Emerald City by David Williamson Read Free Book Online Page A

didn’t we, Colin? [ Looking up ] I don’t know whether khaki’s right for the ceiling though.
    MIKE : It used to be white, but we left the window open.
    KATE laughs loudly.
    KATE : You’re very funny, Mike.
    COLIN : Helen says I’m a walking joke.
    KATE laughs loudly. The phone rings. MIKE darts across to it. He listens. He nods. His face shows no emotion. He puts down the phone.
    MIKE : Thirteen.
    COLIN : [ alarmed ] That can’t be right. Are you sure they didn’t say thirty?
    MIKE : Thirteen. Fourteen in Melbourne.
    KATE : Thirteen?
    COLIN : [ tersely, to KATE ] Thirteen percent of sets tuned to us.
    MIKE : Disaster.
    COLIN : It has to be wrong. They only sample a few hundred.
    MIKE : A few thousand.
    COLIN : The promotion was hopeless.
    KATE : To hell with the ratings. We all know what gets ratings. Trash.
    COLIN : [ irritated ] Kate, in this business if you don’t get ratings you’re dead. You can’t sell your next project.
    MIKE : We’ll sell it.
    KATE : [ to COLIN ] What next project?
    COLIN : I don’t want to talk about it.
    KATE : You said you were going to do the Sanzari film with Elaine.
    COLIN : Kate, I’ve started producing my own work and I’m not about to take three steps back!
    KATE : What’s this next project?
    COLIN : [ gesticulating ] For Christ’s sake, we’ve just had a catastrophic failure. I’m not in the mood to talk about what I might or might not be doing next!
    KATE : It’s not a failure. It was excellent.
    COLIN : Nobody watched!
    KATE : What’s this next project?
    COLIN : Kate, we’ve just scored a thirteen! I don’t want to talk about it.
    He turns away. KATE glares at him. MIKE tries to defuse the tension.
    MIKE : [ to KATE ] Colin and I have been knocking around some pretty exciting ideas.
    KATE : Such as?
    COLIN : [ agitated ] I don’t want to discuss it. I don’t even know if I’ll be doing anything at all after this. I might pack the whole game in and go back to teaching!
    KATE : [ to MIKE ] Ideas for what? More mini-series?
    MIKE : Long-running series.
    KATE : [ frowning ] What do you mean? Something like ‘Dallas’?
    MIKE : Field’s wide open for a big international hit. Could make millions.
    KATE : Television series are trash!
    COLIN : It’s barely got to discussion stage!
    KATE : You’re going to spend the rest of your life writing soap opera?
    COLIN : Not writing, producing! And it wouldn’t be trash!
    KATE : Name me the series that isn’t.
    MIKE : If we get a US sale we could make millions.
    KATE : [ to COLIN ] Since when have you been interested in making millions?
    COLIN : What’s wrong with making money?
    KATE : I think it’s very sad.
    COLIN : What?
    KATE : You came to Sydney an artist, and you’re turning into a businessman.
    COLIN : We just made art and nobody watched.
    KATE : I think it’s very sad.
    COLIN : If being an artist means that you have to starve, then I don’t want to be an artist!
    He walks away and there’s an awkward silence. HELEN enters the room behind them.
    HELEN : Hi there. Sorry I’m late.
    MIKE : Hi, honey. This is Colin and Kate.
    HELEN : Hi. Doesn’t exactly seem to be a celebration going on in here. What were the figures?
    MIKE : Thirteen.
    HELEN : Oh migod. The series wasn’t that bad?
    KATE : [ incensed ] The series was good . Too good.
    HELEN : [ embarrassed ] I meant in commercial terms. It wasn’t very commercial.
    KATE : Who cares? I am publishing a book that will be lucky to sell a few thousand copies, but it’s an important and passionate book and its long-term influence will be enormous!
    HELEN : [ not aggressively ] You’re lucky. You still get your weekly pay cheque no matter how many it sells. Mike and Colin only get paid if they get results.
    KATE : Colin has been getting results. Not enough to make him a millionaire, but until very recently he never wanted that. What