Script

SIDE 1

Good. Very good. You ve got the choreography, now let s talk about the quality of movement. It should be lyrical but strong, like fire and ice.

(MISS SHERMAN enters.)

Hello, Esther, what brings you to the fourth floor?
 

I understand you ve chosen to feature Iris and Tyrone in next year s Junior Festival.
 

They earned it.
 

Unfortunately, Tyrone won t be able to participate.
 

Say what?
 

I m sorry Tyrone, you failed Sophomore English.
 

You flunked me?! But I did all the work. I even handed in my term paper on time.
 

Unfortunately, it bore a remarkable similarity to Iris s.
 

Wait a minute. Are you accusin me of cheatin ?
 

Tyrone and I study together. So what if the papers are similar?
 

They weren t similar, they were identical.
 

Then why not accuse Iris?
 

Because she s a straight A student.

(to TYRONE)
Let s be honest. Iris has been carrying you in your academic subjects for the entire year.
 

Nobody carries me. I do my own work, in my own way.
 

You may think you do, but your reading is substandard. You couldn t possibly have written that paper.
 

Hey, forget this noise. I didn t wanna be in no festival anyway.

(TYRONE exits. IRIS follows him out.)
 

Tyrone, wait. Wait!

(MS. BELL turns back to MISS SHERMAN.)

You re not being fair, Esther. Tyrone works hard in my class. He s motivated in my class. This young man has the potential to be a true artist.
 

A true artist that can hardly read? Let Tyrone pass his academic subjects  then we ll talk about his future in the arts.
 

No! We ll talk about it now!
 

SIDE 2

That scale better be broken! I give up!! I just give up. This body s retainin more water than the Titanic!!! Wait a minute. What s that smell?

(MABEL looks around, then sees IRIS with the pudding.)

Ooooh! Vanilla pudding!! My favorite.
 

Sorry, Ms. Bell says you need to lose weight.
 

Then how about a sniff? One good sniff could tide me over till lunch.
 

Well, okay. But just one.

(IRIS holds out the pudding to her, but then suddenly passes it to another girl, who in turn keep passing it to another, until it finally ends back in IRIS s hand.)

No Mabel, you better not tempt yourself.
 

(falling to the floor)
I wanna die. I wanna die. Do you know what I go through day in and day out? There s the sore muscles and the back pain and the sweat. But worse than that  I CAN T EAT!!

SIDE 3

I still don t have no future in ballet.
 

Maybe you would, if you worked harder.
 

Hey, I work as hard as anyone. But, be honest, when was the last time you saw someone like me dancin in the corps de ballet?
 

It s not your dancin that s the problem, Mr. Tyrone Jackson. It s your attitude.
 

You don t know me, so stop shoving your silver spoon down my throat.

(TYRONE starts to exit. IRIS decides to come clean.)
 

Tyrone, wait. My family s not rich. They barely have enough money to keep me in pointe shoes.
 

Yeah, right. That s why you show up every day in that long black limo.
 

My father s a chauffeur. He drops me off on his way to work. And I don t speak French either.
 

Then how come you been puttin on this act?
 

Because I was scared.
 

Scared a what? You re the best dancer in this school, Iris.
 

Scared no one would like me.
 

Well& I like you.
 

Yeah?
 

Yeah.