse:
No!





Ian:
You're really pushing it Jesse.
Why? Why you pushing so hard?


Jesse:
Because my last name is Valesquez.
You ever see a Mexican play the
Death of Mr. Buck?

Jesse leaves.







Scene: Paul's Classroom

Ian and Jesse are onstage performing
the scene from
The Death of Mr. Buck

Jesse (as Frank):
You can just get out of here and
disappear. You're good at that.

Ian (as Ed):
As soon as I heard I came right away.

Jesse (as Frank):
He asked for you all the time.
He died talking to you only it
was a one way conversation.

Ian (as Ed):
I heard. You know, I stopped at the
cemetary on the way to see him.

Jesse (as Frank):
What a reunion that must have been huh?
You broke him.
You broke him and you left me
with all the pieces!

Ian (as Ed):
Is that why you're angry?
Because I left and you didn't?

Jesse (as Frank):
He was your father too!
I loved him that must have been
the difference.
Go ahead and unpack your bags.


Jesse exits the stage and
then returns giving Ian five.


Class:
All right!








Everyone in the class cheers as
Ian and Jesse bow and take their seats..

They all turn to see what the new teacher's
reaction is.

Paul is unimpressed.






Paul:
Judging from the enthusiastic response
we all have our work cut out for us
don't we?






Jesse:
I don't get you.

Paul:
You don't get me?
What were you doing up there?

Jesse:
Acting. It was a tough part.

Paul.
Oh. You're right. That was acting.
That wasn't Frank and Ed.
That was Mr. Ware and
Mr. Valesquez act-ing.
If the audience sees the process you've lost it.



Jesse:
I think you were the only one who
saw the process.




Paul:
Don't kid yourself.
You were indicating.
I knew every move before you made it.
And where was the physicality
demanded by the lines?





Frank and Ed have a history.
Their bodies show it.
Their eyes show it.
We didn't get any sense of that history.

Jesse:
We did! Frank hates him!
He's hated him for a long time.
We all got that!

Paul:
I don't buy it Mr. Valesquez.
Unless you're willing to work a lot
harder let's not waste each others time.





Scene: Lou's Lanes




Ian, Jillian, Reggie and Nicole
are seated together.

Jillian:
The way he talked to Jesse just about
wiped him out.








Ian: <taking a handful of french fries>
Yeah, that Mr. Seager is a proper rotten bloke.

Reggie:
I don't care what Ms. Grant thinks of him
- I'm not going up on that stage to get blasted.

Jillian:
Maybe it's just that Actor's Studio stuff

Nicole:
That's what I like about you Jillie -
always a kind word.





Danny comes over and introduces Hannah
(an eleven year old girl & fantastic piano player
he has been asked to show around the school)

Danny:
Hey Everybody!
I want you to hear something!





Hannah:
Please I really don't want to!

Danny sits her at the piano.

Danny:
Hey after I told everybody you were
a close personal friend of mine?
C'mon!
This kid is definitely out of my league.
It doesn't happen often but
wait til you hear her!








Hannah plays "Yesterday" not exactly
the great classical piece that Danny
had been expecting.










Scene: Classroom

Paul enters the classroom and
everyone sits down.

The class is unsure what to expect.


Paul:

Round two.









I guess yesterdays introduction
wasn't the smoothest you've ever experienced.












You'll get to know me.


I'm what's called
a perfectionist.

There's no one I'm more
demanding of than myself.





When you understand that then
you won't take my direction too personally.










I mean we all have
the same goals don't we?

I'm betting we do.

It's such a damn seductive profession.

You get up there and there's nothing between
us and the audience only the word- gesture
and move. And they're watching us.





Wanting to be us for that moment in time.
Wanting us to take them someplace they've
never been before. And we have got to give
it to them. We have got to deliver.
Whether its a laugh or a cry or just a
chance to understand their own feelings
a little bit better. That's what I want from you!
Just simple perfection!






Paul:
Round three.
How the hell do I get you there?

Reggie:
Well I don't know about you but
I'm not betting on the IRT.








Everyone laughs....
including Paul.













Paul:
Maybe we need to get out of this classroom?
What about it?

Wanna mix it up with some real people?
Have a little hands on education?



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