A Spoonful of Sinigang

A SPOONFUL OF SINIGANG BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE) 

MARY ANNE’s kitchen.

RANDY sits at the counter.

MARY ANNE: It’s good that you visit.

RANDY: I’m just glad. I was free.

MARY ANNE: I’m your mom.

RANDY: I know.

MARY ANNE: And it’s good that you visit.

RANDY: It is.

MARY ANNE: I’m cooking you your favorite.

RANDY: Thinks mom.

MARY ANNE: Sinigang. That’s your favorite, diba?

RANDY: Yes mom.

MARY ANNE: See? I remember.

RANDY: You do mom.

MARY ANNE: Because you’re my son. And I love my son.

RANDY: I love you too, mom.

MARY ANNE: It is good that you visit.

RANDY: And thank you for cooking my favorite.

MARY ANNE: You know who doesn’t visit?

RANDY: I bet I can guess.

MARY ANNE: Your brother.

RANDY: He’s probably busy.

MARY ANNE: Doing what?

RANDY: I don’t know. He doesn’t call.

MARY ANNE: Exactly.

RANDY: He texts me sometimes.

MARY ANNE: Who texts first?

RANDY: Me.

MARY ANNE: Who texts last?

RANDY: Me.

Pause.

MARY ANNE: Well it’s good that you visit.

RANDY: Yeah…

MARY ANNE: At least I have one good son.

RANDY: You have two sons.

MARY ANNE: One good son. Don’t argue.

RANDY: And a daughter.

MARY ANNE: What?

RANDY: You have a good daughter.

MARY ANNE: Of course. I know that.

RANDY: Ok.

MARY ANNE: But I’m not talking about her right now.

RANDY: Of course.

MARY ANNE: I am talking about you.

RANDY: Right.

MARY ANNE: You are my good son.

Beat.

MARY ANNE: I am so proud of you.

RANDY: …

RANDY stares at the clock. 

MARY ANNE: Randy?

RANDY: Huh?

MARY ANNE: I said I am so proud of you.

RANDY: Oh. Thanks mom.

MARY ANNE: You’re welcome. I love you, son.

RANDY: I love you too, mom.

MARY ANNE puts the sinigang into a bowl.

MARY ANNE: How long can you stay today?

RANDY: Um, not too long, actually.

MARY ANNE: Oh.

RANDY: Sorry. I’ll probably just stay for dinner and head out.

MARY ANNE: Ok. Well –

RANDY: Sorry.

MARY ANNE: You better bring some sinigang home.

RANDY: Ok.

MARY ANNE: You’re favorite.

RANDY: My favorite.

MARY ANNE: I’ll go put some in a Tupperware for you. I’ll be back.

RANDY: Thanks mom.

MARY ANNE: It’s good you visit your mom.

MARY ANNE exits.

Silence.

Beat

RANDY eats a spoonful of sinigang.

Beat..

RANDY stands from the counter.

Beat.

RANDY exits.

END OF PLAY.

Knocking

KNOCKING BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

HAROLD, an 8 year old boy and his father, PETER eating breakfast.

All we hear is the sound of the crunch…

Crunch…

Crunch…

Captain crunch. (get it?)

PETER watches his son.

PETER: How’s it going Harry?

HAROLD: Fine.

Crunch…

Crunch…

Crunch…

PETER: How’s your cereal?

HAROLD: Same.

PETER: Same?

HAROLD: Good.

PETER: Good.

Crunch…

Crunch…

Crunch…

Silence.

PETER: Hey, Harry.

HAROLD: Yeah dad?

PETER: Wanna hear a joke?

HAROLD: I guess.

PETER: Ok. Why did the invisible man turn down the job offer?

HAROLD: … why?

PETER: Because he couldn’t see himself doing it.

Silence.

PETER: That’s funny!

HAROLD: Yeah, kinda.

PETER: Come on! Don’t you find that funny!?

Pause.

HAROLD: No.

Blackout.

END OF PLAY.

Sensible Choices

SENSIBLE CHOICES BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

ALI, in their 30’s, sitting with their best friend ALISON, in her 50’s.

In front of them are two empty jars.

