What Happens When (production draft)
copyright © 2014
Charlotte Meehan 27 Chestnut Street Sharon, MA 02067 [email protected] www.sleepingweazel.com 508.212.5342 CHARACTERS
FOUR COLLGE-AGED WOMEN FOUR COLLEGE-AGED MEN TWO LITTLE GIRLS (played by college-aged women) WOMAN, 40s-50s to play MOTHER on video FEMALE COLLEGE PROFESSOR (a voice) MALE COLLEGE PROFESSOR (a voice)
TIME
Now.
PLACE
An American college campus.
Note: This play began via a ten-week course I created called Devising Theatre for Social Change, in which my nine students and I invented scenarios (using Sociodrama and Theatre of the Oppressed techniques), and then the students improvised dialogue for each scene with one student video recording them. At the course’s end, I selected from three hundred pages of transcribed dialogue, added a few connecting scenes, and with director Stephanie Burlington Daniels developed ideas for interviews, interruptions, and collages (on video and twitter feed) to enhance the play’s action.
Primary student collaborators: John Carando, Paris Dowd, Meredith White-Goode, Violet Knoll, Juan Fe Riano, Galina Smith, Rebecca Suarez, Ariel Temple, Brianna Walden
Guest students: Nana Assare, Anna Carando, Ezeanne Fonge, Lauren Hirata, Joseph Nelson,
Pre-Prologue:
LITTLE GIRL 1 and LITTLE GIRL 2 behind white screen on stage left, in silhouette, playing a “patty cake” style hand game to the following words:
Ooh, ah, I wanna piece of pie Pie too sweet, I want a piece of meat Meat to rough, I want to ride a bus Bus too dull, I want to ride a bull Bull too fat, I want my money back Money back too green, I want a jelly bean Jelly bean too sour, I want to take a shower Shower too cool, I want to go to school School too dumb, and that's all I know, So close your eyes, count to 10, whoever messes up starts all over again! (Close eyes and count to 10) No one messed up so that's the end!
Prologue (FOR VIDEO COLLABORATORS): A video montage of individual students answering questions about hooking up in college followed by an onstage full cast dance to house party music.
Scene One: A party off- campus.
At rise: WOMAN 1 and MAN 1 in mid-conversation.
WOMAN 1 Cool party.
MAN 1 Thanks.
WOMAN 1 I’m really drunk.
MAN 1 Yeah. How’s it going? Do you want some tequila?
WOMAN 1 Oh yeah, yeah, thank you.
(She swigs a big shot.)
MAN 1 Be careful there, you know.
WOMAN 1 Yeah, I know.
MAN 1 So tell me about your life.
WOMAN 1 You know. It’s going on. Life just keeps on going.
MAN 1 Your eyes are so big.
WOMAN 1 Yeah, it’s my glasses.
MAN 1 You’re so gorgeous, though.
(He moves towards her.)
WOMAN 1 Uh, you know, a little space.
MAN 1 I’m sorry, you’re just so beautiful. I’ve told you that before, right?
WOMAN 1 Well, actually, no.
MAN 1 You’re hot.
WOMAN 1 You know, I think we should keep our hands to ourselves.
MAN 1 I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I just get lost in your eyes and can’t really help it.
WOMAN 1 I think it’s the alcohol.
MAN 1 I don’t know about that.
WOMAN 1 I feel like we’re friends.
MAN 1 Why can’t we be more than friends?
WOMAN 1 I don’t think so.
MAN 1 But seriously, though. Why not, you know. . .
WOMAN 1 Because it’d be awkward and weird and uncomfortable.
MAN 1 Yeah but you’re a good looking girl and I’m a good looking guy.
WOMAN 1 (trembling) I feel like if we just keep the friendship boundary —
(He moves aggressively towards her.)
MAN 1 Your eyes are so big.
FOR VIDEO COLLABORATORS: Images and sounds of childhood without any people (i.e., a swing moving back and forth on its own, birds, blue sky with clouds, the sound of a see-saw, the sound of children running and laughing, a bouncing ball, the sound of children out of breath, joy.
Scene Two: Flashback to childhood.
At rise: Two little girls chatting about the birds and the bees.
LITTLE GIRL 1 You came from a rock?
LITTLE GIRL 2 Yeah, don’t you know that’s where everyone comes from?
