CT Journal: Pick a section of dialogue from "Oedipus Rex" - three to five interchanges - and type it out on your paper.Then continue the dialogue on your own, moving the play in another direction which you think represents an interesting alternative scenario. You may wish shift the setting,or rename the characters, but the new characters should in all psychological respects resemble the characters in the original.

Oedipus: My children, generations of the living in the line of Kadmos, nursed at his ancient hearth. . . I should be heartless were I not moved to find you suppliant here.

Priest: Great Oedipus, O powerful king of Thebes!. . . Ships are only hulls, citadels are nothing, when no life moves in the empty passageways.

Oedipus: Poor children! You may be sure I know all that you longed for in your coming here. . . Yet whenever he comes back, I should do ill to scant whatever duty God reveals.

Brad: Eddie--we need your help! Larry broke his arm and now our whole team is falling apart! Last week we lost to Waimanalo. It was the first time in the history of community sandlot baseball that Kailua lost to Waimanalo! Will you be our new pitcher?

Eddie: I would love to be the new pitcher! My family used to live in Hawaii Kai and my brother, Nolan, was the pitcher for their team. He has the all time strikeout record. My family moved here to Kailua so that I wouldn't break his record. It is against family code to break the record of a family member - everyone knows that!

Brad: Well than, that's all the better for us. It seems to me we've got a new pitcher. Chris: [gazes into the distance] Hey guys, here comes Creon back from the high school.

Eddie: What was he doing there?

Brad: He was asking the captain of their baseball team what we could do to improve. The high school team hates it when we lose because all those players used to play community sandlot. They like to give us lots of advice.

Chris: [to Creon] Well, what did they say? What do we need to do to get better?

Eddie: Yeah, what did they say? Whatever it is, I'll do it! I'll do anything to beat Kaneohe next week.

Creon: They said that someone on our team must be breaking the family code and that a team can't win if everyone isn't honest and fair.

Eddie: That's exactly what my brother told me! That's why I came here to play sandlot. If I had stayed in Hawaii Kai, I would have run the risk of breaking my brother's record - and family code.

Joe: Well, I guess all we can do for now is practice.

Eddie: Yeah, I guess so, but guys, if you know that you're the one who is jinxing the team, then just tell us. We can figure something out. But if you don't tell us--and we find out--then we're not going to let you play ever again. Not even practice. Anyway, lets practice!

[After practice everyone leaves except Joe and Eddie]

Joe: Hey Eddie--don't leave yet. I need to show you some things.

Eddie: All right--what's up?

Joe: Well, when Larry was the pitcher, we came up with some secret tricks--just for the pitcher and the catcher. They are incredible. Larry struck out so many guys using these tricks

[Joe shows Eddie some things with his hands and makes a couple of throwing motions]

Joe: You get it?

Eddie: Yep I've got it.

Joe: Good. I'll see you tomorrow then.

Eddie: See Ya.

[At the game the next day, Eddie strikes out every single batter from the other team. This scene takes place just after the game.]

Joe: WOW! Great game, Eddie. You already broke Larry's record.

Eddie: [smiles]

Team: [chants] EDDIE, EDDIE, EDDIE

Aunt: Eddie? Eddie Rex? Is that you?

Eddie: Yes--yes, I'm Eddie Rex - but I don't think I know you.

Aunt: Oh, of course you don't remember me. It has been so long! I'm your father's cousin. Sheesh - we haven't been in touch in so long! [to Larry] Larry, Larry, come here.

Larry: [walks over oblivious to what is going on] Yeah mom? What is it?

Joe: [to himself on the side] Uh-oh, I see what's going on. This is no good. Uh-oh.

Aunt: Larry--this is Eddie, your second cousin! Look, he has already met your friends.

Larry: [glares at Eddie] Yeah, and I have already met him. He's the guy that pushed me down the stairs when I wouldn't let him go down. It wasn't bad enough to just break my arm, he had to go and break my record too. That's against family code.

Aunt: [not at all worried about any sandlot stuff like family code] But Larry, you said it was a whole gang of high school guys that broke your arm--and you never told me that you were purposely blocking the stairs. What's going on young man?

Joe: [Butts in before aunt and Larry can continue. He is more concerned with sandlot issues than Larry's issues] Nooo! Eddie! We broke family code - and the pitcher/catcher pact! We're doomed. I will never be able to show my face on the lot again. I can never play baseball again. [Throws his catcher glove in the dumpster.]