Next to the jars are a whole lot of marbles.

ALISON: Ok.

ALI: Ok. You sure this is a good idea?

ALISON: What? The marbles? Of course it’s a good idea.

ALI: Ok.

ALISON: Before we say anything crazy –

ALI: It’s not crazy.

ALISON: Before we say anything – period – it’d be good to use the jars to help us really understand what we’re doing here.

ALI: But I know what I’m –

ALISON: It doesn’t hurt to take the time…

Pause.

ALI: Fine.

ALISON: I’ll start. I would need to stop you from jumping into brash decisions.

ALISON puts a marble in jar 2.

ALI: You do that anyway.

ALISON shrugs it off.

ALISON: Your turn.

ALI: The breakfasts you cook me.

ALISON: Where does that go?

ALI puts a marble in jar 1.

ALI: Obviously.

ALISON: Just checking. Ok. Um. You are almost always late.

ALI: Jeez.

ALISON puts a marble in jar 2.

ALISON: What?

ALI: Do you have anything in the good?

ALISON: Of course I do. Your turn.

ALI: You are really bad at washing dishes.

ALI puts a marble in jar 2.

ALISON: Am I?

ALI: I rewash all of my dishes when you leave my apartment.

ALISON: Gosh. I didn’t realize.

ALI: Well… I felt bad.

ALISON: Sorry.

ALI: Your turn.

ALISON: I would have access to your amazing book collection.

ALISON puts a marble in jar 1.

ALI: After a long day, you take off your shoes and your feet smell terrible.

ALI puts a marble in jar 2.

ALISON: We both have so many clothes, sharing a closet would be a nightmare.

ALISON puts a marble in jar 2.

ALI: You are on the road so much and without you I feel lonely.

ALI puts a marble in jar 2.

Silence.

ALI and ALISON look at both jars.

ALISON: The way you talk to me when I’m having a bad day.

ALISON puts a marble in jar 1.

ALI takes a marble and puts it in jar 1.

ALI: That’s worth more than one marble.

ALISON smiles at ALI.

ALISON: Ok.

ALI: The way I feel when you hold me.

ALI puts three marbles in jar 1.

ALISON: You are an excellent kisser.

ALISON puts four marbles in jar 1.

ALISON: And excellent at OTHER things…

ALISON puts another marble in jar 1.

ALI: Hey! You got two turns.

ALISON: I got excited.

ALI: I’ll allow it.

ALI adds another marble in jar 1.

ALI: And second that.

ALISON: Yes!

ALI: When I close my eyes and think about my perfect day – tomorrow, five years from now, ten years from now, whenever – it always includes you.

ALI puts a marble in jar 1.

ALISON smiles.

Pause.

ALISON puts a marble in jar 2

ALI: Hey, I thought we were done with that jar!

ALISON: When you are old, I will be even older and I will need to be taken care of… 

Silence.

Beat.

ALI: The way I feel when we are together. And the way I will feel when we are old together.

Pause.

ALISON: Is… good?

ALISON takes two handfuls of the remaining marbles and dumps them into jar 1.

ALI: Of course. Dummy.

ALI takes the rest of the marbles and dumps them into jar 1.

ALISON: Same.

Lights fade.

END OF PLAY.

Tulips

TULIPS BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

San Francisco, Union Square.

KHARY, a handsome guy in a sharp suit, sits on a bench eating a yogurt.

He smiles at the strangers passing by.

The strangers feel compelled to smile back.

KHARY eats a scoop of his yogurt.

Then another stranger – MONIQUE – passes KHARY.

He smiles at her.

She smiles back.

Then, MONIQUE quickly reveals a large bouqet of tulips.

KHARY looks at them.

MONIQUE:
I’ve been meaning to give these to you for weeks.

These are for you.

I did that backwards.

KHARY:
Do I know you.

MONIQUE:
No.

But I know you.

Well.

Is that backwards?

No.

That’s weird. That’s a weird way to say that.

KHARY:
A little.

MONIQUE:
Let me clarify.

You are here. Every day. At this time.

Lunch. Right?

KHARY:
Yes.

MONIQUE:
I figured.

