Short Play for Young Girls: Choices

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Be careful what you take for granted in your life.
No matter what you believe, what goes around, comes around... what you give, you receive... karma...
Live every day being the best you can be!
(+/- 30 mins performance time)

Right - I have managed (after much toil!) to get this script formatted into Booksie layout ... apologies if my editing isn't quite up to scratch out of my lunch break dash.
This play is one of 4 short plays I have scripted for High School Ladies ... Depending on the response I get here on Booksie, I'll have to see whether it is worth putting the other 3 on here too :-)
Thanks for reading!
Shannan

Choices ©

Premiered at Pinetown Girl's High School Hall

11 October 2008

Choices ©

By Shannan Browne

CHARACTERS

Mother – In her early forties

Angel – her 18 year old daughter, who is in her gap year

Thami – younger daughter, it’s her 16th birthday

Kay – Thami’s long time friend, battling with a personal secret

Dee Dee – Thami’s long time friend from school, over the top, ‘popular’ one of the four

Norma – Thami’s long time friend, serious, conscientious character

Set: A kitchen with a rectangular table and four chairs, one chair on stage left of table and one on stage right. Two chairs are centre stage facing the audience.

SCENE ONE:

Mother walks in downstage right with present in hand, taking off a jacket to reveal a nurse’s outfit underneath. She has just returned from night shift to make breakfast for her two daughters. She hangs her coat on the back of a chair, places the present at one of the table settings and starts to put the bowls and glasses on the table at 2 centre stage chairs and stage left chair. Whilst she is preparing the table Angel walks in wearing her nightgown.

Mother: Morning Angel

Angel: (wiping her eyes she goes over to her mom and kisses her on the cheek) Morning mom. (She sits down and starts to eat breakfast) How was your shift?

Mother: (sitting down sipping a mug of tea) There were two taxi accidents last night. All the wards and passageways were full again. Unfortunately two people died, and four are still in ICU. Oh my child, life is so precious.

Angel quietly leans over and gives her mother a tender hug.

Mother: We were lucky to be able to save the other passengers. Promise me you will always only get into the taxis you know are safe. Promise me Angel.

Angel: I promise mom.

Mother: Good. I haven’t spent all my effort to have one of those drivers take you away from me. Now, why aren’t you dressed for work? It’s already 6 o’clock!

Angel: Ah mom, I’ll be ready in time, I still have 20 minutes. Why are you home already?

Mother: Haikona, you children always rush, rush, rush. You should wake up earlier and then you wouldn’t have only 20 minutes, you would have 30 minutes and get to work early instead of running out of here late to catch the first taxi you see!

Angel: Yes, mom (Angel smiles), but then we would be old people.

Mother: Just you wait my girl, one day you will be old too, then we’ll see if you still think you are funny. Where is your sister? I thought she would be awake already…(sipping tea, she remembers Angel’s question) I’m home early because I organised with the head nurse to let me work a double shift on Sunday so I could be here for Thami when she gets up for her sixteenth birthday today. Where is she?

Angel: You really love that child too much, you always battle when you work a double shift, and she really doesn’t deserve it.

Mother: Angel, how can you say that about your sister? I love you both more than anything, you know that. Now where is she?

Angel: I think she’s still sleeping. She was up really late last night talking to Zee on the phone. I think she only went to bed at 2am.

Mother: 2 am! Angel, why did you let her stay up so late? It’s a school night! You know she has to be in bed, or she will sleep all day in class.

Angel: Ah mom, I tried. I promise you I tried, but she started throwing a tantrum and telling me that I’m not her mother and that she is old enough to do whatever she wants to do. She told me that just because I’ve finished school I mustn’t think that I’m better than her. I told her that I wasn’t trying to be her mother, or be better than her. I told her I want her to do well in school so she can be better than me. She said I was talking nonsense and I was just jealous because she has a boyfriend and I don’t. Mom she is so difficult. I can’t talk to her; she doesn’t listen to anything I say. She doesn’t even listen to what you say anymore.

Mother: (shaking her head) Oh that one. You are right, she doesn’t listen to me. She thinks she knows better than both of us.

Angel: Mom, I’m worried about her.

Mother: Don’t you worry Angel. It will sort itself out. All we can do for the moment is pray for her. Pray that in some way the Lord can bring the old Thami back to us. That in some way He will show her that there is more to life than boys and clothes and being on the telephone.

Angel: Oh mom, you have so much faith. Sometimes I worry about you too!

Mother: My child you make me smile. It is not your job to worry about me either. You just need to worry about deciding what you want to study next year. You can’t waitress forever.

REST OF SCENE available at

https://offthewallplays.com/product/choices-south-african-teen-play/

SCENE 2

Lights fade back on as voices are heard from outside the home, talking about the school day and the movie they have watched.

Into the kitchen walk Thami, Kay, Dee Dee & Norma giggling. They spend their time in the kitchen standing and sitting.

Thami: Norma. Look at what you have done. Why can’t you just be nice to Dee Dee.

Norma: Because she is a materialistic, gossip queen who isn’t any good for any of us!

Thami: But she is popular Norm. She’s one of the coolest girls in school. If we get in her good books then we can be popular too!

Norma: Why is being popular so important to you? More important than I am. More important than your friendship with Kay or I. Thami, we have known you since Grade One! Surely that means something?

Kay: Norms is right Thami. Dee Dee is bad news. She is the one who introduced me to Sbu. She is the one who has ruined my life.

(Dee Dee walks in to listen to what they are saying at the back)

Thami: You are such a drama queen Kay. (Kay goes visibly quiet and hurt) She hasn’t ‘ruined’ your life. You can find another man. You can be popular too! I want all the attention that Dee Dee gets. I want to be gorgeous and have boys look at me too. Like they look at her.

Norma: Thami, they don’t look at her like she is hot. They look at her like she is easy.

Silence as they realise Dee Dee is there and listening

Dee Dee: (insulted speaks from upstage) Jealousy makes you nasty Norma.

REST OF SCENE 2

https://offthewallplays.com/product/choices-south-african-teen-play/

SCENE 3

Lights fade up. Two girls sleeping at the table waiting for Angel. Enter Angel.

Angel: (softly tapping Norma’s shoulder) Norma. Norma.

Norma: (sleepily) Who? What?

Angel: Wakey wakey, it’s me Angel.

Norma: (rubbing her eyes) Oh, um, hi.

Angel: (looking around) Why are you two in here? Where is Thami?

Norma: (now properly awake) Um. Well. Thami has gone out to a party.

Rest of scene 3 available on Kindle

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Short-Play-Girls-Shannan-Browne-ebook/dp/B00J4PGTAW

New Monologues:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=ASIN%3A+B0BDFPKHXY&ref=nb_sb_noss

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=ASIN%3A+B0BFM3CTNF&crid=1KDGQ3HBQZRYN&sprefix=asin+b0bfm3ctnf%2Caps%2C1357&ref=nb_sb_noss

Submitted: September 09, 2009

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Comments

Fya16

Where can I get a full script? This is good. I would like for my students to do the play for a competition jf you dont mind Miss Browne

Tue, June 5th, 2018 12:47pm

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Hello Fya, I am so very sorry that this has only come to my attention now! I'm most annoyed with Booksie! If you aren't completely unimpressed with me - please email: admin@offthewallplays.com

They are lovely and can give you access to numerous other options of plays too :)
I am sure I missed your deadline for the competition, please accept my humblest apologies.
Are you a teacher? Well done for all your hard work with your students. Blessings :)

Fri, May 10th, 2019 7:50am