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Ok guys, this is the script to my first year 12 assignment. I wrote up all the stage directions for the script and wrote the whole script up for the entire group. I take credit for this because I got hardly any from the drama class. If you don't understand this, it is the form of theatre called Brecht. There is a series of explanations at the end of the script that will help you understand this a whole lot more. I take FULL Credit for the explanation at the end of the script because each member of our group had to submit their own justification.
So go! Read my lovely human being that are there for the sole purpose of reading and commenting on my word for the purpose of ego stroking...
Intro
Claire: Alex
Alegria by the artists Cirque Du Soleil plays as background music
(Open to group standing centre stage. A conversation is being held amongst the people about a girl named Claire. They are secretive in their body language and vicious in their comments. Claire played by Alex enters stage left and moves to the group without attracting notice. She taps Kim on the shoulder and the group turn to stare with horror at Claire whom they were just discussing. The group splits into separate figures moving around the stage to the music in a flowing dance, facial expressions are blank. Claire tries to talk to these figures but they BLOCK (full body block) any attempt made by Claire to converse. Claire leaves the stage after having enough. The figures pair off in groups and converse momentarily, as Claire returns they move off to the music then surrounds Claire as she reaches the centre. The group turn and BLOCK one after the other. Claire steps through the stationary figures and kneels on the floor at the front of the stage. The figures move off to form a spaced line turning one by one, arms wide in a questioning pose and ask the following questions.)
Shyla - What?
Jo - When?
Kim - Where?
Marie - How?
(Claire looks up from the front of stage with her wrists slightly raised. She laughs)
Alex - Me
(Link)
Scene 1 - Peer Pressure
Claire: Jo
(Open to Claire studying at a desk with a friend. Shyla and Alex are off side discussing what they are about to do)
Shyla - So are we still doing what we planned?
Alex - Yeah for sure
Shyla - Cool! So who’s gonna be our victim?
Alex - Hmmm…what about Paige?
Shyla - Nah! I don’t reckon. How about Claire? She’d be good.
Alex - Yeah ok! She’s nerdy enough to fall for it!
(Upon making their decision they move over towards Claire. They greet her in a seemingly friendly manner but dominate physically by standing over her)
Shyla & Alex - Hey Claire!!
Alex - (To Marie) Hey Freak face!
Shyla - (To Claire) So what are you doing?
Jo - (instantly trying to be cool) Oh you know…just studying for our dumb maths test. How are you all doing?
Alex - Maths test? What for? You’re smart enough as it is, you don’t need to study!
Jo - Oh…well…thanks
Shyla - Yeah! So, how would you like to get out of it?
Jo - Oh…Ummm…Well…
Freeze
Jo - Would I ever love to get out of it! But mum would kill me if I failed, considering I need it for my O.P.
End Freeze
Jo - I’d love to get out of it. (Looks at herself) But come on! I can’t go out in this!
Shyla - Alex…(motioning for Alex to continue)
Alex - Well…I’ve got this cute little mini and a tank top in my bag you can borrow.
Shyla - Yeah you’ll look so hot, all the guys will be checking you out
Freeze
Marie - (Holds up a sign, obviously disgusted) Skanks!!
End Freeze
Shyla - (expectantly) So what do you think?
Jo - Yeah, that’d be great…how about Saturday? Cause I really can’t now…but Saturday…
Shyla - (cutting in) Loser (motioning loser with an L formed by thumb and index finger placed of the forehead)
Alex - Thought you were cooler than that but you are such a nerd!
(They walk away talking, laughing and taunting Claire as they go. Moving to the other side of the stage they begin to smoke looking bored)
Jo - (Trying to call them back) Guys! Wait, we’re still cool for this weekend though right? Guys…(annoyed) great.
Marie - (disgusted) what losers! We’re nerds? We’ve got one of the biggest maths tests ever and they’re going shopping?! Seriously, what losers!
