PAUL:	I wouldn’t have thought it 
	possible, but apparently books 
	are back.  Retailers, both 
	large and small, report record 
	breaking sales this past xmas 
	season.  One of the reasons 
	for this boom in reading is, 
	no doubt, our own host of 
	Wordworks, Kathleen Hanrahan.

KATHLEEN:	I wish I could take credit for 
	it.

PAUL:	No false modesty Kathleen, I 
	think it’s true that erudite, 
	charming and always 
	fashionable critics like 
	yourself have brought some sex 
	appeal to the book biz.

KATHLEEN:	If sex appeal has anything to 
	do with it, then look to the 
	authors.

PAUL:	You think?

KATHLEEN:	Delbert Onglow’s dust jacket 
	snap inspired more than one 
	woman to pick up his book.
	
PAUL:	Right ... and that photograph 
	isn’t really of Onglow.

KATHLEEN:	And well ... look at this (she 
	digs through bag) Sophie 
	Drake’s latest novel.  Another 
	horsey set “T” and “A” Brad 
	banging pot-boiler  I’m 
	afraid.

PAUL:	My oh my what a ... an 
	attractive ... design ... she 
	has ... such solid binding ... 
	on this volume ... wonderfully 
	... readable typeface.  This 
	is a novel?

KATHLEEN:	Yes, I said that.  In my view, 
	though, the book buying boom 
	is due to the evolution of the 
	retail space itself - the 
	addition of coffee bars, 
	reading areas with fireplaces, 
	and comfy chairs.
	
PAUL:	‘Bookness’ here in town has 
	those features and ... I don’t 
	know ... this insistance on 
	comfort, on always feeling 
	good, it’s like the primary 
	symptom in the Yuppie plague 
	that is across our land.

KATHLEEN:	You’ve got something against 
	comfort?

PAUL:	In a book store, absolutely.

KATHLEEN:	That’s ridiculous.  I suppose 
	you prefer a cramped, dusty 
	walk-down off a back alley 
	
PAUL:	With a proprieter whose 
	inve.tory reflects his or her 
	strong personal bias.

KATHLEEN:	Who screams at you when you 
	ask for the wrong author.

PAUL:	Ahhhhh.  Now that’s book 
	buying.  A deranged old 
	lunatic, half poisoned from 
	all the nicotine and Joyce, 
	telling you to get out of his 
	store because you wanted 
	something by Pierre Berton.
	
	Well, we are way off topic 
	here, Kathleen.  You have 
	brought a book with you, and 
	we are to discuss it.  Sophie 
	Drake’s steamy offering, 
	perhaps?

KATHLEEN:	That stuff doesn’t merit 
	criticism.  No, today I’ve got 
	the latest offering from 
	distinguished scholar Tristan 
	Burberry and The University of 
	Newfoundland at St. John’s 
	Press, “Comped Out - A New 
	History of the Modern 
	Newfoundland Theatre.”
	
PAUL:	About time!  The old one was 
	...

KATHLEEN:	Extremely one sided.  

PAUL:	It was nothing more, Kathleen, 
	than a settling of scores.
	
KATHLEEN:	A scandal sheet.

PAUL:	But this is more...balanced ?

KATHLEEN:	I think so.  But we can put it 
	to the test against your own 
	memories of The November 3rd 
	Revolutionary Council of Anti-
	Theatrics.

PAUL:	(embarassed) Kathleen ... it 
	was soooo long ago. (snatches 
	book)  What are they saying?  
	Nobody talked to me!

KATHLEEN:	They say that you and the 
	Novembrists had essentially 
	abandoned revolutionary 
	theatrics by mounting your 
	play “Country Matters” which, 
	it their estimation, was a 
	bourgeois fantasy piece.

PAUL:	“They” say.  Who are “they”, 
	the Decembrists no doubt?

KATHLEEN:	Melvin Potnik 

PAUL:	Ya.

KATHLEEN:	Brian Gommel

PAUL:	Talk about bourgeois.

KATHLEEN:	Lars Hayward.

PAUL:	Your basic cunt.

KATHLEEN:	(laughs) Ah, the theatre ... 
	such deep and lasting 
	professional associations.

PAUL:	The Decembrists!  Isn’t it 
	interesting that the authors 
	of their manifesto all share 
	the distinction of having been 
	refused the lead in “Country 
	Matters ?”

KATHLEEN:	The irristable dipsomaniac Dr. 
	Lugar?

PAUL:	Indeed.  But I note, Kathleen, 
	that the section dedicated to 
	the great anti-theatrical 
	period of the mid seventies is 
	... can’t be more than twenty 
	pages.

KATHLEEN:	There was so much to discuss.

PAUL:	Still.

KATHLEEN:	The collective work of the 
	seventies had to be given a 
	fair hearing.

PAUL:	Why?

KATHLEEN:	Come on, Paul, I mean so much 
	stuff from the LSPU Hall and 
	The Star Of Palestine and 
	think CODCO, The Mummers.
	
PAUL:	Who?

KATHLEEN:	It wasn’t your scene but I 
	think it’s of some 
	consequence.  And there is of 
	course some very interesting 
	new work by young people.

PAUL:	First, young people are, as a 
	rule, not very interesting.  
	Second, have you been down to 
	any of their shows ?

KATHLEEN:	I have.

PAUL:	What did you think ?

KATHLEEN:	Very intriguing, they’re doing 
	something new with the old.

PAUL:	Phaw.

KATHLEEN:	So you went ?

PAUL:	Yeah ... I saw “The Albino 
	Fugue” ...

KATHLEEN:	That was great !

PAUL:	You think? , but really, the 
	theatre is such a dump, the 
	costuming is so cheap, I can’t 
	get past it.  I mean, get a 
	budget.

KATHLEEN:	You can’t get past that ?  
	Have a look at this.

PAUL:	Publicity stills from “Country 
	Matters” !  These must have 
	been taken in rehearsal.
	
KATHLEEN:	No, these are production 
	shots.

PAUL:	Just proves my point, 
	Kathleen.  The more money you 
	put in to art ... We worked 
	with nothing and yet produced 
	real theatre ...

KATHLEEN:	Merits 20 pages in a 600 page 
	history.  Not bad, Paul.  And 
	I think your generation 
	benefited from a lot more arts 
	funding than the crowd 
	currently creeping the boards.

PAUL:	So it’s not fat city anymore?  
	There’s only so much public 
	money and Kathleen, our 
	generation, we have our 
	pensions to think about. 
	
KATHLEEN:	And simply abando ...

PAUL:	We are out of time.  Hopefully 
	we can continue this 
	discussion some other time.  
	Kathleen, thank you.

KATHLEEN:	Anytime Pops.


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