People Like Us Libretto

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"People Like Us"A short musical exploration of stories collected by

Lyrics adapted from monologues on the OYM website

by Tess Richie & Matt Gregory

Music by Matt Gregory

721 Broadway, 2nd Floor, Studio 254

Friday May 4th @ 6:15PM

We are not too young to play a part...

Even the "average man" has something to gain...

Political Theatre Spring 2012 Final Project



May 4, 2012

TESS: Welcome! What you are about to hear is a selection of monologues takenfrom the Occupy Your Mind project website. The Occupy Your Mind project isdedicated to documenting the Occupy movement as it happens through

interviews with people connected to and involved with the cause which are thenperformed as monologues and shared online. Matt and I are musical theatrestudents, so we explored the monologues by adapting them into lyrics and thensetting them to music.

MATT: In choosing which selections to use, we asked ourselves the question"Where are the people like us?" We believe that the following interviews are acall to action for people like us, who may not know enough about Occupy to feelthat there is place for us, to better understand the movement. There are peopleour age taking a stand. There are people who are "well off" who are still out there

fighting for something, and there are people much older than us seeking changenot for themselves, but so that our generation may reap the benefits. They are allconnected by a common goal.

(Maddy’s music begins.)

Maddy. A college student in her late teens with dyed pink hair in dreads. Shelives in an Occupy camp.

MADDY:

(singing) Remember that open call for Hair? Yeah, at the Public! I was thereI was at the back of the lineI didn’t make it but that’s fine

Can’t get arrested, can’t miss schoolNot marching today, but it’s coolI’m happy just to be here, it’s been a long timeI’m kind of manic depressive, but here I’m fine

Sometimes I keep talking like “buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh”Sometimes I can’t stop crying like “uh-huh-uh-huh-uh-huh”But I’m kind of a Buddhist, so I know nothing is for goodStatus, or even sadness! I’m not crazy, just misunderstood

I don’t trust money to cure my illsI don’t trust government, won’t take their pillsIn a world without money, we could still go on



Just relax, and it will be goneJust relax, and it will be gone

(speaking) I wake up early, and I take the train to Brooklyn and go to St. Franciscollege, which I don't like being at so I might drop out. St. Francis is like just one

of those schools you see advertised on the train, “St. Francis: the small school with big dreams.” Nobody has any dreams there, everyone is just kind of boringand dumb.

I proposed the idea of not using money in society and some girl freaked out and went, “But I need to pay my bills!" She failed to recognize that if we lived in asociety without money there wouldn't be bills, but I don't know, maybe I'm notcrazy, I'm just smarter than her, I don't know.

(singing) I don’t trust money to cure my ills

I don’t trust government, won’t buy their stupid pillsIn a world without money, we could still go onJust relax, and it will be gone

I’ve learned it’s a well-known factPeople don’t think before they actOr how the things they do could hurt someone

Just like Facebook it’s all a show The clothes you wear and the people you know

(speaking) It’s real human connection(singing) That helps us most to grow

(speaking) Fuck Mark Zuckerberg! I don’t like you!

(singing) I don’t need Catholic School to teach me wrong from rightDon’t need a Facebook, just need the will to fightIn a world without money, we could still get alongJust relax, and it will be goneJust relax, and it will be gone

(Drumming begins.)

TESS: Richard. Vietnam vet, former limo driver, and Tea Party member in his40’s or 50’s.

RICHARD:(singing, a la military chant ) I fought for you in Vietnam



Now I’m the guy you trample onI ain’t poor but I am blueSweatin’ it under cheats like you

(speaking) I mean I love this country. I came from the family where we all slept

in the same bed, we were poor, you know? Now I got a big house in California, Igot boats, cars, I mean I love this country. But I’m really disappointed. I used todrive limos, I would pick up stock brokers in Pebble Beach, and they’d sit in thecar, you know, like I had a vegetable for my head, and they’d talk about how they just screwed people. How they manipulated this and they confused their clientsover buying this and convinced them to buy things that weren’t really their bestinterests, you know? It’s time the average person got involved. The averageperson’s still standin’ there, keep getting hit on the head and then doing nothingabout it.

(singing) I came to NYC to visit my family Had to check out what was going down on Wall StreetIt seemed a lot of crazy nutsBut where, I wondered, are the people like us?

The ones who really care about where our country’s goingIf we just stand by and wait, we’ll have no way of knowing

The average man gotta take a standThis isn’t what the founding fathers had planned

Toughen up on borders And question the phonies giving us ordersSomeone with a conscience and a plan We need the average man

(speaking) That’s the whole thing, that’s why I’m here. Not one of those bastardshas gone to jail. There’s no punishments! And those guys are laughing at us! Buthey, I’m 64 years old. What are they going to do to me? You know? I’ve had agood life, and I’m not going to let them pieces of shit scare me.

(singing) How do we tell our kids that these guys are wrong?In this economy the average man can’t go onI would die for this country, proved that in VietnamNot putting on a show here, just believe we can be strong

The average man gonna take a stand A better tomorrow our only demandTheir threats we’re not afraid of



Let’s show ‘em what we’re made of If only everyone would lend a handTo fight for the average, fight for the average, fight for the averageThe average man

TESS: Anonymous woman. 75 years old. Black. Marched with Dr. MartinLuther King.

ANON WOMAN: (speaking) There was a time when I remember seeingfactories and businesses. Everything was in big bloom: like a huge floweropening up. And today people look sadder. People have a very depressed state of life that they live, as to how they live. The children are very cranky, irritabletowards each other, the violence has really increased, and the more we have worser conditions such as poverty, lack of good housing, decent education, youknow, the things you need to function? The worse it's going to get, you see what

I'm saying? And maybe this is what the rich want. But I think it's time now tofight back and kick the rich in the butt. Kick them back! And if they do this allover this country, for the next 6 weeks to 6 months, it's going to make a change, Iguarantee you.

(singing) I don’t fear peopleI don’t have no fear You can forget trying to scare meI’m 75 and I’m still here

I marched with King And I’m marching stillI was young then, but die soon I will

I die standing for truth And that’s how I liveCourage is the legacy I choose to give

I’m here rain, sleet, snow I stay, something in my bones

I won’t be around to see my vision bloomIt’s not my future I fight forI’m here for all of you

MATT: These people are all connected by a common goal, though they all havedifferent ideas for how we should go about reaching this goal. Prosperity andfinancial security can be reversed in the blink of eye. Any sudden turn of eventscould leave us in a lurch.



TESS: But by fighting for equal opportunity for all, we are making provisions sothat, no matter what life throws our way, we are ensured a healthy, happy future.

ANON WOMAN:

(singing) I’m here rain, sleet, snow I stay, something in my bonesI won’t be around to see my vision bloomIt’s not my future I fight forI’m here for all of you

ALL THREE: We’re here for all of you

(Music ends.)

RICHARD:

The average manSomeone with a plan

MADDY:Just relaxIt will go on

Documents

People Like Us Libretto