Stage & Screen 17 Years by Nicole Ricketts
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I Quit by Maggie Brown
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Come With Me by Gabrielle Abashian
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It’s Just A Box by Hadley Rosengrant
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Not Like I Did by Love Lundy
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Y’all Know I’m Black! by A’Maya Jones
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I Have To Leave by Hadley Rosengrant
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Composed by Nirah Burwell
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Tales of a Fun-Sized Individual by Cassie Volkin
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The Little Climber by Kylee Henrie
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Stage & Screen
17 Years Nicole Ricketts 17 years. 17 years of YOU standing there and watching me get picked on by all the other kids. 17 years of YOU locking me out of your room, when all I wanted to do was talk. 17 years of YOU acting like it would KILL you to be my friend. I’ve dealt with the feeling of loneliness for 17 LONG years. All I wanted was the kind of brother-sister relationship you see in the movies. The kind where the big brother would go to the end of the Earth to protect his little sister from harm...but I NEVER got that. It took 17 years for you to make me feel completely Isolated. But it only took 3 months for the cancer to spread throughout your entire body. It only took 2 weeks for the Chemo to destroy your body from the inside out. It only took 1 second for your heart to stop and for you to be entirely gone. In those 17 years I have never felt more alone than I do now.
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I Quit Maggie Brown Are you kidding me? Three months into this gig and I’m already up to here with it. Last week, Doctor Destruction tied me to a set of railroad tracks. Railroad tracks! How cliche is that? And where were you, Mighty Man? Probably dodging paparazzi or kissing a baby, or on a hot date with the “secretary.” The only thing keeping me from walking out that door is the pay - which, by the way, ain’t much. But I’ve got bills to pay.
Stage & Screen
I signed up to be your sidekick cause I wanted to make a difference. All I’ve done so far is get stuck in the sidecar! Literally stuck. I haven’t fought a single villain by myself - or even with you - and somehow every crook in town knows where I live. Mom thinks I put my address in my Instagram bio. I’m not that stupid. And the tights What is up with the tights, man? I can’t be sneaky when I look like a neon ballerina. Our stupid logo is a big, shiny target for every villain to see! I could tell the press all your deepest, darkest secrets. Like the hundred dollar facial every week. Or, the Zumba classes. What about how you sob over chick flicks after every breakup? Do you think that’d make the tabloids? Then they would know that you’re nothing but a spandex-clad cry baby.
Well, guess what? You can take your jake muscles and teeth whitener ad go find yourself another sidekick. I quit! ...and I’m keeping the tights.
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Stage & Screen
Come With Me Gabrielle Abashian It’s time. We need to go. So much has happened, and I just don’t know how we can stay here after everything we’ve been through. Millions of our people viciously, slaughtered, as Armenians we no longer have homes here, we just have places of unspeakable genocide. The Turks are coming for us, and they’ll probably be here soon. To have them find us again, well, that would be fatal. Kamar, I know you’re reluctant to leave our home, so am I, but it’s what your brother would want, God bless Zenor’s soul. Your brothers, my mother, they are all dead. They would want us to be safe. So many of our people massacred, we have to leave, for them for us. Sure, we could go back to Kessab, but tensions are high in Syria, and things could go sour so fast, like they did here. It’s already been planned, we will take a boat, and stop in France, then go to New York. You could work at one of those steel mills you told me about, and I’ll be waiting for you with dinner when you get home. We will finally be able to start a family Kamar, you and I. We could take our babies to school without fear of being arrested and taken to these death camps. God, I wish my mother could be here. Please Kamar, don’t let her death be in vain, come with me. I love you so much, but I can’t stay here, so please, let’s go together. I don’t want to leave you behind, just for you to end up like she did, hanging from a post. We can have a better life. We will have a better life.
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It’s Just A Box Hadley Rosengrant
Stage & Screen
Dad, what is your problem?! It’s not that hard to buy a box of tampons! I mean, yeah, they have different sizes, but I didn’t realize that was too hard for your little man brain to understand. All you need to do is grab a box, and go! Look, I’m not going over to mom’s for another week, so I have no choice but to depend on you. I know you’re worried that someone will see you, but this is a very natural thing! There’s no reason to be embarrassed. Oh, I think I get it! You think you’re going to meet the love of your life in the tampon aisle! Hate to break it to you, but that’s just not going to happen. Trust me, everyone in that aisle has PMS and they don’t want to talk to you. Look. Dad. All you need to is grab the box, walk yourself right on over to the self-checkout, and walk back to your car. I know your masculinity is “in danger”, but you’re going to need to toughen up sooner or later! You can do this. It’s not that difficult. It, like, really is not that difficult; and I believe in you! Just put on your brave face, go be the manly man that you think you are, and go buy me some tampons!
