VIOLET THEMES & IDEAS SET REQUIREMENTS Tall, gnarled, solid trees Seats that build four different

ifferent busses Bed, roll in and out (Hotel room) Night-club set Tele-Evangelists set Bus-station lunch-counters Rest stop Tree house for young Violet (instead of Attic)

THEMES Odyssey as much into the mind as it is a trip from a tiny town in North Carolina to Tulsa, and part-way back. Gospel, R&B, Country music Black and White Light and dark Violet lives alone, in darkness, and only steps out into the light to seek healing. September of 1964: The Civil Rights Act had only been passed two months earlier, and the country was still grappling with the idea of white and black people living together as equals. Every step she takes into the light, she takes another into a scary, uncertain future where lives and livelihoods are not determined by birth, but by choices. Violet's emotional growth and emotional healing from years of grief Performer must make Violet's ugliness visual in her words and deeds, and must make her growth-- her enlightenment-- believable and sympathetic Two characters in the show exist only in memory, Young Violet and Father There are no heroes or villains in Violet, only flawed humans doing the best they can. We climb our own mountains and make our own journeys and emerge into darkness or light depending on the choices we make. The best of us try to learn from one another. The worst refuse to even look beneath the surface. Beauty, love and courage We walk around with scars, some seen, others unseen, and that affects our lives Some scars remain unhealed, others we can heal. From [a women's perspective] it's always been fascinating to consider the issue of beauty, the expectations of how you should feel and look. What it means to be an outsider Healing powers Deeply religious

Monty represents her longing for the conventional, while Flick reflects her outsider status. By the end of the play, Violet is able to bring these two parts of herself together and find a measure of self-acceptance The changing stage becomes something of a metaphor for Violet's own journey Violet thinks that she wants to change the way she looks, but what she really wants is to change the way she is perceived Journey of perception, challenging them to see things in new ways Self-acceptance Eve of the Vietnam War Themes of beauty, cultural diversity and acceptance are key to the production How far have we come since 1964 in terms of cultural identity and beauty?

ROLES to CAST Young Vi............................................................................ Violet.................................................................................. Father.................................................................................. Flick.................................................................................... Monty.................................................................................. Leroy Evans/Waiter/Mechanic/Bus Driver 3/Earl.............. Bus Driver/Preacher/Rufus/Bus Driver 4........................... Old Lady/Gospel Soloist/Old Lady 2................................. Creepy Guy/Bus Driver 2/Billy Dean/Virgil...................... Woman with fan/Landlady/Hotel Singer/Mabel................. Woman knitting/ Music Hall Singer/Hotel Singer 2........... Radio Singers/3/Bus passengers or pre-recorded Orchestra for "Violet" Keyboard............... Guitar.................... Bass....................... Percussion............. Violin.................... This show, which takes place in 1964, centers on a young woman, Violet, who bears a facial scar from a childhood accident. She boards a bus from her small mountain town in rural North Carolina and heads towards Tulsa, where she hopes to be healed by a TV preacher. Along the way, the young lady meets two soldiers, one white and one black. The three teach and learn many life lessons from each other during their journey. As the trip progresses, Violet also recalls her relationship with her father (whom she blames for the accident) and other childhood memories that have shaped the young lady into the somewhat hardened, yet hopeful person that she is. In the end, Violet receives an emotional and spiritual healing far more important than the physical transformation she sought.

Setting 1964 (Present) - bus stop, bus, bus stations, in Spruce Pine, NC, Nashville & Memphis (boarding house room, music hall), Fort Smith, ARK, Tulsa, OK (chapel in Hope & Glory Building) Past - attic, barn, field, kitchen, front porch on mountain where Violet grew up in Spruce Pine Structure 2 Acts Characters played by a cast of eleven (5W & 6 M)

