On This Day

ON THIS DAY BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

Darkness.

A projection: July 16, 2016

Lights up.

BRIGITTE looking on facebook on her laptop.

BRIGITTE: Oh my god! This “On This Day Memory”! I can’t believe this was last year… things were so much better last year…

BRIGITTE lets out a sigh.

Lights fade.

Darkness.

A projection: July 16, 2017

Lights up.

BRIGITTE looking on facebook on her phone.

BRIGITTE: Ugh… this was last year!? Look at my face… I was so much happier last year…

BRIGITTE lets out a grunt.

Lights fade.

Darkness.

A Projection: July 16, 2018.

Lights up.

BRIGITTE looking on facebook on her tablet.

BRIGITTE: Gosh… Things were going so well last year. Why does this year have to suck so hard?

BRIGITTE shakes her head.

Lights fade.

Darkness.

A Projection: July 16, 2019.

Lights up.

BRIGITTE looking on faebook on her watch.

Silence.

Silence.

Beat.

BRIGITTE begins to weep.

Lights fade.

END OF PLAY.

N.E.R.D.

N.E.R.D. BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

CHIVY sitting cross legged in the middle of a dog pound.

Dogs bark all around her.

Dogs jump through her.

CHIVY:

Oh, that was cool huh?

The dog jumped THROUGH me.

Like I’m not actually here.

How did that happen, you ask?

Because, I’m not actually here.

Well, no. Not totally true.

I am here.

But NOT here.

I’m not making sense.

Let me explain.

So – lesson one – when you die, you kind of just stay where you died.

Your physical being moves, but the rest of you – the important stuff – stays put.

You can imagine how crowded hospitals must get.

I can’t go to one in my current state but I imagine it’s miserable.

Me?

I died here.

A puppy pound.

I know.

Weird right?

Thing is, I don’t eat well.

Didn’t.

I didn’t eat well.

Like. Ever.

So… the heart attack was… ummm… bound to happen.

Anyway, I’d been feeling lonely of late and thought I needed some companionship.

So I came here to adopt a pup.

I walked in and one pup really spoke to me.

I looked at ‘em.

They looked at me.

They jumped up, tongue out, tail wagging.

I was so happy to meet them.

Then boom.

Heart attack.

Right on the spot.

Took a bit of time for an ambulance to get here.

By the time they did – too late.

Dead on arrival.

So hear I am.

With all of these here pups…

Mine got adopted the next day.

So ‘em picked right before my eyes…

…

…

I would’ve named ‘em Misty…

END OF PLAY.

The Jump Scare

THE JUMP SCARED BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

A hallway with two doors and stairs the lead downstairs.

JEFFREY stands around the corner by one of the doors.

Hiding.

Waiting.

Quiet.

Silence.

Time passes.

JEFFREY things he hears something and jumps up.

But it’s nothing.

JEFFREY is back to position.

Waiting…

Waiting…

Waiting…

JEFFREY thinks he hears the door opens and jump up.

JEFFREY: RAAAAAWWWWR!!!!!

Again, it’s nothing.

JEFFREY looks around, embarrassed, making sure no one saw that.

JEFFREY gets back in position.

Hiding.

Waiting.

Quiet.

Silence.

As time passes, JEFFREY loses focus.

Unbeknownst to JEFFREY, JENNIFER walks up the stairs.

She sees JEFFREY crouched over, weirdly.

JEFFREY does not see JENNIFER.

Pause.

JENNIFER: What are you doing – ?

JEFFREY jumps and shreaks, startled.

JEFFREY: MOTHER FU –

Blackout.

END OF PLAY.

and the bird flew away...

and the bird flew away... by Jeffrey Lo (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

MARIE TESS sitting on a curb in front of a gas station store.

She has been crying.

BOYET enters.

 BOYET: Marie Tess…

MARIE TESS looks at BOYET.

BOYET sits with her.

BOYET: What are you crying about?

MARIE TESS shakes her head.

BOYET: Because Nikki is leaving?

Pause.

MARIE TESS: Nikki is gone.

BOYET: Yes… Nikki is gone. So what?

MARIE TESS: What do you mean, so what? That’s our daughter.

BOYET: Yes. That is our daughter. Would you rather she stay?

MARIE TESS: I rather she still be with us, yes.

BOYET: But she did what we told her to.

MARIE TESS: What did we tell her to do?

BOYET: We told her to go to college.

Silence.

MARIE TESS: Did we tell her to do that?

BOYET: Yes.

MARIE TESS: Well, I change my mind.

BOYET: Well too late.

MARIE TESS shakes her head.

MARIE TESS: I know…

BOYET scoots closer to MARIE TESS.

BOYET: It’s just you and me now…

MARIE TESS: That’s what I’m afraid of!

MARIE TESS AND BOYET laugh.

BOYET: Just you and me…

BOYET puts his arm around MARIE TESS.

Lights fade.

END OF PLAY.

Another Drink?

ANOTHER DRINK? BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

TRAV and SANDY at a bar.

They aren’t there together.

There is some space between them.

SANDY: Thanks for the drink.

TRAV: Of course.

SANDY cheers TRAV from afar.

They both take the shot.

