First Draft to Ten Minute Play

This is the first draft of my ten minute play. It needs major revision and character developement but it is a start to (hopefully) a great idea. Enjoy.

[The scene starts out with four students sitting around a table working with a large piece of poster board. There is a girl who is wearing a cheerleading outfit, a boy with tape holding his thick glasses together with a pocket protector full with pens, a girl dressed all in black with black nails and lipstick, and finally a boy in baggy jeans with a baggy sweatshirt on, hair all ruffled.]

JOY
[to audience]
So I can’t believe Mr. Jones would be so cruel. I mean putting me in a group with these losers. Why couldn’t we just pick our own groups? Or at least put me in a group with normal people. I mean I’m stuck here with Poindexter, death herself, and the kid who sits in the parking lot smoking his life away. Please.

[JOY goes back to sitting at the table and starts working again with her group.]

KURT

So what does Mr. Jones want us to do?

EUGENE
He wants us to make a Prison of the Future. Crime rates have been increasing at a steady rate and by the time our generation hits their mid life, crime rates will be higher and it will be more expensive to keep massive amounts of prisoners in prison with the money government and other services provide.

SELENA
Could we put in a torture room? For those evil prisoners who act up. We can have an electric chair, and etc.

KURT
That would be dope. We should also let the prisoners have free time where they can just do whatever they want. Being stuck in one place sucks.

JOY
A torture room? How about we focus on normal things like I don’t know, jail cells, security rooms, and possibly even a gym so the prisoners can work out! And these people are PRISONERS, they don’t need free time.

[The characters freeze while SELENA gets up and moves toward the audience.]

SELENA
Can you believe this chick? She thinks her ideas are better than everyone else’s because she is part of the cheerleading squad and her mommy and daddy buy her everything she asks for. It’s going to be so much fun to push her buttons during this project. I wonder how much she can take.

[SELENA returns back to her seat and the scene starts up again.]

EUGENE
Well studies show that groups get projects done much faster when they split up, so I advise that we have one person work on the blueprint of the prison, one person work on the painting of the frontal view of the prison, and two people work on the essay that describes what sort of services we have in our prison.

KURT
I’m not painting. I refuse to paint.

SELENA
Well I would rather work on the essay. I have a lot of ideas for what our prison should include.

JOY
You are not going to turn our prison into a Satan worshiping palace. I refuse.

KURT
Well if you have such strong feelings about it then work with her on the essay.

EUGENE
Well if you two are working on the essay and Kurt, you don’t want to paint, then you can do the blueprints and I can do the painting.

[The scene freezes and EUGENE stands up and walks towards the audience.]

EUGENE
I didn’t actually want to do the painting but no one seemed up to doing it. I have a feeling that Kurt will probably not try on the blue print so I will have to definitely have to supervise him. Selena and Joy have their work cut out for them. Selena does have interesting ideas to say the least and Joy, well, she is exactly how I pictured her in my daydreams but much prettier up close.

[EUGENE returns to his seat and the scene starts again. KURT and EUGENE are silently working on their part of the project.]

JOY
About these torture rooms with electric chairs, it is the worst idea I have-

SELENA
No it’s not. There are electric chairs in many prisons. It’s a way to put the death penalty on criminals who’ve done horrible crimes.

JOY
Is that all you think about- death? It doesn’t matter who anyone is, all you want to do is kill them.

SELENA
You’re saying I don’t care about people? Look who’s talking. Little miss [mockingly] ‘I’m Joy and I ignore you unless you’re a jock or cheerleader.’

JOY
Well I don’t see you going out of your way to talk to anyone who is actually wearing color.

SELENA
Ok fine. We both don’t like each other and agree that we have different opinions. Let’s just get this project over with so we can get back to our own lives.

JOY
Fine by me.

[JOY’s cell phone in her pocket vibrates. She takes it out and realizes she got a text from a friend.]

SELENA

What now?

JOY
Mind your own business.

SELENA
This is unbelievable. You can’t even stay off your phone for ten minutes! Is it that important?

JOY
I said mind your own business.

[JOY reads a text and slowly closes her phone and becomes very silent and closed off.]

SELENA
[angry but caring]
Is everything ok? What’s up?

JOY
Nothing. You wouldn’t care anyways.

[The scene freezes and JOY gets up from her seat and talks to the audience.]

