Table of contents I. About Young Playwrights for Change………………………………………………3 II. Wartorn by MJ Sasse (national Young Playwrights for Change winner)…………...4 III. It’s Just Begun by Eilish Koch………………………………………………………13 IV. lol k by Ainsley Leof………………………………………………………………...23 V. Park Bench by Thisby Loomis………………………………………………………33 VI. Under an Overpass by Alex Silva…………………………………………………...39 VII. Different, But Mostly Same by Kai Tomizawa………..……………………………...51 2 About Young Playwrights for Change These scripts are the culmination of Oregon Children’s Theatre’s fourth annual playwriting contest for middle school students. Sixth through eighth graders were invited to submit original ten minute plays that addressed the theme “What would you change about the world?” Six finalists were chosen by a reading panel of teachers and Young Professionals to work with professional playwrights Matthew B. Zrebski and Debbie Lamedman to revise and refine their writing. The plays published here were directed and performed by the Young Professionals Company at the YP Studio Theater in May 2016. OCT’s program is also part of a national playwriting contest hosted by Theatre for Young Audiences USA and the American Alliance for Theatre and Education. Theaters across the country hosted similar contests and submitted a winner to Young Playwrights for Change. One of OCT’s finalists, MJ Sasse, was the winner of the national competition for her script, Wartorn. Her script was read at TYA: New Visions New Voices at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. All national submissions will be published in an anthology in summer of 2016. For more information about the national Young Playwrights for Change program, visit www.assitej- usa.org. For updates on the 2016-17 Young Playwrights for Change Program, visit octc.org/young-playwrights-for- change. Young Playwrights for Change is supported by 3 Wartorn By MJ Sasse 2016 Young Playwrights for Change National Winner CHARACTERS Rachel 1, 13, what people see on the surface, has a more practical view on the world. Rachel 2, 13, says what she’s really thinking, doesn’t hold back, feels ignored, watching from the outside. TIME Now PLACE Suburbia (Lights come up on Rachel 1 and Rachel 2, standing on opposite sides of the stage) RACHEL 1 My father, he used to tell me a story. RACHEL 2 Well, before, before he left us for... RACHEL 1 (Interrupting Rachel 2) A very long vacation. RACHEL 2 He did this a lot, my father. RACHEL 1 He would always come back though. RACHEL 2 Then one day he didn’t. RACHEL 1 I would always ask, RACHEL 2 “Where is he going?” RACHEL 1 But all my momma ever said was, “Daddy’s gotta go away for a little while honey.” RACHEL 2 4 She thought I never noticed. RACHEL 1 The way her eyes looked a little bit too puffy after a full night’s sleep. RACHEL 2 The way she always stared at that picture of my father a little bit too long. RACHEL 1 The way she poured herself just a little bit too much wine on those days she was feeling a little bit too lonely. RACHEL 2 She thought I didn’t notice. RACHEL 1 What eight year old girl would? RACHEL 2 I was always observant though. RACHEL 1 That’s why I finally figured it out; RACHEL 2 The reason daddy was leaving so often. RACHEL 1 He had a bigger battle to fight. RACHEL 2 I guess I wasn’t a big enough reason to stay. RACHEL 1 He always came back though. RACHEL 2 Every year, the day before my birthday, the doorbell would ring. RACHEL 1 I would open the door and he would be standing there. RACHEL 2 Standing tall and proud...like a soldier. RACHEL 1 Three years and 363 days later the doorbell rang. 5 RACHEL 2 I knew something was off. RACHEL 1 My father always came the day before my birthday. RACHEL 2 Not two days, never two days. RACHEL 1 I rushed to the door. I pulled it open. RACHEL 2 My heart fell. RACHEL 1 I smiled at the man. RACHEL 2 He wasn’t my father. RACHEL 1 He asked me to get my mother. RACHEL 2 He wasn’t my father. RACHEL 1 I ran to get her. RACHEL 2 This man, isn’t welcome. RACHEL 1 I told her there was a man at the door. RACHEL 2 No one invited him here. RACHEL 1 The man