Playground at the Park

This one-act was perfomed as part of the 16th annual one act festival in June 2003 at Bakersfield Community Theatre. See http://www.bakersfieldcommunitytheatre.org

By

Brandon Seger

Email: [email protected]

Bakersfield Community Theatre�2003 One-Act Festival

Characters

Nick

Josh

Brock

Bruce

A Girl

Two boys

 

[Lights up.� The setting is on a playground. Nick and Josh are on stage.� Nick and Josh are around seventh-grade age, 12 or 13.� The stage consists of a bare playground setup.� On stage is a swing set, a seesaw, a couple of poles, a set of monkey bars, a bench, and a trashcan.� Nick is on the swing, and Josh is digging nearby in the sand.� Two bicycles lie off to the side of the stage.]

Nick increases his swing and jumps off into the sand.� He lands close to Josh.

Nick� Weeeeee!

Josh� Be careful, will ya?� You could�ve ruined my sand castle.

Nick� Oh, bugger.� You can always build another one.� There�s plenty of sand here.

Josh �[looking at watch] It�s all most noon.� Maybe we should return home and have lunch.

Nick� I�m still full from breakfast.� Let�s play a little while. [He goes to the monkey bars.]

Josh� Well, Dad said he wanted us to check back soon anyway.

Nick� It�s a most beautiful day.� Not a cloud in sight.� It�s a perfect day to be at the playground.

Josh� It�s also a good day to go swimming, if you ask me.� It gets boring playing in the sand.

Nick� We can go swimming later this afternoon.� Come on, we rarely come to the playground anyway.� Look around you, at all these places to play at.� We can do something fun if you just think of something you want to play.

Josh� There isn�t anything fun to do here.� Play on the bars.� Dig in the sand.� There�s nothing else here.

Nick� Well, I�m here with you.� I�m someone you can play with.� It�s not like you�re here all by your self.

Josh� There�s no one else at the playground today.� What fun is it when no one is here to play with?

Nick� You can play with me.� Do you want to get on the seesaw?

Josh [Reluctantly] Sure.

Nick and Josh mount the seesaw.� They rock on it.

Nick� Faster!� Give it your weight.

Josh� I can only rock it so hard.

[They say nothing for ten seconds, but continue to rock on the seesaw.]

Josh [Stopping the movement.] This gets boring quickly.� I want off.

Nick� Fine.� What else do you want to do?

Josh� Why can�t we just go home?

Nick� Besides that�

Josh� You�re the one who wants to be here.� Think of something to do.

Nick� All right.� Hmm�I know!� How about I bury you up to your neck in the sand?

Josh� I�m not getting dirty!� If you want someone in the sand, you do get in it.

Nick� Ha, I didn�t think you would.� Well�[thinks a moment as he looks around].� I know something else.� See the poles?� Let�s see who can climb to the top first.

Josh� We�ve done that so many times before.� I always beat you.� It�s not worth it.

Nick� Yes, but I�ve been waiting for a chance to surpass you.� Wait!� Here comes someone.� It�s Brock!

[Enter Brock, who rides in on a skateboard.]

Brock� Hello Nick.� Hey there, Josh.

Josh� At last, someone else has come.

Brock� No one has been here, I see.� I was just at home earlier, but I got bored so I hopped on my skateboard.

Josh� Tell me about it.� It�s an awfully slow day.

Brock� I was on my way to my friend�s house, actually.� I saw you two over here, so I came over.� But I must go.

Nick� Off to your friends, eh?� Very well.� Don�t let us stop you.� We�ll see you later.

Brock� Bye.

Josh [Disappointedly.] Later.

[Brock leaves off to stage left.]

Josh� What now?

Nick� Hmm�ah, I know.� [Nick walks a few feet to where a stick is lying on the ground, and picks it up.]� We can play tic-tac-toe in the sand.

Josh� Um�okay.

[Nick and Josh squat on the ground.� Nick draws crosses in the sand, and makes the first mark.� Josh takes the stick and makes his mark.� They do this a few times until Nick speaks.]