KHARY:
Ok.

MONIQUE:
So anyway. These are for you.

PAUSE.

MONIQUE:
Wait.

Did I give you the reason?

KHARY:
Not yet. No.

MONIQUE:
Out of order again!

KHARY tries to be soothing and understanding.

KHARY:
It’s ok…

MONIQUE:
…
Thank you.

KHARY:
So…?

MONIQUE:
So!

You are here every day for your lunch.

Funny thing.

So am I.

I am here for my lunch every day as well.

Except, of course, on days I’m sick.

I imagine that’d be the same for you.

Anyway.

You are here everyday and I watch you.

Not in a weird way.

Even thought that sounds weird.

Well I guess it’s a little weird.

But I’m not weird.

Anyway.

I’m here everyday and I notice that you smile at strangers.

Every single stranger.

You smile at.

And they smile too.

No matter what.

If yous mile at them, they smile too.

And that’s quite unusual, in my opinion.

Most people I smile at look away or chase after me or…

Anyway.

I noticed this.

Day after day.

And I decided that I wanted to know what this was about.

So…

I walked past you.

Slowly.

To make sure you saw me.

Pause.

KHARY:
And what did I do?

MONIQUE:
You smiled…

Of course you smiled.

Pause.

KHARY:
And you?

MONIQUE:
I smiled.

Of course I smiled.

…

And so there it was, I got it.

I understood it.

You smiled.

I smiled.

And I understood it.

And it’s been days of me just feeling that.

Feeling our smiles interconnected.

Combined.

And so…

After much deliberation.

Much building of courage.

Here.

MONIQUE presents the tulips again.

MONIQUE:
A bouquet of tulips.

For you.

For nothing else but to do for you what you do for others.

With just a smile.

Pause.

KHARY:
These are for me?

MONIQUE:
These are for you.

KHARY:
Tulips.

MONIQUE:
Tulips…

That is all

KHARY:
Well…

Thank you.

MONIQUE:
Thank you.

MONIQUE smiles at KHARY.

He smiles back.

MONIQUE walks away.

KHARY sits with his tulips and his yogurt.

KHARY smiles.

Just for himself, he smiles.

END OF PLAY.

Line One

LINE ONE BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

An artist studio.

It’s messy.

Paint is splashed all over the place.

Clay, water, dirt.

Dust.

The only place that is organized is the collection of colors on the large work table.

The colors are organized meticulously.

As lights rise we see HELENA, a respected painter in her late 50’s and NOAH, her apprentice.

HELENA stares at a blank canvas with staggering intensity.

NOAH is staring at HELENA with unclear intensity.

Silence.

HELENA raises her brush and takes a deep breath.

NOAH takes a deep breath that is totally in rhythm with HELENA’s.

NOAH’s eyes grow as they inhale.

Pause.

HELENA deflates.

NOAH deflates with her.

HELENA looks at NOAH.

HELENA: Are you looking at me?

NOAH: Um.

HELENA: Don’t be scared, Noah. Just answer the question. Are you looking at me.

NOAH: Yes.

HELENA: Ok.

HELENA reverts her attention back to the canvas for a split second.

HELENA: Why?

NOAH: Huh?

HELENA: Why were you looking at me.

NOAH: I thought I was supposed to be.

HELENA: Is that so?

NOAH: I thought I was supposed to be learning from you.

HELENA: Hm…

NOAH: Being your apprentice and all…

HELENA contemplates this.

As she contemplates this, NOAH’s anxiety rises.

HELENA: That’s a fair point.

NOAH is back at ease.

HELENA: I’ve never had an apprentice before but you make a fair point. I mean, how else are you to learn from me but to watch me.

NOAH: Exactly.

HELENA: But if your gaze is what’s causing me to stay blank…

NOAH: Oh.

HELENA: Then…

NOAH: Then I’ll look away. Of course I’ll look away.

NOAH looks away.

Pause.

HELENA gives NOAH a smile.

HELENA: I’m kidding.

NOAH: Oh!

HELENA: Of course I’m not going blank because you’re looking at me. What do I look like, a teenage boy with a naked girl for the first time? You’re here to learn from me? Lesson one – although it is always easy to blame something else for your lack of creation, it is always your fault. Write that down.

