Produced by Mary Wampler, David Moynihan, Juliet Sutherland, Charles Franks
and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
These plays, with one exception, were written in Greenwich Village,and, with another exception, first performed there—some at the oldLiberal Club, and others by the Provincetown Players. They aresouvenirs of an intellectual play-time which, being dead, deserves somenot-too-solemn memorial.
HUMAN NATURE: A Very Short Morality Play,
THE CHASTE ADVENTURES OF JOSEPH: A Comedy,
THE ANGEL INTRUDES: A Comedy,
LEGEND: A Romance,
SWEET-AND-TWENTY: A Comedy,
A LONG TIME AGO: A Tragic Fantasy,
ENIGMA: A Domestic Conversation,
IBSEN REVISITED: A Piece of Foolishness,
KING ARTHUR'S SOCKS: A Comedy,
THE RIM OF THE WORLD: A Fantasy,
POOR HAROLD: A Comedy,
This is a much changed version of "A Five Minute Problem Play,"originally given at the Liberal Club, New York City, in 1913.
Boundless blue space. Two celestial figures stand in front of it,talking. One of them carries a pointer, such as is used in class-roomdemonstrations at the blackboard. The other has a red-covered guidebookunder his arm.
THE FIRST CELESTIAL FIGURE (the one with the pointer) Well, Ithink that is all. You've seen everything now.
THE SECOND CELESTIAL FIGURE (the One With the guidebook) It has allbeen very interesting, and I don't know how to thank you for thetrouble you've taken.
THE FIRST CELESTIAL FIGURE. Don't mention it. That's my business, youknow—to show young and curious Spirits what there is to see in theuniverse. And I must say that you've been an exceptionally patientpupil. I don't usually take as much time with youngsters as I have withyou. But when I find someone as interested in the universe as you are,I don't mind spending a few more eons on the job. We've been allaround, this trip. I don't believe we've missed anything of anyimportance. But if there is anything else you can think of that you'dlike to see—
THE SECOND CELESTIAL FIGURE. (hesitantly) Well, there is oneplace . . . It's only mentioned in a footnote in the guide-book, butfor that very reason I thought perhaps—
THE FIRST CELESTIAL FIGURE. You have the right attitude. There'snothing too small or insignificant to know about. Do you remember thename of the place?
THE SECOND CELESTIAL FIGURE. No, but—(He turns the leaves of theguide-book.) Here it is. (He holds the book closer so as to readthe fine print at the bottom of the page.) Earth, it's called.
THE FIRST CELESTIAL FIGURE. Ah, yes, there is such a place. . . .
THE SECOND CELESTIAL FIGURE. The guide-book doesn't give anyinformation about it. Just mentions its name.
THE FIRST CELESTIAL FIGURE. Well, there isn't very much to say aboutit. After what you've seen, you wouldn't be impressed by its art or itsarchitecture, . . . Still, it has one cu