Nick [Drawing a line.]� Tic-tac-toe, three in a row!

Josh� Aw, shucks.

They stand up, and Josh throws the stick offstage.

Nick� Wait!� We could have played another game of it, you know.

Josh� Oh, well.� It�s a dumb game anyway.� What�s the point of playing it in the sand when you can play it on a chalkboard or on a paper?� Well, then, what can we do now?� You�re the one with all of the ideas.

Nick� I don�t know.� Look where we are.� We�ve got the whole playground to ourselves.� I was having fun playing on them, but you don�t want to do anything here.

Josh� The reason is just that:� there isn�t anything to do here! [Pause]� This isn�t a very good playground.� They didn�t build a lot of stuff to play on.

Nick� But we can surely play on what they have built here.

Josh [Moving toward a park bench, then sitting on it.]� We�ve been here for what, half an hour?� You�ve got to be bored!

Nick �I�m not bored one bit.� We came out to this playground to play�that�s the reason the playground was made, isn�t it?� If you would just cooperate, then we�d have something to do!

Josh� We should have brought a ball.� Is there a ball around here? [Looks around him and peers distantly].� If we had a ball, we could at least play toss back.� We can�t even do that.

Nick� Okay�how about this.� We can play a simple game of hide-and-go-seek.

Josh [Rising abruptly, with a brief laugh.] Hide-and-go-seek?� Don�t be ridiculous!� There�s nowhere to hide.

Nick� Sure there is! Don�t you see the trees?

Josh� But the tree trunks are not big enough!� We could easily see each other if we hid behind one of them.

Nick� Yeah�you�re right.� Okay�I know!� If we can�t hide behind the trees, then why don�t we climb them?

Josh� I don�t think we can reach the lower branches�they�re too high up.

Nick� Well, then, you could lift me onto your shoulders, or I can lift you onto mine, and then we should be able to reach the lowest branch.� That�ll work!

Josh  No. [Nick drops his mouth with impatience.] Well, I don�t want to climb the tree!� This is a new shirt, and I don�t want to dirty it by rubbing it against the bark or getting a green stain on it from the leaves.

Nick� So what if it�s a new shirt?� After wearing it for many weeks, it�s going to get dirty anyway.� If it gets dirty, it can be thrown in the dishwasher.

Josh� I don�t care.� I don�t want to get dirty right now.

Nick� Goodness, Josh, you�re impossible!� Let�s just play something!� We can race, we can play tag, we can play hopscotch on the black top�what do you want to do?

A ball bounces on from stage left.

Josh� Hey, there�s a ball!

Nick [stopping the ball and picking it up.]� Good!� You wanted a ball.� Now that we have one, let�s do something with it.

Josh� Toss it at me.

They throw the ball back and forth at each other for several seconds.� Soon, a Girl enters from stage left.

Girl� Hey, wait a minute!� That�s my ball.� I was playing with someone on the soccer field and I kicked it way over here.

Josh� Your ball?� Well�it came to us and we were just playing with it.

Girl� Well, it belongs to us, and we�re not done playing with it.� Please give me the ball back.

Nick [Holding the ball after Josh throws it back to him.]� We�re sorry.� Here.

Girl� [Retrieving the ball from NICK.]� Thank you.� Now, goodbye.

[Nick and Josh remain standing in their positions for a few seconds without speaking.]

Josh� Oh, great!� Now we don�t have anything to play with again.

Nick� Aw, don�t worry about it.� What were we going to do, toss the ball back to each other for a whole hour?� No way!� We can do something else.

Josh� Except that there isn�t anything else to do.� I don�t know why we even came here.� We should have gone to a friend�s house, or something.� There would be a lot to do there.

Nick� Why don�t you go back to building your sand castle?� I�ll get back on the swing or something.

Josh� But that�s boring.� We were doing that just a little bit ago.

Nick� Well, then, we can think if something else to go.

Josh� I know what we can do.� Want to hear it?

Nick� Yes, of course!

Josh� Let�s just�go home!

