Purging Mary: A Drama in Two Acts
THE SETTING: The play is set in an examination room in a Women’s Clinic in Beaumont, Texas. The time is the present.
SUMMARY: Joe is white, Southern, and the chair of the local Right-to-Life committee. His wife, Mary, was raped by a black man, and is now pregnant. Joe’s southern upbringing makes the thought of bringing this child into the world unbearable, so he wants to abort the baby. Counseled against his dangerous course of action by pastors and friends, Joe forces his wife to terminate the pregnancy, ending his relationship with church, friends, and community. As Mary takes a stand against her husband’s demands, long-guarded secrets come to light, driving Joe to choices that destroy them both. PURGING MARY is an uncompromising exploration of the political and social intricacies of abortion-on-demand in America.
THE CAST OF CHARACTERS:
Joseph Seymour—White male, thirty-five. He is a deacon in his church; he is a domineering patriarch.
Mary Seymour—White female, thirty. Joe’s pregnant wife. She is slender, very pretty, and meek and submissive in her behavior.
Benjamin Phillips, M.D.—White male, fifty-three. He is the attending physician; he is a driven “Type A” personality with a sardonic wit.
Tina Johnson, R.N.—Black female, forty. The attending nurse.
Rev. Gerald (Gerry) Jones—White male, fifty-five. The Senior Pastor at Mary’s and Joe’s church.
Thomas (Tom) Foster—White male, twenty-eight. The Pastor’s Associate. Young and handsome, he is a counselor at the church.
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