Play 70: Sleep Is Good

CHARACTERS
BEN, 17
RICHARD, 17

(they’re sitting on a couch in front of a TV, Ben has a computer on his lap.)

RICHARD
You look like shit man.

BEN
Really?

RICHARD
Yeah.

BEN
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.

RICHARD
Not sleeping much?

BEN
Nope. Still adjusting to being back in school and I was up till 4 last night.

RICHARD
Yeah.

(beat.)

Go to sleep man.

BEN
Yeah.

(beat.)

Just gotta finish this scene.

RICHARD
Just go to sleep, you need it.

BEN
I know.

RICHARD
So put the computer down.

BEN
Can’t.

RICHARD
You easily could.

BEN
I know.

RICHARD
So go to sleep.

BEN
In a bit.

RICHARD
Why not now?

BEN
I have to write.

RICHARD
No you don’t.

BEN
I do.

RICHARD
But you have to sleep too.

BEN
Yeah, but not now.

RICHARD
Well you don’t have to write now.

BEN
Look, every second I’m talking to you is another second I’m not writing my scene and another second before I go to sleep.

RICHARD
You aren’t writing it though.

BEN
Not since I’ve been talking to you.

RICHARD
Not before either.

BEN
I was just about to.

RICHARD
Then do it.

BEN
I will.

(Pause, Ben stares at his computer screen but doesn’t type anything.)

RICHARD
I can see it’s coming along nicely.

BEN
Shut up.

RICHARD
Just go to sleep.

BEN
I told you I can’t!

(beat.)

RICHARD
Can I see your computer for a second?

BEN
Why?

RICHARD
Just let me see it.

(beat.)

BEN
(confused.)
Umm, okay.

(he hands Richard the computer.)

(Richard pushes a button it.)

BEN
Hey! Why did you turn it off?

RICHARD
Go to sleep.

(Ben pushes a button.)

RICHARD
Come on, just leave it off and go to sleep.

BEN
Can’t.

RICHARD
Whatever man.

(Ben stares at his computer screen, Richard watches the TV.)

BEN
Goddamn it.

(Fade out.)

Play 69: I Got Nothing

CHARACTERS
BEN, 17
WILL, 17

(They’re sitting at a table talking.)

BEN
I got nothing.

WILL
What’s that in reference to?

BEN
I don’t know, everything I guess.

WILL
Like what?

BEN
No ideas for my scene for one.

WILL
Isn’t that pretty much how it always is?

BEN
Well yeah.

(beat.)

But I also have no time to do the scene, nothing of the mental energy I need to write it, no sleep in the last few days.

WILL
Wow, that’s kind of intense.

BEN
Well, not none, or even close to none, but, not enough. You know.

WILL
Yeah.

BEN
What am I going to do?

WILL
I don’t know.

BEN
You sure?

WILL
Yeah.

BEN
No ideas?

WILL
No.

BEN
Fuck.

WILL
Yeah.

(Blackout.)

Play 68: Sleep

CHARACTERS
BEN, 17
SLEEP

(Ben is lying on a couch watching TV. He is typing on a laptop that is resting on his stomach.)

(Sleep enters.)

SLEEP
Hey.

BEN
Hey.

SLEEP
Long time no see.

BEN
Yeah.

SLEEP
Wanna hang out?

BEN
Maybe in a bit, I’m kinda busy right now.

SLEEP
Watching TV is busy?

BEN
I’m trying to write my scene for the day.

SLEEP
Okay. So that’s what you’re typing.

BEN
Yeah. (beat.) or, kinda.

SLEEP
What do you mean?

BEN
Well, I’m talking online right now, but I’ll do the scene in a second.

SLEEP
Can’t you just put ift off, we haven’t hung out enough lately.

BEN
I know, but I gotta do this.

SLEEP
Okay.

(beat.)

But after the scene?

BEN
Well (beat) I need to practice guitar and sax.

SLEEP
Come on, aren’t you tired?

BEN
Well, yeah, but I really need to practice.

SLEEP
Can’t it wait till tomorrow?

