Letters and Texts

LETTERS AND TEXTS BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

CASSIDY and JOY on two separate sides of the stage.

They are isolated from each other by light.

CASSIDY: A

JOY: Are we still on for tomorrow?

CASSIDY: B

JOY: BART is delayed! Sorry I’ll be late.

CASSIDY: C

JOY: Can you believe how fun last night was?

CASSIDY: D

JOY: Do you wanna come inside?

CASSIDY: E

JOY: Excited for the next time I see you!

CASSIDY: F

JOY: Fuck?

CASSIDY: G

JOY: Glam rock or R&B playlist for dinner tonight?

CASSIDY: H

JOY: How’s your day going?

CASSIDY: I

JOY: I love you…

CASSIDY: J

JOY: … just kidding!

CASSIDY: K

JOY: Keep on ignoring me… sure…

CASSIDY: L

JOY: Loser.

CASSIDY: M

JOY: Men are all the same.

CASSIDY: N

JOY: Now I see how you really are.

CASSIDY: O

JOY: On Tuesday, you better come and get all of your things.

CASSIDY: P

JOY: Please, can we actually talk?

CASSIDY: Q

JOY: Question. When do you plan to be an adult?

CASSIDY: R

JOY: Rest assured that won’t happen again.

CASSIDY: S

JOY: So… about last night.

CASSIDY: T

JOY: Tomorrow night, good?

CASSIDY: U

JOY: Ugh…. I can’t get enough of you.

CASSIDY: V

JOY: Very funny…

CASSIDY: W

JOY: What is happening to me?

CASSIDY: X

JOY: X-Ray tomorrow?

CASSIDY: Y

JOY: You and me are having a…

CASSIDY: Z

JOY looks at CASSIDY.

JOY: We are having a child.

CASSIDY: Z.

JOY: You and me…

CASSIDY: Z

JOY: A child.

Blackout.

END OF PLAY.

Just in the Nick of Time

JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

Lights up.

JEFFREY on stage.

JEFFREY looks at his watch.

JEFFREY points at his watch.

JEFFREY: Still counts!

Blackout. 

END OF PLAY.

Here We Go Again

HERE WE GO AGAIN BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

ED and ART on their childhood couch.

They sit next to each other in silence.

They take a deep breath.

ART: I remember this couch being bigger.

Silence.

ED: No. It’s the same.

ART: Really?

ED: Yes.

ART: Didn’t we fit in it better before?

ED: Probably.

ART: So?

ED: “Before” was a long time ago.

Silence.

ART: Ok.

ED: What? It’s true.

ART: I didn’t say anything!

ED: And neither did I!

ART: Fine!

ED: Fine!

Silence.

ED: Mom will be happy you’re here.

ART: I know.

ED: No matter how long it’s been.

ART: Why do you have to add that?

ED: It’s true.

ART: So what if it’s true? You’re ugly. That’s true. But I don’t go around calling you ugly!

ED: You just did.

ART: … Yeah. I did. My bad.

Silence.

ED: Fucker.

ART: I deserved that.

ED: For many reasons.

ART: Ok, let’s not go too far with it.

ED: It’s true.

ART: Fuck you!

ED: And fuck you!

Silence.

ART: That didn’t take us long.

ED: It never does…

ART: Sorry.

ED: Yeah…

Pause.

ED: Sorry. Too. Sorry too.

ART shrugs.

ED: Mom will be happy you’re here.

Lights fade.

END OF PLAY.

Confused

CONFUSED BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

MARIE at a typewriter.

As she types. She speaks.

MARIE:

I typed the word “Confused”

I do not know why I did that

If I contemplate it enough my head starts to hurt

So I won’t

I’ll stop

I’ll ignore it

The feeling

This feeling

Of…

I don’t know

I am talking

I am typing

Why

Good question

Why

Bad question

I am rambling

Am I rambling

I am rambling

I should stop

But I should not

I should keep going

I can keep going

I need to find meaning

But I cannot

If I keep going will I find meaning

What if I don’t find meaning

Will it be a waste

New page

Is this a waste

New page

New page

Old page

END OF PLAY.

Truer West

TRUER WEST BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

JEFFREY with a notepad and a laptop.

JEFFREY stares at his laptop.

JEFFREY:
True West…

Sam Shepard.

As a joke I was told to write a play today called TRUER West.

Like… the Same Shepard… but not.

Maybe inspired by True West?

Maybe a sequel to True West?

Maybe a…. –

Here’s the thing.

I don’t remember True West.

Like, at all.

I’m not actually entirely sure I’ve ever read True West.

All that’s in my memory is that it’s by Sam Shepard.

So…

Wikipedia.
Yeah.

Let’s see what it says…

JEFFREY reads.

JEFFREY:

Sibling rivalry….

Hollywood screenwriter…

Golf with Saul…

…

…

…

…

Pause.

JEFFREY:
I should probably read this play.

Blackout.

END OF PLAY.

Let’s Say Nothing!

LET'S SAY NOTHING! BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

MAX and WES.

Somewhere.

Doesn’t really matter.

MAX: Yo.

WES: Sup.

MAX: The grass feels like grapes.

WES: The grapes taste like plates.

MAX: The plates are filled with invisible.

WES: The invisible is green.

MAX: The green is envy.

WES: The envy is filled with points.

MAX: The points are systemic.

WES: Systemic oppression is full.

MAX: Full bellies run amuck.

WES: Amuck?

MAX: Amuck.

WES: … Fuck

Blackout.

END OF PLAY.

Missed the Painting

MISSED THE PAINTING BY JEFFREY LO
(DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

SEAN, a museum employee, is behind the front desk going about his closing routine.

