Sue Lange, founding member of "Book View Café," (BVC) an authors' collective which includes over 30 published writers such as Ursula K. Le Guin, Vonda N. McIntyre, Patricia Rice and Sherwood Smith. Her first novel, Tritcheon Hash, was published in 2003 by Metropolis Ink, her second, "We Robots," was published by Aqueduct Press in 2007. BVC released a collection of her previously published short stories, under the title of "Uncategorized." And in 2010 BVC released her literary science fiction novel, "The Textile Planet." She has received numerous literary awards. We publish here her short play entitled "Ingénue, a ten-minute tragedy."
"Ingénue, a ten-minute tragedy"
Drama by Sue Lange
Description: 1 m or f (off-stage voice)
Rony has acquiesced to her mother her entire life, but now
she is old enough to make her own decisions. She wants to pursue a career as an
artist like her wild friend, Char, but her mother’s influence has her heading
toward an academic career in which she is unlikely to be happy. She must find
the strength to defy her mother and create her own destiny.
Cast of
characters: Rony:
high school senior (pronounced “Roaney), Char: high school senior (pronounced “Shar”), Cranston: hall monitor (any age, any
gender)
Time: Last period of the day. Place: Girls high school restroom; handicapped stall.
SETTING: We are in the handicapped stall of the high school girls’ restroom. There is the angled bar on the wall next to the toilet. A low sink on the fourth wall with an imaginary mirror above it. A backpack sits off to the side.
AT
RISE: The school bell rings, followed by
the reverberating sound of someone vomiting into a toilet. The lights come up
we see RONY at the toilet. CHAR enters and slips in under the stall door on her
stomach. She pulls off her backpack and sets it on the floor.
CHAR
What do you have, like, bulimia?
(RONY looks over at her, sits back
on her heels, wipes her mouth, stands up, and moves to the sink to rinse her
mouth.)
CHAR
Today’s the day, eh?
(She pulls herself in all the way, glances at the toilet bowl.)
Ugh!
(flushes the toilet)
This is all ‘cuz you took that
stupid S.A.T., you know that, right?
(RONY turns from the sink and looks
at her. CHAR pulls a pack of gum out of her sweatshirt pocket and hands a stick
to RONY who takes it, unwraps it and puts it in her mouth. CHAR opens her hand
to take back the wrapper and tosses the paper to the toilet.)
RONY
Hey don’t do that! It’s gonna clog
the—
CHAR
(flushes without taking her eyes off RONY)
I’m just sayin’, if you hadn’t a
took that test—
RONY
I know what you’re saying.
(turns to look in the “mirror” above
the sink but doesn’t primp)
Everyone takes the test. You have no
future without the test.
CHAR
I didn’t take the test.
RONY
You don’t need to. Your future’s all
blah, blah, blah.
CHAR
Who needs college? You could do what
I do. There’s tons of money in it.
RONY
(turns to CHAR)
What are you going to do when you’re
thirty and tired of playing video games?
CHAR
Designing. Designing video games.
RONY
Whatever. What are you going to do
when you get tired of it?
(During the next speech, CHAR sits
on the floor and leans against the toilet. She pulls out a rolled joint from
her sweatshirt pocket and puts it in her mouth. From her backpack she extracts
an ashtray contraption shaped like a penguin and sets it on the floor.)
CHAR
You sound like your mother. What
does anyone do when they get tired of anything? Besides, that’s, like, twelve
years away. I could be dead by then. ITMT, I get to do what I love and
I’ll get paid for it.
RONY
ITMT, There’s no smoking in here.
(looks under the stall wall to check
for the hall monitor)
Cranston’s going to smell that and
come in here and we’ll both get kicked out. Of course that doesn’t matter to
you.
CHAR
Hey this is the handicapped.
Crankhead’s not going to mess with a cripple. Besides…
(points to the penguin)
…I’ve got the smokeless.
RONY
Hey, genius, you still have to,
like, blow it out of your mouth.
CHAR
No problem.
(pulls out a handkerchief)
I’ve got a system.
(RONY watches as CHAR lights up,
exhales through the handkerchief into the toilet and then flushes.)
RONY
Does that actually work?
CHAR
Just keep a watch out for Crankhead.
We totally have to do this.
RONY
What?
CHAR
Smoke in the girls’ room. Pot.
RONY
Why?
CHAR
It’s on your bucket list.
(She takes a hit and passes the
joint.)
RONY
My bucket list? What about yours?
CHAR
(She holds the smoke in, then
exhales through the handkerchief and flushes.)
I’ve already done it. Twice. But
you’re still a virgin. And Rony…
RONY
(Takes a hit.)
Hm?
(Passes the joint.)
CHAR
I’m pretty sure you can’t get into
the sorority of your choice unless you smoked in the bathroom when you were in
high school. The really good ones…
(RONY grunts.)
