Bright & Early: a new play by me


Here is the script for a play that was just produced by Dacha Theatre company for its Dacha 'Round the Clock 24-hour play festival. 

Bright & Early

A play

By

Patrick Hogan

 

206-214-7736 (mobile)

patrickhogan2000@comcast.net 

This version prepared for DACHA ‘ROUND THE CLOCK

January 23, 2021

 

Characters

EMILY

RACHAEL

BAILEY

SKYLAR

A HORSE

EMILY’S GRANDFATHER

 

Time

Bright and early this morning  

Place

Nearby

Synopsis

EMILY is torn when SKYLAR shows back up. Her friends ride with her on her journey to the bottom and back again. She learns a valuable lesson on the way.

NOTE

The actor playing EMILY can determine the gender and pronouns of SKYLAR


Scene One

EMILY’s place.  A clock can be seen, reading 7:45 am. EMILY awakes, bright and early in the morning. She opens curtains, makes coffee or tea, morning routine things. Then her phone rings. We hear only her own side of the conversation. The morning routine actions can intersperse the following lines.

EMILY

Skylar. What is it? What. I don’t know. I just had a dream about you. Well, I don’t know. This is a lot. I can’t talk now. I can’t wake up this bright and early. I’ll you back.

Direct address

It was Skylar. [Pronoun] wants to get back together. What should I do? What would you do?

In the back and forth, these are the beats to hit. Enlarge and expand as needed or add things that you devise/discover about the character in rehearsal to cover whatever time it takes to solicit chat question or whatever.

I’m scared.

(This is a revelation and is hard to say. Maybe EMILY did not know it until just this moment.)

I was hurt, once really bad, before by Jesse, who turned out to be fake.

Yes, Skylar is not Jesse.

We were together for three years.

Skylar never did anything bad.

Skylar and I went to the falls and [pronoun] brought this ring, and it was the most beautiful day, but I couldn’t.

If the question is do you love them, the answer is yes, and let it hit, but don’t say it.  Answer with a dodge, like, that isn’t everything.

If the question is do they love you, again you know the answer is yes and let it hit, but the answer is the same. 

After this information gets out.

Oh, I’m late for my call.

Some kind of scene change wizardry indicating a very quick flash forward

Scene Two

EMILY, RACHAEL, and BAILEY are all on screen. They are on a Zoom call together. RACHEL and BAILEY have matching towels wrapped around their heads, as if drying their hair.

EMILY

So, guess who called.

BAILEY

I think I only need one guess.

RACHAEL

So what did you say?

EMILY

I said I need time to think.  I said I’d call [pronoun] back. I don’t know what to do.  I need help. I asked the gods or whatever but I really trust you both.

BAILEY

You can’t have an existential crisis this bright and early. 

RACHAEL

[Pronoun] is so crazy about you.  I saw [pronoun] eating outside at that taco place last week.  I said hi.  {Pronoun] was all alone.  Seemed really down.

BAILEY

You said you need time to think.  It’s been like eight months now.  That’s the better part of a year.

EMILY

I can’t do math this bright and early.  I’m going back to bed.

Scene Three

Dream sequence. BAILEY is a HORSE. RACHAEL is EMILY’S GRANDFATHER. EMILY falls repeatedly from the horse. Each time this happens,

EMILY

I’m hurt!

A HORSE plays the congas in a mocking manner. He wears an enormous engagement ring around his neck.  

GRANDFATHER floats through the scene, perhaps as a disembodied head, perhaps using the cloud wallpaper as a background. After each conga riff.

GRANDFATHER

Do not attempt to defeat these instructions. Get back on the horse. Or you will never get back on.

This sequence happens a total of three times. The Zoom boxes ping-pong around like screen savers used to do. Eventually,

A HORSE

Hashtag smackdown

Begins laughing like a horse, then a person, louder and louder, for fifteen seconds.

Blackout

Scene Four

Opens with EMILY in bed, laughing but not fun laughing, more like being tickled too much. She wakes up, gets out of bed and goes back to her coffee/tea.

Direct address

EMILY

Was I talking in my sleep? Did you hear anything? I was having a nightmare.  I hope I’m not losing my mind. I can’t get warm this bright and early. What was that about? What do you think?

During this interaction EMILY just takes in the information while recapping the elements of the dream. Then,

EMILY

There are places where I do fail. And I’m scared to try again.

Scene Five

EMILY calls RACHAEL, who is excited about the dream. She wears a denim jacket and gray sweatpants.  She has been practicing ukulele and continues during the conversation.

EMILY

You wouldn’t believe the dream I just had. It kept telling me to get back on the horse. Just like my grandfather said that one time.

RACHAEL

That’s totally about Skylar.

EMILY

It is, isn’t it!

RACHAEL

I can’t rehearse bright and early. I feel like singing something though.

RACHAEL solicits a karaoke number. Completes it, then the conversation continues. To cover for any time needed to solicit input RACHAEL noodles more with the ukulele.

EMILY

That was so great! But anyway, I mean, my confidence is broken, but, like, in a good way.

RACHAEL

Hashtag go stars! Don’t pin yourself down like a bug on a card!

As she says this, she takes the giant pin and plays as if pinned to the floor or bed or other surface.

EMILY

Am I that bad?

RACHAEL

Yeah, kinda.

Scene six

EMILY calls BAILEY, who doubts the power of dreams, but knows it is giving her the right message. He is doing yoga, in gray sweatpants, after removing his denim jacket. He struggles with the poses.

EMILY

You wouldn’t believe the dream I just had. It kept telling me to get back on the horse. Just like my grandfather said that one time.

BAILEY

How does that relate?

EMILY

The horse had a giant engagement ring around its neck.

BAILEY

Kinda telegraphing it.

EMILY

Right. Not very hidden.

BAILEY

Just one of those days. I can’t do yoga bright and early. I need some easier stretches.

BAILEY solicits stretches from the audience. To cover for time here, BAILEY does various stretches that he thinks of himself, possibly goes out on the balcony for air, etc. After a few solicited stretches, EMILY eventually joins.  Somewhere along the way, we make the audience do them also.

EMILY

I’m going to call [pronoun] back. I think I had this dream for a reason.  Like Rachael said, I can’t stay stuck.

BAILEY

Hashtag woo!

Laughs as A HORSE had done in the dream sequence.

Scene seven

EMILY sings part of the song RACHAEL had done in Karaoke, while doing more routine activities. She takes out her phone.  She asks the audience again what to do. If anyone urges further caution or delay, that only makes her determination stronger. If they are all in, that also confirms her choice.

She taps her phone the appropriate number of times to call SKYLAR.

EMILY

(Excitedly) Skylar? I can’t have sushi this bright and early. Let’s meet at the diner.

EMILY puts on a mask and exits the space through whatever door is naturally in it. The clock is seen.


END OF PLAY 


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