A Normal Play, for Mom
Daniel Brothers
2/19/2021
For Mom
Characters
Mom: A mom of a playwright
Son: A Playwright
Setting:
The living room of a family home, a tv console is set up in the corner and two very distinct messes exist not so happily coexisting on the various couches and seating
At Rise:
Son is writing using the TV as a computer screen, and playing music loudly. It is electronic and emotionally moving if you can get over the wub of the base. Mom enters
Son: (Singing along and typing) and it feels like I am just too close to wubwubwubwub
Mom: Hey, whats up?
Son: And its nothin, i can really wububububububub
Mom: Edward!
Rapidly turning around and stopping music
Son: Yes mom?
Mom: What's up!
Son: Oh, I was just writing some new plays for the blog
Mom: That's great! What are you writing?
Son: Do you want to hear it?
Mom: Why wouldn't I?
Son: It is sort of, sort of theatery
Mom: Well I like theatery!
Son: Are you gonna say you don't get it.
Mom: No. As long as I get it!
Son: Ok ok, lets try this. "the lights come up on a model sized house. The light is on in the kitchen and the sounds of someone using a kitchen can be heard as if through a wall. A phone rings at similar volume and you watch the light go on in a different room of the house. The phone stops ringing and the light goes off leaving just the kitchen light. The sound of a pan dropping. A person enters the stage"
Mom: So the person is in the house
Son: Well a person is in the house
Mom: But that is not who is entering the stage
Son: Just. (continues) "Voice: I was surprised when I heard that voice, dropped my pasta all over the floor. I wasn’t expecting the call, but i wasn’t surprised either. They always were persistent. "
Mom: So is that the person on stages voice?
Son: No, the person in the house is saying that.
Mom: Someone is in the house
Son: Yes that's what the lights going on and off in the start were telling you.
Mom: The lights?
Son gives a look
Mom: Ok I don't get it.
Son: It is hard to get it just by reading it. If you saw it then it would be good!
Mom: Why don't you write normal plays?
Son turns the chair around
Son: What do you mean?
Mom: Like a normal story, like the ones you acted in?
Son: So like one of the classics? Or a musical?
Mom: Yes! and not all of the weird, creepy, demony stuff
Son: (laughing) it's not, that's just part of what makes it impactful
Mom: I don't know I feel like Beauty and the Beast was pretty impactful
Son: I played gaston in that one?
Mom: Well i didn't mean that you were what was impactful
SOn: Oh wow!
Mom: No I mean! You know what I mean
Son: There is something to be said about learning to love, but also that show is about a monster that traps a woman for months
Mom: No! That's not the point of it though.
Son: It also isn't exactly normal.
Mom: But the story is easy to follow. Its realistic
Son: It does have a lot of actionable things happen, and good motivations for the characters
Mom: Yes it does!
Son: And it is very story driven, with distinct and relatable characters
Mom: Yes! Like that. Why don't you write plays like that?
Son: Well. You do need good actions, for instance if this were a play you should have come in with some goal of having me clean up the living room when you started talking to me
Mom: Well that certainly was one of the things i was going to say.
Son: Right, but you didn't.
Mom: Ok. And?
Son: [breaths] so you need good actions, for a play. Things for the characters to need, to do. And reasons for them to do them. But all the other stuff isn't necessary for a lot of shows. You can sit and watch something that you couldn't follow for the life of you and still have impactful feelings from it, you could watch some really weird sh..tuff and be moved by something in it. The plays I write just read off of a page well. I, ugh. I guess what I'm trying to say is I wish I could show you them, but with the way the world has gone lately I don't know when that will be.
Mom: I appreciate that. I know that you have a lot of knowledge on that and how theatre works. You should still write a normal play.
Son: Ugh! That is so your superobjective.
Mom: I don't know what that means, but you should. I would appreciate it, something with relatable characters with motivations that make sense, story driven.
Son: I think, hmm. I think I can give you all but that last part.
Mom: I'll take it!
She stands up to leave
Mom: And clean up when you're done, we do have guests coming over later.
Son: Yes mom!
Son returns to his screen to write the play that you just read.