NOAH grabs his notebook.

HELENA: It is always your fault…

NOAH: Got it.

HELENA: Read it back to me.

NOAH: Although it is always easy to say someone else is the reason your canvas is blank, it is always my fault.

HELENA: … close enough. Now.

HELENA looks at the blank canvas.

A brief silence.

HELENA: Hmmm… I don’t know… What to do, what to do…

HELENA points to the blank canvas.

HELENA: Do you see that?

NOAH: See what?

HELENA: That.

NOAH: … There’s nothing there.

HELENA: Very funny. But of course there is something there. What is this?

NOAH: A canvas?

HELENA: A canvas. And even though it is blank. It is still there. It still exists. So when I point to a canvas and say, “do you see that?” The proper response is not, “There’s nothing there.” The proper response is a can –

NOAH: A blank canvas.

HELENA: … Yes. A blank canvas.

NOAH: What about it?

HELENA: What about it? Ok… you were looking away from me two seconds ago and now you’re asking questions.

NOAH: Sorry.

HELENA: Don’t be sorry. Lesson two – if you’re going to be an artist, be ready to not be sorry for the things you do.

NOAH: Ok.

HELENA: Did you write that down?

NOAH: I will.

HELENA: Good. Repeat it to me.

NOAH: Don’t be sorry for your art.

HELENA: … Better than how I put it. Very good.

NOAH: Thank you.

HELENA: Now. The canvas. The “blank” canvas as you put it.

NOAH: Yes?

HELENA: I have a question for you about the blank canvas.

NOAH: Ok.

HELENA: Are you ready for it?

NOAH: I hope so.

HELENA: Ok. What should I put on it?

Silence.

NOAH: What?

HELENA: You heard me.

NOAH: What should you –

HELENA: Put on the blank canvas. Yes.

NOAH: I don’t –

HELENA: Don’t say that.

NOAH: But it’s your canv –

HELENA: I know that it’s my canvas. I am very aware of what I own, thank you. And I am very aware that I am asking you, my apprentice, the question –what should I put on my blank canvas.

Pause.

NOAH: Umm…

HELENA: No umm…

NOAH: But –

HELENA: No but. Just answer. There’s no wrong answer.

NOAH: Really?

HELENA: Lesson number three. There is no wrong answers.

HELENA watches NOAH write it down.

HELENA: Good. Now. Answer.

Pause.

Beat.

NOAH: Well… A line.

HELENA: Speak up.

NOAH: A line. On your blank canvas. You should draw a line.

HELENA: A line… I should draw a line on my blank canvas?

NOAH: Yes?

HELENA: No questions.

NOAH: Yes.

HELENA: Good.

Silence.

HELENA: Ok.

HELENA shifts her attention back to the canvas.

She stares at it for a few moments.

Then, with grace and intent, she steps towards the canvas.

She moves her brush in one swift, black stroke.

HELENA steps back.

She looks at the canvas.

She looks at the line.

HELENA: A line.

HELENA looks at NOAH.

HELENA: Good?

NOAH: Good.

HELENA: Good. You’re going to do good here.

NOAH: Thank you.

HELENA: And thank you. Lesson four. Line one.

HELENA points at the canvas.

HELENA: There we have it. Line one.

HELENA shifts her attention back to the canvas.

HELENA: And now for the journey of the rest…

Lights fade.

END OF PLAY.

Self Narration

SELF NARRATION BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

A workplace cafeteria. Sitting at a table is GUY.

GUY is writing in a small notebook. After a moment, he stops and puts it away.

GUY: The plan was to write for most of my lunch break. The tiresome drudging that weighed me down workday to workday made satisfying my artistic pursuits quite difficult. So I made a goal for myself: write for most of my lunch break. My plan, however, has been interrupted a mere 2 minutes into the execution of said plan by the persistent grumbling of my stomach…

I am hungry.

Today is day one of this goal. Day one (and therefore the goal) are not going so well.

He takes out a paper bag.