Eddie: I didn't know how terrible it was. I didn't know he was my cousin! I didn't know that I was the one jinxing the team. I can't play anymore. I can't even practice - and I put this fate all on myself. [Throws his bat in the dumpster]

Setting: Asian Village at Punahou (The Asian Village is a group that hangs out in front of the science center.)

Characters:

BRIAN: Messenger
QUEEN CHELSEA: Queen of the Asian Village (Iocaste)
JOLINE: Ordinary villager (Choragos)
RILEY: King of the Asian Village (Oedipus)
BEAU: Chelsea's Brother (Creon)
RYAN: Queen Chelsea's first husband, King before Riley took over, Riley's father

JOLINE: So wait, tell what happened? Why all of a sudden is Queen Chelsea dead? What's up with all this mad chaos going on?

BRIAN: It's crazy yo! I was walking around the Wind Tunnel and trying to check out for all the freshmen girls, then all of a sudden I hear all this kine screaming. So of course I go right. I follow it to the girls' bathroom in Cooke. Kden, when I get there I see all of Chelsea's good friends and they all crying and shit around her.

JOLINE: Serious?! What the hell?

BRIAN: Eh, you want me to finish the story or what? Sheesh.

JOLINE: Sorry man go on.

BRIAN: Ok, so I get to the bathroom and I ask what's going on and this chick tells me that she saw Chelsea run into the bathroom screaming and crying out that life wasn't worth living. Then this chick tells me that she heard Chelsea crying out Ryan's name telling him that she had married her own child. Riley is her own son and that she had her child's children. Now how messed up is this? Geez, talk about incest. Anyway, she hung herself in one of the stalls and the chick that was telling me all this found her. So then Riley comes running into the bathroom and sees Chelsea and goes all wacko. He too starts to bawl like a baby and asks God why he would ever punish him in such jack ass way. Now get this; he breaks off the toilet paper dispenser off the stall's wall and plunges it into his eyes!

JOLINE: What the. . . ?

BRIAN: Yeah no joke brah. He's stabbing the damn toilet paper dispenser in his eyes and he says something like, "What have I done? Why have I been so blind and arrogant to see the chaos I have caused within the Asian Village? I'm so sorry to the many people of the village. I will blind myself so I won't have to see any more pain that I have caused for all of you. Why? What have I done?!" Ho man, it was scary.

JOLINE: Dude! What's gonna happen to him? Is he dead?

BRIAN: No, he's still alive. He requested the Asian Village warriors to escort him by the rice fields in the village where everyone gathers. He's gonna to tell the people that he killed his old man, his mother, man and who knows how many others! Then he said he's gonna leave the village and away from here so he won't cause any more bad shit to happen. Hey Joline, look here he's coming out of the bathroom now. Man I can't watch this, I'm gonna go look for more freshmen.

[exit BRIAN, and RILEY enters]

RILEY: Sup guys?

JOLINE: Oh my god. Riley what do you think you're doing? Self-mutilation is not the answer to anything! Look at you, you poor thing.

RILEY: I don't want to see any more pain that I have caused. I'm in way over my head man. This is not funny at all. Why must my faith be like this? I'm better off dead. What have I done?

JOLINE: It's ok, you'll go on and tomorrow's another day. You can start over.

RILEY: There is no starting over in my faith. AHHHHH! This SUCKS!

[Enter BEAU]

BEAU:
You! You killed my sister and her first husband man! All because you are arrogant and
foolish. You were blind to the world. And because of your pity for yourself you really
are blind now! You jackass! I will kill you because of what you have done!

RILEY: I know I've been evil and blind. Are you retarded or something? I've been yelling it and screaming it all today! Kill me for all I care, I should die for what I've done.

BEAU: Fine then, die!

[BEAU throws a piece of bread at RILEY and all the mutant birds around the science center come flocking to eat the bread. RILEY is pecked to death my the man-eating mutant birds]

JOLINE: All this death! That the hell do you guys think you are accomplishing?! Sheesh Beau I thought you were better than that!

[Exit JOLINE and BEAU, BRIAN comes back on and speaks toward the audience]

BRIAN: Sup everybody? Man, that was some messed up stuff, yah? Well the last word I heard was that Beau's going to be punished somehow for killing Riley. Man, when's this shit gonna stop? I'm outta here!