LITTLE GIRL 1 Uh, no. We come from the ocean.
LITTLE GIRL 2 What do you mean we come from the ocean?
LITTLE GIRL 1 My mommy told me the majority of our bodies are water. So we have to come from the ocean.
LITTLE GIRL 2 Unfortunately, we fell from the sky. Humans fell from the sky. In a giant rock. And we all poured out. And we squashed ‘em.
LITTLE GIRL 1 Who’d we squash?
LITTLE GIRL 2 The rocks that were here.
LITTLE GIRL 1 and LITTLE GIRL 2 (as they prepare to jump off the swing) 1, 2, 3. . .
FOR VIDEO COLLABORATORS: WOMAN 1 is sitting alone weeping. This image could be starkly plain and simple, or fractured, repetitive, rhythmic, from color to black and white, changing in filter and color, etc.
Scene Three: Bare stage.
At rise: WOMAN 1 and MAN 1 enter from opposite sides of the stage.
MAN 1’s VOICE With your body, you should be climbing the walls. Next time —
WOMAN 1’s VOICE (interrupting) Next time?
MAN 1’s VOICE Yeah. I can’t wait to have sex with you again.
WOMAN 1’s VOICE (in a burst of anger) Never EVER talk to me again.
MAN 1’s VOICE What?
WOMAN 1’s VOICE Don’t call me, don’t text me, don’t say hello to me.
MAN 1’s VOICE What the hell are you talking about?
(WOMAN 1 cries uncontrollably.)
MAN 1’s VOICE Oh for Christ’s sake, you’re not going to start saying you had a bad time.
WOMAN 1’s VOICE Don’t call me, don’t text me, don’t say hello to me.
FOR VIDEO COLLABORATORS: Statistics in the form of Tweets: • Nearly 1 in 5 women report experiencing rape at some time in their lives. • 18-24 year old women experience the highest rate of sexual assault of any age group • Of college students, first and second year women are at highest risk for sexual assault
Scene Four: A dorm room.
At rise: WOMAN 2 and MAN 3 sitting on a bed.
WOMAN 2 I’ve been thinking lately, and we’ve done a lot, and I think we should make it more serious, make it more official.
MAN 3 I mean, I have a great time with you, it’s been fun these past couple of —
WOMAN 2 Three months. Is that what you’re looking for? ‘Cause that’s what it’s been.
MAN 3 Has it been three months? Wow. Such a long time. I don’t know. It seems more like a week. I like to keep things casual.
WOMAN 2 You literally booty call me every single night at 1:30 in the morning. Monday nights, dude. Come on. That’s something couples do. You brought me soup once when I was sick. If that doesn’t scream “boyfriend” I don’t know what does.
MAN 3 Did I bring soup?
WOMAN 2 You did. And then we had sex while I was sick.
MAN 3 I just want to keep things casual. I don’t want to have to burden our relationship.
WOMAN 2 It’s not a burden.
MAN 3 I don’t think it’s a burden. I think we should keep it open. I don’t want to feel pressure if I want to be with someone else or if you want to be with someone else.
WOMAN 2 I see what you’re saying, yeah.
MAN 3 You see what I’m saying?
WOMAN 2 I’m not happy about it, but I see what you’re saying.
MAN 3 But we can still hook up whenever —
WOMAN 2 You mean whenever YOU want.
MAN 3 Not necessarily. I could keep texting you and see if you still want to. I can just text someone else, or —
WOMAN 2 Yeah. You’re not good with words. I think I’m all out.
MAN 3 OK, sure. That makes sense.
(As WOMAN 2 and MAN 3 exit stage right, WOMAN 3 and MAN 2 enter stage left.)
WOMAN 3 Come on, I just want to have sex with you.
MAN 2 We’ve been together for three years and you said you didn’t wanna do it yet and you felt uncomfortable with it.
WOMAN 3 Yeah, but now we’re at college, and I talked to my friends, and come on, let’s just —
MAN 2 Are your friends pressuring you?
WOMAN 3 No! They’re just. I mean, I’m nineteen, they think I’m some weird Puritan girl.
MAN 2 I don’t.
(MAN 2 leans in and kisses her.)
WOMAN 3 Come on.
