Magentlemen

Johannes Temm, Sam Rose-Davidoff,

Script:

Jack Bulger, Aidan Lambiotte

Scene 1: Childhood - Sam Rose-Davidoff

Narrator: (Yojo Temper) Sheamus Okey is 10 years old. He was born in New York City on
January 3, 1864. His parents met after they emigrated from Ireland following the Potato Famine
of 1848. Seamus family lives in a collapsing tenement house, and both parents work in factories.
Seamus makes some money fixing shoes for his neighbors.
Seamus: (Enters into living room, sits down, he has a hard thinking look on his face.)
Pa: Whats wrong wit yeh?
Seamus: Nutin Pa.
Pa: Nah I sees the look on yer face, whats ta matter, get it out!
Seamus: (Faintly) I dont understand.
Pa: Speak up son.
Seamus: (Louder than needed) Why do we live in this gawdy awful place!??
Pa: (Shocked expression) Well thats one way to pu it! (pause) I think its the bloody damned
rich men.
Seamus: (With a questioning look on his face) Whatd they do?
Pa: They hold all the money. The immigrants cant get any of it cause they hold too damn tight!
Ive told you enough about this, yer just a kid. If you keep that shoe-makin goin, you could
help take down the rich man and help out the immigrant people.
Seamus: Pa, if I ever get a factory, Ill treat my people real good.
Pa: You best do just that, son. Even deh factory I be workin in should be a lot better. And it is
one of deh best in deh state. We have one of deh first basic safety systems! And deh money! Us
immigrants make way less.
Seamus: Its sorta sad.
Pa: Yeah (sigh) It is.

Scene 2 : Factory - Aidan Lambiotte

Magentlemen
Narrator: ( Johannes Temper) Seamus is now 19, and owns an expanding shoe making and
fixing business. He employs almost a hundred workers, mainly immigrants. His advisor, Mr.
Covey has yelled at, and hurt immigrant workers.
Seamus: Now you listen here Covey, I demand we treat each and every one of dem workers
down there with the same amount of respect. Whether theyre from the slums of Italy or the
slums of Ireland, you hear me? You're in da same damn boat as dem are I tells ya, deyre as
human as you are.
Covey: Yessir, I...I try and treat everyone the same but you know how it is, with those damn
Chinese! We have more new workers than ever now that we're hiring from other factories. wit
deh awful conditions in those factories, those bastards come crawling right to us! (with growing
desperation) Look, I'm sorry sir, it won't happen again.
Seamus: You're damn right it wont! You know what these people go home to?! Do you? They
go home to foul conditions. Mr. Covey, look at all those hardworking souls, don't they deserve to
be able to improve their own lives?
Covey: Yessir! (stuttering) Of course sir!
Seamus: Well then Mr. Covey, why have I gotten so many complaints about how you treat our
employees? Calling them scum and other riff-raff! Im ashamed of you.
Covey: No sir..sir you don't understand I get angry when I see them not workin hard..Yea, thats
it! I have to yell at dem sir...or else they could cheat you sir.. we wouldn't want that!
Seamus: Covey, I'm sick and tired of ya excuses, these poor people get enough belittlin by the
general public already, they don't need it at the workplace. This is supposed to be a place of
sanction for them, a safe haven where they don't have t fear bein beaten or ridiculed.
Covey: But sir.. ISeamus: (cutting Covey off) No, Mr. Covey I'm gonna have to ask ya to leave and not return, get
your things.
Covey: Damn you, Damn you you're damned Seamus, Damned to hell! You will pay, Trust
me...(chuckling) you will pay.(Covey leaves stage)
Scene 3: Rich Man - Johannes Temm
Narrator: (Jack the Rabbit) Seamus is now 24, and has expanded his business to a large
factory with almost 700 workers. He is holding rallies for better working conditions, and talking

Magentlemen
to government officials as well. Seamus pays his workers good, liveable wages, and has safety
measures in his factory. Richy Rich Richard confronts Seamus for stealing his workers,
because they leave him to go to work at Seamus factory. They are also trying to organize unions,
to get better working conditions and good wages like in Sheamus factory.
Seamus: Ya bastard! I wont stop so you can get more money!
Rich: Im a bastard, and youre a thief.
Seamus: Thief ?!! Your people have nutin! Dey come runnin to me!
Rich: Those people are nothing. I dont give a damn about them.
Seamus: Dose people have names!
Rich: (fake sincerity) Like I care?
Seamus: No, ya dont! Ya only care about yerself.
Rich: Youre right. Frankly, I dont give a damn about those immigrants.
Seamus: And I dont give a damn what you think. [pause]
Rich: Look, I have more money than you. I can buy the court, and I can buy the council. So you
best get out of my way, and stay out of my way. If you dont, bad things might happen.
Seamus: Is dat a threat?
Rich: Take it any way you want, but get outta my face.
Seamus: This is my factory. (In defiance)
Rich: You call this a factory? Three, four, hundred employees? Its no factory, its trash. Just like
you. What are you thinking? Been drinking too much whiskey? You dirty potato farmer! Go back
to Ireland! Your factory is the worst waste of money Ive seen since the Civil War!
Seamus: And still its bloody well better than yours. Yer factories be falling apart all the time.
these people deserve better lives. (Pause, desperate, irritated). Sixty five percent of all people in
New York City right now are immigrants. Each and every one of dem go to work every day for
sometimes 14 hours. Dey breathes in dust, dey cuts themselves, dey die every day when
buildings collapse and fires overtake them!. Its not fair. Ya dont take care of yer people. Its not
right!
Rich: And yet, Im the richest man in the room.
Seamus: You have money, but ya have no morals.
Rich: Morals mean nothing.
Seamus: Get out of my factory you soulless scum!

