Play 49: Just One Idea

CHARACTERS
BEN, 17
LAURA, 20

(They sit in a tent, the inside is covered with multi-colored blankets.)

BEN
Come on, just give me one idea.

LAURA
Like what?

BEN
Anything.

LAURA
I can’t think of anything,

BEN
Try harder.

LAURA
Isn’t this your scene?

BEN
Come on, just help me out.

LAURA
Okay (beat.) you could do that story with my friend Danna I told you about earlier.

BEN
Nah.

LAURA
Why?

BEN
Wouldn’t work really.

LAURA
Come on, it’s hilarious.

BEN
Not out of context.

LAURA
Then make context.

BEN
Nah. Give me another one.

LAURA
I dunno (pause.) donkeys?

BEN
Donkeys?

LAURA
Yeah, write about donkeys and their, uhh (beat.) primordial girth.

BEN
(confused)
What?

LAURA
Their primordial girth.

BEN
No, I heard you. Just what the fuck are you talking about?

LAURA
I dunno.

BEN
You suck at ideas.

LAURA
Screw you, it’s your scene, you think of an idea.

(She gets up to leave.)

BEN
Hey, wait!

(She leaves the tent.)

BEN
(yelling after her.) Wait! Come Back! Your ideas are great! Just one more!

(He leaves the tent.)

(Blackout.)

Play 48: Now?

CHARACTERS
BEN, 17
SEAN, 17

(They sit around a coffee table playing cards. There is a notebook with a pencil on it resting to the side.)

SEAN
So no luck with today’s scene?

BEN
Nope.

SEAN
Don’t have any ideas?

BEN
Do I ever?

SEAN
Sometimes.

(Beat.)

(Ben nods his head.)

BEN
Sometimes. (Beat.) And, it’s just been hard to write since I don’t have any free time.

SEAN
That’s too bad.

BEN
Yeah. I’m busy all day going all around Morocco, I mean it’s really cool and all, just taxing.

SEAN
I know what you mean. (beat.) Wait, Morocco?

BEN
Yeah.

SEAN
I thought you were in Senegal.

BEN
I will be, I’m in Morocco a few days first.

SEAN
Okay (beat.) Wait a minute, if I’m here talking to you, how do I not know where you are?

BEN
Umm…

SEAN
And you realize this is the third straight “play” where you’re the main character.

BEN
I know.

SEAN
I mean, you’re not even pulling that weird Vincent thing, you’re just straight up being the main character.

BEN
As I said, I’ve been busy.

SEAN
Nice excuse.

(Ben starts reaching into his coat.)

SEAN
And don’t even think of trying to shank me.

(Ben’s hand stops mid-path and moves away from the coat.)

SEAN
Come on, like you could really fool me? I kow you better than that.

BEN
I know.

SEAN
And what the hell kind of character am I? I have no personality, I’m just your negative thoughts and stuff.

BEN
Tell me something I don’t know.

(Pause.)

SEAN
So if you’re not going to shank me, how are you gonna end this?

BEN
No idea.

SEAN
Well you have to think of something.

BEN
What if I just end it now?

SEAN
Now?

BEN
Yeah.
(Beat.)
Why not?

SEAN
There’s no sense of closure or any reason to make it end now.

BEN
So?

SEAN
I dunno, seems like there should be.

BEN
Maybe.

SEAN
So are you gonna end it?

BEN
Now?

SEAN
Now.

BEN
Yup.

SEAN
Really?

BEN
Yeah.

(Blackout.)

Play 47: Priceless

CHARACTERS
BEN, 17

(He stands in the middle of an empty stage.)

BEN
Breakfast (beat.) 10 dollars.
(pause.)
lunch (beat.) 8 dollars.
(pause.)
A coke and a bag of chips at a gas station (beat.) 1 dollar.
(pause.)
Some bread bought in a market-place (beat.) 2 dollars.
(pause.)
8 plates made by highly skilled craftsmen (beat.) 200 dollars.
(pause.)
Dinner (beat.) 12 dollars.
(pause.)
A bottle of water (beat.) 1 dollar.
(pause.)
Getting my scene written before midnight.
(beat.)
That is, holding a gun to a random man’s head until he wrote a scene for me (beat.) priceless.
(Pause.)
That is, or a several thousand dollar fine and 2-5 years in solitary confinement (beat.) if caught.
(pause.)
So uh, yeah, I probably should be doing about now.

