Overview
- Female: 1
- Male: 1
Context
The six Characters are in the midst of performing their most emotional and important scene for the Manager and the Actors: the moment when the Father goes to Madame Pace’s brothel and unknowingly propositions the Step-Daughter. In order to add dramatic flair to the scene, the Manager proposes making some changes to the scene, and the Step-Daughter fights back, accusing the director of being sentimental instead of presenting the truth.
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THE MANAGER. Well then: when she says "Don't think any more of what I've said. I must forget, etc.," you (addressing the Father) come in sharp with "I understand, I understand"; and then you ask her....
THE STEP-DAUGHTER (interrupting). What?
THE MANAGER. Why she is in mourning.
THE STEP-DAUGHTER. Not at all! See here: when I told him that it was useless for me to be thinking about my wearing mourning, do you know how he answered me? "Ah well," he said "then let's take off this little frock."
THE MANAGER. Great! Just what we want, to make a riot in the theatre!
THE STEP-DAUGHTER. But it's the truth!
THE MANAGER. What does that matter? Acting is our business here. Truth up to a certain point, but no further.
THE STEP-DAUGHTER. What do you want to do then?
THE MANAGER. You'll see, you'll see! Leave it to me.
THE STEP-DAUGHTER. No sir! What you want to do is to piece together a little romantic sentimental scene out of my disgust, out of all the reasons, each more cruel and viler than the other, why I am what I am. He is to ask me why I'm in mourning; and I'm to answer with tears in my eyes, that it is just two months since papa died. No sir, no! He's got to say to me; as he did say: "Well, let's take off this little dress at once." And I; with my two months' mourning in my heart, went there behind that screen, and with these fingers tingling with shame....
THE MANAGER (running his hands through his hair). For Heaven's sake! What are you saying?
THE STEP-DAUGHTER (crying out excitedly). The truth! The truth!
THE MANAGER. It may be. I don't deny it, and I can understand all your horror; but you must surely see that you can't have this kind of thing on the stage. It won't go.
THE STEP-DAUGHTER. Not possible, eh? Very well! I'm much obliged to you—but I'm off!
THE MANAGER. Now be reasonable! Don't lose your temper!
THE STEP-DAUGHTER. I won't stop here! I won't! I can see you've fixed it all up with him in your office. All this talk about what is possible for the stage ... I understand! He wants to get at his complicated "cerebral drama," to have his famous remorses and torments acted; but I want to act my part, my part!
THE MANAGER (annoyed, shaking his shoulders). Ah! Just your part! But, if you will pardon me, there are other parts than yours: His (indicating the Father) and hers (indicating the Mother)! On the stage you can't have a character becoming too prominent and overshadowing all the others. The thing is to pack them all into a neat little framework and then act what is actable. I am aware of the fact that everyone has his own interior life which he wants very much to put forward. But the difficulty lies in this fact: to set out just so much as is necessary for the stage, taking the other characters into consideration, and at the same time hint at the unrevealed interior life of each. I am willing to admit, my dear young lady, that from your point of view it would be a fine idea if each character could tell the public all his troubles in a nice monologue or a regular one hour lecture (good humoredly). You must restrain yourself, my dear, and in your own interest, too; because this fury of yours, this exaggerated disgust you show, may make a bad impression, you know. After you have confessed to me that there were others before him at Madame Pace's and more than once....
THE STEP-DAUGHTER (bowing her head, impressed). It's true. But remember those others mean him for me all the same.
THE MANAGER (not understanding). What? The others? What do you mean?
THE STEP-DAUGHTER. For one who has gone wrong, sir, he who was responsible for the first fault is responsible for all that follow. He is responsible for my faults, was, even before I was born. Look at him, and see if it isn't true!
THE MANAGER. Well, well! And does the weight of so much responsibility seem nothing to you? Give him a chance to act it, to get it over!
[Pirandello, Luigi, Six Characters In Search of An Author, Act Two.]
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