SEAN is very excited to be done for the day.

Suddenly JENNIFER runs in from outside in a panic.

JENNIFER: Excuse me! Excuse me! Excuse me!

SEAN: Yes!

JENNIFER: There’s an emergency!

SEAN: Oh god! What is it? Should I call 911?

JENNIFER: What? No!
SEAN: Oh.

JENNIFER: Not 911!

SEAN: Ok. What’s the matter?

JENNIFER: The Rothko!

SEAN: The Rothko!?

JENNIFER: The Rothko!

SEAN: Oh god! What happened to the Rothko!?

JENNIFER: Nothing

SEAN: Then what’s the emergency?

JENNIFER: Well here’s the thing.

Pause.

SEAN: Ok…

JENNIFER: I came into the museum.

SEAN: Ok.

JENNIFER: Enjoyed the museum.

SEAN: Ok.

JENNIFER: Left the museum.

SEAN: Yeah.

JENNIFER: Then as I left, I saw out on the window that you all have a new Rothko!

SEAN: Yes.

JENNIFER: And I didn’t see the Rothko. And I wanted to see the Rothko. Clarification. I NEEDED to see the Rothko. So I ran back in here because my god! What a tragic moment it would be if I came here and left here and didn’t get to see the Rothko. Am I right?

Silence.

Beat.

SEAN: I’m sorry miss the museum is closed.

JENNIFER: But the Rothk –

SEAN: Goodbye.

JENNIFER: But –

SEAN: SECURITY!

JENNIFER: GOODBYE!

JENNIFER runs away.

END OF PLAY.

Memories Rise

MEMORIES RISE BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

MOSER and EVAN in an empty funeral home.

MOSER: So it was yesterday?

EVAN: Yeah.

MOSER: Not today.

EVAN: Yeah.

Pause.

MOSER: Shit.

Pause.

EVAN: Yeah.

MOSER: Then why are you here?

EVAN: What?

MOSER: If the funeral was yesterday and not today, why are you here?

EVAN: You weren’t there yesterday.

MOSER: So?

EVAN: I figured there were only two explanations for the fact that you weren’t there. Either you’re an asshole. Or… you thought it was today.

MOSER: How’d you know I thought it was today.

EVAN: I didn’t. I was hoping.

Pause.

EVAN: I’m happy to see you here.

MOSER sighs.

MOSER: Thanks… I wish I would’ve seen you yesterday.

EVAN: Well… sure. But here we are.

MOSER: Here we are…

Pause.

MOSER: I’m sorry.

EVAN: I know.

Pause.

MOSER: Do you forgive me?

EVAN: What?

MOSER: Do you forgive me?

EVAN: Oh. Is that my place?

MOSER: It’s your place when I ask you.

EVAN: Shouldn’t you ask - ?

MOSER: But I asked you.

Pause.

EVAN: No.

MOSER nods.

MOSER: Ok…

EVAN: Sorry.

MOSER: Don’t be.

EVAN: I’m just telling the truth.

MOSER: I know.

EVAN: It’s a new thing I’m trying.

MOSER: Telling the truth?

EVAN: Yeah.

Pause.

MOSER starts to laugh.

EVAN joins in.

They share a laugh.

After some time the laugh dies down.

MOSER: How is that going?

EVAN: Telling the truth?

MOSER: Yeah.

EVAN: Well I did it now…

MOSER: True.

EVAN: So…

MOSER: So good enough…

Pause.

EVAN: Do you wanna go say hi?

MOSER looks at EVAN.

EVAN: To Mom? Do you wanna go to her? The tombstone isn’t there yet but I know how to get there. I remember.

MOSER nods.

MOSER: Please.

EVAN: Alright…

EVAN and MOSER stand up.

EVAN: Let’s go.

EVAN and MOSER exit.

END OF PLAY.

Sidewalks and Streets

SIDEWALKS AND STREETS BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

GREG sitting in a hotel lobby bar with his son DAVIED.

GREG:
This is going to be a lot of fun Dav.

Just you and me.

Father and son time.

In the big city!

It’s gonna be a lot of fun.

I’ll show you a good time like my old man used to show me an old time.

Like here.

My old man taught me that a good plac to hang out in cities is hotel lobbies.

People underrate hotel lobbies.

Free water.

Free air conditioning.

He didn’t know anything about it but now – free wifi.

If you need it, that is.

Hotel lobbies are nice.

You excited?

Of course you’re excited.

How can you not be excited.

You’re with your old man!

And it’s good to be with your old man.

…

I know your old man hasn’t been around very much but your old man is here now to fix that.

To remedy that.

You know?

…

Nice hotel lobby right?

Alright.

You ready to go?

What?

Check in?

No.

We don’t have a room here.

I was just using the lobby.
Cause it’s nice.

Look at this lobby.

We’re staying somewhere else. Not here.

Now get up. Let’s go.

END OF PLAY.

Roses

ROSES BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)

Lights up.

GERALD.

GERALD and roses.

The roses are on the floor in front of GERALD.

GERALD looks down at the roses and picks them up.

He bunches them together in a bouquet and holds them in his hand.

GERALD looks up at the audiences.

GERALD:

Oh.

These are for you.
And you.

And you.

And you.

Oh gosh.

There aren’t enough roses for all of you.

But they are for all of you just the same.

I promise.

Because you all deserve one.

Really.

You do.

Even… maybe… Me?

GERALD looks at the roses and smiles.

GERALD:
Yeah…

Even me.

GERALD exits with the roses.

Lights fade.

END OF PLAY.