(He pauses for a second, and then runs offstage.)

(Blackout.)

Play 46: To the Movie Theater!

CHARACTERS
BEN, 17
WILL, 16

WILL
So 17 ehh?

BEN
Yup.

WILL
How you feel?

BEN
Tired.

WILL
Why?

BEN
I’ve slept about 2 hours in the last 24.

WWILL
That would explain it.

BEN
Yup.

WILL
So 17.

BEN
Yeah.

WILL
Feel any different?

BEN
Nope.

WILL
You sure?

BEN
Unless the tiredness is from that and not lack of sleep.

WILL
So no.

BEN
Yeah.

WILL
That’s too bad.

BEN
Not really.

WILL
How so?

BEN
It always happens.

WILL
True.

BEN
You never feel different or older or anything.

WILL
That’s true I guess.

BEN
Yeah.

WILL
Still too bad though.

BEN
Yup.

WILL
There’s always one upside though.

BEN
Yeah?

WILL
You can go to any movie you want now if you know what I mean.

BEN
To the movie theater!

(They laugh.)

(Pause.)

WILL
So no different?

BEN
Nope.

WILL
That’s a shame.

BEN
Yup.

(Blackout.)

Play 45: Just a Story

CHARACTERS
JOHN, early 20s
HANNAH, early 20s

(He’s sitting at a table in a small coffee shop typing on a laptop. She walks over to his table.)

HANNAH
Mind if I sit down?

JOHN
(Without pausing his typing.)
No, go ahead.

(She sits and sips her coffee silently for a few seconds.)

HANNAH
So, what you working on?

JOHN
Writing.

HANNAH
What?

JOHN
Nothing much, just a story.

HANNAH
Oh, cool! What’s it about?

(She leans over to look at the screen, he pulls it away.)

JOHN
Sorry, just, I don’t like people seeing my writing while I’m working on it.

HANNAH’
Don’t worry about it. (Pause.) So what’s it about?

JOHN
Nothing much.

HANNAH
Come on, you can tell me.

JOHN
I’m not really sure yet.

HANNAH
Not even a general idea?

JOHN
It’s a long story.

HANNAH
I’ve got time.

JOHN
Sorry, but, I really need to get this done.

HANNAH
Okay.

(Pause, she sips her coffee, he types.)

HANNAH
How much longer you think you’ll be writing for?

JOHN
I dunno (beat.) a while.

HANNAH
Okay. (Pause.) Well, anyways, I probably should go.

JOHN
Okay.

HANNAH
It was nice talking to you though.

JOHN
Yeah (beat.) you too.

(She starts to get up, then takes out a pen and scribbles something on a napkin and leaves it on the table before leaving.)

(He sits typing in silence for a few seconds.)

(He looks up and notices the napkin. He picks it up and glances over it.)

JOHN
Hmm, a phone number. (beat.) She must’ve forgotten it.

(He puts the napkin down and goes back to typing.)

(Fade out.)

Play 44: Africa

IMPORTANT NOTE BEFORE TODAY’S SCENE:
I am going to be gone for around three weeks and won’t have regular access to the internet (or a computer for that matter). I will be continuing with my play a day, but I won’t be able to post them every day. I’m going to try to go to internet cafes occasionally and might put up some of my scenes when I do, I’ll see how it goes. So anyways, this will be my last scene I’ll be posting for at least a few days, who knows how long—as I said, I might put up a few at a time in a few day apart intervals, but no promises. If I don’t put up any while I’m gone I’ll type them up when I get back and post them (it might take me a few days to type them all up—I’m using a notebook while I’m gone, not a computer) so eventually I’ll have them all up.

CHARACTERS
VINCENT, 16
SAM, 16

(They are sitting on the stairs outside of a school.)