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Stage & Screen
Not Like I Did Love Lundy New York. Is that where she lives? You know what, you don’t even have to tell me. I already know what kind of girl she is. Her name’s something cute out of a Christian baby name book, and she understanding, artistic, and quiet. Cute, and dainty, and pale. She’s never busy, she answers whenever you call, and she loves you! Or, at least she makes you feel loved. But, here’s the thing: she will never make you feel the way that I did because I actually love you more than I have ever loved anyone in my life. I, actually, love you. Do you even remember the first time we really hugged? I hadn’t hugged you for three years, and in that moment, in your arms, I felt at home. Or, the first time we kissed; you pulled away from me, stared into my eyes, and told me that you loved me. What about the when I sang to you for the first time? You cried, what you described to me as tears of joy, and I felt your happiness radiating throughout the room. We both know how I make you feel. I know you make me feel happy. And, that’s why, I don’t understand why you won’t just let me love you. But, I suppose that’s not my choice to make so, go, to New York, Connor. Go see your, understanding, dainty, pale lover. Just know that I won’t be here when you come back.
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Y’all Know I’m Black! A’Maya Jones See, this is why I don’t go nowhere with y’all. Y’all know I don’t like swimming. Y’all know I don’t like getting my hair wet. And y’all know I only came because Christian is the lifeguard, and he is so fine. He told me at school that he would be at work today, so I had to get cute with the best bathing suit. Listen, he even offered me lessons. He can teach me anything he want, and I’m not just talking about swimming.
Stage & Screen
Anyways after you put on that sunscreen, y’all go ahead and jump in, but you better not get me wet. This is a fresh sew in baby, and I know Chris likes girls with long hair, I checked his facebook. What, you’re not gonna share that sunscreen. I don’t wanna sit around here getting burnt up. I thought you knew I couldn’t swim. What do you mean why not? Because, duh. I’m black. I can drown in the baby pool.
Listen, I’m not getting in that water, period. Well, since Christian IS the lifeguard on duty maybe I should get in. Those lips were made for mouth to mouth resuscitation. He can save me anytime.
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Stage & Screen
I Have To Leave Hadley Rosengrant You want to know why I want to live with mom instead of you? You say that you want me just as much as she does, but I know that’s a lie. You don’t want me here at all. Ever since you married Brittany, there hasn’t been a single good thing about living here. I’m sick of feeling unwanted, I’m sick of feeling like I’m not good enough, and I’m sick of feeling like I don’t belong in my own home! Every day that I’m here, I spend it hiding in my room so you and that woman won’t find a million reasons to yell at me, because no matter what I do, it’s wrong. I shouldn’t have to walk on eggshells to make sure I don’t hurt your feelings… you’re a grown man, and I shouldn’t have to treat you like a child. Everyone thinks you’re so perfect, everyone thinks you’re such a great dad. Your friends, your co-workers, and our family, they all love you. But they don’t know you like I do. They don’t know that you’re mean, and you’re manipulative, and you’re a liar. You’ve fooled everyone into thinking everything is just fine. But it isn’t. You aren’t fine. I’m not fine. And we certainly are not fine. Your new wife might put up with it, but I’m not going to. It’s taken me too long to say this to you, but I’m not scared of you anymore. All of the problems we have are your fault. I’m a good person, I’m allowed to like who I am. If I want to have a good life, I need to leave. I need to leave because my greatest fear is turning into you, and I will not let that happen.
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Composed Nirah Burwell
Stage & Screen
(DELILAH crawls into her bed and falls asleep. The bed she is sleeping on is moved to a storage unit. She stands and exits the unit entering the one next to it. The unit is filled with boxes of womens items: shoes, clothes, jewelry, etc. As she looks about the room she sees a box of records.. Delilah flips through the assorted records and removes one. She reads the cover aloud.) DELILAH The Wilks, One Day, with live edition of Ophelia. (A woman walks by the unit carrying a box marked “8 tracks”. She is about 23 years old. She is dressed in 70’s attire.)
