The Lottery

"The Lottery" (1948)

by Shirley Jackson

PROLOGUE
CAMILLE AS TESSIE: ”NO! THIS ISNT FAIR! NO NO! THIS IS UNFAIR! PLEASE DON’T DO THIS TO ME! NO!

ALL WILL THROW ROCKS ON HER__________________________________________________________

FLASHBACK

KIDS PLAYING (MEILEE, AIRISH, ESTHER)

MEILEE AS NANCY: The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny,

AIRISH AS BAXTER MARTIN:  with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day;

ESTHER AS WATSON GIRL: the flowers were blossoming profusely

MEILEE: and the grass was richly green.

AIRISH: The people of the village began to gather in the square, between the post office and the bank

PARENTS ENTER

CHILDREN FIX THE PILE OF STONES

SOME PREPARING

THEN, MR. SUMMERS ENTER

MEIL JOHN AS MR. SUMMERS: Little late today, folks.

The postmaster, Mr. Graves (OJ), followed him, carrying a three- legged stool, and the stool was put in the center of the SQUARE. The villagers kept their distance, leaving a space between themselves and the stool. and when Mr. Summers said,

MR. SUMMERS:  "Some of you fellows want to give me a hand?"

there was a hesitation before two men. Mrs. Martin and her oldest daughter, Baxter. (AIRISH AND PAULINE) came forward to hold the box steady on the stool while Mr. Summers stirred up the papers inside it.

Mrs. Martin and her oldest daughter, Baxter, held the black box securely on the stool until Mr. Summers had stirred the papers thoroughly with his hand.

ENTER TESSIE AKA. MRS. HUTCHINSONS CAMILLE

NICOLE AS MRS. DELACROIX: Thought you forgot what day it was

Both laughed softly (NICOLE AND CAMILLE)

 "Thought my old man was out back stacking wood," Mrs. Hutchinson went on.

CAMILLE:  I looked out the window and the kids was gone, and then I remembered it was the twenty-seventh and came running

NICOLE: You're in time, though. They're still talking away up there.

Mrs. Hutchinson craned her neck to see through the crowd and found her husband and children standing near the front. She tapped Mrs. Delacroix on the arm as a farewell and began to make her way through the crowd. The people separated good-humoredly to let her through: two or three people said. in voices just loud enough to be heard across the crowd,

PAULINE: Here comes your, Wife, Hutchinson

 OJ: Bill, she made it after all

MEILEE AS NANCY: Thought we were going to have to get on without you, Tessie.

MEIL JOHN: Well, now, guess we better get started, get this over with, so we can go back to work. Anybody not here?"

"Dunbar." several people said. "Dunbar. Dunbar."

Mr. Summers consulted his list.

 MEIL JOHN: Clyde Dunbar.  That's right. He's broke his leg, hasn't he? Who's drawing for him?"

KRIZTELLE AS MRS. DUNBAR: Me, I guess.

MEIL JOHN: Wife draws for her husband. Don't you have a grown boy to do it for you, Janey?

KRIZTELLE: He’s not yet sixteen.

MEIL JOHN: Right

He made a note on the list he was holding.

MEIL JOHN: Watson girl drawing this year?

ESTHER RAISES HAND.

ESTHER AS WATSON: Here. I'm drawing for my mother and me.

AIRISH: Glad to see your mother's got a man to do it.

MEIL: WELL. THAT’S EVERYONE ISN’T IT? OH, DID OLD MAN WARNER MAKE IT?

OJ AS OLD MAN WARNER: HERE.

CROWD SILENCE, AS MR.SUMMERS CLEARED HIS THROAT AND LOOKED AT THE LIST.

MEIL: ALL READY? Now, I'll read the names--heads of families first--and the men come up and take a paper out of the box. Keep the paper folded in your hand without looking at it until everyone has had a turn. Everything clear?"

EVERYONE: YES!

MEIL: Clark.... Delacroix REPRESENTED BY HIS WIFE.

NICOLE GOES IN FRONT AND PICKS UP PAPER

MEIL: DUNBAR.

KRIZTELLE GOES FORWARD AND PICKS PAPER

ESTHER: GO JANEY!

MEIL: Harburt.... Hutchinson

CAMILLE: Get up there, Bill

NICOLE AS MRS. ADAMS:  THEY DO SAY that over in the north village they're talking of giving up the lottery.

OJ: Pack of crazy fools. There's always been a lottery

NICOLE: SOME TOWNS HAD ALREADY QUITED THE LOTTERY.

OJ: PACK OF YOUNG FOOLS

MEIL: MARTIN

PAULINE STOOD IN FRONT AND PICKED A PAPER

KRIZTELLE: I WISH THEY’D HURRY!

ESTHER: THEY’RE ALMOST THROUGH.

MEIL: Summers

MEIL stepped forward precisely and selected a slip from the box.

MEIL: Warner.

OJ: Seventy-seventh year I’VE been in the lottery. Seventy-seventh time

MEIL: Watson

ESTHER FORWARD

AIRISH: Don't be nervous, lady

MEIL: Take your time, girl.

After that, there was a long pause, a breathless pause, until Mr. Summers, holding his slip of paper in the air, said,

MEIL: All right, fellows

ALL OPENS PAPER

LADIES: Who is it? Who's got it? Is it the Dunbars? Is it the Watsons?

NICOLE AS BILL JR.: It's Hutchinson. It's Bill. Bill Hutchinson's got it."

People began to look around to see the Hutchinsons. Bill Hutchinson was standing quiet, staring down at

the paper in his hand. Suddenly. Tessie Hutchinson shouted to Mr. Summers.

CAMILLE: You didn't give him time enough to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasn't fair!

NICOLE AS MRS. DELACROIX: Be a good sport, Tessie.  All of us took the same chance.

RODEL AS BILL: Shut up, Tessie.

MEIL: Well everyone, that was done pretty fast, and now we've got to be hurry a little more to get done in time. Bill you draw for the Hutchinson family. You got any other households in the Hutchinsons?