BEN
Not really.

SLEEEP
Bu come on, this week I’ve only seen you a few hours and even over break I barely saw you since you were gone and moving around so much.

BEN
I know.

(beat.)

I mean, I’m as sorry about it as you.

SLEEP
Yeah.

(beat.)

But, after the scene and guitar and sax, then we can chill?

BEN
Yeah, sure.

SLEEP
I guess that’s okay.

BEN
Cool, thanks for waiting.

SLEEP
Yeah.

(beat.)

You’re going to regret this tomorrow you know.

BEN
I know.

SLEEP
Okay.

(Beat.)

So get started on that scene soon, okay?

BEN
Yeah, sure.

SLEEP
See you in a bit.

BEN
Hopefully.

SLEEP
Yeah.

(Sleep exits.)

(Ben keeps typing on his computer and watching TV.)

(Fade out.)

Play 67: I’ll Take It

CHARACTERS
IVAN, 17
JONATHAN, 17

(They’re sitting at a table eating lunch.)

IVAN
You ever though of how weird moods are?

JONATHAN
What do you mean?

IVAN
Just how easily they can change.

JONATHAN
yeah, I guess.

IVAN
The slightest thing and you’re mood can change.

JONATHAN
I get what you mean. Like one bad thing can ruin a good day.

IVAN
Yeah.

JONATHAN
That seems to happen more than the opposite.

IVAN
Maybe, but sometimes one good thing can put you in a good mood even when the rest of the day’s sucked.

JONATHAN
True.

IVAN
Or, sometimes nothing even happens.

JONATHAN
What do you mean?

IVAN
Like, you just suddenly feel miserable or ecstatic and you have no idea why.

JONATHAN
Yeah.

IVAN
It’s just weird, makes you wonder how much emotions are based in what happens and how much is random.

JONATHAN
I dunno, I think there’s usually a reason.

IVAN
But, the brains just a giant bundle of wires pretty much. I mean, there’s trillions of neurons and all those things and you have to wonder if sometimes they just misfired and suddenly you’re depressed or something.

JONATHAN
I guess.

(beat.)

And you suddenly brought this up (beat) why?

IVAN
I don’t know, I just find it interesting,

JONATHAN
Do you randomly feel shitty or something?

IVAN
Actually the opposite.

JONATHAN
That’s surprising.

IVAN
Yeah. I have no idea why but I’m suddenly in a good mood.

JONATHAN
Who knows though, maybe one of those neurons is just going crazy.

IVAN
Whatever it is, I’ll take it.

JONATHAN
Yup.

(They go back to eating their lunches.)

(Blackout.)

Play 66: People Are Confusing

CHARACTERS
MAX, 18
ANTHONY, 18

(They’re sitting on the steps to a buiding at night smoking cigarettes. Anthony has a pensive look on his face.)

MAX
What’re you thinking about?

ANTHONY
Nothing much.

MAX
What?

ANTHONY
Just (beat.) people are fucking confusing.

MAX
Yeah. So what happened?

ANTHONY
What do you mean?

MAX
You don’t just bring something like that up without something in particular making you say it.

ANTHONY
What if I’m just saying it? Maybe I’m just thinking.

ANTHONY
Maybe. (beat.) Then again, maybe not.

MAX
It’s just a thought.

ANTHONY
Sure.

MAX
Seriously. I mean, people are confusing, why does something have to have happened to make me say that?

MAX
I don’t know.

ANTHONY
I mean, don’t you agree?

MAX
Yeah.

ANTHONY
Exactly, it’s just true. Do you have some reason to say that?

MAX
No.

ANTHONY
So then why do I need one?

MAX
Cause you’re the one who brought it up.

ANTHONY
So?

MAX
So you probably had a reason to.

ANTHONY
What if I didn’t?

MAX
Not likely.

ANTHONY
Why?

MAX
People generally do things for a reason.

ANTHONY
Sometimes, sometimes we’re just irrational as hell.

MAX
I don’t know about that.

ANTHONY
You even said yourself that people are confusing.

