The Heidi Chronicles

ACT 1

Prologue: A lecture hall. New York 1989

Heidi is in front of a screen, giving a lecture about painting (Sofonisba Anguissola, considered the
first woman painter, Italian). There is no trace of another prior woman paintor [ROLE OF
WOMEN]. Clara Peeters, Lily Martin Spencer.

Connects a painting with her feelings at a high-school dance (In fact this is the next setting)

SCENE 1: Chicago 1965 High-school dance

2 girls (16 years), talking about boys (SUSAN and HEIDI): Susan seems more interested in boys,
Heidi thinks they are all dressed in the same style and Susan unbuttons her sweater to give a good
first impression.

Susan does not want to be all together because it seems they just want to be together, if they
separate boys will approach, Men dont want to dance with desperate women

Susan rolls up her skirt it is too long

HEIDI: Susan, there is absolutely no difference between you and me and him. (EQUIALITY,
FEMINIST) (Except that he can twist and smoke at the same time and we can get out of gym with
an excuse called I have my monthly

Shes alienated she does not care about her friend, she just wants to be pretty for boys. Susan goes
to talk to a boy and Heidi begins to read.

A boy approaches (PETER) You look so bored, you must be very bright. I appreciate bored people.
Bored, depressed, anxious. These are the qualities I look for in a woman. PASSIVE, to protect

They are quite alike and have similar hobbies and tastes Will you marry me? HEIDI: I covet
to my independence (INDEPENDENT) PETER: If we cant marry, lets be great friends.

The scene ends with them dancing.

SCENE 2: Manchester, New Hampshire 1968

Another dance. A boy talks to her (she is not interested) and she gives him her friends name
(SUSAN), irritating guy, grades everything, dropped college, arrogant, confident, insistent.

Scoop: [] demanding equal rights, equal pay, equal orgasms?

Heidi: All people deserve to fulfill their potential

The he asks her to have sex with with and she refuses.

Scoop: Pretty soon youll be burning bras (BECOME A RADICAL FEMINIST)

Heidi: Maybe Ill go hog wild
He kisses her and she follows him.

SCENE 3: Church basement in Ann Arbor, Michigan 1970

Hippie group / Feminist group

Jill: There was one person I had completely forgotten to take care of [] Jill

Fran (More rude, radical): We grow up on Father knows best (PATRIARCHAL) and we think we
have rights! (LESBIAN)

Becky is abused by her boyfriend, Jill offers help (SISTERHOOD)

Heidi does not want to talk about private things, does not want to answer if she shaves her legs or
not but Jill thinks that personal means that it is wrong and you do not want to talk about it.

Fran: Every woman in this room has been taught that the desires and dreams of her husband, son
or boss are more important than her own. And the only way to turn that around is for us, right
here to try to make what we want, what we desire to be(To make the difference) [] nothings
going to change until we really start talking to each other (COMMUNICATION IS IMPORTANT)

Heidi is infatuated with the guy she met in the last scene although she knows he dates other women,
he is an idiot but she drops anything to see him (Even a date with her friends). Because he is
charismatic Male before female.

Heidi: When I need him hes aloof. But if I decide to get better and leave him, hes unbelievably
attentive [] The problem is me. I could make a better choice. Like Peter. (REPRESSED, but she
knows it)

Singing. RESPECT.

SCENE 4 Chicago , Art institute 1974

riot? Women artists excluded from this exhibition No more master penises.

Peter respect their movement.

Heidi has stopped seeing Scoop but she still has sex with him. PETER: You can separate sexual
needs from emotional dependencies.

Susan has become a lesbian and Peter is homosexual. They meet Mark (un ligue de Peter) and they
march together.

SCENE 5: New York, 1977 Scoops wedding: Ballroom (26 years)

Lisa (Scoops wife) I always wanted to be a mom, I guess thats pretty embarrassing (BECAUSE
OF THE FEMINIST MOVEMENT and because shes also a successful woman)

P. 197 Men just get a reaction when they feel competitive

Scoop did not want to marry Lisa, he thinks is Heidis fault. He wanted Heidi to devote her life to
him (Just like Marty) she prefers Heidi over Lisa, he did not want a woman to compete with him in
work.

Says her generation of open-minded woman are usually disappointed and unhappy.

Heidi begins to cry when one song is played Are you guarding the chips? and they kiss I love
you Heidi

Heidi is writing a book of essays on art and women

ACT 2 (All in New York)

Prologue: A lecture hall, 1989 Same lecture on womens paintors

SCENE 1: Scoops and Lisas apartment 1980 (3 years later)

Lisa is pregnant, babys party, gifts (Denise, Lisas sister).

Heidi has been living in England and she has published her book. Scoop is having affairs and
everybody sees it like a normal thing, they know Lisa knows but they dont tell her to do something.

SCENE 2: A TV studio (Where Susan works), 1982

Hello New York Scoops opinion, Heidis book and women in art and medican opinion of
Peter.

If we ask woman to compromise then well have to do the same to men.

Both men are constantly interrupting Heidi. They laugh because she did not say anything HEIDI:
You two should become regulars here. The cynic and the idealist.

SCENE 3: A restaurant, 1984

Susan broke up with his boyfriend, a married man (Like Harriet) because she wanted to keep her
options open (She may want to have children)

Susan does not know who she is because she has been so many things. Heidi wanted to talk alone to
Susan but Denise is there too. They want to do a series about women and art but Heidi does not
want to. A sitcom.

SCENE 4: The Plaza Hotel, 1986

SCENE 5: A pediatrics ward 1987

SCENE 6: An apartment 1989