Description: A lost play from the gender-fluid 1690s is performed in 1985, leading to mayhem and prompting the participants to re-examine their lives.

First Produced: 2006
Date Added: 6/15/2011
Content Advisory: Adult themes discussed. One character used to be a pornographer
Keywords: Folklore and legends  Historical  Meta  Mythology  Nuns and priests  Romance  Satire/Parody  Behind the scenes  Characters are mostly young adults  Dysfunctional families  HIV/AIDS  Labor and unions  Many Locations  Pornography  Show biz  The Theatre  Surrealism/Absurdism  Verse  Small Cast Size 
2 Acts, 110 Minutes
2 Females, 2 Males

NOTE: The Inconstant Infection is fully protected by copyright law and is subject to royalty. All inquiries concerning production, publication, reprinting or use of this play in any form should be addressed to izanagi@hotmail.com.

Original Production Information

The Inconstant Infection was first presented by Temerity Theatre, as part of the New York International Fringe Festival in 2006 at 13th Street Repertory Theatre, with the following cast and credits:

Cast: James Edward Becton, Chuck Bunting, Nancy Eng, Julie Finefrock, Kevin Hayes, Jr., James Kautz, Lillian Kieffer, Shannon Leigh Reeve, Sasha Taublieb
Director: Kristina Leath-Malin
Stage Manager: Lauren Arneson
Graphic Designers: Kristina Leath-Malin, Madalina Caesar

Excerpt from The Inconstant Infection

EVEY

pointing

He does, down here. Well, right under this explication of the monologue.

TOGETHER

“That feeling buried deep inside of me

Leapt up to take control of all my chest

And then inflamed my most tenderest part.”

BOB

How could you not love that?

EVEY

Let’s find out.

BOB

So, he takes objection to the use of the Penthesilea story.

EVEY

Most people barely even know what that is.

BOB

Penthesilea is one poetic name for the Queen of the Amazons. A tragic heroine.

EVEY

Sounds a lot like drugs.

BOB

I said “heroine”.

EVEY

No, penicillin.

BOB

Penthesilea.

EVEY

It does treat infections though, penicillin, doesn’t it?

BOB

And it wasn’t discovered in 1699.

EVEY

Right. I did know that. But nevertheless I don’t think you’re going to like what he says next.

BOB

reading

“I suspect that the unknown Beatriz Bicherley, whoever she was, had acquired her talent from sleeping around with many of the leading writing men in 17th century England. Given this state of affairs, it is most likely that she would also have acquired herpes. The fixation with the disease in the work is obvious even to the blindest of feminists.”

to EVEY

What the ferguson is this?

EVEY

It’s just one man’s reading. Remember, we weren’t going to pay too much attention to scholarly reviews.

BOB

There isn’t a thing about herpes in the entire play.

EVEY

Well, there is the title.

BOB

Really.

EVEY

Herpes tends to disappear and reappear. Hence the inconstant infection.