Violet - 25 years old, was hit in the face by her father's ax blade when she was 13, her father died 3 years ago, her mother died sometime before the accident, she is on a journey for healing - she must make peace with her father, her past and her self Young Violet - 13 years old, curious and full of questions, stubborn, its just she and her dad so they have a pretty good relationship but that also makes her a tomboy, not into school, always gets cheated at the grocery store because she can't do math so dad uses poker to teach her math Flick - Grady Fliggins, late 20s, an African American army sergeant, a nice guy, confident and able to handle himself but not obnoxious about it, falls in love with Violet but is afraid to make his feelings known to her, joined army because it is the only place he could have respect from white men (at least in terms of rank), protective of Violet Monty - Montgomery Harrill from near Raleigh, mid-20s, a corporal (Flick outranks him), a paratrooper stationed at Fort Smith in Arkansas, "a pretty boy, arrogant and cocky about life and women Father - late 30s, he interacts with both Violets in past and present, he is not educated and doesn't speak well but he knows it makes a difference and wants Violet to have a better life than he had, he is protective of her and worried about her and the trouble she can get into with boys, gentle and firm when necessary, feels guilt for accident The Characters in Violet Violet - 25 years old, was hit in the face by her father's ax blade when she was 13, her father died 3 years ago, her mother died sometime before the accident and her mother's Baltimore Catechism is very important to her - what her mother wrote in the margins is all she has to look to for motherly advice, she is on a journey for healing - she believes that a tele-evangelist will heal her scar and make her life better, she sincerely and devoutly believes the preacher can heal her, can handle herself around men, knows and understands the choices she makes regarding men, she must make peace with her father, her past and her self. "People take one look at this, and figure that's all there is to me." "that scar must reach to your heart" Casting factors: mezzo-belt, strong physical stage presence, needs to be taller and/or more mature than actress playing Young Violet, able to convey emotions honestly and

sincerely, strong and vulnerable at the same time Flick - Grady Fliggins, late 20s, an African American army sergeant, a nice guy, confident and able to handle himself but not obnoxious about it, falls in love with Violet but is afraid to make his feelings known to her, joined army because it is the only place he could have respect from white men (at least in terms of rank), protective of Violet Casting Factors: baritone, African American, physically fit and believable as an army sergeant, strong and quiet stage presence Monty - Montgomery Harrill from near Raleigh, mid-20s, a corporal (Flick outranks him), a paratrooper stationed at Fort Smith in Arkansas, at end of play has joined Green Berets/special forces and will be shipping out from San Francisco to Viet Nam, "a pretty boy" - blond, golden boy?, arrogant and cocky about life and women, has a Norton motorcycle, he makes moves on Violet first but really has no intention of a long-term relationship, he feels sorry for her and just can't resist her sad eyes, shallow and unable to really commit to her Casting Factors: tenor, a "pretty boy," physically fit and believable as a paratrooper and Green Beret, strong, confident stage presence Young Violet - 13 years old, curious and full of questions, stubborn, its just she and her dad so they have a pretty good relationship but that also makes her a tomboy, not into school, always gets cheated at the grocery store because she can't do math so dad uses poker to teach her math Casting Factors: mezzo soprano, juvenile, youthful look, petite - smaller than Violet, youthful energy and vulnerability on stage Father - late 30s, he interacts with both Violets in past and present, he is not educated and doesn't speak well but he knows it makes a difference and wants Violet to have a better life than he had, he is protective of her and worried about her and the trouble she can get into with boys, gentle and firm when necessary, feels guilt for accident Casting Factors: baritone, physically larger than both Violets to project maturity, needs to be able to carry Young Violet and dance with her on his toes The remaining characters can be/are played by an Ensemble of 3 Men and 3 Women they play bus passengers, gospel choir, etc. WOMEN
Old Lady - 60s, going to Nashville to live with son and family anxious and unsure about moving in with him, had 8 children of her own, the youngest died in Korea, means well in terms of looking out for Violet but unsure how to talk about Violet's scar, dances w/ Violet's father in an act two "dream sequence" Landlady (Almeta) - African-American, runs boarding house, sings w/trio at end of Act I "Anyone would do"in Memphis, doesn't like having Monty and Violet under her roof Hotel Singer - sings blues song, "Anyone would do" Music Hall Singer - sings blues song, "Anyone Would Do"