CHAR (cont.)
…only take you if you got caught.
(Takes a hit.)
RONY
(Blows into the toilet and tosses
the roach)
I am not getting caught.
CHAR
(Blows out without using the
handkerchief)
Hey!
(She fishes the roach out and blows
on it to dry it off; waves it in the air.)
Are you crazy?
RONY
Probably.
CHAR (cranky)
Your problem is you need to do what
you want and cut the crap. You could do that, you’re talented.
RONY
Yeah, well, there’s no money in
comics, so that’s a dead end.
CHAR
That’s your mother talking again.
FYI, somebody’s making money.
RONY
Yeah, and right now DC’s busting
down my door.
CHAR
DIY, like that woman, what was her
name? Roberta Gregory?
RONY
First off, Roberta Gregory is a
genius. Second, everything isn’t simple for me like it is for you. You always
just do what you feel, but you never get into trouble. If I do what I feel, my
mother—
CHAR
Will what? Disapprove? That’s her
job. My mother disapproves too. Difference is, I, like, ignore it. You’re too
dutiful, that’s your problem.
RONY
My mother is my problem.
CHAR
No worse than mine. IMHO, you need
to dump that FIT thing and go to art school.
RONY
MIT.
CHAR (singing)
M I T, K E Y. M O U S E.
RONY (laughing)
That is so not the tune.
CHAR
It’s the original. Check out the
YouTube. (singing) Mitty mouse. Hey, you could be the president of the itty
bitty Mitty club. You’re already president of the —
RONY
Itty bitty titty club.
(RONY reaches over to grab CHAR’s
breast. Char blocks her arm and they begin a little duel of punches, kicks, and
blocks until they resolve to the floor with their arms resting on each other’s
shoulders.)
CHAR
Just say “no,” Rony. Tell her you’re
not mailing in that stupid rej, registration, or whatever it is.
RONY
Acceptance letter.
CHAR
Whatever. She’ll G.O.I.
RONY
She’s not going to “get over it.”
She never does.
CHAR
(She sits on the toilet seat, still
trying to dry the roach).
If I were you I’d just go to art
school. Start a comic book. If it doesn’t catch on in a couple of years, you
can always enroll in FIT later.
RONY
I.T.M.T. I’ll lose my scholarship.
My mom will go ballistic. She’ll start in with how she’s all alone and can’t
afford to send me to school and blah, blah, blah.
CHAR
That’s just manipulation.
RONY
Big word.
CHAR
Learned it from that prick therapist
I have to go to.
RONY
Yeah?
CHAR
It’s manipulation. It’s just what
parents do because they’re scared.
RONY
My mom scared? Right. Of what?
CHAR
Of you failing. Or succeeding and
surpassing her.
RONY
She’s afraid I’m either going to
fail or I’m going to succeed?
CHAR
Poor woman can’t win. Fucked up, eh?
That’s why I generally ignore parents.
RONY
I’d never get a scholarship to art
school. My mom won’t pay for it. How could I go?
CHAR
Be a good American. Take out a loan
and go into, like, deep debt for the rest of your life.
RONY
Everything is so easy for you.
CHAR
Because I’m not a good daughter. You
should try it.
RONY
And how does one not be a good
daughter?
(CHAR tries lighting the joint, but
it’s too wet.)
RONY
What if I really want to, I don’t
know, go into accounting or something?
CHAR
(looks over) Do you?
RONY
I don’t know, I like math. O.T.O.H.
I love drawing. That’s what I really love.
CHAR
Think of this. One day, your mother
is going to stop nagging you. Will that make you happy then?
(RONY nods vehemently.)
CHAR (cont.)
Happiness comes from within, little
Rony. You create it.
RONY
Okay, Oprah. I, like, get it. I know
all that. Just doesn’t make it easy going against mom and everybody else.
CHAR
I’ve been doing that all my life.
You think ol’ lady Crankhead, out at the monitor station out there doesn’t have
it in for me? You get used to it.
RONY
I’m not like you. You’ve been in
trouble since pre-school. You’re, like, used to it.
CHAR
It’s time you got started then. You
need to do the right thing and make yourself happy. If you don’t do this,
rip up that registration, tell your mother to K.M.A., you will never,
ever do what you want. You will always do what she wants. And Rony, your mother
does not have your talent.
RONY
No, but she has…
CHAR
What?
RONY
It doesn’t matter what I want.
She’ll just make me change my mind. She always does. She’s been doing it my
whole life. When I was like, ten, she took me to Wheeler’s to get a bike. My
first brand new bike. No more Goodwill stuff. So we go in and there’s like,
rows and rows of these beautiful sparkling bikes. I couldn’t believe I was
going to get one. So she goes, pick whatever you want. So I find this great, I
don’t know what brand, but it was grown-ups bike. It was steel gray. I could
just tell I would fly with it. She just shakes her head and picks out this
pathetic pink thing appropriate for ten-year-old.
