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Re: Three Minute Plays
Thu, December 23, 2004 - 7:47 AMSHE LOOKS JUST LIKE HER MOTHER
a short play
by invicities@yahoo.com
AT RISE: TWO FIREMEN carrying a ladder find their way barred by MY TRAVELING COMPANION as they approach a tree.
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
She isn’t a kitten.
1ST FIREMAN
Ma’am, please—
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
She isn’t a kite.
1ST FIREMAN
Ma’am—
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
She isn’t a crabapple.
1ST FIREMAN
I have to do this—
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
She isn’t—
1ST FIREMAN
I have to do this, it’s what I do, ma’am, please—
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
You can’t—
1ST FIREMAN
Ma’am—
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
You can’t bring a girl down from a tree that way. Not with a ladder. Not from a tree.
(The FIREMEN stop, dumbfounded.)
You can’t.
1ST FIREMAN
But …
2ND FIREMAN
She’s stuck!
GIRL IN MY TREE (from above)
No I’m not!
1ST FIREMAN
But…
2ND FIREMAN
Somebody called!
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
Neighbors. I’m sure they did. And they always mean well.
GIRL IN MY TREE
Go away!
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
Go on home, it’s all right.
(The FIREMEN hesitate.)
Back to your truck.
(The FIREMEN hesitate.)
It’s all right.
GIRL IN MY TREE
Go away!
(The FIREMEN yield ground, exit.)
I meant you! Go away!
(MY TRAVELING COMPANION smiles patiently.)
MY TRAVELING COMPANION (to audience)
Nowadays it’s so hard to know who needs rescuing.
GIRL IN MY TREE
Not me!
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
Ninety-nine percent of all the girls in all the trees in all the world (whispers) aren’t ready to come down until they’re ready to come down.
GIRL IN MY TREE
I heard that!
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
I know whereof I speak! Because once upon a time, I was one of those girls ….
(MY TRAVELING COMPANION starts whistling, walks a lazy circle around the tree, then exits. Some moments pass. GIRL IN MY TREE suddenly drops down out of the tree. She crouches warily, looks around, slowly relaxes and stands.)
GIRL IN MY TREE
Huh. There is no one who can make me come down from any tree until I am ready to come down from that tree. I am not a kitten. I am not a kite. I am a girl.
(GIRL IN MY TREE reaches into her pocket, takes out an apple,
bites into it, triumphant.)
(END) -
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Re: Three Minute Plays
Thu, December 23, 2004 - 7:54 AMSOME PEOPLE SAY THAT SHE IS NOT ONE GIRL, BUT MANY
a short play
by invicities@yahoo.com
At rise: The MAN IN MY BASEMENT is frozen at his closet door, listening.
MAN IN MY BASEMENT
Come out, come out.
(Pause.)
Come out, come out.
(Pause.)
Come out, come out.
(Pause.)
I can hear you breathing.
(Pause.)
I can hear you breathing.
(Pause.)
I can hear your counting. I can hear your fingers moving. You’re counting on your fingers.
(Pause.)
What are you counting?
(Pause.)
Whatever it is, there’s a lot of it.
(Pause.)
Sixty-three. Sixty-four. Sixty-five. Sixty-six. Sixty-seven. Sixty-eight. Sixty-nine. Seventy. Seventy-one. Seventy-two. Seventy-three. Seventy-four. Seventy-five. Seventy-six. Seventy-eight. Seventy-nine. Eighty. Eighty-one. Eighty-two. Eighty-three. Eighty-four—
(The closet door is forced open, pushing the MAN IN MY BASEMENT back with surprising force. The GIRL IN MY CLOSET stands there, glaring.)
GIRL IN MY CLOSET
You’re messing me up.
MAN IN MY BASEMENT
Sorry.
GIRL IN MY CLOSET
You aren’t sorry. That’s a lie.
MAN IN MY BASEMENT
What are you counting?
GIRL IN MY CLOSET
Lies.
MAN IN MY BASEMENT
In my closet?
GIRL IN MY CLOSET
I can hear you quite clearly, you know. Better than you can hear me.
MAN IN MY BASEMENT
But ... I wasn’t even talking.
GIRL IN MY CLOSET
I can hear you think.
MAN IN MY BASEMENT
(Pause.) I wasn’t thinking.
GIRL IN MY CLOSET
Yes you were. (Pause.) You weren’t?
MAN IN MY BASEMENT
No.
GIRL IN MY CLOSET
(Pause.) Well ... but don’t forget, I can hear you.
(She slips back into the closet, closing the door. After a moment, she peeks out again.)
And don’t mess me up.
(Again, she disappears into the closet. The MAN IN MY BASEMENT hesitates. Carefully, quietly, he goes back to the door and listens.)
(END) -
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Re: Three Minute Plays
Thu, December 23, 2004 - 7:56 AMTHE NEXT TIME I SAW HER, IT WAS TWO YEARS LATER
A short play
By invicities@yahoo.com
At Rise: Three FIREMEN, one sitting on a folding chair, one sitting on the ground, the other poking around with a crowbar, at the scene of what had been a fire.
FIREMAN ON CHAIR
Gosh, what a fire. What. A. Fire. All burned up, it is. No remnants of walls. No twists of charred metal. Just ash. Just ash. Just ash. (Pause.) Except for this chair. One chair.