MAX
That was you.

ANTHONY
But you agreed.

MAX
True.

(Pause.)

So really, nothing happened?

ANTHONY
(slightly annoyed.)
No.

MAX
Okay.

(They sit in silence.)

MAX
You’re right.

ANTHONY
What?

MAX
People are fucking confusing.

(Blackout.)

Play 65: The Stages of Exhaustion

CHARACTERS
DANIEL, 20
MATT, 20

(They’re sitting at a table in a café drinking coffee.)

MATT
You look surprisingly awake.

DANIEL
Really?

MATT
Yeah.

DANIEL
That is a little surprising. That I look awake I mean.

MATT
So you’re not?

DANIEL
I’m exhausted.

MATT
Really?

DANIEL
Yeah.

MATT
Funny.

DANIEL
Guess I’m just in that auto-pilot stage of exhaustion.

MATT
What do you mean?

DANIEL
Like, when you’re really tired but you don’t act to differently, you do everything the same and function but are just kind of not there.

MATT
Yeah.

DANIEL
Like, something’s just off, it’s like you’re watching everything happen to you not actually going through it.

MATT
Yeah.

DANIEL
It’s fucking weird.

(He picks up his coffee and takes a sip, in the process he spills on himself.)

MATT
So you’re actions are all completely normal?

DANIEL
I guess I miscalculated. Apparently I’m in the “so tired I act and look like an idiot” stage of exhaustion.

MATT
Yup.

(beat.)

and I take back that “you looking awake” comment from earlier.

DANIEL
Well played.

(he take sip of his coffee.)

See, didn’t spill it that time.

(He puts the cup down, it falls over, spilling over the table.)

(He looks down at the spill.)

MATT
Well played.

DANIEL
Goddamn it.

(He picks up a napkin and starts cleaning the mess up.)

(Fade out.)

Play 64: Cop-Out

NOTE: So i finally have gotten around to putting up all my scenes i wrote while i was gone (this one i actually wrote the day i got home though.) Please forgive typos, i'm sure i have many of them as i typed up all 20ish scenes in two nights, and the majority on the first of those nights, so i didn't really have time to check them over much. Oh, and you might notice i changed a few titles of scenes, namely took out two of the "part 1"s in two scenes of mine as i've since realized at least for the moment i don't think i'm going to keep going with them. Anyways, here they all are.

CHARACTERS
ANNOUNCER, male, 40s
COP-OUT, male, early 20s

(The announcer is standing in the middle of the stage, a spotlight is on him. He is holding a micraphone and his voice is magnified over speakers from all around.)

ANNOUNCER
(his voice booming on the speakers)
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a very special guest appearance tonight.
(Loud applause over the speakers.)
I am pleased to introduce, the one and only, the man who needs no introduction, the man who makes it all happen.
(Beat.)
Ladies and Gentlemen

(Drum roll)

Cop-Out!

(Applause.)

(The spotlight goes away from the announcer as he leaves the stage. A small lanky man enters. He is wearing a black shirt with the letters “Cop Out” written on it in white letters and jeans.)

CO
Hey. So uhh, yeah, Ben didn’t have time to really write anything tonight, but he would like for me to add that he has been traveling for two days and hasn’t slept since nine last night so he could really use sleep. (beat.) Oh, and he did keep up the play a day throughout his African trip so you gotta give him that.
(Pause.)
So uh, I guess that’s it for today’s scene as Ben is too tired, or lazy, whichever one you prefer, to even write one of the weird his-alter-ego-ranting-in-a-pseudo-scene-scenes, so this is all you get tonight.
(Beat.)
Well, I’ll see you all tomorrow again, so get some good sleep. Oh, and sorry for this scene, I guess that goes without seeing though.
(Beat.)
Umm, end scene.
(Beat.)
Seriously.
(Beat.)
Hello?
(Pause.)
Ehh, fuck it.

(He walks offstage, the spotlight follows him on his path.)

(Pause, the spotlight is sitting on an empty patch of stage.)

(Blackout.)