Cyn's Creative Response #2: Lexie Strikes in the Locker Room

I’ve been having some challenges doing this assignment, partially because our script for “Super Ruwaxi: Origins” is still shifting around quite a lot, and so I haven’t been sure whether it made sense to stage a scene that might get cut.  Thus I’ve decided to use the feedback process to help brainstorm visual looks or staging approaches for one of the scenes in the script, which takes place at school.  As you read, keep in mind that there are only two performers – Shy and myself – though there are multiple characters.

To give some context for this scene, it takes place at Ruwaxi’s elite prep school.  The group of popular girls at the school is called the Lipstick Brigade, headed by Lexie Luthora, with her hangers-on, Vanna Valley White (an air-headed blonde), and Minx (a cunning and jealous brunette).  Lexie is the trans-female version of Fedora Boy.  Lexie now works at the Gender Police (where Fedora Boy also worked) and has gone under cover as a high school student to try to find and destroy her nemesis, Ruwaxi.  Lexie’s name is a reference to Lex Luthor, Superman’s nemesis.  Lexie also parallels Brihannala, the female (or hijra, depending on the story) version of Arjuna when he is in hiding in the Mahabharata.  ‘Nana (short for Banana) was Ruwaxi’s childhood best friend (and first female lover, though this back-story will probably not be included in the script), but their paths have diverged since Nana opted for the assimilated, materialistic route while Ruwaxi took the nerdy, model minority route.

Also, at the moment we are imagining that Shy will play Lexie and I will play Arjuna throughout the piece, so that we play each other’s nemesis.  We are also interested in creating a distinct visual look for each world: school, home, club, Urvashi’s world.  Some preliminary visual thoughts are indicated in red. 

Lexie Strikes in the Locker Room

Lights up on the girls' locker room at Middle Kingdom High with sounds of showers and chattering girls.  Ruwaxi is deep in thought, distracted by new ideas for a paper.

RUWAXI

Ooh, I could write an extra credit paper on queer tropes in Hindu mythology through the lenses of feminist-of-color theory and Roland Barthes’ Mythologies.  

(Absent-mindedly, she slips out of her gym clothes, tucks her towel around her body, making her way towards the communal shower, soap and shampoo in hand.  Mentally thanking her mother for making her wear flip-flops, she lets her body relax into the hot stream of water, humming a seductive melody that she seemed to recall from a dream.)

(A bar of soap slides across the bathroom floor, hitting her flip flop. As RUWAXI kneels down to pick it up, LEXIE enters with the LIPSTICK BRIGADE just behind her.)

Lexie

Ahem.

(Ruwaxi looks up.)

Vanna

Ruwaxi, give her the soap already!

Ruwaxi

(visual thought bubble -- I'm thinking the following words would be expressed through imagery, not words) The suds cling to her pale pink areolas...her body so ripe yet perfectly toned...

Lexie

[in a dangerous whisper] What are you looking at?

Minx

[calculating] Yeah, Ruwaxi, do you like what you see or something?

(Lexie’s eyes widen at the sound of Ruwaxi’s name, then narrow with malice.)

Vanna

Oh my god, Ruwaxi, are you seriously a dyke?  I thought you were too busy studying to think about sex!

Lexie

So…you are Ruwaxi.  The little Oriental flower who turned out to be a hairy armpitted...

Ruwaxi

[fearful and embarrassed] I’m not looking at anything!  Sorry…

Lexie

(snaps her fingers) Shave her.

(Lexie pulls her diamond razor from her hair and grabs Ruwaxi by the wrist.  The rest of the Lipstick Brigade gathers, forcing Ruwaxi down to the slimy, tiled shower floor. Ruwaxi tries to stand up, to call forth her righteous anger, but she is gripped with fear, and as she lifts her arms, diamond flashes of razor sharpness slashed lightning-quick in a blur of hot steam, tig dha bony fingers holding Ruwaxi down bruisingly tight, dig…dig… slashing flesh and scraping away hair.  Ruwaxi is left in a heap on the shower floor, her curly armpit hair clogging the drain, blood mixing with water…)

(As a possible visual rendition of the above scene, I’m imagining my live body tangled in a typical cartoon fight sequence, perhaps a simple animation, complete with little curlicues, exclamation points, and sound effects (bam, pow, zap, etc.), mixed in with anti-lesbian epithets and bols.  For example: ouch!  I’LL &%*#*%^ TEACH YOU!  tig dha SLASH!  diga ZAP! $%^&! YOU WANT SOME OF THIS?  diga diga thai LESBIAN!  POW! diga thai BIFFF!  DYKE!  SLASH! tig dha CUNT-LOVER!) 

 (LEXIE exits with the LIPSTICK BRIGADE behind her. Nana enters after they’ve left.)

‘Nana

Are you okay, Ruwaxi?  [helps her get up and supports her] Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.

QUESTIONS:

(1) How might you imagine staging this visually given that there are only two performers?  (Options might include live feed, simple animation, pre-recorded video, audience interaction, etc.) 

(2) The blatant violence of this scene bothers me because it seems to be missing the cleverness and humorous political pointedness of the 15-minute version of the piece.  Do you have thoughts as to ways to make it both serious and light? 

(3) Thoughts about what kind of sound/music might support this scene?

(4) Any suggestions to tighten or strengthen the writing?   Other thoughts?