A play where \u201ca child discovers the adults in their life were \u201cjust teasing\u201d about serious things\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nahidur Rahman<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 17, 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CHARACTERS<\/p>\n\n\n\n
jANE: 32, a single parent, JAMES\u2019 mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
james: 8, lives with her single Mother, Jane but he rarely sees the father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Joan: 35, JAMES\u2019 aunt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lance: 41, JAMES\u2019 uncle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Time\/setting<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JANE is with her son in midafternoon. It is summer and the environment is absolutely shiny and hot outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PLACE\/setting<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JANE is at home in the urban, New York City in the United States of America and she is struggling to engage her son JAMES in the home activities in preparation for visitors. Dirty utensils are packed in a large bucket, raw food and ingredients such as onions, tomatoes, cabbages, cooking oil, rice, and others are carelessly put in the kitchen without any plan. The kitchen has the feel of a dormant place where things rarely occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Act I, Scene 1- <\/p>\n\n\n\n
(JANE is in the kitchen trying to arrange items in order. She is touching on the dirty utensils when JAMES passes by the kitchen door.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jane:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n JAMES! JAMES! JAMES…! JAMES! Please come and help me perform a few tasks here. Right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n (JANE moves near the door and checks whether JAMES is responding positively. When JAMES notices the mother is following him, he leaves everything and moves towards the mother.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n JAMES:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes mum. I am here. Tell me now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (JANE takes one clean bucket and directs JAMES about what he wants.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jane:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n wash the utensils I put in the sink and put them in that basin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (JAMES becomes unhappy about the idea. He does not say anything but he stares at his mother angrily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n JAMES:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mmm. Okay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n JANE:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n (JANE looks at JAMES and notices he is very relaxed in doing the task.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wash faster. We have very little time for our visitors to arrive. You know it is almost —<\/p>\n\n\n\n JAMES:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n (JANE becomes angry about JAMES\u2019 responses.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n JANE:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Can you stop arguments and do what I am telling you? Work the way you eat every —<\/p>\n\n\n\n JAMES:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n -Surely. Really? Is eating something to abuse your son!<\/p>\n\n\n\n JANE:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n That isn\u2019t abuse. It is reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Jane and james engage in deep argument and their voices rise to become louder and every party seems to leave the tasks for a while.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n JAMES:<\/p>\n\n\n\n why — why all these to me?<\/p>\n\n\n\n (JAMES starts to cry, JANE stops talking, and continues with the task.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n JANE:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You don\u2019t want to work just arguing but very lazy like your father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (JAMES becomes angrier and cries louder.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n JAMES:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Which father? — Where is he —?<\/p>\n\n\n\n JANE:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Whom are you asking? Go look for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (JAMES seems very upset about JANE and he cries loudly and struggles to push himself outside.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Act I,Scene 2- <\/p>\n\n\n\n (The mother follows JAMES to bring him back in the kitchen but meets JOAN and LANCE entering the compound. JOAN and LANCE are shocked about the chaotic environment. LANCE holds JAMES\u2019 hand and attempts to soothe him to be silent. Shocked about the coincidence with her eyes bulging but assuming everything about JAMES, JANE direct visitors in the house.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n (JANE enters first then points at the three-seater chair)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lance: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n JAMES, stop it! I thought you were waiting for us — you wanted to see us after a long time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n (Everybody\u2019s attention is directed to JAMES)<\/p>\n\n\n\n JOAN:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n -And we are finally here. You need to be happy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n (JANE tries to force herself to smile.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n JANE:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n He has disturbed me like his father —. Since —<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lance:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n (LANCE nodding his head and shaking his hand in the air.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n No! NO! No! It is not good to talk about ill things before children of this age. <\/p>\n\n\n\n (JANE and JOAN become too eager to listen to his elaboration.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n JOAN:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n How –? He need to know so that he don\u2019t —<\/p>\n\n\n\n JANE:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n -Yeah. I think it is important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lance:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember, chances of a child absorbing a statement that will remain in their heads until adulthood are significantly high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (JAMES stops to cry and raises his head with the feeling that he has got a supporter.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n JOAN:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n (Holds JAMES\u2019 head gently.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n But JAMES is a male. He must understand how to be responsible. Life is not —<\/p>\n\n\n\n JANE:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n -I have struggled with him since morning. He doesn\u2019t want to do anything. Just playing! \u2026 Playing! \u2026 and playing!.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lance:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I understand he needs to learn. But \u2026 like a child. Slowly but consistently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n (JANE puts her hands together and hangs them below the stomach as a sign of respect for LANCE\u2019s advice.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n JANE:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n (JOAN takes JAMES from LANCE)<\/p>\n\n\n\n I will try to teach. But teaching is fairly hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n JOAN:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember you are the one to help mum with everything. Right. You are your mom\u2019s first helper at all times. Always \u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n JANE: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n -Yeah. But he rarely \u2026 or he doesn\u2019t help. When I look at my kitchen —<\/p>\n\n\n\n JOan:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n -What is in the kitchen? Food? It must be ready by now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (joan peeps in the kitchen and sits down faster feeling astonished.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n LANCE:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m happy that I can demonstrate how to work with this boy without making remarks that are likely to yield defiance when he grows up by telling him the truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (LANCE heads to the kitchen holding JAMES\u2019 hand while JANE and JOAN follow him eager to learn. LANCE assigns chores to everyone present and they perform duties happily and laugh together. JAMES becomes very happy and active during the action.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n END OF SCENE 2<\/p>\n\n\n\n The End<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A play where \u201ca child discovers the adults in their life were \u201cjust teasing\u201d about serious things\u201d By Nahidur Rahman May 17, 2022 CHARACTERS jANE: 32, a single parent, JAMES\u2019 mother. james: 8, lives with her single Mother, Jane but he rarely sees the father. Joan: 35, JAMES\u2019 aunt. Lance: 41, JAMES\u2019 uncle. Time\/setting JANE […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5590,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"portfolio_post_id":0,"portfolio_citation":"","portfolio_annotation":"","openlab_post_visibility":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-drama","category-one-act-play-script"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/eng-201-spring-2022-prof-perry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/eng-201-spring-2022-prof-perry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/eng-201-spring-2022-prof-perry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/eng-201-spring-2022-prof-perry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5590"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/eng-201-spring-2022-prof-perry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1086"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/eng-201-spring-2022-prof-perry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1086\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1087,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/eng-201-spring-2022-prof-perry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1086\/revisions\/1087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/eng-201-spring-2022-prof-perry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/eng-201-spring-2022-prof-perry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/eng-201-spring-2022-prof-perry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}