MEN
Preacher - 40s?, slick, tele-evangelist whose service and ministry has now become a "show," he admits that he is tired and that his "touch" is not what it used to be, is sincere and "real" in first "dream sequence" Leroy Evans - Resident of Spruce Pine, has a dog named Roscoe?, seems a little "slow," won't look Violet in the face Bus Driver #1 (Wallace Weatherman) wears glasses, black hair, thin lips, flat cheeks, bent nose, small ears Waiter - works in diner in Kingsport, Tennessee, won't serve Flick at counter, racist,

Lula Buffington - soloist in gospel choir Mabel - passenger on bus, tired of sittin', been married four times Old Lady #2 - passenger on bus

insults Flick Bus Driver #2 - takes over in Nashville, on PA system then in person Mechanic - redneck, racist bully, picks fight w/ Flick Rufus - another redneck, racist bully, friend of the mechanic, fights w/Flick Radio Singer & Trio - sing wonderful fatherdaughter ballad Billy Dean - boy she gave virginity to as a teenager Bus Driver #3 - drops guys off at Fort Smith in Arkansas Virgil - Preacher's right-hand man/assistant Bus Driver #4 (Johnson) - drives Violet from Tulsa back to Fort Smith Creepy Guy - passenger on bus, starts to evangelize, doesn't trust wife Earl - passenger on bus with a flea circus, smokes in john

Songs Violet - Lay Down Your Head and/or Look at Me Flick - Let It Sing Monty - You're Different 3 Women - Anyone Would Do Father - That's What I Could Do and also spoken as a monologue Scenes Young Violet/Father - pp. 27-28 Violet/Flick - pp. 56-58 Violet/Father - pp. 78-80 Violet/Old Lady - pp. 29-30 Monologues Preacher p. 68 Monty - Promise Me Violet lyrics

Roles in order of appearance ACT One Scene 1 page 7 Young Violet (Flashback) Leroy Evans Father (Offstage Flashback) Violet Bus Driver Old Lady Bus passengers Flick ACT One Scene 2 page 12 - 13 Father Young Violet ACT One Scene 3 page 14 Bus driver Bus passengers Old Lady Violet Flick Monty Waiter ACT One Scene 3 IN FLASHBACK page 16 - 19 Father Young Vi ACT One Scene 3a page 19 - 22 Monty Violet Flick ACT One Scene 4 page 22 - 27 Bus Driver 2 Violet Monty Flick ACT One Scene 5 page 27 28 Young Vi Father

ACT One Scene 6 page 29 - 34 Bus Driver 2 Violet Old Lady Monty Flick ACT One scene 6a page 35 36 (possibly off-stage unseen) Young Vi Father Violet Preacher ACT One scene 7 page 36 - 40 Flick Violet ACT One scene 8 page 40 - 43 Bus Driver 2 Violet Flick Monty Mechanic Rufus ACT One scene 9 page 43 - 47 Violet Monty Landlady Flick Hotel Singer Young Vi Father Radio Trio (Pre-recorded) ACT One scene 10 page 47 - 49 Young Vi from previous scene Violet (sleeping) Monty ACT One scene 11 page 49 - 50 Flick Monty Violet

ACT One scene 12 page 51 - 52 Flick Violet Landlady Monty Hotel singer (off-stage) ACT One scene 13 page 52 - 54 Billy Dean Young Vi ACT One scene 14 page 54 - 55 Violet Monty (Adding in those below) Music Hall Singer Landlady (Hooker) Hotel Singer (Hooker) ACT II scene 1 page 56 - 64 Bus Driver 3 Violet Monty Flick Bus passengers ACT II scene 2 page 64 - 70 Young Vi/Violet Choir Preacher Lula Virgil ACT II scene 3 page 70 - 72 Young Vi Father Virgil Violet ACT II scene 4 page 72 - 77 Violet Preacher

ACT II scene 5 page 77 - 80 Young Vi Father ACT II scene 6 page 80 - 85 Violet Bus Driver 4 Creepy Guy Mabel Old Lady 2 Earl Violet ACT II scene 7 page 85 86 Monty Violet Flick ACT II scene 7a page 86 - 88 Flick Young Vi Violet ACT II scene 7b page 88 - 90 Flick Violet Young Vi Earl Old lady Bus Driver 4 Father Mabel Monty Lula ALL