My first play.

[jackshoegazer]

I received an email from my friend Steven from last semester's drama class.

I need you to write me a three page play with no more than 4 characters, loosely themed around spring/rebirth/change, and I need it on my desk this week. It will be produced in less than a month. It can be comedy or tragedy of any genre.

I'm completely serious. Rock out the play, get it to me, and we'll have it produced ASAP, probably by the end of April.  Tell your friends, too. I'm getting as many submissions as possible. I guarantee yours a productions, though.

Ready, set, go.

And so, thinking along the lines of the myth of Persephone and the origins of spring, a couple poems I've written recently, and the touchy political climate, I wrote the following play.  I've never written a play before.  What the hell, I thought?  How often am I going to be approached to write a play that is guaranteed for production?

The Rite of Spring or The End in One Short Act

by Jeremy Parker 

 

The Scene

(Two people sit at a table eating breakfast.  This is JOHN and PERSEPHONE.  JOHN is reading a newspaper while he eats.) 

PERSEPHONE

How’s your candidate? 

JOHN

(Mumbles indistinctively.) 

PERSEPHONE

You know, the election.  Your candidate. 

JOHN

That… oh. A bunch of crap. 

PERSEPHONE

What happened? 

JOHN

The usual. 

PERSEPHONE

Let me guess, someone in her campaign said something horribly offensive and of course she disavows the comments but they got said anyway. 

JOHN

Something like that. 

PERSEPHONE

That’s too bad.  It’s an embarrassment.  Regretting your vote? 

JOHN

No. 

PERSEPHONE

Why not?  I would if I were you. 

JOHN

You’re not me. 

PERSEPHONE

I’ve noticed. 

JOHN

Ha. Ha. 

PERSEPHONE

Wanna talk about it? 

JOHN

No. 

PERSEPHONE

Why not? 

JOHN

Do I need a reason? 

PERSEPHONE

Yes. 

JOHN

(Puts the paper down and looks up for the first time.) 

You don’t talk.  You don’t discuss.  You lecture. 

PERSEPHONE

Excuse me? 

JOHN

It’s true. 

PERSEPHONE

That is such a gross generalization; I don’t even know where to begin. 

JOHN

Then don’t. 

(Phone rings.  PERSEPHONE glares angrily at JOHN as she gets up to answer it.) 
   
PERSEPHONE

(Talking into phone.) 

Thank you for calling Hades.  How can I help you?  Oops, hi Mom.  No, everything’s fine.  Really.  No, I’m not busy.  Yeah, that sounds fine.  See you in a bit. 

(PERSEPHONE hangs up and sits back down at the table.  JOHN is reading again.) 

Mom’s coming by. 

JOHN

Yeah? 

PERSEPHONE

She says it’s the first nice day of the year. 

JOHN

Uh huh. 

PERSEPHONE

We’re going to go for a walk.  Enjoy the spring air. 

JOHN

Great. 

PERSEPHONE

So, I lecture, do I? 

JOHN

I don’t want to talk about this. 

PERSEPHONE

I do. 

JOHN

That’s nice.  (He starts folding up his newspaper and tidying his dishes.) 

PERSEPHONE

What is your problem? 

JOHN

I don’t know, why don’t you tell me?  You seem to be good at that. 

PERSEPHONE

(Visibly angry.) Fine.  You’re problem is… you, you are like a river in winter. 

JOHN

(Aggravated.) Oh, I’m cold, am I? 

PERSEPHONE

No, you always look so solid, so stable, and unmoving.  But really, under the surface… you are running away. (PERSEPHONE gets verklempt.) 

JOHN

(Suddenly very angry.) Oh, really!  What aquatic-fucking-metaphor are you then? 

PERSEPHONE

(Yelling) I'm an ocean, goddammit!  But all you want to do is build castles in the sand and leave footprints in the surf. 

(Knock at the door. PERSEPHONE moves to answer it, wiping her tears away.  Opening the door reveals MOM.) 

MOM

Oh, Persephone, what’s wrong?  What’s going on?  Are you okay? 

PERSEPHONE

Yeah, I’m fine.  (Glances back at JOHN who is angry, stricken, speechless.)  Let’s go. 

MOM

Come on, darling.  It’s beautiful outside.  (Gives JOHN a scathing look as MOM and PERSEPHONE leave, shutting the door.) 

End Scene

Whadda ya think?  For my Madisonian friends, I'll keep you updated as to when it will be produced exactly.  I got an email back from Steven this morning which read:

This is an excellent little play. I can't wait to stage it. If you come up with some more, shoot them my way, you are at the top of my roster, batting first.

Bravo.

So if any of you want to write a little play, send it this way and I'll get it to Steven.  I'm pretty excited.

Comments

[blackbuttoneyes.livejournal.com]

I like I like!

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[gutzilla.livejournal.com]

Very cool

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

Gratzi.

[schmecky.livejournal.com]

*stands and claps*

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I was especially curious what you would think, being a professional and all.

[(Anonymous)]

It reminded me, in some places, of these things we worked on in school called "neutral dialogues", which left all the situational specifics up tp the actor, forcing us to make choices.

You obviously made many of those choices, but I like that you also left some things up to the audience (or actors) to fill.

[lipsoflove.livejournal.com]

It's simple, yet intense.
Nice job.

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[dakini-grl.livejournal.com]

Very clever indeed. I love that you slipped your poetry in the middle. Will the audience know the story of Persephone? I'd love to see how the actors work it out.

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

I worried that it would feel out of place, but I thought the sentiment fit.

I hope they catch the reference and know the story. I thought it was a good idea, Persephone, her mother, Hades, the coming of spring. It all made sense to me :P

I hope it works on stage.

[nonbeast.livejournal.com]

hi, i'm a member of [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com] and I was looking at your journal/info and we seem to have some common interests (namely writing/religion). mind if I add you?

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

Not at all! Welcome aboard!