GUY:  I reached over to my side and picked up my wrinkled brown paper bag which contained my lunch. A brown paper bag. It is what my mother did and therefore what I did. Which… never mind. That is a different matter and a different story. I will get to that later on in my career. Inside the paper bag is my trusty egg salad sandwich. My reliable, delicious piece of –

GIRL enters carrying her lunch and a book.

GUY: Then, the most beautiful and charming girl walks into the cafeteria. Although I have not heard her speak a single word, I knew – I just knew– that she was the most charming woman to walk the face of this earth. Ok, truth be told, I did not know. I had no way of knowing but what I didknow was that she was just… Beautiful…. Stunning… and Probably/Hopefully Charming.

GIRL turns to GUY for a brief glance. 

GUY does a poor job of hiding that he was admiring her.

GUY:Talk to her. I should –  No. I owe it to myself to talk to her. Perhaps I owe it to herto talk to her. A casual, “hello” should do. Yes. I am going to do that. I am going to –

GIRL: Excuse me?

GUY: Yes?

GIRL: I can hear you.

…Silence… 

…Beat… 

…Pause…

GUY:… Oh…

END OF PLAY.

Filled With Joy

FILLED WITH JOY BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

MIA standing among us.

MIA:

Imagine.

Joy.

Imagine.

Us.

Filled with joy.

The soup in the dumpling you eat.

Filled with joy.

The air in the basketball you shoot.
Filled with joy.

The air between the glance we share.

Filled with joy.

The air we exhale as we laugh.

Filled with joy.

The love between us.

Filled with joy.

The coffee cup.

Filled with joy.

And Caffeine.

But also joy.

The news.

Filled with joy.

The churches. The temples. The mosques. The homes of everyone in between and around it.

Filled with joy.

Every country in the world.

Filled with joy.

Imagine.

Aspire.

It’s impossible.

But aspire.

Let our aspirations

Be

Filled

With

Joy.

END OF PLAY.

Loser Joy

LOSER JOY BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

Lights up on TACHIS and LO mid-hug.

It’s a long, intimate and emotional hug.

TACHIS gives LO a couple of pats on the back.

LO takes a deep breath.

TACHIS: I know… I know…

LO and TACHIS continue to hug.

LO: We did it…

TACHIS: We did…

TACHIS and LO continue to hug.

TACHIS: It feels incredible…

Finally… they release the hug.

LO: We won the Championship.

TACHIS: We did it again.

LO: Steph Curry.

TACHIS: Kevin Durant.

LO: Draymond.

TACHIS: Klay

LO: Iggy.

TACHIS: JAVAAAAALE MCGEEEEEEE.

LO: Steve Kerr.

TACHIS: And us.

LO: And us…

TACHIS: We won another championship.

LO and TACHIS perform an elaborate and unnecessarily lengthy celebration handshake.

The handshake includes some hand slaps, fist bumps, jumps and Jay-Z “ugh” sound effects.

TACHIS: And it feels just as good as the first championship.

A weird high pitched sound comes out of LO.

TACHIS: What?

LO: Huh?

TACHIS: What was that?

LO: What was what?

TACHIS: That sound. You made a –

TACHIS recreates the weird high pitches sound remarkable well.

LO: Oh.

TACHIS: That. That sound came out of you.

LO: Did it?

TACHIS: Yes.

LO: Ok.

TACHIS: What does that mean?

LO: Look up in the dictionary.

TACHIS: Look it up in the dictionary?

LO: Yeah, look it up in the dictionary.

TACHIS: I’m not stupid, man, that’s not in the dictionary.

LO: You’re right.

TACHIS: So what did that mean?

Silence.

TACHIS: Dude.

LO: Well…

Pause.

Pause.

Pause.

LO: Does it?

TACHIS: What?

LO: Does it feel as good as the first championship?

Silence.

TACHIS: I don’t follow.

LO: Do we feel as good right now as we did when the dubs won their first championship?

Silence.

TACHIS does not lose eye contact with LO.

LO: Think about it –

TACHIS: I am thinking about it –

LO: Calm down –

TACHIS: I AM CALM.

LO: Hear me out…

TACHIS takes a deep breath.

LO: We feel incredible right now.

