Play 1

The setting is at Erickson’s back room in his classroom. We have the sink on Stage Left and a door near the sink. Here, we see Person A working on a scene on the classic brown table. The table is sitting in center stage, while Person A is sitting toward Stage Right. Person B comes in with his/her water bottle from the back door.

B 	Hey. A	(Looking up) Hey. B	(Sits down on the remaining work, briefly glancing at A’s paper.) Whatcha working on? A	I’m working on our scene. I’m having some writers block. B	If you want, I can help you out with some ideas. A	Alright. Maybe something that you suggest can create a light bulb in the process. B	Okay. (B thinks for a minute; A is anticipated.) B	(With a spark of inspiration) I have an idea! A	(With some reaction) Okay! What’s the idea? B	What if you write about a troubled kid who joins a gang because he has a single mother working three jobs? A	Hey, hasn’t that already been done before? B	I don’t really think so. A	Yeah, I think it has. B	Alright…. What if you decide to write about your high school experience and asking a girl out to prom? A	That’s already been used by last year’s class, and probably earlier classes before that. I kinda want some originality. B	Well while you were saying that, I actually thought of some more stuff that’s original. A	Okay, what are the ideas? B	What if you write a scene where twelve jurors are in a room deciding the life of a person, and everyone votes guilty other than one guy. So he has to convince the other eleven jurors that the guy is innocent A	Uh… Hasn’t that been made before? B	What? That hasn’t been used, I just made it up. A	Yeah. I think that would be Twelve Angry Men. B	Okay. Well how about a man who’s interested in ultra-violence, and after he gets experimented on he becomes the opposite and gets so sick that he becomes vulnerable? A	Okay, are you really kidding me? B	I’m really not. Did someone actually do that? A	Yes. A Clockwork Orange has been written in 1962; the movie has been made since 1971. B	How about the setting is in the capital of Cambodia and a reporter for the New York Times- A	I swear to god, if you’re going to say the plotline for The Killing Fields, then you’re being no help at all. B	I’m trying my best here, man! A	You’re trying your best to get me in trouble for plagiarism. B	Well, I’m sorry that someone stole my ideas beforehand. (B tries to drink his/her water; A slaps it out of his/her hand.) B	What was that for? A	That’s my reaction for all your ideas so far. You’ve been suggesting clichés and movies ever since you came in this damn room! B	I have another suggestion. A	If it’s another cliché or movie plot, I don’t want to hear it. B	It’s not! I promise. A 	(Trying to get rid of the splitting headache) Go on. Let me hear it. B	What if we have a group of kids under the age of 17 who got in a plane crash with no adults around, and they act like complete animals just trying to survive? (A gets so angry that he/she covers their head from the ideas.) B	(Concerning) Are you alright A? A	(Jumps in excitement, like he got an idea) Hey, I have an idea… I finally got an idea for this stupid scene. B	Okay. Let’s hope that it’s “original” like my other ideas that you’ve been shunning. A	How about a scene where a guy is struggling with a scene and his/her best friend is being an idiot at suggesting ideas to his/her scene. (A throws his pencil and paper down on the floor and walks out. Then a BLACKOUT happens.)