Jo - (breaking into frustration) Losers? Look at us! At least they’re having fun! And what are we doing? Studying for a dumb test that won’t even matter in the end…we’re only young once and seriously…you need to get a life!
(Claire walks quickly to Shyla and Alex calling to them as she does)
Jo - What up guys?
(Marie gets up still disbelievingly, looks to the audience)
Marie - I’ll get further than she will! (Exits stage)
Jo - What up guys, I’m coming.
(Stylised hand shake teenager do between Shyla and Alex)
Shyla - Ah, she’s in!
(Shyla attempts to do the same with Jo but Jo doesn’t get the idea)
Alex - Want a smoke?
(Claire takes the cigarette and looks at it uncertainly. Alex glares at her expectantly and Claire takes it and smokes it hesitantly)
Shyla - Right lets head off
(Alex and Shyla lead, Jo keeps behind looking uncomfortable)
Jo - So where are we going guys?
Shyla - (Secretively) Oh…the usual…
Alex - Somewhere that we might get a bit of a “five finger discount”…you know?
(They enter a shop to see a nerdy shopkeeper off in his own world)
Marie - Now…how’d that go again? That’s right, (punches air) left right left right (pelvic thrusts with arms) err sun err sun.
(Laughing at the shopkeepers antics Shyla and Alex move forwards)
Shyla - Hey goofy (Scuffing his hair) Hows your mono brow going?
Alex - (joining in) Yeah goofy, your mono brow!
Shyla - Hey goofy, how much is this (holding up product)
Marie - That’s $3
Shyla - Ah right, ok (slips it into her pocket)
Marie - (dopily) Hey! You have to pay for that…
Alex - (distracting) Hey goofy, what’s the most expensive thing in your store?
Marie - Well we’ve got those hats over there for $50
Alex - Who wants a hat! Anything else?
Marie - Shirts for $30?
Alex - Oh ok! (Walks over, grabs shirt and hides it under her shirt)
Marie - Hey! You guys have to pay for those!
Shyla - (falsely surprised) Oh my god! You’ve got a bug in your hair!
(Alex has returned and begins trying to find the bug in goofy’s hair. Goofy freaks out and is waving his hands around whilst Alex distracts him. She motions for Shyla to take the money from the cash drawer. After a moment of Goofy and Alex struggling for the bug Shyla steps forwards, takes the money and shoves the money to Claire.)
Shyla - (loudly) It’s ok the bugs out!
Freeze
Jo - (annoyed and angry) I can’t believe I’m wagging school for this!
End Freeze
(Whilst this was happening Kim enters onto the stage reading a newspaper. She lines up behind Claire, when the freeze has ended the newspaper is brought down to reveal a surprised face)
Kim - (To Claire in Italian accent) My baby girl! What are you doing here? Why you not at school? Oooh, you are such a disgrace to the family! What will we do with you? And why you not at school?
Jo - (Embarrassed) Mum! What are you doing here? I’m going to school go home!
Kim - Oooh, and you didn’t cook the pasta last night like I told you! You go home, you go home and you cook the pasta (pulls pasta out of her pocket and brandishes it at Claire) You cook the pasta and you do not disappoint me again!
(Mother exits)
Jo - (Angry) Fine! Whatever! I’ll cook it!
Shyla - (Mocking) Italian family ay?
Alex - You really are a nerd
Jo - (defending) But It’s not like that!
Shyla & Alex - Don’t talk to us
(They exit laughing and mumbling things about Claire. Claire remains on stage obviously angry and frustrated)
Jo - This wasn’t worth it! Stupid pasta! (She throws the pasta and it shatters)
(Goofy the shopkeeper pipes up from the background)
Marie - You’ve still gotta pay for those…
Jo - (Angry) Just shut up!
(Awkward pause)
(Link)
Scene 2 - Drinking
Claire: Shyla
Adam: Alex
(Casual talk in of partygoers takes place in background. Shyla enters)
Freeze
Shyla - (uncertain) What am I doing here? (Looking around) Well Adams here, Ill stay (brighter) I never really have fun anyway.