MAN 2 I mean, we’ve been together for a very long time. We love each other. I promised you that —
WOMAN 3 So, don’t you love me? Don’t you want to have sex with me?
MAN 2 I do, but I know you don’t want this.
WOMAN 3 I do. I want it. I want you.
MAN 2 Do you really want me?
WOMAN 3 Yes.
MAN 2 I know you’re thinking right now it’s OK, but I think you want it right now because everyone’s telling you to and that’s not right.
WOMAN 3 It’s not about that. It’s just three years is a long time, I’m nineteen. It just needs to happen already.
MAN 2 Look, as long as you tell me that you want it, then we’ll have it.
WOMAN 3 I want it.
MAN 2 OK.
MAN 2 & WOMAN 3 (in unison) They have sex.
MAN 2 How was it?
WOMAN 3 It was . . . fine, you know. Yeah.
MAN 2 I’m not really experienced, I’m sorry.
WOMAN 3 It was cool.
MAN 2 You don’t seem too hyped about it.
WOMAN 3 No, it’s cool. Yeah. It was nice.
MAN 2 So, it’s not going to be a happy thing?
WOMAN 3 I’m happy, I am. I’m happy. (beat) I don’t know. I think it was a bad idea.
MAN 2 Wait —
WOMAN 3 I feel weird now. I thought. You see the movies, the flowers, the candles, the explosion. All this love. I felt like —
MAN 2 So I wasn’t good enough.
WOMAN 3 No you were good, it was fine, I had this whole other expectation. It was fine. I have to go. I’ll call you later.
Exit WOMAN 3, followed by MAN 2.
Scene Five: Flashback to childhood.
At rise: Two little girls chatting about the birds and the bees.
LITTLE GIRL 1 You drink water. You have to drink a lot of water because the baby is in the water.
LITTLE GIRL 2 Actually, you have to water rocks for plants to grow.
LITTLE GIRL 1 How does a rock come from the sky into your mommy?
LITTLE GIRL 2 That’s how the dinosaurs got extinct. There was a big rock full of little baby humans and we squashed them all. And that’s why we’re here now. That’s why I can’t ride around on a Velociraptor.
LITTLE GIRL 1 How do you come from a rock? How do you become a rock?
(They sit down.)
FOR VIDEO COLLABORATORS: National Geographic type movie of the evolution of living things mixed with the development of the fetus in the womb that continues on through the rest of the dialogue in this scene.
(Screens shift to a starry night sky.)
LITTLE GIRL 2 I don’t know. How do you come from water?
LITTLE GIRL 1 Because we’re made out of —
LITTLE GIRL 2 (interrupting) The rock crashes open and we grow.
LITTLE GIRL 1 Where does the rock come from?
LITTLE GIRL 2 Outer space.
LITTLE GIRL 1 What’s in outer space? There’s nothing but stars.
LITTLE GIRL 2 Stars. That’s exactly right. Stars fall. Haven’t you ever heard of a falling star? That’s what human beings are. Falling stars.
FOR VIDEO COLLABORATORS: On this last line above, move to Big Bang (i.e., explosion of the universe) images.
Scene Six: Bare stage.
At rise: MAN 1 enters at stage right.
(He speaks to VOICES OVERHEAD.)
MAN 1 Well, we were both drinking.
MAN’S VOICE OVERHEAD And you’re aware of the College’s honor code policy about underage drinking.
MAN 1 Yeah. (chuckling nervously) I went to the workshop. All freshmen sign that.
MAN’S VOICE OVERHEAD Are you aware that you cannot consent to sex when intoxicated?
MAN 1 We were both drunk. So I don’t even know what you’re talking about.
WOMAN’S VOICE OVERHEAD Let’s be clear on why you’re here so there’ll be no confusion about the nature of your situation. You’ve been accused of violating the sexual misconduct policy.
MAN 1 Are you accusing me of rape? I didn’t rape anybody.
MAN’S VOICE OVERHEAD A report has been filed.
MAN 1 I can’t believe this is happening. She never said no. MAN 1 cont’d. We were having a good time.
WOMAN’S VOICE OVERHEAD What do you remember about the event?
MAN 1 I don’t remember every single minute — we were both pretty hammered — but I do know she enjoyed it.
WOMAN’S VOICE OVERHEAD How do you know that?