JOY
The truth is, Selena wouldn’t understand how crushing my news is. She probably would think, ‘she deserves it.’ People like her don’t understand that I do have feelings and despite the act I put on. I am not as confident as I portray.

[JOY returns to her spot next to SELENA and the scene starts to play again.]

SELENA
[concerned]
You sure? Your mood changed within a total amount of 2.5 seconds.

JOY
[hesitant]
Well, it’s just that John, you know the starter quarterback of the football team, just, well he decided, he decided that he didn’t want to go to prom with me anymore. I realize maybe that wouldn’t be the end of the world to you, but now what am I supposed to do with a week until prom? I can’t return my dress, nor do I really want to, but who am I supposed to go with? I can’t go alone, that would just be embarrassing.

SELENA
Who wants to go to prom anyways. Its just a load of drama dressed up in poofy gowns. [seeing that this did not cheer JOY up] Besides, any guy who dumps you is not worth your time. You deserve so much better and many guys would kill to go to prom with you. Trust me.

JOY
[smiling slightly]
You really mean that?

[SELENA smiles and nods in confirmation.]

[The scene freezes as SELENA gets up and walks to the audience.]

SELENA
I know what you are thinking, ‘you are kidding right? Telling the popular girl that she deserves better?’ This surprised me too but I wasn’t kidding. This poor girl just got dumped and for once in my life I saw her as an actual human being- not just another Paris Hilton wannabe.

[SELENA walks back to her seat next to JOY and the scene starts again but moves over to KURT and EUGENE.]

EUGENE
You sure you know what you are doing? Because I could help you figure out the calculations for how big the rooms need to be.

KURT
I’m fine Eugene. Believe it or not I sort of know what I am doing.


EUGENE
Really because I am open to help you out. We don’t want to get a bad grade on this project because some people don’t understand.

KURT
[aggravated]
I’m Fine! Just worry about your own part of the project.

[The scene freezes and KURT walks up towards the audience.]

KURT
Man! Could I have one moment to think without Milhouse over here breathing down my neck? Everyone thinks that just because I have experimented with drugs that I am not capable of doing anything else. My mind isn’t totally baked.

[KURT returns to his blueprint and the scene continues.]

EUGENE
Alright alright alright, if you need me then I’ll be right over here.

[The group goes back to working quietly for a couple seconds. SELENA and JOY stand up and walk closer to where EUGENE and KURT are sitting.]

JOY
Well we’re done! How about you two?

EUGENE
Just adding the finishing touches to my picture. Done! How do you guys like it?

[EUGENE holds up a brightly colored and elaborate picture of the front view of their prison.]

JOY
Wow Eugene! I never knew you had such a talent for painting!

EUGENE
Neither did I. Painting actually helped me not be so nervous and uptight. I feel very relaxed.

SELENA
You done Kurt?

KURT
[holding up a precisely measured out blueprint of a prison]
Yup! Here it is! Everything is measured out to a perfect T.

EUGENE
Your work is impeccable. How did you learn to do all those calculations and make blueprints?

KURT
Well I am actually fairly good at math. I just don’t like raising my hand in class. I don’t want people to think that I am a nerd or anything- no offense Eugene.

EUGENE
None taken.

[The scene freezes and JOY walks up to the audience.]

JOY
I’m totally not trying to sound like Full House or anything but things happened to work out. I mean who would have thought that VooDoo over here actually has a heart and cares about other’s feelings, and that little Angel Hair is the next Einstein, and Eurkel is actually a natural born Picasso. Maybe there is more to the book than what meets the eye.

[EUGENE becomes unfrozen and walks up to JOY.]

EUGENE
You mean there is more than what meets the eye.

JOY
No, I’m pretty sure there is something about a book.

[SELENA becomes unfrozen and walks up to JOY and EUGENE]

SELENA
You mean don’t judge a book by its cover.

JOY
[getting aggravated]
No I think I would know what I am talking about! Why do you guys always doubt me?

[KURT becomes unfrozen and walks up to JOY and EUGENE and SELENA.]

KURT
Who cares? It’s just a stupid saying.

JOY
I care! I wanted to end in a cute and optimistic way! You know leave a good message for those incoming freshies.

[Improvational arguing between the group. The lights dim and the scene ends.]