In November, I participated in Red Theater’s play-writing challenge. We had to write a short play every day without exception. I managed to complete the challenge, though most\u00a0of my plays were a bit on the… in-progress side.<\/p>\n
I haven’t really written anything on this site in a while, so I thought I’d post a few of these until I’m inspired to write something new.<\/p>\n
Please forgive the copy-paste formatting. I swear, I’m just that lazy.<\/p>\n
Earthbound Angels<\/span> has obvious Paradise Lost allusions, but it’s just as obviously a commentary on communication. Communication is very important to me, yet paradoxically it’s one of the things with which I struggle most. I expect most people might tend to project me upon one of the two characters in this play, but I think I (and really most people) can relate to both. Our challenge was to use Asides. I think the Asides are bit shoehorned, but at least the play does have something to say. There are also interesting parallels with Feeding the Ducks<\/em>, my first short play ever.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Earthbound Angels<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lights up on a choir of twelve, singing on bleachers. They are wrapped in white cloaks, but otherwise resemble any choir to be found on Earth. They sing a song of praise. As they sing, the lights grow warmer and brighter. When they finish, there is a brief bump of brightest light, then the lights slowly subside. As the lights subside, the singers open their cloaks to reveal children\u2019s clothes, reminiscent of America\u2019s mythical \u201cgood ol\u2019 days.\u201d Some make small talk, but most rush off to play.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Shortly after, SAMMAEL enters. It is unclear if she was one of the singers, or has only just entered. SAMMAEL has her hands in her pockets, contemplating something. She speaks directly to the audience<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n We all have a moment in our childhood when we switch on. Meaning your earliest memory. That\u2019s how I remember it, how I see it. A moment in your past where you\u2019re no longer a gurgling, goggling collection of body-parts. Suddenly, you can make memories. That\u2019s when thought begins. That\u2019s when independence begins. That\u2019s when the real trouble starts.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL enters. He is a bit rougher than SAMMAEL. He is carrying a Frisbee. Most of the choir singers have left now, and the few stragglers take off in the following minute<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Sam.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL turns and silently acknowledges BELIAL. BELIAL tosses the Frisbee, and SAMMAEL catches it. She tosses it back, but BELIAL fumbles it. They continue to play Frisbee as they talk: SAMMAEL always catching, BELIAL always fumbling<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n I think I want to be a bass.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n Oh? Why?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s easier. The notes are so simple. You don\u2019t have to take care of your voice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n Sure. They\u2019re the foundation of the song.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Huh?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n Most of the songs. Their notes form the foundation on which the other sections build.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Oh. Yeah that too. What do you think?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n Go for it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2026 Okay.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n What?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Nothing\u2026 (speaks to audience, holding the Frisbee<\/em>) Sammael\u2019s the smart one, I know. I just, I don\u2019t wanna seem like I\u2019m giving up. Bass just seems more like, where I belong. There\u2019s no wild jumping around, everything just seems really\u2026 stable. Yeah. Like a foundation. That\u2019s fine, ya know, I don\u2019t need to stand out, I don\u2019t need to be special. I mean, we\u2019re all special in the music, I know, but\u2026 ya know\u2026 some of us wanna be, I dunno, extra special. All I mean to say is, I don\u2019t need that. I\u2019m happy to go where I\u2019m needed. And if that\u2019s somewhere not real popular, that\u2019s fine. That\u2019s all.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/p>\n Billy?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah? Oh.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Frisbee resumes<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n Billy\u2026 (pause<\/em>)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n Why do you think we have Time?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n For what?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah, why. I mean\u2014<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n You mean like, spare time? Like time to play? Why do we have that?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n No. I mean Time itself. Why does time exist?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n I dunno. I guess, so we know when to sing. When to play. When to eat.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah, but why do we have those things?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n I don\u2019t\u2026 I dunno, why not?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n Well, without Time, see, there couldn\u2019t be any change. Like, without the separation of events, everything would be\u2026 everything, all the time. We would always be full of food and song and sleep and joy. Constantly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Okay.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n So Time\u2026 All Time really does\u2026 is make change possible.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Okay.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n But here, in this world. Change seems so insignificant. We wake, we eat, we sing, we play, we eat again, and we sleep. Every day is, more or less, the same as the one that came before.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Uh huh.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n (she speaks to the audience<\/em>) Belial is not smart. I know that. But he\u2019s really the only one that\u2019ll listen. I think he wants to understand. I know, I guess, that\u2019s kinda jerky of me, to lord over him like I\u2019m smarter than him, but I do know things that he doesn\u2019t know. And someone else knows things that I don\u2019t know. And there are things out there, maybe, that nobody knows. And I want to know those things. That\u2019s why I like Billy: he wants to know. He wants to understand. (to BELIAL<\/em>) My only point is, our days change, like, there\u2019s a difference between eating and singing, right?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n (catching on<\/em>) Yeah!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n Okay, so, there\u2019s some change in every day. And each day is, at least, a tiny bit different from the others. Like, we play every day, but we play with different people, or\u2014<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Well, we always play.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n Right, but we could<\/em> play with other people. And we did<\/em>, once upon a time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Right.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n And we play differently every day.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah. Like, we never talked about this<\/em> before, so that\u2019s a change, yeah?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n Exactly! (to audience<\/em>) Billy always catches on, more or less, eventually. That\u2019s how I know he want to understand things, just like me. (to BELIAL<\/em>) So, change, really, is the only thing that defines our days.