End Freeze
Shyla - (moving to Adam and sits closely to him on the couch) Hey Adam!
Alex - (hesitating) Hey babe…
Shyla - (nervously) Um, hows the party?
Alex - Yeah, it’s alright
(Awkward silence. Shyla looks at her hands uncertainly)
Shyla - (trying to be lively) Anyone I know?
Alex - Oh just some of my footy mates. (Diverting) Look do you want a drink?
Shyla - (trying to fit in) Um yeah! Of course!
(Shyla takes the drink from Adam. Uncertainly she looks at the bottle)
Alex - Well drink up
Shyla - (trying to be enthusiastic) I was just about to!
(Shyla takes a sip and pretends to like it. Adam looks away. When Adam turns to look at Shyla, she picks up the drink and drinks quickly)
Shyla - Its nice huh?
Alex - Yeah, well I’m going to go talk to my mates for a while…
(Shyla stands intending to follow)
Alex - Yeah, cya soon (sits Shyla back down and moves off)
(Shyla is left alone in the background drinking to one side as a conversation between Adam, Kim and Marie starts)
Marie - Hey Adam mate!
Alex - Hey guys
Kim - Adam! How’s the girlfriend going?
Alex - Yeah, alright
Kim - She’s looking a bit drunk mate
Alex - Yeah she’ll be right, I’m going to the loo
(Shyla begins to shout from the side of the stage calling Adam’s name)
Shyla - Adam! (Adam re-enters) Adam my baby I’ve been looking for you everywhere, you’re my boyfriend and I love you so much! (She grabs a silent Adam and tries to dance) Adam! Adam dance with me, your such a good dancer!
Alex - Don’t touch me, you’re a freak, get away from me!
(Adam being disgusted by her behaviour pushes Claire away from him, she fall to the ground. Adam exits angrily and Claire remains lying on stage.)
Kim - (drunkly) Hey mate, she is really drunk mate…
Marie - Yeah
Kim - And you have liked her for ages. This is your chance mate, Adam has gone, she’s on her own! Go on mate (pushes Marie towards Shyla) Score for the Team!
Marie - Hey, I’m Jack, Adams best mate, remember me?
Shyla - Adam?? (starts to cry) Adam left me!
Marie - Don’t worry mate, I’ll look after you
Shyla - (stops crying) Adam never dances with me, will you dance with me?
Marie - Yeah for sure I’ll dance with you!
(Claire tries to get up off the ground but stumbles drunkly, Jack supports her and they begin to dance)
Marie - Hey, I’ve got a cool idea! There’s a couch over there…
Shyla - (amazed) A couch? I love couches!
Marie - Are you cool? Only cool people are allowed behind there
Shyla - Cool? Yeah I’m really cool (sways drunkly)
Marie - Then lets go behind the couch!
(They move off behind the couch centre stage. Jack disappears behind the couch and you see Claire for a few moments longer, then she is pulled down out of view. Appropriate noises and conversation follows)
(Adam enters the stage and talks to his mates)
Kim - Adam! Mate, hows it going?
Alex - Yeah, its alright
Kim - Good party hey, have you seen the couple behind the couch? (nudges Adam)
Alex - Nah mate (looking around searching) Hey, have you seen Claire anywhere?
Kim - Well, actually it might be Claire behind the couch… (Adam swears and gets up angrily) Nah mate, don’t do it…don’t go off mate!
Alex - No, No that’s it…
Kim - No mate it’s alright…
(Adam moves off towards the couch and discovers Claire with Jack behind the couch. He is infuriated and pulls Jack out from behind of the couch and pushes him away from the couch causing him to fall to the ground.)
Alex - (Furious) If your going to be skanking around like this…its over (Adam leaves still furious)
Shyla - Adam! Adam!