asked to come in. RACHEL 2 Don’t let him in, shut the door and walk away. RACHEL 1 My mother welcomed him in, a smile on her face. 6 RACHEL 2 Why was she smiling? Couldn’t she see the look of pity on his face? (Silence.) RACHEL 1 (Imitating man) I have been asked to inform you that your husband has been reported dead in Kandahar, Afghanistan at 2400 on December 16th, 2015. RACHEL 2 This can’t be right. He must have the wrong family. RACHEL 1 Officer Davis was mortally wounded in combat. By the time he was brought to a medic, he was already gone. RACHEL 2 Any minute now my father will walk through that door. RACHEL 1 On behalf of the Secretary of Defense, I extend to you and your family my deepest sympathy in your great loss. RACHEL 2 Stop talking! Please! Just. Stop. Talking. RACHEL 1 The man looked at my mother then turned to me. He extended his sympathy to us once again, then left. RACHEL 2 I won’t cry, no you see I won’t cry because he isn’t really gone. RACHEL 1 I looked at my mother. RACHEL 2 One look at her was all it took for me to break down. RACHEL 1 I ran out of that house. RACHEL 2 I wish I could run out of my own body. RACHEL 1 I didn’t stop, until I couldn’t breathe. RACHEL 2 All I could think, while I was laying there, gasping for breath. 7 RACHEL 1 This must’ve been what my father felt, as he lay there, dying. RACHEL2 Alone. RACHEL 1 I tried to get up. RACHEL 2 I’m never going back. RACHEL 1 I stood up. RACHEL 2 You can’t make me. RACHEL 1 I walked home. RACHEL 2 Back so soon. RACHEL 1 I went to sleep. RACHEL 2 I cried myself to sleep that night. RACHEL 1 I woke up the next day and just for a moment I forgot. RACHEL 2 Then reality hit and I remembered everything. RACHEL 1 Life goes on. RACHEL 2 Everything. RACHEL 1 I think I finally know what caused all of this to happen. RACHEL 2 I know who did this. RACHEL 1 8 We have no one to blame but ourselves. RACHEL 2 It was them. RACHEL 1 We fight each other, attempting to earn peace. We don’t even know what peace is. RACHEL 2 They killed my father in cold blood. RACHEL 1 We’re too wrapped up in ourselves to realize the toll our violence is taking on the world. RACHEL 2 Shot a bullet through his head. RACHEL 1 Wars can’t solve all of our problems. RACHEL 2 They took my father. RACHEL 1 Violence took my father. RACHEL 2 This was no accident. RACHEL 1 Dead. RACHEL 2 And he’s never coming back. RACHEL 1 I walked down the stairs. RACHEL 2 My heart stopped. RACHEL 1 I saw my mother. RACHEL 2 This isn’t right. RACHEL 1 9 She was sprawled out on the couch. RACHEL 2 This isn’t her. RACHEL 1 She had an empty bottle in her hand. RACHEL 2 I must be dreaming. RACHEL 1 There were ten more around her. RACHEL 2 This isn’t real. RACHEL 1 Broken glass littered the floor. RACHEL 2 This can’t be right. RACHEL 1 I sat there and watched. RACHEL 2 What do I do? RACHEL 1 I walked away. RACHEL 2 What am I supposed to do? RACHEL 1 I left her there. RACHEL 2 I don’t feel anything. RACHEL 1 I guess that’s life. (Rachel 2 turns to Rachel 1) RACHEL 2 This wasn’t supposed to happen. 10 RACHEL 1 You don’t understand. RACHEL 2 None, of this was supposed to happen. RACHEL 1 You still don’t understand. RACHEL 2 We were going to be happy. RACHEL 1 After all I’ve said you still don’t get it do you? RACHEL 2 Get what? Get the fact that you are too self-centered to even think about someone else for two seconds? Get tha- RACHEL 1 (Interrupting Rachel 2) No you don’t understand that pain is weakness, there’s no room for weakness here. You can cry and grieve all you want but while you sob I’ll be moving on with my life. You have to accept things for what they are. You can’t change them. You can’t change a thing! He’s dead. He’s gone, and he’s never coming back. RACHEL 2 I can’t just accept it, don’t you see. If I don’t keep his memory alive then who will. Mother? You saw her, she’ll be lucky to even remember her own name. He didn’t have anyone else, we were everything to him, family was everything to him. What kind of family would I be if I let the memory of him die? If I move on, if I let his memory fade, he’ll be gone forever.