Magentlemen
Rich: Im not soulless, Im rich. And Ill get you good one of these days.
Seamus: Begone with yeh!

Scene 4: City Council - Jack Bulger

Narrator: (Yojo Temper) This scene takes place just a few weeks after the last one. Seamus is
concerned for the immigrants and is trying to change working conditions and promote new labor
laws within the city council.
(Seamus enters scene and walks up to two councilmen, who shake his hand.)
Councilman#1: Nice to meet you, Mr
Seamus: The names Okey, Seamus Okey.
Councilman#2: Mr. Okey, what can we do for you today?

Magentlemen
Seamus: Well...see, I run a factory in the city, where I manufacture and repair shoes. In my
experience, workers in factories are not given proper protection. Just the other day, I was walking
by a hall in which many of my workers were toiling away, and I saw one of my managers
abusing workers! Hes gone now, cause he treated the workers only as tools of the factory. It is
not fair or businesslike to treat em like that! I keep my factory clean and treat my workers fair,
but in other factories, dis is not da case. Deyre buildings have no fire escapes, waste disposal,
and workers are locked inside! (Enthusiasm) Sometin needs to be done about dis situation, and
the factories need regulations, for da safety of evryone!
CM#1: Well, it seems to me that work conditions are not top priority for Tammany Hall at this
point, I dont think theres anything we can do about that right now. What do you want us to do,
anyway?
Seamus: Change the labor laws, set building regulations, make minimum wages, or anything
you can. Immigrants need to have better lives both in and out of their work.
CM#2: Hmm, I dont think we really are in the business of fixing the problems of the individual
like that, we need to focus on the important things right now, such as the welfare of the top
leaders of Tammany. From there, we can get down to the smaller issues.
(Richy Richard enters scene)
Rich: Sounds like a plan, Mr. Okey
Seamus: Rich? Whatre ye doing here?
Rich: The question is, What are you doing here? You are the reason my workers are trying to
unionize. Do you know what this could do to to ME? To America?
Seamus: It will fix the system. America is broken, and this will fix it!
CM#1: Ok, ok, lets get back on track.
CM#2: Yes. Where were we? (Remembers, looks around) We need to start at the important parts
if we want to fix the less important parts. Leaders and Officers of the government are the first
priority.
Seamus: Yes, well da people in da higher offices are not in need of help! Dey already are rich
and need virtually notin! They can buy anything they want themselves! If theres anything we
need to be doing, its helping out da people who dont have a lot of power, dey are da ones dat,
together, will make our city great!

Magentlemen
Rich: They are the least powerful, and the least important. Why help them? Lets help ourselves,
so later, we might be able to maybe help them.
CM#1: We will consider your point (Points to Richy Richard) and, (Hesitates, points to Seamus)
your statement.
Seamus: Tank ya, good sirs. Ill await your response.
Rich: Make the right choice! Dont change the labor laws!
CM#1: We will send messages to both of you to inform you about building regulations and/or
labor laws.
Seamus: Good Day! gentlemen (Shakes hands and leaves).
Rich: I have money, if you want some. $500 right now, both of you.
CM#1: Really? Why?
Rich: You know exactly why.
Cm#1: No I dontRich: Yes you do. Dont so much as think about that Seamus. Dont contact him, and dont let
him contact you. And dont change those labor laws. See?
CM#2: I like the way you think. Its a deal. (Shakes hands)
Narrator: ( Yojo Temper) Seamus never receives his much-wanted message. He lives the rest of
his life pushing for more rights and better labor laws for the poor people, like he once was. Labor
laws and minimum wage were not enforced until the 1920-30s. Minimum wage itself was not
nationally regulated until 1938.

Sam Rose Davidoff, Aidan Lambiotte,

Jack Bulger and Johannes Temm
Task 3:
4 Scenes:
Scene 1
Seamus as a child: asking father about why immigrants are treated badly.
Shows his intelligence somehow, shows him fixing shoes.
Scene 2
Seamus older, talking to advisor about demanding more rights, shows factory.
Shown how well Seamus treats his workers. Also shows discrimination against immigrants.

Magentlemen
Scene 3
Rich businessman tries to shut down Seamus. Seamus preservers.
Murder attempt.
Scene 4
Shows Seamus taking problem to a council or court. Offered government jobs and money to stop,
declines, etc.
Task 4/5:
Narrator - Yojo Temper and Jack the Rabbit
Seamus Okey - Sam Rosiness
Rich Businessman - Yojo Temper
Advisor/Comrade broski - Aidan Lamborghini
Pa - Jack the Rabbit
Councilman # 1 - Jack the Rabbit
Councilman # 2 - Aidan Lamborghini

Seamus Okey, born in New York City, 1864.

Parents were forced to move as a result of the potato famine in Ireland.
At age 9, he begins repairing shoes in his tenement house for around a penny.
After years of difficult work, he employs some of his friends to work with him.
After 8 years of hard work, he scales his business up, and purchases a factory.
Seamus employs 800 to 900 people in his factory, at age 19.
He is from a poor background, and so he cares more about the immigrants than many

other rich factory owning men.

Seamus spends money on making working conditions in his factory better.
He promotes national change in favor of improving working conditions. Seamus is
stopped by rich corrupt businessmen, who would lose money from increasing working
conditions.

Magentlemen

Magentlemen