STASIE (She notices DELILAH is looking intently at the record.) Be careful with that. That’s my best record, has my favorite song on it. I keep that puppy in mint condition. DELILAH Which song is your favorite?
STASIE Ophelia, but it’s only good live. That’s why this is the best record, only album that has a live taping of it. DELILAH I see. Oh, sorry I’m just here rummaging through your stuff. STASIE (Putting down her box) It’s all good. You’re probably wondering why I have all this stuff here anyway. DELILAH No...Okay maybe.
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Stage & Screen
STASIE I’m moving in with my boyfriend. I’m always on the go for my job and he likes to stay in one place. Plus I don’t want to have to hear him complain about my apartment anymore (Doing a bad man’s voice impersonation) “You need normal house things. It looks like you don’t even live here. Why don’t you have an ice cream scooper?” (The two laugh together) STASIE I don’t mean to be rude but, do I know you? I feel like I’ve met you before. DELILAH I don’t believe we’ve met. STASIE Well I’m Stasie. (She sticks out a hand to Delilah) DELILAH Delilah. (The two shake hands) STASIE Delilah, I love that name. STASIE You should stop by my place. I can show you some cool music, it’s kinda my thing. (She grabs a magic marker and begins to write on DELILAH’S arm.) DELILAH It’s kinda my thing too! STASIE Are you positive we haven’t met? Nevermind.. 133 Bellin Ave. I have to go get the rest of the boxes before the truck has to go back. Don’t be a stranger. (She jogs offstage) (DELILAH feels a pull begin to drag her body towards the first unit she came from.)
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DELILAH What is this? (The invisible force pushes her into her bed and the bed back into her room. It’s now morning. When she wakes she sees 133 Bellin Ave. written in marker on her arm. On the bedside table is an opened sharpie.) GARETH (From the kitchen) Del, brunch! DELILAH Coming.
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Tales of a Fun-Sized Individual Cassie Volkin (Spotlight on Angelo.) ANGELO Hi, I’m Angelo, your friendly neighborhood short person! I’m here to educate you on all of the wonders five feet and under! (Begin drawing curtains back to a bustling town. Spotlight follows angelo as he backs into it.)
Stage & Screen
ANGELO Welcome to Elbowville, where I spend most of my time. The weather is cool, there’s plenty of shade, but always remember to look up! (dodges several elbows, backpacks, and other obstacles. He heads towards a grocery store. ANGELO See what I mean? You never know when you’re about to be hit in the face, but that goes both ways. (watches two nearby tall people get hit in the head by a hanging sign, and enters the store.) ANGELO Tall people have their uses, of course. Clerks always seem to put the best food on the highest shelves. Top one on the right, please. (A grocery clerk delivers him a can of soup from the top shelf, and Angelo keeps walking.) ANGELO Make no mistake about it, though. In an emergency, the fun-sized can handle themselves quite well. (Fire alarm goes off, people run around screaming. Angelo walks calmly to the fire extinguisher.) ANGELO Fun fact: smoke rises. So while the giants run around gasping with their pants on fire... (sprays the extinguisher at the flames and keeps walking.) 12
ANGELO ...us shorties walk calmly to the nearest exit. (Exit grocery store/town extras and set. Angelo walks into living room type area, where several relatives are milling about.) ANGELO What three things do grandparents always say when you see them at Christmas? How old are you now? How’s school? You’ve gotten so much bigger since I’ve last seen you! Except... (COUSIN REMY walks over and uses Angelo’s head as an armrest, still talking to his friends.) ANGELO You always know they’re lying. COUSIN REMY Hey, little buddy, how’s school?
Stage & Screen
ANGELO I’m two years older than you.
(Angelo ducks out of family scene, chatting quickly with family members on the way out. Light on angelo only. exit family scene, bring in classroom scene.) ANGELO (calling back to Remy) And try deodorant some time! Gosh. Angelo recovers from the stench and speaks to the audience.
ANGELO (sighs) Now, sometimes people are just clueless. Fine, I can’t reach the top shelf! Just give it a rest! (Light classroom. Angelo walks into the classroom and has a seat.) ANGELO This happens at school all too easily. TEACHER Angelo, come up to the board and circle which answer is correct. (Angelo walks up to the board, which is covered in scribbles. The space he’s supposed to circle is at the top. Class and teacher are frozen.)