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2026Okay.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n (aside<\/em>) And I\u2019m losing him again. (to BELIAL<\/em>) Cause, like, the only thing that makes today different from yesterday, really, is this conversation. Right?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Okay.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n And without Time, that\u2019s not possible, right?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n (pause. Then an aside<\/em>) Sam always makes these huge leaps. I know she\u2019s dumbing things down for me, and I\u2026 I appreciate it\u2026 but sooner or later they lead to these huge leaps, and I don\u2019t get it, and she gets that look, and I just know I\u2019m disappointing her. But I never know what to say. I want to\u2026 (to SAMMAEL<\/em>) Right. Cause of, like, daybreak and nightfall, that makes a day, so\u2026 without that\u2026 I couldn\u2019t say, like, \u201cWe had that really weird conversation yesterday.\u201d Cause there wouldn\u2019t be a yesterday, right?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2026 Yeah\u2026 Yeah, exactly. (aside<\/em>) Close enough is\u2026 close enough, I guess.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n (aside<\/em>) There it is, that look. I try, but I feel like I\u2019m always just nipping at her heels. I dunno. I mean, that\u2019s what always happens. Maybe she likes being disappointed in me. (to SAMMAEL<\/em>) Okay, so, time makes change, right?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah, basically. So first there was Time, and then things started to happen, and then we appeared.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Uh huh.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n But think of that. There was a time when we weren\u2019t here. Right? Cause, I mean, all this, this world, it was here when we appeared, right? So it must have been here before us, right?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Yup.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n Okay, so there was a time when we all didn\u2019t exist. And then we did.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Yup.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL grabs the Frisbee, then holds onto it<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n (aside<\/em>) Change has so much potential, but Time\u2026 Time is like molasses. At least right now it is. It\u2019s so resistant to movement, it\u2019s so\u2026 inert. But you can<\/em> stir it up, it just takes so much work. I just wonder\u2026 how much can you stir it? (pause<\/em>) Billy seems\u2026 more like Time. Inert. Why ask? Why wonder? Why change? \u2026 Why change? \u2026 (to BELIAL<\/em>) Why change?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Exactly, right? \u2026 Oh. Why?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n I dunno, I just. Wait. Okay, so, first there was nothing, then at some time all this got here, then we got here. Right?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Well\u2026 maybe this stuff was always here.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n Okay, sure, fine but we<\/em> weren\u2019t. And now we are.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n (betraying the slightest hint of impatience<\/em>) Yeah, Sammael, I got that.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah, but\u2026 isn\u2019t that\u2026 significant? We weren\u2019t here, and now we are. That\u2019s a huge change, right?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n I guess.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n Okay! Great! So\u2026 when are we gonna have a change like that! Not just playing with different people, or different conversations, or becoming a bass, but something \u2013 something huge!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n What\u2019s wrong with being a bass?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n What? (throws the Frisbee<\/em>) Nothing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL fumbles the Frisbee royally. It flops offstage, and he wanders to fetch it. SAMMAEL is alone onstage. She looks out as us<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n (aside<\/em>) This makes sense to you guys, right? This all seems so simple to me. Why is it so hard for other people to get?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL is looking around. BELIAL creeps onstage and speaks to us<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n (aside<\/em>) Time. Times. There are times, when I wonder why Sammy talks to me about this stuff? She knows I\u2019m not gonna get it. I try. I really try. And then she always asks me a question, and she knows I\u2019m not gonna be able to answer it. At least not how she wants. So why does she ask? What\u2019s the point? I sometimes think\u2026 I think she thinks it\u2019s wrong to be\u2026 ordinary. (to SAMMAEL<\/em>) What\u2019s wrong with being a bass?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n Nothing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Then why\u2019d you say it was pointless?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n They are no longer playing Frisbee<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n I didn\u2019t say it was\u2026 Bass, Soprano, it doesn\u2019t make a difference.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Then why\u2019d you say \u201cBass?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n Because we were just talking about it. I don\u2019t care if you\u2019re a bass or not.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Well I care, Sam. Ever other day, you go on and on about this stuff, and I try to get it, and we never talk about what matters to me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n Okay, I\u2019m sorry, it\u2019s just\u2026 Ya know\u2026 if you wanna be a bass, then be a bass. What\u2019s the problem?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Well, just, be change. What\u2019s the problem?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n That\u2019s not\u2026 That\u2019s\u2026 (aside<\/em>) Can I do that? Can I be<\/em> change?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n If you wanna go play with someone else, go play with someone else. Why\u2019s that more significant than me being a bass?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n I can \u2013 No, that\u2019s not my point.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Well what is<\/em> your point, Sam? What?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n My point is there are bigger<\/em> changes. Huge ones, like us suddenly being here.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n But that\u2019s already happened.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n But something else like that could<\/em> happen: like, maybe, other people appearing. What if new places were suddenly here? What if\u2026 what if we didn\u2019t play one day?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Just go! Just go, I don\u2019t care either!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n Billy! I\u2019m not\u2026 I\u2019m not talking about you.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n What else is there to talk about? You don\u2019t wanna play with me, fine! I never said you had to.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n No Billy, what if we didn\u2019t play at all<\/em>? What if we didn\u2019t eat one day? What if we didn\u2019t sing<\/em>?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Silence<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BELIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Why not?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SAMMAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n