Program 40 [SEWC]

Act I, Scene 3

The Ride

Set: 8:30 p.m. The set is the inside of a transit bus. One row of seats (driver side) is visible as well as the driver. The front of the bus is to the right of the stage (left if in a country where driver is on right).

Cast:

ALFIE - Bus Driver.
GEORGIE - 42 year old man - passenger.
MARIE - 56 year old woman – passenger.
HENRIETTA - 50s woman - passenger.
DUTCH - 70 year old man - passenger.
EXTRAS - 3 people between 40 - 80 years old – passengers.

Open Curtain

Alfie is driving, other characters are one to a seat going back from driver in order listed as cast. There is indistinguishable conversation going on throughout the bus with everyone except Alfie.

ALFIE:Raising both hands in front of him. Alright, everyone listen up please. Let me have your attention for just one minute.

Georgie stands back up and looks at Alfie.

GEORGIE: Just where have you been? I even got to the stop earlyso I could talk with you. What's going on here Alfie?

ALFIE: I know, I know; I'm sorry. But I'm here now to explain things . . . at least as much as I can. I was just told the details myself last night at the government meeting.

GEORGIE: Interupting. Thus you should have been able to tell me what was going on by now.Georgie sits back down.

ALFIE: I wish I could have. After the meeting they put us all on lock-down, well I guess technically it was before the meeting when they took away our cells. They issued us all these fancy gov ones after though. And now we can't even call unapproved numbers. That's why I volunteered to drive this bus, so I could be the one to talk to you. As for what's going on? Well, that's a different matter altogether. You have between now and when we arrive at the Imp building to make your choice between the two approved programs.

HENRIETTA: Which are this Soylent Program and the Mars Program, right? What exactly are they?

GEORGIE: I don't rightly care, I'm personaly not willingly being part of anything called Soylent. My sense of humour just doesn't go that far.

MARIE: I still don't get it.

DUTCH: Yeah, you wouldn't would you?

GEORGIE: Leave Marie alone Dutch. At least she's a good deal brighter than her daughter.

ALFIE: To the aside to Georgie. Just keep that girl away from me, she scares me.

GEORGIE: Aside to Alfie with a slight chuckle. That's funny, because Marie said almost the same thing about you to me in reference to Ginny.

ALFIE: Still aside to Georgie. Hrmmph! Be that as it may. Addressing all the passengers again. Ok, since I now have everyone's full attention again . . . your choices are the Soylent Program and the Mars Program. The Soylent Program is designed to colonize Mars with volunteers. The Soylent Program is for those whom do not wish to travel to Mars. They will instead be involved in the provision of supplies for the Mars Program. Alfie abrubtly turns around and sits in his seat.

DUTCH: But what's that mean? We want details.

ALFIE: I am sorry, I truly am, but I am not authorized to tell you any more than I already have.

HENRIETTA: So we have roughly five minutes to decide the rest of our lives?

ALFIE: Closer to fifteen. We are going to the new facility on the outskirts.

DUTCH: Ah, so that's what that is for. They've been working on that construction for the past eight and a half months. My firm was even hired for the job, but they didn't allow anyone over thirty to work on it. They even had everyone sign NDAs.

MARIE: What's an NDA?

GEORGIE: A non-disclosure agreement. Basically it means that the government owns you. It is standard practice for government jobs and it prevents you from talking about the things you see, hear, read, or do. And it does so under penalty of law. Although I'm not sure what the punishment would be. How 'bout it Alfie? What's the punishment for breaking the NDA?

ALFIE: I would love to tell you, but I had to sign one as well.

DUTCH: They're probly forced to join one of the programs if they blab.

Alfie focuses a little more on his job as driver and tries to make himself real small.

ALFIE: I think its time we went ahead and got to it.

You can hear the sound of the bus engine starting from the stage.

GEORGIE: Yeah Dutch, I think you got it in one.

Close Curtains

END ACT I, SCENE 3

a reply to: JDeLattre89

Love it! "Imp building" - totally awesome!!

a reply to: JDeLattre89

Great Jobs with the last two scenes! (Already read and commented on the first)
Very good reads!!

Interlude the 1st

Checkmate

Set: 9:00 p.m. At Pleasure Park, we find two tables next to each other and each has two people sitting at it playing chess. Bill is playing Toni and Sam is playing Eli.

Cast:

BILL - Man between 80 & 100 years old.
TONI - Man or woman between 80 & 100 years old.
SAM - Man or woman between 80 & 100 years old.
ELI - Man between 80 & 100 years old.
SUZZANA - 32 year old government bureaucrat.
EXTRAS - Tom & Bob. Security Force guards in mid 20s.

Open Curtain

BILL: Checkmate. Sorry Toni, this just isn't your day. Stay around for the final match?

TONI: Sure, why not?

SAM: Hmmm . . . well you might be here awhile. You see, Eli here is pretty good/

Eli nods in a noncommital kind of way and moves a chess piece. Suzzana and two guards come onstage. Tom and Bobstand to either side of the chess players.

SUZZANA: No, I think this tournament is over. You are all coming with us. But, I daresay that you will have plenty of time to play that silly game where you are going.

Tom and Bob frog-march the four chess players offstage from where they came.

Close Curtains

END ACT I

Alright, so that's it . . . ALL of Act I. Thank everyone for reading and sharing in this adventure.

a reply to: JDeLattre89

Awesome! I still have reading to do on the added scenes but this is amazing!

a reply to: Martin75

Thanks for the kind words Martin, hope you are enjoying your family down south on vacation.

Very good JdeL. Thank-you for following-up.

Thanks Nothin!

a reply to: JDeLattre89

OK, JDeLattre89, I'm hooked, so...tell me there's going to be Act 2 please?

a reply to: PrairieShepherd

There is . . . but will not be added to the SS contest.

I am still debating whether to put the rest on here (in installments of course), or find a local play troupe to perform it.