A plot to steal a safe full of money and get out of a small town lead to only $600 and a car in a play reading on Wednesday.

“GOLD AND COCAINE” by Sally Jane Kerchen-Sheppard was picked for the 10th annual New Works Play Reading.

The play told the story of Woody and Roy Lynn in a their get-rich-quick plot, which would lead Woody to make money and get out of his “one-horse town” in Texas.

Woody, played by Jake Cole, a freshman theatre arts major, was in his early 20s with a high school education and wanted to leave town before starting work at a local meat packing plant.

Caitlin Woody, a freshman communication disorders and sciences major, said she thought their plan was funny and could see people trying it in real life.

“You want to think of the most dramatic way to get where you want to go,” Woody said.

Jeffrey Tangeman, a professor of theatre arts and the director of “GOLD AND COCAINE,” said the play’s idea is how people plan on getting out of their towns.

“I think one of the things the play wright is trying to tell us with this, is to put a humorous spin on the people who try so desperately to get of where they are and sometimes forget how good they have it,” Tangeman said.

Roy Lynn, played by Grant Molen, a junior theatre arts major, just wanted to take his cut and give it to his mother and get tires for his truck.

Their plan was to break into the safe of the local dentist office, which sources told them contained gold and cocaine, was full of comic moments.

The comic relief came from scenes when Woody was annoyed by his long-time best friends antics. These antics included Roy Lynn restlessly asking questions, humming the “Jeopardy” theme song and spinning in the office chair.

When they can not open the safe, Woody and Roy Lynn try to come up with a plan by getting high on laughing gas and pills around the office.

When dentist Dr. Delmar Ralph, played by Vince Dill, a graduate student, shows up and eventually tells them where to get the combination, as long as they leave him to commit suicide by laughing gas, Woody finds that what is in the safe is not what he thought.

“How much gold do you think a person needs to make a tooth?” Dill said as Dr. Ralph. “Gold bricks? HA!”

Morgan Gardner, a sophomore biology major, said she thought the plan of escaping by robbing the local dentist was ridiculous.

“It is an out there concept that you would think a dentist would have enough money to be able to get out of town,” Gardner said.

LaJuan Berry, a freshman biology major, said she thought Woody and Roy Lynn’s plot was comical.

“It’s a small town and if you have his car, they are going to know it was you,” Berry said.

The idea of the need to escape this town was shown through Woody’s depression and resignation after seeing the contents of the safe.

Cole as Woody sighs, “It’s over. The whole point of this was to sell the gold and cocaine, get rich, and get out of town. Now it is over.”

Woody also said later, “I just really wanted out, you know? I thought this was my big chance. I’m stuck here forever I guess.”

Nick Shaw, a professor of theatre arts, read the stage directions during the play reading.

Cole said he thought the idea of trying to get out of a small town connects with the audience members.

“Especially when you are doing it in a town like Charleston, it probably hits home more than it would in places like L.A.,” Cole said.

Tangeman said he thinks the play does a good job of showing the relationships of the characters.

“I think we see that in Woody’s journey, he shows up he’s kind of annoyed by his friend Roy Lynn, and is working so hard to get this gold and this money and get out of town. When all that falls apart, the one thing he has to rely on is the one thing he finds to be inconvenient and annoying from the beginning, and that is his friend.”

Cole said he liked his characters journey.

“I think my favorite part is seeing the struggle of trying to get out of the situation he is in and the cruddy way he goes about doing that,” Coles said. “It is comical but it is true and sad at the same time.”

Samantha McDaniel can be reached at 581-2812 or slmcdaniel@eiu.edu.