Nick No!

[Nick sits on the ground, and Josh slumps back on the bench, both with folded arms.� They simply sit and say nothing for several seconds.]

Nick� Wait! Here comes another person.

They stand up and both look toward stage left.

Josh� Oh, great�it�s Bruce.

Enter Bruce the bully, accompanied by two other boys.� Bruce has greased hair, and is wearing jeans and a leather jacket.� Bruce approaches Nick and Josh and comes to a halt.� The two other boys remain behind him.

Bruce [Sneering] Well�what do you know?� It�s Nick and Josh!� Two of my best buddies.� Ain�t that right, boys?

Nick� What are you doing here, Bruce?

Bruce [Looking at the sky.] Why�I�m just riding outside on this beautiful day.� Enjoying the weather.� Smelling the fresh air�[Takes a deep breath in through the nose.]

Josh� We don�t want any trouble, Bruce.� We were just here�uh�playing, that�s all.

Bruce Playing, huh?� I bet you�re having lots of fun playing by yourselves at the playground.

Nick� It�s been boring, actually.� There really isn�t anything to do here.

Bruce �Boring?� That�s a shame.� Well, I know how we can solve this problem�I know something fun we can do!� See that trashcan over there?� How about my friends and I stuff both of your heads in it!

Bruce and the two boys advance on Nick and Josh, who are backing off.

Nick� Look�why don�t you just get back on your fancy scooters and leave?

Bruce� And what are you going to do about it if I DON�T leave, punk?

Nick� What are you going to do?� What can you do?� Give us a�what, a �fist sandwich?�

Bruce� If that�s what you want, I can give you one!

Bruce punches Nick in the stomach, and Nick clutches his stomach and sinks to the ground.� The two boys go for Nick, but Josh jumps in front of him and stops them.

Josh� Stop this!� You want me to go get my Dad?� How about you answer to him!� You try giving him a fist in the stomach!

Bruce� You want one too, lame brain?

Josh quickly squats, grabs sand in his hand, stands back up, and throws it in Bruce�s face.� Bruce thows his head back and swiftly rubs his eyes.

Bruce� You little punk!� I ought to give you a smorgasbord of fists!

[The two boys jump in between Bruce and Josh and separate them]

Boy #1� Enough, Bruce!� Let�s just go!

Boy #2� Yeah, let�s not bother with these fools.

Bruce� I�m warning you�if you ever pull a stupid thing like that again, you�ll get into some big trouble at school!� You watch it!

Bruce and the two boys return to their scooters.� They all mount their scooters and pass Nick and Josh as they ride off stage right.� After the three disappear, Josh helps Nick back to his feet.

Josh� Are you all right?

Nick� Yes, I�m fine.� It just knocked the wind out of me.� [NICK goes to sit on the bench.]

Josh� Let�s just not tell Dad about this, all right?

Nick� I�m not going to tell him anything.� [Rubs his stomach.]� Well�what can we do now?� There still isn�t anyone here.� Maybe if we wait a little longer, someone else will come.� Someone good we can play with.

Josh� I don�t think anyone else is going to come.� If someone else does come, it probably won�t be anyone special.

Nick� Then until someone comes, we can play something else.

Josh� We�ve spent the whole time thinking of something to do, and we�ve been bored out of our minds.� There is nothing to do here.� I saw we go home.

Nick� No!� I don�t want to go home! �I�m not going to let this ruin our fun. We came here to play, and gosh darn it, that�s what we�re going to do.� It�s been a lame weekend, and I�ve been waiting the whole time to go out of the house and do something.� So today we come to the playground.� There is no reason to go home yet!� It is still daylight, we need only return if the sun begins to set.� Home is just a few blocks away.� We�re perfectly fine where we are.� Now, if we can just think of something else to do, we can do it!

Josh Nick�

Nick� Yes�?

Josh� Let�s just go home.

Nick� Oh�all right!

They go to their bicycles, mount them, and ride off to stage left.� All that remains on stage is the skim playground set, and the sound of a breeze.� Lights fade.