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ANGELO Notice the height of the desired area. Notice the important notes that I cannot erase. Notice how awkward it’s going to be when someone else has to circle it for me. (turns toward teacher) Really? (strays from the board and between desks.) ANGELO Asking questions can be interesting too. (Angelo sits down and the class unfreezes. He raises his hand, but the kids in front of him are unintentionally blocking the way.) TEACHER Any questions? No? Good, because I will never teach that section again. ANGELO Urgh! Oh, and lining up? “What could go wrong with that?”, you may ask! Well, just watch! (turns back towards the teacher.)
Stage & Screen
TEACHER Alright, everyone, time to line up for lunch. (Everyone hurries out of their seats, but the teacher stops them with a hand gesture.) TEACHER Stop right there! To make sure this is completely fair, and there’s no pushing or rushing, we’re going to line up by age. Everybody up! (Everyone lines up. Angelo is the second oldest, and there is a noticeable height difference.) TEACHER Um, Angelo? Did you not hear the instructions? ANGELO I did. TEACHER (checks roster) Oh...well, let’s line up by height then! That’ll keep things symmetrical! (Everyone reorganizes.) ANGELO This works. (The class walks under a doorway and off stage. Students jump and hit
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the archway. Angelo jumps and misses, and does not follow the class off stage. He stops on the edge of the stage. Spotlight angelo. light off classroom, exit classroom, enter museum and criminals.) ANGELO Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to join the dark side. I’m sure my skills would be appreciated. Slipping between prison bars, sneaking past airport security...I wonder if I could fit in a suitcase... (Light up museum set. Angelo moves back into museum set, joining a few criminal colleagues. They eye a prized diamond greedily from another room.) CRIMINAL Just a few more minutes, and the jewel will be ours. Alright, mini-man, do your thing!
Stage & Screen
(Angelo finger guns them, then crawls through a hole in the wall into the museum treasure room. He ducks past lasers with ease, many going over his head. He reaches the jewel.) ANGELO Is security disabled? CRIMINAL Ya, boss.
(Angelo reaches for the diamond, then stops. The rest of the cast freezes. Spotlight on Angelo.) ANGELO But is this really the life I want? (backs away from the jewel.) ANGELO Sure, I could do great and terrible things in the criminal world, but for all the things out of my reach, the light side might still have potential.
(Angelo moves to the front of the stage, allowing the museum set to clear out, along with the criminals.) ANGELO For all the jewels I could swipe as a thief, I could discover just as many as a miner! That’s what dwarves are famous for, right? (picks up a nearby pick-ax.)
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ANGELO Heigh-ho? Or maybe an air force pilot! A small cockpit would be like a big armchair for me! (drops his pick-ax at the sudden sound of speeding planes.) ANGELO Or maybe I could play basketball! (Light on basketball hoop. A tall basketball player shakes their head.) ANGELO Perhaps that’s a little overly optimistic. (at basketball player) But you can’t beat my limbo record! (Fade out basketball hoop and player. Start resetting town scene while Angelo talks.)
Stage & Screen
ANGELO Come to think of it, when the aliens come, my low center of gravity will make me harder to abduct with their tractor beams! And I save money at restaurants when waiters give me the kids’ menu! (Slowly fade in town.) ANGELO No growth spurts means no constantly buying new clothes! They always need short people to play Piglet at Disney World! Maybe I could even be a movie star! (As Angelo climbs stairs to the top of a building,) ANGELO Napoleon was short! I could conquer Europe! No, the world! (Angelo picks up the flag, which reads “Small=Unstoppable”. Fanfare plays as Angelo lifts the flag.) ANGELO So I might be fun-sized, tiny even, but when it comes down to it, there’s nothing I can’t do! The End
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The Little Climber Kylee Henrie OPEN ON A BLACK SCREEN. MASON (V.O.) It started simple. CHILD MASON is a child, doing normal everyday child activities like coloring and eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Stage & Screen
MASON (V.O.) I’ve always wanted to reach for new heights, often quite literally. You see, I am not a tall person. Vertically challenged is a word for it, fun sized is another. I prefer fun sized to be honest. CHILD MASON LOOKS up at a cookie jar on a high shelf while doing one of the aforementioned normal childhood activities, GRABS a step stool and starts to climb to the cookies.
