Painting Reality

I mentioned I might post this, so here it is. It's a play I had to write for AP English Literature, and it turned out rather fun. Each person  represents a different literary movement. See if you can identify which person goes with what movement. Feel free to do a little research if you need to, but I think most of them are pretty obvious. Which movement/person do you identify most with?

Modernism

Aestheticism

Realism

Neo-Romanticism

Naturalism

Scene: An old theater in the 21^st century. The wall paper is peeling, the paint on the trim is chipping, the floorboards of the stage show extensive water damage. Alethea and Emma, girls of about age sixteen, appear from behind the dusty stage curtains. Both carry clipboards and pens.

Emma: Don't tell me you invited Jacob.

Alethea: I did.

Emma: Alethea, he'll crash the party! I don't understand why you like him so much. He's so … so …. [struggles to find the right word] … ordinary.

Alethea: [laughs] But that's exactly what I like about him. Jake is real. He doesn't hide behind some facade to get a girl's attention.

Emma: [paces the floor, exasperated] How is that going to help us with your sister's homecoming play? We need imagination!

Alethea: Just wait. You'll see. [turns to study curtains, taking notes on clipboard]

[The sound of a door groaning on its hinges resounds through the theater]

Emma: Great. Here he comes now.

Enter Jacob, followed closely by Beau and James.

Emma: [eyes brighten] Oh, look. He's brought some friends.

Alethea: What? [spins around, peeved by the announcement]

Emma: [trots down the stage to meet the boys] Hey. What's up?

Jacob: We are here and ready to work. [holds up a paintbrush and can]

Emma: [scowls] I was talking to Beau.

[Jacob ignores her and climbs the stage]

Beau: At your service, my lady. [bows, kissing her hand]

Emma: [giggles] Thank you. I think you are just the guy we need. Jacob and Alethea have no imagination. [peeks around Beau] Who's your friend?

Beau: Oh, that's James. He's just a tag-along. A very depressing fellow, really.

Emma: We don't need anymore of those.

Beau: [laughs] Well, then you'll be pleased to know he actually has an amazing imagination … if only you can make sense of it.

Emma: At least he has one. [extends her hand to James] Hi, I'm Emma. It's nice to meet you.

James: [ignores her hand] Nice? Why do people say 'nice to meet you' when they truly don't know if that person is nice yet or not?

Emma: [surprised] I suppose just to be polite. [extends hand out further]

James: [swats her hand away] Pah! Decorum! Another one of society's traps. One can't accurately express who they are when trapped in the rules of decorum.

Emma: Huh? [turns to Beau] You seem to have a knack for choosing interesting friends.

Beau: I told you. He's not my friend. Just a tag-along.

Emma: And Jacob?

Beau: I'm his tutor.

Emma: Tutor?

Beau: He needs help in art class.

Emma: Ah. That makes sense.

Alethea: [claps hands to get everybody's attention] Thank you all for coming today. I just found out this morning that my sister will be returning from Florida slightly ahead of schedule. Which means we now have less than two months to create and practice a play. On top of that, we've got to make this place look presentable. Now I did have a fairly simple plan of how we would proceed, but since I wasn't expecting such a crowd, [throws a scowl Jacob's direction] I will have to amend it. First and foremost, there is the matter of the topic of the play. As the community will be invited, I would like to address -

Emma: [raises hand and waves it] Oh, oh, I know! It should be set in France or perhaps England in the medieval age, and we could have knights and ogres and -

Alethea: We will stick with reality.

Emma: [pouts] But James would make a perfect troll.

Beau: [snorts]

Jacob: Realistically speaking, for that time period, we would need to portray the devastation of the Bubonic Plague, or the effects of the feudal system on the vassals and serfs.

Emma: [crinkles up nose] You have no imagination.

Alethea: No, no, no! You guys do not get the point. I want this play to portray some issue in our community in a way that will stir our audience into action. Perhaps some issue they've overlooked, like the discrimination of teens in the workplace.

