A Play in Three Acts
© 2000 by Joseph Hullett
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| Synopsis
Joseph Jobst — a dedicated, God-fearing doctor -- lies dying in a California hospice. Abandoned by friends and colleagues, he remains the ‘good-servant’, holding fast to a faith that innocents suffer for some unfathomable higher purpose. Struggling to understand this purpose, Jobst spurns both the "curse God and die" bitterness of his infected wife and the self-serving "counsel" of his former partner, his sister-in-law, and his pastor, all of whom choose to believe that misfortune is earned. Knitting a modern moral context for the ancient problem of evil, DESIGN reweaves the Biblical story of Job with a startling twist: Jobst not only confronts God with the contradiction of a benevolent, Providence who allows unjust suffering, but proves that God's actions can rightfully be judged in human terms! |
CAST OF CHARACTERS
| Joseph Jobst: | A God-fearing doctor dying in a charity hospice. Nevertheless, he persists resolutely as the "good servant", clinging to a faith that God moves mysteriously toward some unseen purpose. |
| Sarah Jobst: | Jobst's wife. Returning from the funeral of her four year old daughter to the bed of her failing husband, she curses God's purpose and makes her own plans. |
| Angel: | A devoted nurse. |
| Elliott Fast: | Jobst's prosperous former partner whose experience teaches that careless people bring tragedy on themselves. |
| Billy Dado: | Jobst's traditional pastor who demands that man choose between Jobst and God. |
| Zoe Farnsworth: | Jobst's first sweetheart, now his sister- in-law. She sees evil in those plagued by God's wrath. |
| God: | All knowing, all-powerful ... |
Staging Summary
| The play is performed on a single set -- a private room for the imminently dying at the Asher Hospice in Laguna Beach, California. Time: Winter. The action encompasses a portion of a single day in three acts. Act I: 11:00 am – Joseph, Sarah, and Angel Act II: Immediately following. All except for God. Act III: Scene 1. Immediately following. All. Scene 2. Immediately following. All except for God. |