MAN 1 Trust me. I have experience.
FOR VIDEO COLLABORATORS: First time sex monologue will be inserted here.
Scene Seven: Bare stage.
At rise: WOMAN 4 and MAN 1 enter.
WOMAN 4 So about the other night —
MAN 1 Yeah, the other night.
WOMAN 4 I really wasn’t interested in having sex with you and I don’t want the mistake to happen again.
MAN 1 What do you mean?
WOMAN 4 I don’t want to have sex with you.
MAN 1 That’s not what you were saying that night.
WOMAN 4 I realize that now. I’m not blaming you.
MAN 1 You didn’t have a good time that night. Is that what you’re saying?
WOMAN 4 Yeah. That’s exactly what I’m saying.
MAN 1 The point is that you’re saying you didn’t want to have sex with me, when you clearly did that night. You were all over me that night. I thought we had a pretty good time.
WOMAN 4 I was drunk and then I sorta moved away from you, and I don’t wanna say you forced it.
MAN 1 That’s not how I remember it.
WOMAN 4 That’s not how you remember a lot of things. But regardless —
MAN 1 No no, hold on. You came to the party, wearing very suggestive clothing, and it was pretty obvious to all my friends and myself that you were all over me that night, and I thought we had a pretty good time, but apparently that’s not what I’m hearing from you.
WOMAN 4 What the fuck?
MAN 1 But I didn’t force myself on you. That’s not what happened.
WOMAN 4 I can show up to a party butt naked and not want to have sex with anyone. I need you to understand that.
MAN 1 You were clearly for it. You can’t—are you serious?
WOMAN 4 I was in for hooking up with you, but I didn’t want to have sex.
MAN 1 I thought that’s what hooking up meant!
WOMAN 4 No! Hooking up can be anything from making out to full-on intercourse.
MAN 1 Well, you coulda told me that the other night!
WOMAN 4 I tried, but you were so intimidating and handsy and after a certain point I was scared to tell you no.
MAN 1 I don’t think — WOMAN 4 Hands, hands all over the place.
MAN 1 I don’t remember it that way. We were, you know, having a good time and —
WOMAN 4 We WERE having a good time up to a certain point.
MAN 1 But the sex was the best part.
WOMAN 4 For you. The best part for you.
MAN 1 I don’t get how you could be having fun that night and then all of a sudden it’s two-face here.
WOMAN 4 I wanted to hook up with you, but I didn’t want to have sex with you.
MAN 1 This is news for me.
WOMAN 4 I understand that I gave you the wrong idea by not saying no strongly.
MAN 1 How do you think I feel? This is ridiculous. First you’re all over me and now you’re saying you wish none of that happened? Is that what you’re saying.
WOMAN 4 It’s not as easy as that. I had a great time up until the clothes were coming off and I didn’t want to and —
MAN 1 (interrupting) That’s not how it was that night.
WOMAN 4 That is how it was that night. You were scaring me—
MAN 1 You’re scaring me right now.
WOMAN 4 And I was too scared to say no.
MAN 1 Now you’re making me really mad.
WOMAN 4 I’ve seen you when you’re angry, and you are not small.
MAN 1 Are you joking? We were having a good time. I don’t understand. This doesn’t make any sense.
WOMAN 4 I don’t expect you to understand why I changed my mind.
MAN 1 But seriously, how can you come to me now after we had sex and tell me this. You’re saying that you were telling me no. That never happened.
WOMAN 4 I wasn’t telling you no because I was scared of you.
MAN 1 What?
WOMAN 4 I couldn’t tell you no because I was terrified that something bad was going to happen.
MAN 1 How the heck am I supposed to know any different?
WOMAN 4 And I just wanna be clear from now on that I will tell you no when I mean no.
MAN 1 (interrupting) What makes you think I — after this — are you serious? This is a little too crazy right now. I mean, either you wanna have sex or you don’t. You go to a party. What are you looking for? And you’re dressed the way you were. What are you looking for? I thought we were just having a good time.
WOMAN 4 I dress to look good. That’s what I’m looking for.
FOR VIDEO COLLABORATORS: Excerpts from Joan Rivers’ Fashion Police, particularly “Bitch Stole My Look” and “Starlet or Streetwalker” segments.
END OF EXCERPT