Beau: Where's the fun in that? I think we should focus more on entertainment. You know, like a comedy or something.

Alethea: Comedies are pointless. We need something with lasting impact.

Beau: Theater is all about art. Comedy is all about art. Why, even life itself is an art! I say, if you are not going to make a play an art, what's the point of it at all?

Alethea: Well, I say art should be worth something far more than simple entertainment. It needs to have a lasting purpose for society.

Jacob: [thoughtful] What about a play about a kid, who wants to move up in society and go to college to be a doctor, but is trapped because the town looks at him in disgust because of his family name? He can't get a good job, or extra help from teachers at school, so he drops out of high school and follows the same criminal path as the rest of his family.

[Alethea nods, jotting something down on her clipboard]

Emma: [excited, mounts the stage] And then, one of the popular girls over hears him singing to himself one day, and she falls in love with his voice. She convinces her father of this kid's talent and to help him pursue a musical career. But -

Beau: [also jumps onto the stage] The poor guy can't actually sing. It was actually his twin brother whom she had overheard, but he doesn't tell her that. He can't miss this opportunity to earn a good chunk of money for college, so, he convinces his brother to pretend to be him. Then they split the profit.

Emma: In the meantime, this kid falls in love with the girl and feels bad about the charade and is determined to tell her the truth, even if it means sacrificing his future career.

Jacob: But the twin finds out about it and is worried this confession will ruin his music career, so he secretly murders his brother. Thus, our protagonist dies a helpless victim of the very life he was trying to escape!

[Emma and Beau stare at Jacob, mouths slightly agape]

Alethea: [exasperated, runs her fingers through her hair] But that doesn't sound very realistic.

Jacob: Yes, we should probably cut the singing part out. Make it simple.

Emma and Beau: No!

Beau: You'll cut out all the art out!

Emma: [folds arms across chest] And don't forget the romance.

Alethea: [stomps feet] Forget the art, forget the heroics! We need to show the audience reality.

Beau: Relax! People already live in reality. Let's give them something to help them enjoy it a little more. Life is only so long. Let them enjoy it while they can.

Alethea: But reality won't change for the better unless someone shows the people they need to change it.

Beau: Society would be changed for the better if they would sit back and enjoy the beauty there already is life.

Alethea: [rolls eyes] There are some people who can't sit back and enjoy life because they have to struggle to find work and food while the rest of society gorges itself on art and entertainment.

Jacob: It is a common pattern in society: The rich eat up the beauty of life, rarely leaving table scraps for the poor.

Emma: Guys, we are getting off topic!

Alethea: Yes, back to the point! Reality, remember?

Beau: Entertainment!

Jacob: [folds arms across chest in a challenging pose] You mean, the natural patterns of society.

Emma: You people, have no imagination! [stomps down the stage steps, tripping over the paint can. Red paint oozes out onto the floor. She slips] Oh! My new jeans!

Alethea: The carpet! Jacob, do tell me paint comes out of carpet.

Jacob: [scratches head] I don't know. It won't come out easily, that's for sure.

Beau: [whistles] And that's sure a lot of paint.

James: [steps out of the shadows, shaking his head] You guys really know nothing at all. This play will fail. I've got to go. [starts for the door]

Beau: James, wait! Why don't you share your opinion?

James: I just did. Good bye. [proceeds]

Beau: [grabs James' arms] Come on! Surely you have more to say than that.

James: [hesitates] Will you listen?

Beau, Alethea, Emma, Jacob: [desperate] Yes!

James: Society will never change. It's full of a bunch of stubborn elephants who can't recognize their own faults or each others' strengths. As I said, good bye. [exits, slamming the door]

Beau, Alethea, and Jacob stare after him.

Emma: A little help here? [tries to stand, slipping]

[Beau, Alethea, and Jacob scramble to the rescue. In the process, each slips in the paint and lands in a pile at the bottom of the steps]

Alethea: [groans] This is great. Just great.