TACHIS: THAT’S WHAT I’M SAYING.

LO: Right. But.

TACHIS: BUT!?

LO: But... remember when the Warriors would win like… 20 games.

TACHIS: In a row?

LO: In an entire year.

Pause.

TACHIS: Yeah, I remember those time… Those were dark times.

LO: But how did we feel when they earned one of those 20 wins?

TACHIS: We felt great.

LO: We felt incredible.

TACHIS: What are you getting at?

LO: What I’m getting at is that 20 times a year, you and I would feel euphoric over a Warriors win because they pretty much never happened. Right?

TACHIS: Yeah…

LO: But now… we went an entire season and felt pretty good all season but didn’t reach that euphoric joy we felt when we were losers until –

TACHIS: Until now.

LO: Until now… We weren’t going to feel this until we were champions. But back in the day. Back in the loser days. We got this joy 20, maybe 25 times a year because any win was an unexpected win.

Silence.

TACHIS: Well shit…

LO: Now remember how unexpected it was when they actually won a championship.

TACHIS: Out of nowhere.

LO: It didn’t make sense.

TACHIS: We didn’t know what to do with ourselves.

LO: We cried.

TACHIS: We cried…

LO feels his cheeks.

LO: Today… my cheeks are dry.

LO feels TACHIS’ cheeks.

LO: And yours are too…

TACHIS collapses into his chair.

TACHIS: Goddamn man…

LO: I know… I hate to admit it but… I kind of miss the joys of being a loser.

Beat.

LO takes out two bottles of champagne from his backpack.

LO: Time for the champagne shower?

TACHIS: No… I don’t feel like it anymore… Way to ruin the championship.

TACHIS sulks his way off stage.

Lights fade.

END OF PLAY.

Stuck

STUCK BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

EVREN:

I have a notebook.

I have a pen.

I want a happy thought.

But

I have you.

And

I have you.

And then there

I have you.

I have a notebook.

I have a pen.

I have you.

            (Pause)

Terrible.

Stuck.

Cannot move.

Cannot think.

Cannot.

Cannot.

Can.

Not.

            (Pause)

Shit.

            (Looks at the pen)

Useless.
Useless without a thought.

Useless when all I have is you.
And you.

And you.

No room for thoughts with so many of you.
Crowded.

I hate it when it’s crowded and now here we are.

My brain.

Crowded.

What a joke,

What a sick joke.

            (Looks at the notebook)

I’m desperate to put something happy in this.

But.

But.

But.

No.

I NEED a joke.

I NEED a laugh.

I NEED a…

Smile.

But.

Empty.

Empty.

Empty.

Stuck.

Stuck.

Stuck.

Goodbye.

Goodbye.

Good…

Bye.

END OF PLAY.

Long

LONG BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

Lights rise on a public men’s restroom.

As lights rise, QUANG is already at a urinal peeing.

His urine flow is quite strong.

This is onlu relevant as to say that you can definitely here the pee hitting the urinal.

Boy is his pee hitting that urinal and boy is it GOING.

Six seconds pass.
Then GERRY enters the restroom.

QUANG looks back at the restroom entrance and sees GERRY.

GERRY stands at the urinal next to QUANG and unzips his pants.

QUANG and GERRY quietly and respectfully nod at each other.

The nod of two men with their penises out, trying to hold onto their masculinity.

Eleven seconds pass.
All we hear in those eleven seconds are the sounds of two urine flows. 

GERRY is finishes peeing.

He zips his zipper then notices…

QUANG is still peeing.

It hits GERRY…

QUANG was peeing before GERRY entered.

GERRY doesn’t know how long QUANG was peeing before he entered.
We don’t know how long QUANG was peeing before the lights rose.

5 seconds pass.

GERRY stands there, waiting for the madness to end.

QUANG is still peeing.

The urine flow is still strong.

5 more seconds pass.

This is too much for GERRY.

GERRY: DUDE! WHAT THE FUCK?

QUANG: What?

QUANG looks at GERRY, confused.

QUANG keeps peeing.

Lights fade as we continue to hear the sound of QUANG’s unbelievable urine flow.

END OF PLAY.