|
Act I
SCENE 1
SCENE: The estate of Mrs. Francesca Couteau on Whidbey Island, WA. Time: The Present.
AT RISE: In the dark, a buzzing sound is heard. It is an insect, perhaps a housefly. The insect is represented by a small ball of light flitting about the stage. After a moment, the lights come up on a parlor. CHRIS sits awkwardly in a chair, waving the bug away. ISAAC stands near the window and watches her.
Chris: The appointment was for three o’clock. I’m sure that’s what Larry said. Larry Phelps, he’s my boss. Said Mrs. Couteau wanted someone to come and bring her the new catalog. He sent me. Isaac: One is green. Chris: I’m sure he said three o’clock. That’s what he wrote it down as, here on this sticky note. I guess it could be a two, but it looks more like a three. Yes, I’m sure it’s a three. Isaac: One is green. Two is red. Chris: I’m sorry. I don’t follow. Isaac: Three is blue, four is orange, and five is? Chris: Where did you say Mrs. Couteau was? If she’s busy— Isaac: And five is? Chris: I think I’ll come back another time. Isaac: Listen. Five is puce. Chris: Puce? Is that a color? Isaac: Yes. Chris: I don’t think I’ve ever seen it. Isaac: I’m sure you have. Chris: What’s it like? Isaac: Like the number five. Chris: You’ve lost me again. Isaac: Puce. A deep, dark red. Dark like blood when it’s spilled and dried in the sun. Your turn. Six. Chris: Oh, is this a game? Isaac: Come on, Miss Blue. Six to you. Chris: Miss Blue? Isaac: That’s what you are. Chris: You think I’m sad? Isaac: Are you? Chris: That’s a personal question. Isaac: You brought it up. Chris: No, I’m not sad. What did you mean? Isaac: When I look at you, I think—blue. Chris: Why? I’m not wearing anything blue. Isaac: It has nothing to do with that. Come on, now. Six. Francesca: (entering) Six is like the ocean twenty feet under. Isaac: Ridiculous. Francesca: Prove me wrong. Isaac: It’s brown. Francesca: Since when? Isaac: It’s always been brown. Francesca: Brown like sand or brown like cow’s hide? Isaac: Cow’s hide. Francesca: I don’t buy it. Ocean blue. Chris: Mrs. Couteau? Isaac: You don’t know what you’re talking about, Mother. Francesca: Who says you get to make the rules? Isaac: Six is brown. It’s always been brown. It will never be anything else. (exits) Francesca: You must be the girl Larry Phelps sent over. CHRIS: He said you wanted to see the new catalog. (She hands FRANCESCA the catalog.) As you can see, Mrs. Couteau, our products are made from the finest materials. They’ve been fully tested for durability through a … a … rather thorough process. And they come in all the colors of the rainbow … red, yellow, blue, green, fuscia, pumpkin … although we’re out of pumpkin right now. It’s not the right season. But I’m sure we’ll get some back in when fall comes around. At least that’s what they tell me. You look like a woman who knows a little something about value. I mean, a lot. I’m sure you know a lot about it. Our products are cost effective because they’re so … so … Francesca: Durable. Chris: Yes. Just one of ours will save you having to run out and buy, say, seven— Francesca: Seven? CHRIS: Yes, I believe that’s right … seven from a discount store. FRANCESCA: Do you like art? CHRIS: Of course, who doesn’t? … Uh … if you buy today, you’ll receive ten percent off the listed price and free shipping. FRANCESCA: Free shipping? That is something. Before you came I was trying to decide where to place this sculpture. CHRIS: Of course, you have to buy a minimum of three, which may seem like a lot, but I’m sure that’s a very good deal. FRANCESCA: By the window? On the table? What do you think? CHRIS: All you have to do is— FRANCESCA: I asked you a question. CHRIS: Oh … um … I’m sorry? I don’t know much about decorating. FRANCESCA: I just asked for your opinion. CHRIS: I don’t really have an opinion about it. FRANCESCA: Everyone has an opinion, especially about art. |
Dialogue Sample |
|
Sandra Hosking, M.F.A. |
|
Playwright, journalist, teacher |
|
Three Shades Synopsis & Dialogue Sample |
|
Phone: (509) 953-9928 |
|
Running time - 90 minutes
Genre - Drama
Setting
Place – A residence in a small town on an island in Washington’s Puget Sound. Area staging.
Time – The present. Takes place over a period of several months.
Characters - 2 Male, 2 Female
Chris Madison - A woman in her early 20s.
Francesca Couteau - A woman over 55.
Isaac - Francesca’s son, over 35, a no name sculptor, a synesthete*
Philip– A married man in his 30s or 40s, a professional golfer and Chris’ ex-lover.
Synopsis
When Chris Madison follows her former lover to a small town on Washington state’s Puget Sound, she finds herself employed as a companion for Mrs. Francesca Couteau. Chris is muddled by Mrs. Couteau’s overbearing nature and her son Isaac, a reclusive sculptor, who speaks cryptically and refuses to deal with outsiders. Upon her mistress’s death, Chris is forced to find a way to communicate with Isaac and help him cope with grief. And, just when Chris is moving beyond her doomed affair, her ex-lover comes calling.
*Synesthesia is a medical condition in which a person’s senses are “cross-wired.” He/She may see people as colors or shapes, or taste certain flavor when sounds are heard. |
|
Contact the author: |