TRAV takes out his wallet.

TRAV: Have another.

SANDY: Oh, no thank you.

TRAV: It’s on me.

SANDY: I really shouldn’t.

TRAV: Are you sure?

SANDY: Yes.

TRAV: Are you sure?

SANDY: … yes.

TRAV: But –

SANDY: Yes.

TRAV: You’ll have the drink?

SANDY: No!

TRAV: But you said yes.

SANDY: What is wrong with you?

TRAV: I just want to buy you a drink.

SANDY: You already bought me a drink,

TRAV: And I want to buy you another.

SANDY: No thank you.

TRAV: But –

SANDY: No. Thank you.

TRAV: But –

SANDY: NO. THANK. YOU.

TRAV: But –

SANDY: NO!!!!!

Magically, a drink is in SANDY’s hand.

She sees it. 

She screams.

While screaming, she throws the drink in TRAV’s face.

SANDY runs out of the bar screaming.

END OF PLAY.

If You Only Knew

IF YOU ONLY KNEW BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

All over the stage:

Fragile China

Kittens

An expensive car

Puppies

Balloons

Cows

Babies

Bubble wrap

…

At center is EVERY DAY JOE.

EVERY DAY JOE looks around at all of the things surrounding him.

EVERY DAY JOE looks and looks and looks and looks and looks and…

Uncomfortable yet?

EVERY DAY JOE looks at you.

EVERY DAY JOE looks and looks and looks and looks and looks and looks and looks…

How about now?

EVERY DAY JOE picks up two babies.

EVERY DAY JOE looks at them.

Looks.

Looks.

Looks.

Looks.

Suddenly EVERY DAY JOE shoots his eyes back to you.

EVERY DAY JOE: What’s on my mind?

Silence.

Silence.

Silence.

Silence.

Silence.
Look.

EVERY DAY JOE: You don’t wanna know.

END OF PLAY.

Whisper

WHISPER BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

ANONYMOUS sits at center.

ANONYMOUS is trying to take up as little space as possible.

In fact, ANONYMOUS is dressed in the same exact color as the walls all around.

ANONYMOUS: Haveyoueverwantedtojustnottalkatallbutyouhadtotalkandyouareforcedtosaysomethingsoyoujusttalkassmallandaslowasyoupossiblycansoyoucannotbeheardyoujustwhisperandwhisperandwhispersoyoucanhavetechnicallysaidwhatyouaresupposedtohavesaidbutnotreallybecauseyoureallydontwanttobeheardyoudontwanttobeheardatalleventhoughyouarerequiredtospeakyouareembarassedyouarescaredyoujustwanttobeinvisiblebuthereyouareyouarehereandyouhavetoacceptitbutthewayyoutrytonotacceptitisyoublendinandwhisperwhisperwhisperblendblendblendwhisperwhisperwhisperand…

Canyouhearme?

Pleasedonthearme.

ImwhisperingassoftlyasIcan.

DON’T HEAR ME!

The screaming reverberates.

ANONYMOUS stands up and runs off. 

END OF PLAY.

Unpacking / Packing/ WiFi (Based on a True Story)

UNPACKING / PACKING / WIFI (BASED ONA TRUE STORY)
BY JEFFREY LO
(DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

The food court of a shopping mall.

MAYBE JEFFREY LO roams the food court, heavy backpack strapped on, iced coffee in hand.

He has trouble finding an open table.

But eventually he finds an open table.

This open table even has an open chair – score!

MAYBE JEFFREY LO rushes to the table.

MAYBE JEFFREY LO puts his backpack on one chair and sits in the other.

MAYBE JEFFREY LO unpacks his laptop from his bag.

MAYBE JEFFREY LO takes out a specific container built just for his many cables

MAYBE JEFFREY LO unpacks his cables from his bag and connects them into his laptop.

MAYBE JEFFREY LO takes his phone out of his pocket and connects it to his laptop.

MAYBE JEFFREY LO unpacks his notebook and sets it next to his laptop.

MAYBE JEFFREY LO takes out his pencil bag and picks his favorite pen.

MAYBE JEFFREY LO sets his favorite pen next to his notebook.

MAYBE JEFFREY LO takes a sip of his iced coffee.

MAYBE JEFFREY LO smiles.

MAYBE JEFFREY LO opens his laptop.

MAYBE JEFFREY LO finds the mall’s free wifi.

MAYBE JEFFREY LO clicks on the mall’s free wifi.

MAYBE JEFFREY LO waits.

MAYBE JEFFREY LO waits.

MAYBE JEFFREY LO waits.

MAYBE JEFFREY LO’S screen says “Error connecting to wifi.”

MAYBE JEFFREY LO stares in horror.

MAYBE JEFFREY LO sighs.

MAYBE JEFFREY LO spots a sign next to him.

MAYBE JEFFREY LO reads, “Sorry for the inconvenience, our mall wifi is currently down.”

Silence.

MAYBE JEFFREY LO looks around, hoping for some sympathy.

MAYBE JEFFREY LO gets no sympathy because – in the grand scheme of things – this isn’t a big deal.

Lights fade as MAYBE JEFFREY LO begins the process of packing his crap back up.

END OF PLAY.