Freeze
Shyla - Why am I doing this? I shouldn’t be here
End freeze
(Claire exits stage crying. She doesn’t watch where she is going and smashes into Kim)
Shyla - Get out of my way!
Kim - (annoyed) What the hell are you doing?
(Claire exits)
(Link)
Scene 3 - Pregnancy
Claire: Marie
(Marie paces in front of a chair. She is in a waiting room of a hospital and obviously nervous)
Marie - Please be negative, please be negative…
(Enters a hospital nurse)
Alex - Here are your results, I hope it what you wanted
(Pause as Marie prepares herself for the truth)
Marie - Oh god (Sinks to the chair for support)
Alex - Are you alright? Stay here. I’ll go get your mum.
Marie - (Desperately) Oh no (sitting up) please don’t…
(Mother enters being happy and supportive)
Jo - Hey darling, what do I have to buy for your rash baby? (Grabs results from pregnancy test) What’s it this time?
(Marie tries to block her mother’s hand)
Jo - (Surprised) Positive? (Trying to restrain sudden anger) What’s positive? Positive as in baby positive! You told me it was just a rash…(angry) that’s a pretty big rash! What’s the matter with you (chant) the matter with you (chant) the matter with you…(transfers into slow motion, garbled yelling)
(Marie still stunned looks vaguely at the floor. After a few moments you see something break inside Claire, she shakes her head and gets up to move off. Two boys enter angrily and pull Claire aside hurriedly.)
Shyla - (hushed) We’ve heard the news, we’ve gotta talk.
Marie - (surprised) News travels fast!
(They pull her off stage. As she exits Jo returns to normal speed and realises her daughter is gone.)
Jo - (Angry) What’s the matter with you…(Surprised) Claire? (Looking around) Great now she runs off on me! What’s gotten into her? Maybe it’s me. It’s my fault. I’ve been to hard on her! No this is her actions! She’s the one who got pregnant! She’s to young to be a mother…hell I’m too young to be a grandma…and the baby is to young to be…young! God, I’m not thinking straight! I’ve got a migraine…(storms off stage)
(
(Link)
Final
Claire: Kim
(Open to group standing centre stage. A conversation is being held amongst the people about a girl names Claire. They are secretive in their body language and vicious in their comments. Claire played by Kim enters stage left and moves to the group without attracting notice. She taps Alex on the shoulder and the group turn to stare with horror at Clair whom they were just discussing. The group splits into separate figures moving around the stage to the music in a flowing dance, facial expressions are blank. Claire tries to talk to these figures but they BLOCK (full body block) any attempt made by Clair to converse. Claire leaves the stage after having enough. The figures pair off in groups and converse momentarily, as Claire returns they move off to the music then surrounds Claire as she reaches the centre of the stage. The figures dance into position forming an open semi-circle, as they reach their positions they turn a full circle (still danced) and remain still facing Claire. They turn and BLOCK one after the other. Claire steps through the stationary figures and kneels on the floor at the front of the stage. The figures move off to form a spaced line. Claire begins to laugh, a laugh that sounds purely happy and satisfied. She picks up a knife from the ground and whilst still laughing and cuts both her wrists. She is in pain and gradually the laughter dies and she slumps to the ground unmoving. The other characters still in a line move forwards as Claire gets up from the ground and moves off stage silently in a slow walk and with an expressionless face. The following didactic statements are made:)
Shyla: Actions
Marie: Choices
Jo: Responsibilities
Alex: Consequences
(Claire comes from off stage wrapped in a white sheet, she moves to the front of the stage standing to the front and middle of the other characters that still are forming a spaced line. A moment of silence falls after these characters part of the didactic statement have been spoken, then Claire’s is spoken:)
Kim: Every action and choice can undermine our responsibilities, and bring unwanted consequences. At the end of the day, I guess it was my fault.
(Another moment of silence commences. Claire swiftly unwraps the sheet from herself and lefts it drop over her as she falls to the ground, as one the other characters also fall to the ground and kneel in that position for a final dramatic pause.)
