DIALOGUES FOR THE VACCINE HESITANT…
…and those who love them
The Case of You BY YVETTE NOLAN
DIALOGUES FOR THE VACCINE HESITANT… …and those who love them
“Throughout the pandemic our focus has been to centre artists to help us make sense of these extraordinary times. So, when the Dr. Peter Centre approached us about working on a project about vaccine hesitancy, we had to say yes — because we see that the issue of vaccines is dividing friends, families and communities. As artists we want to do our part to bring people together, and to fight what we see as the worst side effect of this pandemic — the schisms and fractures emerging in many corners of society. With Dialogues for the Vaccine Hesitant and Those Who Love Them, we commissioned four playwrights who’s lived experience might offer insight and understanding around some of the more polarizing and difficult circumstances we are all facing. We think of these as theatrical conversations embodying the difficult situations that many of us are finding ourselves in. Whether it’s a discussion you are having with yourself, or someone in your circle, we hope these short plays will help you navigate this issue with compassion and empathy.”
SHERRY J YOON Artistic Director Boca del Lupo
JAY DODGE Artistic Producer Boca del Lupo
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ABOUT BOCA DEL LUPO Boca del Lupo’s mission is to create extraordinary performances in unconventional spaces. The company is devoted to accessibility and works to broaden the participation, perception and importance of contemporary performance within the multiplicity of Canadian cultures. Led by Artistic Director Sherry J. Yoon and Artistic Producer Jay Dodge, Boca del Lupo has created more than 60 new works since its inception in 1996. Productions have toured to nationally and internationally and the company hosts a vibrant artist development program known as SLaM. During the tenure of the pair, the company has received numerous awards including Jessies for Outstanding Design, Outstanding Production, Significant Artistic Achievement and Outstanding Performance; the Critic’s Choice Award for Innovation; the Alcan Performing Arts Award and The Patrick O’Neill Award, which it won for Plays2Perform@Home, a home delivery theatre project that inspired these Dialogues for the Vaccine Hesitant and Those Who Love Them. Boca del Lupo is are grateful to create and work on the unceded territory of the xwm θkw y̓ m (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and S l̓ílw taɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) people.
Bocadellupo.com
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SETTING a bench, a picnic table, somewhere outdoors on a still lovely fall afternoon
CHARACTERS
KELSEY, fully vaccinated, mother of two kids, sister to Jo JO, vax resistant, but not sure why, sister to Kelsey
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The sisters are sitting six feet apart at a picnic table or a park bench.
KELSEY:
don’t be mad
JO:
I’m not mad, I’m hurt
KELSEY:
I’m sorry
JO:
I just can’t believe you won’t hug me
Kelsey shrugs
JO:
are you sure this is far enough apart?
Jo motions to the space between them
KELSEY:
I am not hugging anyone right now Not even if they’ve been vaccinated Besides, I’m mad at you
JO:
mad at me?
KELSEY:
Kara told me that you told her not to get vaccinated
JO:
KELSEY:
I told her she needed to think long and hard before she did
Jo We have worked really hard to have the kids not be scared of vaccination So that when they were able to get the jab It would be an easy choice
JO:
It shouldn’t be an easy choice
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KELSEY:
she’s my daughter
JO:
she’s my niece
KELSEY:
and I want her to be safe
JO:
I want her to be safe just because you put that crap into your body—
KELSEY:
it’s not crap, Jo It’s medicine
JO:
no one is putting god knows what into me
KELSEY:
god knows The doctors know Science knows
JO:
Kelsey, no one knows what the side effects of all these vaccines are going to be
KELSEY:
they have done trials
JO:
they rushed them through What kind of trials could happen in a few months?
KELSEY:
well, Jo, the whole scientific community put their pointy little heads together around this one issue… it’s kind of hopeful, really, to see what can happen if everyone just focuses on one problem
JO:
they called it Operation Warp Speed!
KELSEY:
in the States, Jo We are not the States
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JO:
you just wait KELSEY: wait for what?
JO:
a year or two down the line When you start to have weird things happening
KELSEY:
what kind of weird things?
JO:
I don’t know That’s the thing with side effects They’re unpredictable
KELSEY:
Jo the vaccines have been tested they have been approved by Health Canada
JO:
I’ll wait
KELSEY:
for what?
JO:
to see what kind of long term side effects there are
KELSEY:
Jo, I can be your lab rat Look at me I got my first vaccine in April I got my second one in June It’s October I am fine I had a sore arm with the first jab I had a crappy five hours with the second one But since then I have been fine
JO:
it could still kill you 6
KELSEY:
Jo A vaccine that has helped millions will kill you but a virus that has killed millions won’t? Have you not been watching the news? Seen all the people who are now in Intensive Care With covid Saying they regret not having the vaccine when they could People saying goodbye to their people before they are intubated Telling them they’re sorry They should have—
JO:
fake news
KELSEY:
fake news? that little kid Five years old Whose unvaccinated mom brought it home to him Now he’s in the ICU Not his fault He looked pretty real to me
JO:
I’ll wait
KELSEY:
what is this actually about?
JO:
what do you mean?
KELSEY:
you’ve had vaccines We all had vaccines as kids We got them in school Polio, measles, smallpox
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JO:
that was different
KELSEY:
how was that different?
