Tape is a 1999play byStephen Belber.[1] The piece premiered and was produced by Access Theater in Tribeca, NY in 1999. Next it was produced at theActors Theatre of Louisville as part of the 2000Humana Festival of New American Plays.[2] It was later filmed byRichard Linklater asTape starringEthan Hawke,Robert Sean Leonard, andUma Thurman.[3] It followsclassical unities of action, time and space, featuring three characters in a singleplot regarding their differing perspectives of past events, in one unbroken period of real-time, in a single motel room set.
Tape is set in a motel room inLansing, Michigan. Vince, an outgoingdrug dealer/volunteer firefighter, is in town to support his old high school friend's entry into the Lansingfilm festival.
His friend,documentaryfilmmaker Jon Saltzman, joins Vince in his motel room and the two begin to reminisce about their high school years. They get on the subject of Amy Randall, Vince's former girlfriend. It appears that whilst they dated for some time, Vince and Amy never hadsex. However, after their relationship had ended, Amy had slept with Jon. Naturally, Vince was hurt even though he and Amy had broken up some time previously.
Vince claims Amy had told him that Jon haddate raped her. Vince becomes obsessed with, and eventually succeeds in getting a verbal confession from Jon about the alleged rape. Immediately after Jon's admission, Vince pulls out a hiddentape recorder that had been recording their whole conversation, much to Jon's horror. Vince then tells Jon that he has invited Amy to dinner, and that she will be arriving shortly.
Eventually Amy does arrive and even though all three of them feel awkward, they begin to talk. Amy explains that she is now anAssistant District Attorney in the Lansing Justice Department. Eventually the three discuss what actually happened between Jon and Amy that night at the party.
Amy claims that it was merely rough sex and that Jon did not rape her, leading Jon to believe that she is in denial. After Jon becomes annoyed that Amy is refusing to accept his apology, Amy makes a call with hercell phone to the localpolice. She asks for a squad car to pick up one person in possession ofdrugs (Vince), and one in relation to a verifiable rape (Jon). After concluding her phone call, Amy warns the men that they only have about four minutes to make a run for it.
In order to prove to Amy that he is truly remorseful, Jon decides to stay and wait for the police. Vince flushes hisnarcotics down the toilet.
Amy reveals that she didn't really call the police, and leaves.