The Tender Land

Act One

It is June, the time of spring graduation and spring harvest. The curtain rises on a modest farmhouse in the American midwest, where a young girl, Beth, is dancing with her doll. Her mother, Ma Moss, is sitting nearby in a rocking chair on the porch. Beth daydreams about a future in a big, fancy house, as her mother mother ruminates on all of the hard work she must do to keep her family going. Beth is suddenly excited by the appearance of the postman, Mr. Splinters, down the road. He is delivering a package containing her sister Laurie’s graduation dress. He also delivers to Ma Moss the news that a neighbor’s daughter was frightened by a strange man in her family’s field the night before, and that there are supposed to be two of these strangers somewhere in the town. He departs, and Ma Moss and Beth open the dress. Ma Moss waxes nostalgic for a moment as she thinks of how quickly her own life has passed her by, and how old her daughter has gotten. She quickly snaps out