Dramatic Scene Play

Breanna Hadden Professor Kumley English 11A November 8, 2015 CHARACTERS BASHA-An American African student CONNOR-A student McCARTHY- Basha’s deskmate TEACHER 1- Teacher on duty KELLY: A student CHIENG XENG: An Asian student Cook 1: A philistine cook Check the definition of 'philistine'. I don't think it is the word you want. PRINCIPAL: Head teacher BROKEN FROM THE OUTSIDE, GIGANTIC INWARDLY The room is empty and the gas lamps sound is the only thing that can be heard from the outside. Basha, a 16 year old, flips the pages of the old biology books he has been working for the last 3 hours. He peeps through the window and wonders how everyone hasn’t realized the exam is two weeks to time. Remember that your audience will not read these stage directions. If this information is important, you need to convey it through the words or actions of your characters. The bell rings and the students start to go to their classes for the morning preps. Excellent stage directions! CONNOR: oooh! The same old guy I thought I would be the first in class today. I think this may be two sentences that you forgot to break up with punctuation. Otherwise, I do not understand what you are trying to say. BASHA: good morning. CONNOR: Do you have something that worries you more than working so hard but remain a loser! I am not sure what you mean here. BASHA: no I never thought about it Even in a script, please begin each sentence with a capital letter and end with punctuation. CONNOR: Then you should because I think… BASHA: stop it my parents may be poor, but I will not. This seems like an extreme reaction. Connor hasn't said anything about his parents or his social status at this point. If he is reacting to a build-up of many previous insults, you will need to show that somehow, or else he will appear unreasonable. If you have nothing else to say go sit and sleep or start recounting your mother’s golden jewelry CONNOR: slow brother if I break your leg you might have to sell one of your brothers in Africa for treatment. Okay. Now his reaction seems reasonable. BASHA: Say one more word about my skin color and I will take you for lunch. CLASSMATES: Fight Fight Fight! TEACHER 1: what is all this shouting is hearing about? BASHA: You should ask the clever genius. TEACHER 1: May be you should watch your mouth first and you go sit down and if I hear anything I will have you both working in the kitchen. The class is quite and only the footsteps of the teacher can be heard as she walks away. KELLY: Basha what will you be taking for lunch again? CLASSMATES: hahaha! The class bursts their desks as they laugh. CONNOR: Classmates! You know how kind we are! We took people from all over the world and especially Africa and allowed them to have equal rights with us and now they want to rule us and make us the welcomed. We have to make them understand that we are different from our fathers. CHING XENG: Gentlemen where someone was born does not make him weak. We are scholars and shouldn’t think like 16th century dwellers. I may not be the most logic but I think it would be stupid if someone would judge by such grounds. McCARTHY: I think he has a point. Maybe we should just accept we are all the same. CONNOR: Coward! Cowards fear change, fights and standing and their rights. CLASSMATES: Yeah Yeah!! We are not cowards BASHA: Silence classmates, if all this is about me, and the way I spoke to Connor, I apologize but if it’s about anything else, let the healthy discussion go on. The dialog in this section sounds strangely formal. I have never heard a student actually address his classmates as “classmates” unless it is in a formal speech or debate. McCARTHY: You have nothing to apologize for. I think you were straight on point. CONNOR: Very right McCarthy, but you should have added that to be equals he should probably get bleached. BASHA: Come here, what did you say? He throws him to the floor and pounces on him. (The whole class goes wayward as the two opposing groups fought. TEACHER 1: Stop! Stop! Stop! Everyone I said stop! Follow me into the principal’s office. You need some stage directions here to show that you have moved locations. PRINCIPAL: I am made aware that the class fought because of an argument started by a student. Class representative can you confirm that? MARTIN: Yes, Basha started it. He said he was better than Connor because he is black. McCarthy: Don’t dare lie to the principal! CLASSMATES: argues loudly. PRINCIPAL: Silent, don’t speak unless spoken to!! Carry on Martin. MARTIN: Thanks, as I was saying Basha is guilty for the fight and he should be expelled. PRINCIPAL: Thanks for your opinion. Does Basha have anything to say to defend himself? BASHA: Everything said is a lie and I am glad because McCarthy said it before me. I can explain what happened. PRINCIPAL: No. Please don’t. I have heard enough. Now that your classmates too can’t tell the truth, you Basha will be punished and will be working at the kitchen for a week, and you Connor, for not reporting what happened you will work at the library for the whole day. Any similar mistakes will lead to expulsion from the institute. BASHA: Mr. Principal…. PRINCIPAL: Please leave my office! You have changed location again? COOK 1: What happened to you? Did you fight? BASHA: No! I am here because I am black. COOK 1: Who did that to you? My son too was accused of being a terrorist because of our Palestinian background and was later shot and killed on his way home. BASHA: I am sorry sir. My classmate Connor did it. He was punished too; he will be working at the library for today only. COOK 1: You said he is Connor? The masculine tall student who has a scar at his right side of the face? BASHA: Yeah...you know him? COOK 1: Yes I do, go now wash those cookers and be ready to make some tea. I will take a walk for now. Get me that knife over there I will cut the cabbages on my way out. (Basha gets him the knife and goes to clean the cookers, and joins the others under the supervision of Teacher 1 who is on duty). The bell rings and screams are heard all over TEACHER 1: Did somebody hear that? BASHA: Yeah, screams…lets go and see! What is going on security? SECURITY1: A student was killed at the library TEACHER 1: what? I…I…who? BASHA: oooh no! As the crowd watches blood oozing everywhere, all eyes were on Basha. He was the only one who could have killed Connor, and wasn’t he working at the kitchen where he could access a knife? TEACHER 1: He didn’t do it; he was with me at the kitchen. PRINCIPAL: Then he might have paid the killer. COOKER 1: I killed him!! Its justice for my son….Alhamdullahi!! Some of the reactions of your characters seem extreme and unmotivated. This one especially. The crowd reacts angrily and attacks him to half dead. In the confusion, some attacked Basha breaking his two legs. The police come in and save Basha and Cooker 1. The following day, the school is closed and Basha is declared crippled while cooker 1 didn’t make it. Basha swings the wheel chair in the hospital as he turns to see his visiting friends from school. He cries as he knows he will never see them again as a group as he will sit for his final exams in the hospital.