The Four Horsemen

The meeting was being held at the Rome Center for the Arts downtown.

Lisa was the first to arrive, followed by Trevor, Lily, and Nicholas.

They were there to discuss plans for Arts Fest, a city-wide celebration of the arts. The four of them were to come to a consensus on how theater would be represented at the festival.

LISA: I think it seems fairly obvious--

This was going to end in violence.

LISA: --A tribute to Potter's Theater.

The other three looked at each other, not really surprised, but more galled.

NICHOLAS: And your father?
LISA: No, I have no interest in celebrating the life of my father. I simply think that with Potter's Theater ushering in a new era, it deserves--
TREVOR: Please don't use the word 'deserves.'
LISA: Trevor, you'll have your turn.
TREVOR: The Minx Theater has been around just as long as Potter's Theater.
NICHOLAS: Maybe we should just do a tribute to generic theater.
LILY: You mean theater in general?
NICHOLAS: No, I meant generic. Mediocre. Lame.

Nicholas flew across the room at Nicholas, but Lisa dived in front of him, sending the three of them hurtling into a wall. Lily grabbed a folder and tried hitting Nicholas with it while Lisa was holding back Trevor.

Ten minutes later, they were all seated again.

LILY: I think--

As she wiped the blood--not her own--off her arm.

LILY: That since so many new theater groups have sprung up--
LISA: We are not doing a tribute to new theater.
LILY: Why not?
LISA: Because Lily, and I say this with love and friendship, it's a dumb idea.
LILY: Okay.
NICHOLAS: I think it's a great idea.
LILY, TREVOR, and LISA: You do?
NICHOLAS: Sure. As long as we don't celebrate Lily's theater.

This time it was Lily's turn to fly across the room.

Fifteen minutes later, they were back at the table.

TREVOR: I think--

His lip swelling.

TREVOR: --That we should tell the Arts Fest organizers we're not going to be able to make a decision about this. Obviously, we all feel very passionately and--

The door to the conference room opened.

Reginald walked in along with three other people.

LISA: Reginald, what's going on?

Reginald sat at the head of the conference table.

REGINALD: Myself, and the other three local playwrights, heard that you four were putting together the theater presentation for Arts Fest.
NICHOLAS: Let me guess. You want to put on the show you've been writing that was topical back when contras were in?
REGINALD: Close. You're all going to do a presentation on local playwrights.
TREVOR: I'm sorry, but was that an imperative sentence? We don't have to do anything.
REGINALD: You'll do it, or Benjamin over there--

He pointed to a man with a shaggy beard who won a Pulitzer sometime in the 70's for writing a play about bakers.

REGINALD: --Calls his friends at Dramatists and Samuel French and makes sure it becomes very difficult for all of you to get rights to anything.

Trevor scoffed.

TREVOR: I'm not worried. I only do new plays.
NICHOLAS: I'll do Greek plays--I'll do all the Greek plays. I won't be blackmailed.
LISA: Shakespeare sells just fine as long as you market it right.
LILY: I could write my own shows!

Pause.

Laughter from all the playwrights.

The sole woman in the group spoke up.

MIRANDA: You try going around us on this, and you'll find yourself in more trouble than you know what to do with.
BENJAMIN: Actors are willing to piss off directors, and maybe even companies, but nobody's stupid enough to piss of a Playwright.
NICHOLAS: I'm sorry. Who are you?
BENJAMIN: I have a Pulitzer.

Reginald clapped his hands to get attention.

REGINALD: Lisa, it's a small request.
LISA: Forget it.

She stood.

LISA: We're not kowtowing to a bunch of people who haven't produced anything successful aside from righteous indignation.
NICHOLAS: Here, here.
LISA: There are plenty of writers who need work. You push this issue, and we'll go hire all of them to craft better scripts than you could produce if we strung you all out ecstasy and then put you in a room filled with stuffed animals.
BENJAMIN: How do you know about that?

Awkward silence.

LISA: My colleagues and I are leaving.
REGINALD: You don't want to do this.

All four of the Artistic Directors stood up, and walked out.

LILY: Who says we can't agree on something?

In the parking lot, Nicholas backed into Trevor's car, and another brawl began.