FIREMAN ON GROUND
And a nickel! (Pause.) Found it over there.
FIREMAN ON CHAIR
(Smirks philosophically.) If I had a nickel for every nickel I ever found, I wouldn’t have ten cents.
FIREMAN POKING AROUND
More money!
FIREMAN ON CHAIR
Swell.
FIREMAN ON GROUND
Lemme see! (Inspecting.) These are not coins.
FIREMAN ON CHAIR
Lemme see. (Inspecting.)
FIREMAN POKING AROUND
They’re Canadian.
FIRMAN ON CHAIR
Not Canadian. (Inspecting.) Religious medallions.
FIREMAN POKING AROUND
Oh my.
FIREMAN ON CHAIR
Anything that survives a fire like this is a blessing. Anything. And anyone.
(Silence.)
FIREMAN ON GROUND
Anything and anyone.
FIREMAN POKING AROUND
You’re talking about that girl.
FIREMAN ON GROUND
The one we saw on the roof.
(A hush. They remember.)
FIREMAN POKING AROUND
I didn’t see her.
FIREMAN ON GROUND
I did.
FIREMAN POKING AROUND
But I didn’t.
FIREMAN ON CHAIR
But I did.
(Another hush.)
FIREMAN ON CHAIR
All burned up. All come down. All of this, all around us. All ash.
FIREMAN POKING AROUND
No body. No bones.
FIREMAN ON GROUND
Don’t be a dumbass.
FIREMAN ON CHAIR
What I mean, is it’s a miracle.
(They contemplate the miracle.)
FIREMAN ON CHAIR
Thank god she made it down.
FIREMAN POKING AROUND
She did?
FIREMAN ON GROUND
Thank god she’s all right.
FIREMAN ON CHAIR
Thank god.
FIREMAN ON GROUND
Thank god.
(Pause.)
FIREMAN POKING AROUND
But ... there’s no way she could--
FIREMAN ON GROUND
Sh.
FIREMAN ON CHAIR
(Pause.) It’s a blessing.
FIREMAN ON GROUND
It’s a blessing.
FIREMAN ON CHAIR & FIREMAN ON GROUND
Amen.
(Pause.)
FIREMAN POKING AROUND
Amen.
(END) -
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Re: Three Minute Plays
Thu, December 23, 2004 - 8:04 AMNO ONE WILL EVER LOVE YOU THE WAY THAT YOU LOVE THEM
a short play
by invicities@yahoo.com
AT RISE: MY TRAVELING COMPANION at a café table. A YOUNG WOMAN IN A PARTY DRESS slowly crosses behind him, studying the back of his head. MY TRAVELING COMPANION seems to be listening intently to her, but he doesn’t look at her.
YOUNG WOMAN IN A PARTY DRESS
Why did you leave, then?
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
I didn’t. I told you I didn’t.
YOUNG WOMAN IN A PARTY DRESS
That’s right, you did.
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
She left me.
YOUNG WOMAN IN A PARTY DRESS
From your point of view.
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
It makes sense.
YOUNG WOMAN IN A PARTY DRESS
You woke up. She was gone. Ergo she left you.
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
That’s right.
YOUNG WOMAN IN A PARTY DRESS
And afterwards?
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
Afterwards ….
YOUNG WOMAN IN A PARTY DRESS
Afterwards. After you noticed she was gone. After you put on your clothes. After you packed your suitcase.
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
(Pause.) After I looked for her.
YOUNG WOMAN IN A PARTY DRESS
Of course.
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
(Pause.) Well, it was getting late … I felt hungry … there was a restaurant—
YOUNG WOMAN IN A PARTY DRESS
You can skip all that.
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
I kept looking for her.
YOUNG WOMAN IN A PARTY DRESS
After your meal. After dessert. Cake, I believe you said. Was it good?
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
I kept looking for her.
YOUNG WOMAN IN A PARTY DRESS
Of course.
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
But I couldn’t find her.
YOUNG WOMAN IN A PARTY DRESS
Ergo she left you.
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
That’s what I thought.
YOUNG WOMAN IN A PARTY DRESS
From your point of view.
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
What else could I think?
YOUNG WOMAN IN A PARTY DRESS
I’m sure I don’t know.
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
I waited for her.
YOUNG WOMAN IN A PARTY DRESS
After you looked for her.
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
That’s right.
YOUNG WOMAN IN A PARTY DRESS
After you packed your suitcase.
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
(Pause.) She didn’t come back
YOUNG WOMAN IN A PARTY DRESS
As far as you know.
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
(Pause.) As far as I know.
YOUNG WOMAN IN A PARTY DRESS
And afterwards?
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
You mean after I waited for her.
YOUNG WOMAN IN A PARTY DRESS
Of course.
MY TRAVELING COMPANION
(Pause.) I …
YOUNG WOMAN IN A PARTY DRESS
Left.
(Pause.)
I wonder why.
(The YOUNG WOMAN IN A PARTY DRESS takes out an order pad and a pen.)
But I could come back if you need more time to think. Would you like to order something from the bar?
(Carefully, MY TRAVELING COMPANION turns to her and makes eye contact.)
(END)
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