Nobody Moves
A One-Act Play Writtenby Michele Chung
Characters
White – athletic, gay
Red – red hair, hot headed
Hey You – Chinese (Can be Japanese or Korean)
Black – African teenage girl
Pale – with learning difficulties
Synopsis & Notes
The tale of how five young people came to where they are. When confronted with violence, each and every one of them had their own way of dealing with it. Yet, they all ended up at the same place. Why? And if things were to be start over again, is there anything that can be changed?
Nobody Moves is a short play intended to be tied in with a post-production interactive session, be it a forum discussion or a Playback Theatre performance. The idea is to provoke thoughts of the audience and really create the atmosphere that they are also part of the play, not a bystander.
The characters are meantto be generalized. It is suggested thatBlack be a teenage girl. Other thanthat, it is up to the company. Theoriginal idea is for the characters to be teenagers. However, when adapted to play for an audiencewith a wider age range, different age groups would add to a different dynamicof the play. No matter how the stagingand concept would be, it is suggested that Black remains a young girl.
The time should always becurrent. Costumes and make-up should beas natural as possible so the actors can blend in with the audience. They should be able to enter the auditoriumwith the audience without being noticed that they are the characters on stage.
(The following is the opening of the play. To read the whole play or inquire about staging this play, please contact myself. Thank you.)
Prologue
Lights up.
There are five wood crates on a bare stage.
Nobody on stage.
Silence.
Everyone waits.
Then we hear a commotion in the audience.
Fourth row, middle section, Red is fighting Hey You.
As they fight, they come to the aisle.
Lights on them.
Black is sitting on the aisle seat watching.
No sign of Pale and White.
Black stands up.
Red: Nobody moves!
Hey You: Ah yeah? (punch on Red’s face.)
Red: Damn! How many times did I tell you? No face!
Hey You: You have a date tonight?
Red: No!
Hey You: Then it’s not a problem.
Red: But I have one tomorrow!
Hey You: Why do you date anyway?
Red: It’s not like you and I can date.
(Hey You looksdisgusted, throws another punch at Red. Red leans forward and scratches Hey You’s face.)
Hey You: No face! You said so yourself!
Red: You have a date tonight?
Hey You: If you put some make up on, maybe I willask you out.
(Red’s face goesred. They fight.)
Black: HeyYou!
Hey You: I don’t know you. Stop calling me.
Red: I said, “Nobody moves!” Why are you still moving?
Black: Youtwo were fighting. What are we supposedto do?
Hey You: He told you already!
Red: Nobody moves!
Hey You: That’s how things are.
Red: (points at the audience) You see anyone moving?
Hey You: Nope.
Red: You know why?
Black: (nods) I know.
Hey You: (walks up and pulls Black close) Right. Why is it then, the wise one?
Black: (trembles and moves away from Hey You)Because they think we are nobody.
Lights out.
A One-Act Play Writtenby Michele Chung
Characters
White – athletic, gay
Red – red hair, hot headed
Hey You – Chinese (Can be Japanese or Korean)
Black – African teenage girl
Pale – with learning difficulties
Synopsis & Notes
The tale of how five young people came to where they are. When confronted with violence, each and every one of them had their own way of dealing with it. Yet, they all ended up at the same place. Why? And if things were to be start over again, is there anything that can be changed?
Nobody Moves is a short play intended to be tied in with a post-production interactive session, be it a forum discussion or a Playback Theatre performance. The idea is to provoke thoughts of the audience and really create the atmosphere that they are also part of the play, not a bystander.
The characters are meantto be generalized. It is suggested thatBlack be a teenage girl. Other thanthat, it is up to the company. Theoriginal idea is for the characters to be teenagers. However, when adapted to play for an audiencewith a wider age range, different age groups would add to a different dynamicof the play. No matter how the stagingand concept would be, it is suggested that Black remains a young girl.
The time should always becurrent. Costumes and make-up should beas natural as possible so the actors can blend in with the audience. They should be able to enter the auditoriumwith the audience without being noticed that they are the characters on stage.
(The following is the opening of the play. To read the whole play or inquire about staging this play, please contact myself. Thank you.)
Prologue
Lights up.
There are five wood crates on a bare stage.
Nobody on stage.
Silence.
Everyone waits.
Then we hear a commotion in the audience.
Fourth row, middle section, Red is fighting Hey You.
As they fight, they come to the aisle.
Lights on them.
Black is sitting on the aisle seat watching.
No sign of Pale and White.
Black stands up.
Red: Nobody moves!
Hey You: Ah yeah? (punch on Red’s face.)
Red: Damn! How many times did I tell you? No face!
Hey You: You have a date tonight?
Red: No!
Hey You: Then it’s not a problem.
Red: But I have one tomorrow!
Hey You: Why do you date anyway?
Red: It’s not like you and I can date.
(Hey You looksdisgusted, throws another punch at Red. Red leans forward and scratches Hey You’s face.)
Hey You: No face! You said so yourself!
Red: You have a date tonight?
Hey You: If you put some make up on, maybe I willask you out.
(Red’s face goesred. They fight.)
Black: HeyYou!
Hey You: I don’t know you. Stop calling me.
Red: I said, “Nobody moves!” Why are you still moving?
Black: Youtwo were fighting. What are we supposedto do?
Hey You: He told you already!
Red: Nobody moves!
Hey You: That’s how things are.
Red: (points at the audience) You see anyone moving?
Hey You: Nope.
Red: You know why?
Black: (nods) I know.
Hey You: (walks up and pulls Black close) Right. Why is it then, the wise one?
Black: (trembles and moves away from Hey You)Because they think we are nobody.
Lights out.