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PLAYS
Scenes From the Dakota
A Fantasy Play by William Fowkes
Available for performance or publication.
For an excerpt, click here.
DESCRIPTION: New York’s fabled apartment building provides the setting for a tale about possibilities in and out of the closet and between generations. (Scenes From the Dakota is an expanded, full-length version of my short play, The Dakota.)
SYNOPSIS:
Having met on-line, “Connecticut Hot Man” Mark Mayfield arrives at the apartment of “Buff Man” Earl Mumford at the Dakota one afternoon, only to find that his potential sex partner is a 71-year-old recluse. Seizing the opportunity to see the inside of this legendary building, Mark stays on and is intrigued to learn about Earl’s glamorous life with his long-deceased partner. Earl is equally intrigued, though saddened, by Mark’s closeted family life up in Stamford and active sex life down in the city. In a second visit, the conversation turns ugly, and Mark tries to beat Earl up before confessing that his life is spinning out of control.
In a series of three scenes, we see what life might have been like for Earl and Mark if events had unfolded differently. We see Marjorie Mumford, Earl’s wife, fretting over his absence while preparing for a grand party in celebration of his 72nd birthday and his daughter’s rude discovery that he has sex with young men in Central Park. We find Mark Mayfield, long divorced and happily settled down in a long-term relationship with another man, compulsively sneaking around behind his partner’s back. Finally, we witness Earl and Mark’s first encounter when they meet in the Ramble in Central Park while cruising for men.
A year later, the “real” Mark pays another visit to the “real” Earl. In the interim, Earl has started to lead an active social life again, while Mark’s life has been falling apart ever since his wife discovered his secret. Earl thinks Mark has come back to blame him for his troubles, but Mark confesses that he has learned some ugly things about himself and needs his help. Earl invites him to move in with him—perhaps temporarily, perhaps more permanently.
PRODUCTION NOTE:
This fantasy play explores life in and out of the closet—asking what if things had happened differently. What if Earl Mumford had married Marjorie and stayed in the closet? What if Mark Mayfield had ended his marriage early and come out of the closet? And what if Earl and Mark had met under different circumstances? There are many possibilities, but only two scenarios are presented here. (Scenes 1, 2, and 6 present one possibility; scenes 3, 4, and 5 present another.) I leave it to the director—with input from the scenic and lighting designers—to decide whether or not to use lighting, scenic, or other devices to clarify the distinction between the two scenarios.
CHARACTERS: A Cast of 5:
EARL MUMFORD: A retired architect in his early 70s. Lives at the Dakota. Distinguished and charming.
MARK MAYFIELD: An accountant in his 40s. Lives in Stamford, CT and works in midtown Manhattan. Cocky and mistrustful.
MARJORIE MUMFORD: A woman in her late 60s. Charming, but a bit aloof.
ELIZABETH MUMFORD: A woman in her late 30s. Smart, accomplished, but self-doubting and hesitant.
TONY*: A hot man in his 20s. Not particularly bright.
TOUR GUIDE*: A graduate student at NYU in his 20s.
YOUNG MAN*
(*The same actor plays the roles of TOUR GUIDE, TONY, and YOUNG MAN.)
SETTING: Various locations in and around The Dakota, the fabled apartment building on Central Park West in Manhattan.
TIME: Summer 1999 to summer 2000.
For an excerpt, click here.
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