Scene Two— But It’s All About Me
START FROM THE BEGINNING by reading SCENE ONE here.
SCENE TWO
Set: It is a bare workshop space. There are 12 chairs in a semi-circle. Beneath each chair is a notebook, a pen, and a few candies. In the centre of the semi-circle is a box of tissues.
Style: Movement based. Physical storytelling. Rhythmic, and poetic.
Invitation to:
Consider the three characters are interchangeable.
Consider choosing an issue of the ‘time’ and infuse it through the script.
Consider exploring a theme where reconciliation is the yearning behind the text.
Characters: The workshop junkies.
They don’t live ‘out there’, they live ‘in here’, in workshop spaces.
SHE: You never return my calls. I’ve been
THEY: Looking for you for days. You
SHE: Abandoned me. I feel
THEY: Used. I give, I give
SHE: You take you take.
THEY: You’re bad for me. You appeal
SHE: To my need to have to fix things. I
THEY: Take care of you. I am
SHE: Powerless with you. You can be
THEY: So overbearing. I completely get lost. It’s like
SHE: I don’t exist.
THEY: Fuck you. Do you have any idea
SHE: What you do to me? Do you have
THEY: Any frickin’ idea what you do
SHE: To me? You don’t
THEY: Care.
SHE: All that really matters
THEY: In your spanking, self
SHE: Satisfying
THEY: Self
SHE: Gratifying
THEY: Selfish
SHE: Indulgent
THEY: Shallow
SHE: Little, Tiny, World
THEY: Is
HE: You.
SHE/THEY: You.
HE: You.
SHE/THEY: Well, don’t hold back on our account.
She/They/He start to write madly in their journals.
SCENE.
There is a festival in Vancouver called: Theatre Under the Gun. In it, writers and actors come together to write, rehearse, stage and perform a one act play in 48 hours. At the time I wrote this, I was heavily involved in personal development work and the character of ‘the workshop junkie’ arrived. I have always loved physical theatre, clown work, mask and poetic dialogue. This piece is my exploration of storytelling this way.
And yes, we did stage the show. It was performed at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre a very long time ago with: Cyndi Mason, Judi Closkey and a guy named Ryan… oh man… I couldn’t tell you his last name. We met at a workshop.
For real.
TinaO is a storyteller, performer, and a professional listener who works with narrative and story structure as a vehicle for human connection. Her work is rooted in Myth, Mysticism, and the practice of personal faith. She is the founder of Live Your Best Story, a weekend retreat of deep listening held on Bowen Island, BC, Canada and is the voice and story behind TinaOLife. Tina is a proud associate of PowHERhouse Impact Media Group where she listens and supports the ‘stories’ of whole and integrated leaders of tomorrow.