CHAR
It didn’t have those tassels on the
handle bars, did it.
RONY.
Yes!
CHAR
OMG.
RONY
So that’s what I got. I got the pink
one with the tassels after she said I could have whatever I wanted. I can
always have whatever I want as long as it’s what she wants.
CHAR
You should have said no right then
and there.
RONY
I did. I told her I wanted the black
one.
CHAR
And what did she say.
RONY
She goes this one comes with a
matching helmet. Look, it even has bunny ears.
CHAR
NO!
RONY
Yes.
CHAR
No wonder we stopped riding biks.
RONY
Right?
CHAR
One of the great pleasures of
childhood.
RONY
Gone.
CHAR
You could have cut the bunny ears
off.
RONY
Tried it.
CHAR
And?
RONY
They were like molded plastic, one
with the helmet. Impossible.
CHAR.
Shame.
(Silence for several moments as RONY
cogitates and CHAR continues to wave the roach to dry it. Then suddenly RONY
reaches over and grabs it.)
RONY
Give me that thing!
(She grabs lighter from CHAR, lights
it)
RONY
I’m going to do it.
CHAR
Great. Do what?
RONY (stands)
It! I’m going to do it!
(She kicks the wall of the stall for
emphasis. CHAR looks under the stall)
CHAR
Shhhh!
RONY
Why? I want to get caught, right? So
I’ll get into the sorority of my choice. Anyway, (whispers) I’m going to do it.
(RONY starts dancing around softly
singing “I’m going to do it,” punctuating the “it.” CHAR joins in. They
sing softly and rhythmically, like a change)
CHAR
You’re going to it! You’re going to
do it! Rip up the Rej, rip up the rej.
RONY
Gotta rip it up before the old lady
sends it in the mail.
CHAR
Rip up the rej, rip up the rej.
RONY
Art school, tart school, you and me
we heart school.
CHAR
Rip up the rej, rip up the rej.
RONY
Rip up the rej, rip up the rej.
(CHAR slows down, tosses the roach
to the toilet and flushes.)
CHAR
Whoa, getting’ late, dude. I gotta
go home. I got a party tonight. You’re coming right? Go home, rip up the rej,
then get ready to pahty!
(She packs up her stuff and
unlatches the stall door.)
And no more of this bulimia crap,
right?
(RONY’s phone rings. She pulls it
out of her pack.)
RONY
It’s my mom.
(She grimaces as she pushes the
button to talk. CHAR stops to listen.)
RONY (cont.)
Hi, Mom.
(CHAR mimes ripping up the letter.)
RONY (cont.)
Yeah, I’ll be home in a bit….the
registration?
(CHAR shakes her head vehemently)
RONY (cont.)
Um, well, I don’t think I’m going to
send it in. Sure, we’ll talk about it when I get home, but I’ve pretty much
deciced…uh, yes. No, I don’t think I’ll….change my mind.
(CHAR jumps up and down, thumbs up.
RONY nods and closes the phone down. They fist bump. CHAR turns to go. She
holds the door open for RONY.)
RONY (cont.)
Go ahead. I have to pee.
(CHAR leaves. The door swings
closed, Rony latches it. We hear the outer door swish open and closed behind
CHAR.)
CHAR (O.S.)
(off-stage) Rip up the rej! Rip up
the rej! Why Ms. Cranston. Lovely to see you. Just think, one more week and—
CRANSTON (O.S.)
Cut the crap. Where do you think
you’re going?
CHAR (O.S.)
Home. This is my study period.
CRANSTON (O.S.)
I’m going to write you up.
(CHAR’s voice gets fainter as if she
is walking down the hall away from the restroom.)
CHAR (O.S.)
Char. C. H. A. R. No last name. They
know who I am. Mwahahaha
(RONY listens in the stall. She
shakes her head at CHAR’s insolence. Paces a bit. She starts doing her little
“rip up the rej!” half heartedly. She smokes a fake joint.)
RONY
(quietly, imitating Char) They know
who I am. Mwahaha.
(Her phone rings. She answers.)
RONY
Hi mom…What? …You shouldn’t have
done that…Because I thought we were going to talk about it when I got home. You
just went ahead and mailed it? I’m going to take it out when I get home. And
then we will talk about it. …Oh how convenient. The mailman came just as you
were putting it in the box…I’m sure it is for the best…Yeah, sure, we can talk
about it when I get home.
(She hangs up and stows the phone,
shaking her head.)
RONY
We can talk about it then, we can
talk about it tomorrow and the next day and for the rest of my life we can talk
about it. And then we’ll do what you want.
(Suddenly
she reaches for the toilet on her knees. LIGHTS OUT. The final bell of the day
rings.)
SueLange121 Windsor Street
Front
Reading, PA 19601
suelange1@verizon.net
484-769-9327
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