Submitted by: Submitted by dianachavez
Views: 327
Words: 2740
Pages: 11
Category: English Composition
Date Submitted: 10/07/2011 08:42 AM
A Play in One Act
Heaven and Hades
By G. L. Horton
copyright © 2000 Geralyn Horton
The four characters are gathered around a drawing board, brainstorming a commercial spot for television. BEALE is a top executive. SAM (or SAMANTHA), the art director, is the youngest. The characters can be cast without regard to the gender or ethnicity of the actors playing them: and, once cast, the actors and director should feel free either to exploit or ignore gender and/or ethnicity when creating the characters.
BEALE
Sorry, poeple. It just doesn't sing for me.
(SAM wordlessly tears off the sheet of drawing paper, crumples it and throws it away)
ALEX
Shoot.
BEALE
It wasn't all bad, but --- (pause)
KIP
An earlier idea I came up with was a back country road, in terrible shape, potholes--
ALEX
I told you. Potholes says city to me, Kip.
SAM
Or at least highway.
KIP
No, this is hillbilly rural. If potholes isn't the term--
BEALE
The soundtrack's Country-Western?
SAM
Ugh.
KIP
Maybe at first, but-- so call the pothole things gullies or ditches or whatever. It looks like the car's in for a really rough time on this one lane road, maybe it's unpaved , stretching away through a really repulsive landscape. Slag heaps, junkyards, broken down motels--
SAM
Country-Western
KIP
Country-Western's the first choice of the largest listner group.
SAM
And the poorest. Who cares what they like, if they can't afford the car?
ALEX
Besides which, there are almost as many people who hate country Western as like it. I'd surf right by this crap in the first 3 seconds. Wouldn't you, Beale?
KIP
But it's changing! Morphing from the first shot! As the driver drives through this junk heap, the car smoothes everything out. The luxury of the car spreads over the surroundings, everything goes great. The gully-ditch thing becomes plush, the smoothest green on the golf course. The motel's now a mansion.
ALEX
I think I've seen...