The good folks at NPA are staging Doubleshot, their 24 Hour Play Festival, tomorrow at 7:00 pm as part of the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts' "Free For All" Fall Festival. This time round they asked me to write a 60 second play--with the option of a second one to fill in for a fellow playwright who's had to drop out.
So I did. It was so much fun I wrote a second one right after.
The theme of this Doubleshot's "The Seven Deadly Sins," and yes, I drew Sloth.
So without further ado, here's a tiny drama I call "In the Trees."
(Scene: We're high
in the tree canopy of the South American rainforest, upwards of 60 feet above
the forest floor. It's a lovely late afternoon. Hanging on one long tree limb
are three large sloths, Albert, Oliver and Cynthia. Oliver is hanging between
Albert and Cynthia. Oliver has just woken up with a start.)
OLIVER
Ohmygod HELP!
(Albert and Cynthia
wake up.)
OLIVER
Ohmygod please help me someone I'm
slipping!
CYNTHIA
Oliver?
OLIVER
Ohmygod!
ALBERT
What's going on?
CYNTHIA
Oliver's yelling!
OLIVER
I'm slipping!
CYNTHIA
Oh my god he's slipping!
OLIVER
Do something!
ALBERT
We've got to do something!
CYNTHIA
Oliver! We're coming sweetheart! Just hold
on!
OLIVER
I'm slipping!
(Albert and Cynthia
start to move towards Oliver as fast as they can. They're sloths.)
ALBERT
It's okay buddy! We're coming!
CYNTHIA
Hang on darling!
OLIVER
I'm still slipping!
ALBERT
Just don't look down!
OLIVER
My toes! My toes! They're letting go!
CYNTHIA
Almost there sweetheart!
(they're not a lot closer.)
OLIVER
Why god why? Why me?
ALBERT
Don't look down!
OLIVER
Why just three toes? Do you hate sloths?
ALBERT
Almost there buddy.
OLIVER
Oh god. Cynthia, tell the children
that...Cynthia?
ALBERT
I think she's asleep Oliver.
OLIVER
Really? Well that's just....
(he looks over to Albert, who's also
nodded off.)
Well that's just...
(he nods off, still hanging on.)
(End of Play)
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