Lights up on RUTH FELDMAN, wiping down the counter at the Dairy Queen. RUTH FELDMAN
When Columbine happened, I was a manager; now I own the place. Most of the kids that work here are Columbine kids-- they start when they’re 15 or 16, and they stay all the way through college-- Emily calls it the DQ Mafia: once you get in, you never get out. But these kids today, they really don’t know much about the shootings; they were babies when it happened and the school doesn’t talk about it. And that’s why the Memorial was so important. I’ll never forget sitting in my yard and
Dee Fleming comes over—she lost her daughter Kelly in the library—and I stupidly asked, “So how’s the memorial going?” And she says, “well, to tell you the truth, Ruth, I just don’t think there’s
much interest in building it.” And that just sunk in. So I started talking to
Kirsten this lady who did some printing for the Dairy Queen, and we went to the Memorial Committee and asked, “Can we help?”
(KIRSTEN KREILING, a highly professional local business woman with extremely good taste, enters. She’s no-
nonsense. While RUTH and KIRSTEN are complete opposites; they have great affection for each other. RUTH hands her a drink.)
KIRSTEN KREILING (Perfect) They thought we were a couple of whack jobs.
RUTH FELDMAN
Look at those two. Ok, you guys: go for it. KIRSTEN KREILING
Sure, knock yourselves out. RUTH FELDMAN
I left that meeting going, they don’t know us, do they? KIRSTEN KREILING
By then, we needed to raise about a million dollars. And we didn’t have a clue. RUTH FELDMAN
So we started with a car wash— KIRSTEN KREILING which was an abysmal failure—
RUTH FELDMAN It rained. KIRSTEN KREILING
But we just adopted that whole mantra— RUTH FELDMAN AND KIRSTEN KREILING
Failure’s not an option KIRSTEN KREIKING
And we just started showing up at festivals, you know, handin’ out donation envelopes— RUTH FELDMAN
At Western Welcome Week, our booth was near this gentleman who was giving pony rides and he decided to donate all of his proceeds to the memorial. So, we gave pony rides until a kid fell off and
then that was done. No more pony rides. KIRSTEN KREILING
I had a little girl come into my shop and gave me a shoebox. RUTH FELDMAN
So cute.
KIRSTEN KREILING
She had gone door-to-door in her neighborhood and there was like 12 dollars and fifty cents in there. Revised 01.25.13
RUTH FELDMAN
I mean it wasn’t a lot of money every time, but it was adding up. KIRSTEN KREILING
And we got better at it as we went along. Starbucks came up with special coffee to help us raise money. We even got Bill Clinton to come to the groundbreaking.
RUTH FELDMAN
Eventually people kind of got just tired of us and said just give ‘em some money. You think I’m kidding?
KIRSTEN KREILING
This guy calls and says, “how much do you need to finish it?” And I told him, “about $300,000” and he says, “well, I wanna take care of that, but I want you to stop fundraising immediately. I’m tired of
hearing you broads asking for money.” RUTH FELDMAN
And that was pretty much it. KIRSTEN KREILING
All total, from when Ruth and I got involved, we raised over a million dollars. Everyone just had a connection to Columbine. For me, I never, ever wanted those families to think that we forgot them.
(Crying. RUTH takes her arm. Music: ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole plays softly. Projection: Image of the Memorial at sunset with a view of the Rockies in the background.)
RUTH FELDMAN The dedication was so beautiful…
KIRSTEN KRIELING
Dawn Anna spoke, she always spoke for the families… DAWN ANNA (Rebel)
They’re here. Can you feel them? Our angels? Kyle, Kelly, Dan, Matt, Corey, Steven, Rachel, Daniel, John, Cassie, Isaiah, Dave, and my Lauren.
KIRSTEN KREILING
Then we let the doves go. 200 of them. RUTH FELDMAN
With the sun setting behind the mountains...so beautiful. KIRSTEN KREILING
I just remember sitting in the memorial that night, thinking-- RUTH FELDMAN
Can you believe this is real? KIRSTEN KREILING I mean, it’s over. It’s finally over. (RUTH takes KIRSTEN’s hand. Lights fade to black.)
TODAY
(In the darkness, we hear two horrific gunshots. We hear the first responder 911 clips from Virginia Tech, Aurora, and Newtown Shootings. Sirens and fire alarms fade as lights come up on BROOKS BROWN, smoking a
cigarette.)
BROOKS BROWN (AP)
Funny, the way I know that these shootings happen? my phone dies— yeah, it freezes and dies because of the number of calls: “Hi Brooks, this is Steven from Fox News” because everyone wants to know how to deal with it. (beat) But the sad thing is most of this country is stuck on one solution. God, we would love it to be one thing that we can outlaw or blame, but part of it is inside of us, like the little things we know we don’t like about ourselves and do nothing about but is the first thing we point at in someone else- constantly I hear “the parents, the parents—look, Eric, Dylan and I were
all friends, right? and Eric and Dylan had very different upbringings but ended in the same place— now, how many steps away were my parents from theirs?
ACTOR PLAYING ERIC
To this day, the parents of Eric Harris have never spoken publically about their son or his role in the shootings. Ten years after Columbine, Oprah Magazine published an essay written by Susan
Klebold.
(The ACTOR PLAYING ERIC hands the ACTOR WHO PLAYED DYLAN a piece of paper.)
ACTOR WHO PLAYED DYLAN
(reads) My son Dylan was a product of my life's work. I thought, "If I had been a better mother, I would have known this was coming." I can’t help but remember in the days before he died, I held his
scratchy face between my palms and told him that I loved him. Had he felt pressured by this? I longed to talk to him one last time and ask him what he had been thinking. I concluded that he must
not have loved me, because love would have prevented him from doing what he did. And though at moments I was angry with him, mostly I thought that I was the one who needed his forgiveness because I'd failed to see that he needed help. (beat) I will never be able to explain or excuse what he did. For the rest of my life, I will be haunted by the horror and anguish he caused. I cannot look at a child without thinking about how my son's schoolmates spent the last moments of their lives. Dylan changed everything I believed about love. I think I believed that if I loved someone as deeply as I
loved him, I would know if he were in trouble. My maternal instincts would keep him safe. But I didn’t know, and my instincts weren't enough.
(THE ACTOR PLAYING DYLAN turns and watches DIWATA PEREZ kneel center, as if looking at her daughter.)
DIWATA PEREZ (Rebel)
You know, I look at my daughter and think, “There is a purpose for you in this world, whether or not you know what it is that you’re going to do in this lifetime but I can only hope that you’re gonna
do great things.
(The actors write the victim’s names on the slate. When finished, they turn to the audience.) ACTORS
Thank you. Good night.
(The actors exit. The lights fade, save for the illuminated chalkboard memorial.) END OF PLAY