End
Link:
The person who played the character Claire in the previous scene positions at the front of the stage. The person who is playing the role of Claire in the following scene enters the stage, dancing in the same way as in the intro and final scenes. Moving into position to face the previous Claire, a transition of character begins between the two. The symbol, two pieces of red ribbon tied around the arms is transferred from the previous Claire to the person taking the role. The material is measured to length and tied around the other person’s arms (Intro; wrists, Scene 1; middle upper arms, Scene 2; elbows, Scene 3; middle lower arms, Final; wrists). Upon completion of the transfer both characters step back, the original Claire bows to the person taking the role and that person bows in acceptance of the character and the symbol. Positioning for the next scene commences with all necessary movement danced.
Explanation of Symbols
Red ribbon - The red ribbon acts as a constant symbol linking the character Claire from one change of actor to the next. The symbol starts wrapped up the entire length of the arms and gradually, from one exchange of the other, shortens in length until it remains as only at the wrists in the final scene. This represents the characters diminishing tolerance with the issues she faces as well as the eventual suicide of the character, with the symbol acting as blood from the wrists.
White Sheet (Final) - Symbolizes the realisation of self-fault and in that, deliverance can be achieved through discovering that about yourself. The white sheet is also a symbol of death, the normal colour for death would be black, but we used white because with Claire’s death and the didactic statement made by her in the final scene, Claire finds a degree of peace through her realisation and passing.
Alegria - I can find no translation for Alegria’s lyrics, but the word Alegria means happiness. The word itself originates form the Spanish dialect.
The character Claire - The character Claire really holds no connection from one scene to the next other than the symbol and the name throughout every scene. Claire has a several unique personalities that coincide with the individual issues involved in each scene. This is to show that these problems can happen to everyone and anyone; they deal with it in their own unique way. It is the fact that we all make mistakes throughout our lives that we regret and that is the what links Claire from each scene as being the same person with the same name.
Explanation of Techniques
Laughter during suicide - This provides a direct contrast to the mood of the final scene. This technique makes the audience think on wether suicide is a serious problem that does affect them strongly or a silly thing in life that is not important to the audience member that thinks you only suicide if you want to take the easy way out of life’s problems.
Mothers voice distorted - A particular technique to create a surreal level to the 3rd scene. When Claire’s mother is angry and starts to yell at Claire about being pregnant, the voice of the mother begins to slow and turn garbled. This is what is being heard inside Claire’s head, as she tries to deal with the enormity of her situation by blocking out her mothers words.
Passing of symbol (red ribbon) - The Changing of costume onstage and also changing characters onstage.
Asides - Character asides were used to for the purpose of the audience to gain an insight into the characters thoughts. This technique was used at moments in the play where it was necessary for the characters thoughts to be voiced to clarify motive for action.
Intro & final scenes - The intro scene is a glimpse of the final scene. Using this as our first scene gives the audience an insight into something they do not yet understand, everything is reverse to back to the beginning of the story to establish what happened to lead to the final scene.
Interpretive dance - The Intro, Final and Linking scenes use this technique to express the lack of emotion towards the character Claire from the other characters. The BLOCK (full body block) shows both the emotional and physical disregard for Claire and the way the choice to ignore her presence.
Justification
We chose the most common issues in the lives of teenagers from today’s society; drinking, pregnancy, peer pressure, suicide. Through the use of these common issues the idea of self-fault by making the wrong choices is strong through the play. The character Claire makes many textbook mistakes in her life and choices, choosing the wrong people to hang around with, drinking and smoking because of peer pressure, getting pregnant, not being confident enough to speak for herself and often repressing her own thoughts in the presence of stronger characters. All these choices lead to her suicide after the consequences become unbearable. We present the idea through this play that behaviour like this can be corrected and that you are responsible for your own action at the end of the day and also yourself; your personality and self-confidence.