MASON (V.O.) Needless to say, I saw heights as a challenge to conquer, and equally needless to say is the amount of trouble I got into. CHILD MASON stumbles and falls off the stool. CHILD MASON on the couch with cookie and a large band-aid on his knee. MASON (V.O.) Like I said, I got in a lot of trouble. CHILD MASON is playing with cars. MASON (V.O.) I was a small kid, that was what kids at school saw. I mean way smaller than average. I grew out of it eventually, but school was rough for a few years. Playing with my brother helped until I made a few friends. PAN OUT TO SEE CHILD JACK 17
CUT TO CHILD JACK is playing with Mason, holding a red car. MASON (V.O.) That’s him, Jack, playing with my car. Despite his habit of stealing toy cars, he was a great brother. The best I could have asked for. Made life easier for everyone. He was sweet and was an huge car guy. I didn’t really understand what car he wanted, but I know it was yellow. CHILD MASON is on top of a playground, smiling and waving to a guy on the ground. CHILD MASON Hey Jack, up here!!!
Stage & Screen
MASON (V.O.) I got better at climbing as I got older. Look at me go. I was a little squirrel with no fear. Life was great. The wind up in sky where you can see everything, and the higher you go the more everything you can see. It was freedom. I loved it. Montage of CHILD MASON’s bedroom wall, starting with a couple posters of childhood things, then being replaced by posters of mountains and climbing locations. A steady heartbeat can be heard in the background. More and more pictures get placed on the wall. This is mixed with a montage of Mason climbing a tree on a sunny day. The heartbeat gets faster. Mason falls out of tree. People yell as he falls. JACK (MUFFLED) Mason! A high ringing sound is in the background. The heart beat has stopped. SCREEN GOES BLACK. MASON (V.O.) And that’s it. My life in a nutshell. Properly tragic. I mean it’s fine. It was my life. I just pushed it too hard. It was after a storm, and the branch snapped underneath me. I just didn’t notice. I should have. JACK is standing next to a coffin. Camera moves closer to the pair as Mason talks.
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MASON (V.O.) That’s me, and my brother, Jack. He’s been here a while now. I don’t think he knows we’re here. CUT TO CAMERA SITS OPPOSITE OF JACK, AS IF WATCHING THE COFFIN WITH HIM. JACK Hey Mason. MASON (V.O.) Yeah? JACK I... I don’t really know what to say. I hope you’re happy. (pause) I couldn’tdidn’t do anything. I just watched you fall.
Stage & Screen
MASON (V.O.) Jack, you were my brother. You gave me my favorite toy car, you taught me to climb, I wanted to become something because you told me I could. Would you listen to me? JACK lowers his head. MASON (V.O.) You didn’t do anything wrong, okay. I’m fine-
JACK I’ll miss you. Hey, I’ll climb that mountain for you, alright? You always wanted to do that. JACK takes out a red car and sets it on the coffin, and starts to walk away. MASON (V.O.) Just take care of yourself. Climb a small one for me. I’ll miss you too. (Jack walks away) He’ll be fine, right? Cars sit around on the carpet, where the brothers were playing. MASON walks on camera. He holds the red car and gestures with it sometimes. MASON When I couldn’t climb outside as a kid Jack would always play with me,
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even when he had homework. The red car was his at first, I guess I should have let him play with it more. He walks off camera into the next scene. The old play ground is empty. MASON walks on, still holding the car. MASON Jack would take me to the playground before I went to school. I climbed the wall first, but he told me I could climb up to the top of the slide. I almost slipped, but he caught me and pushed me up the last stretch. MASON looks around and walks away to next scene. CUT TO Mason’s room is mostly empty, his posters are falling down.
Stage & Screen
MASON Mom and Dad gave me a book about mountain climbing for Christmas. Jack was the one to listen to me talk about it for hours, and I mean hours, I never shut up about the dang thing. MASON lifts up one of the posters, looks underneath and pins it back up. MASON smiles and looks at the camera. CUT TO MASON I’m running out of time. I wish I could reach him, but maybe you can. Tell him I love him for me. Please. MASON looks back at the room and walks away. ZOOM IN ON POSTER. IT IS A PICTURE OF A MOUNTAIN CLIMBER WITH A NOTE FROM JACK. The poster reads,”You can do anything, just try. -Jack” CUT TO THE SCREEN IS BLACK. MASON (V.O.) It ended simple, and with a goodbye. Thank you.
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