JO:
I dunno It just was Smallpox could kill you
KELSEY:
Jo. Covid can kill you JO: I can manage this
KELSEY:
manage covid?
JO:
I eat well
KELSEY:
you eat well?
JO:
I eat well I take vitamins I exercise My immune system can take care of me
KELSEY:
Jo That’s just not realistic You catch cold We all catch cold
JO:
I haven’t had a cold in over a year
KELSEY:
because we’ve been masked And washing our hands for forty seconds twenty times a day (she sings while miming hand washing) Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene I’m beggin of you, please don’t take my man
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Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene Please don’t take him just because you can
JO:
oh that’s a good one Better than happy birthday
KELSEY:
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene—
JO:
alright, Dolly
KELSEY:
that was only 20 seconds Gotta sing it twice to achieve true cleanliness
JO:
is that why I haven’t had a cold?
KELSEY:
we were locked in for a year
JO:
still
KELSEY:
and hasn’t it been great being able to start living a little more normally being outside being able to go a few more places do a few more things
JO:
and now they want to take that away
KELSEY:
what do you mean?
JO:
friggin vaccine passports I suppose you have one
Kelsey shows their phone
JO:
now they can track you 9
KELSEY:
(laughing) yeah Well, they could always do that Now it’s just more overt, I guess
JO:
what do you mean?
KELSEY:
come on, Jo I had to laugh when I heard about people who were asking for the vaccine not in their arms But just the syringe So they could break it down and find the microchip that was supposedly being injected into them To track them How did the person know that? She read about it on her phone Has she never watched a police procedural on tv? No one needs to tag us We have all tagged ourselves With these (holds up her phone) With our laptops And our socials And our debit cards
Jo looks at her phone
KELSEY:
you didn’t think—
JO:
no Of course not
KELSEY:
of course not (beat) so what then? Why so hesitant?
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JO:
I don’t know There’s just been so much information And it’s always changing KELSEY: I know But that’s good in a way Isn’t it? That no one is pretending they have the definitive answers That as more information comes in We get it I would way rather the transparency It helps me make decisions For myself For my kids
JO:
KELSEY:
JO:
KELSEY:
that’s what I am doing, too, Kelsey I am making decisions for myself yes I see that But in a way You are also making decisions for other people no My body My choice yes And you choosing to not be vaccinated Means other people around you are at risk My kids Who are too young to be vaccinated But Kara She is gonna be eligible soon And I want her to be able to make her own 11
choice too Free of talk about microchips and imaginary side effects
JO:
she should know
KELSEY:
And what if you got sick, Jo? God forbid I don’t wish that on anyone But if you got sick And had to go to the hospital What happens to the person who is having a heart attack To the guy in the car crash To the kid who accidentally ate peanuts and is in anaphylaxis What if there is no room for them at the inn Because all the beds are full of people who did not get the vaccine and got the virus JO: I don’t believe the media
KELSEY:
you don’t have to believe the media, Jo you can do your own research not just twitter and facebook research there is all kinds of information out there and you have a doctor, right? JO: I have a doctor
KELSEY:
have you to talked to them?
JO:
no
KELSEY:
they’d be happy to talk to you
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JO:
I’m sure my doctor has better things to do right now
KELSEY:
I’m sure they do too Doctors are stretched pretty thin right now As are nurses look I can send you things to read To watch JO: will you watch them with me? KELSEY: well, yeah I can but
JO:
But?
KELSEY:
but you have to agree To stop
JO:
Stop
KELSEY:
stop telling people things that are just not true
JO:
Kara
KELSEY:
Kara—and others Anyone
JO:
(beat) just until we watch these things
KELSEY:
(beat) until after we have watched these things
JO:
okay 13
KELSEY:
JO:
KELSEY:
okay But we better get a move on Because the weather is not going to be this good forever And then we are gonna want to be inside And I can’t be inside with people who aren’t vaccinated and you are not hugging people even if they are vaccinated
that’s right I’m hug hesitant
JO:
funny
KELSEY:
I gotta protect the people in my life The little people who can’t be vaccinated yet The older people for whom the jab doesn’t work as well JO: what about me?
KELSEY:
and you too, Jo Especially you Because you are more vulnerable right now And I don’t want to risk your health
JO:
okay
KELSEY:
okay?
JO:
I’ll think about it
KELSEY:
Jo
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JO:
what?
Kelsey does a distanced hug Jo just looks at them
KELSEY:
come on You know you want to
Kelsey makes the distanced hug shape again Jo imitates her They keep holding the air between them END OF PLAY
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YVETTE NOLAN has written plays (The Unplugging, The Birds, Annie Mae’s Movement), libretti (Shanawdithit, Sophia), plays for film (Katharsis), plays for audio (Flag, You Can’t Get There From Here, Lache Pas La Patate), and a whack of short pieces for Sum Theatre’s Last Sunday, Short Cuts Festival, and Boca del Lupo. Boca pieces include Expedition, Red Phone, and The Fifth Setting. She is also a director and a dramaturg. She is also currently pursuing her Masters in Public Policy at Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy.
© 2021 YVETTE NOLAN No part of this book may be reproduced in any part by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical. For special permission, including educational purposes, please contact Boca del Lupo at info@bocadellupo.com · DESIGN: Cabin + Cub Design 16