SAM
That’s intense.

VINCENT
Yeah.

SAM
So when you leaving?

VINCENT
Today.

SAM
Shit.

VINCENT
Yeah.

SAM
You must be excited.

(Beat.)

VINCENT
Yeah.

SAM
Why the pause?

VINCENT
I dunno, I mean, I am really excited. (Beat.) But at the same time I’m kinda nervous.

SAM
Makes sense. I mean, you are going to fucking Africa.

VINCENT
Yeah.

(Beat.)

SAM
Senegal, right?

VINCENT
Yeah.

SAM
You shouldn’t be worried, it’s gonna be amazing.

VINCENT
I know. (Beat.) It’s going to be amazing and incredible and who knows, maybe even life changing and all that shit. I know that, but at the same time (beat.) I guess it’s just hard to believe.

SAM
Yeah, I mean, how could you imagine it really.

VINCENT
Exactly. It should be really awesome though.

SAM
Definetely.

VINCENT
Yeah. (Beat.) I just have no idea what to expect at all, you know?

SAM
Yeah.

VINCENT
And, I guess that’s just a little scary.

SAM
Yup.

VINCENT
And, I dunno, I almost just wish I could rest this break, and, while it should be really interesting this trip is anything but relaxing.

SAM
So what? Isn’t it worth trading relaxing for a potentially amazing experience?

VINCENT
Yeah.

SAM
Then just don’t think about it so much. It’s gonna be awesome and you’ll have a great time, that’s all you have to know.

VINCENT
Yeah.

(Pause.)

What you doing over break?

SAM
Chilling at home.

VINCENT
Nice.

SAM
Yup.

(Blackout.)

Play 43: Change

CHARACTERS
JAMES, 23
JASON, 22

(James is standing at the door in an apartment, his back to it, and there are bags on the floor next to him. Jason is standing a few feet away.)

JASON
Shit man.

JAMES
Yeah.

JASON
So you’re really leaving?

JAMES
Yeah.

JASON
Shit. I can’t believe it.

JAMES
Me neither. I can never process shit like this until it happens, it’ll probably hit me when I get to my new place in New York.

JASON
Yeah.

JAMES
Guess I’m just not good with change.

JASON
Same here.

(Beat.)

You sure you gotta go?

JAMES
Yeah, I wish I could stay, but this job offer’s to good to pass up.

JASON
Yeah, I understand. (Beat.) Still sucks though.

JAMES
Yeah.

JASON
Well, it’s been good being housemates, or (beat.) apartment (beat.) mates.

(They laugh.)

JAMES
Definetely.

(He reaches his hand out for a handshake.)

JASON
Come on man.

(He laughs.)

(James leans forward and they embrace.)

JASON
Well, hope the job goes well. And enjoy New York and shit.

JAMES
Thanks. Good luck with everything too.

JASON
Thanks.

(James looks down at his watch.)

JAMES
Shit, I should go, don’t want to miss my flight.

JASON
Okay. Well, take it easy.

JAMES
You too.

JASON
And keep in touch, okay?

JAMES
Yeah, of course.

JASON
I’ll hold you to it.

JAMES
Same for you.

JASON
Have a good flight.

JAMES
Thanks.

(Pause.)

JASON
Well, what are you waiting for?

JAMES
I dunno. Just hard to imagine leaving, been here forever it feels like.

JASON
Yeah, it’s gonna be weird without you around. But you’ll have a great time, you’ll have your job and I mean, shit man, it’s fucking New York!

JAMES
Yeah.

JASON
And don’t worry about me, I’ll be alright here.

JAMES
I know, you always are.

JASON
Yeah.

JAMES
Well (Beat.) See you later.

JASON
Yeah, maybe I’ll visit you out there sometime.

JAMES
Yeah, that’d be cool. (Beat.) Bye.

JASON
Bye.

(They embrace again. Jason gets the door and James picks up his bags. He exits, and Jason shuts the door behind him.)

(He pauses, and looks around the apartment for a few seconds.)

JASON
Man, change sucks.

(He walks over to the couch and flops onto it.)

(Blackout.)