Title: “Little teachers”.
Author: Silvina Carrasco
Characters:
- Elijah: He is a young man who is going through a bad time because he has fears that paralyze him and do not let him do what he wants with his life.
- Franco: Elijah’ friend. He takes his friend to an amusement park to help him evaluate life from a child’s point of view.
- Child 1: Plays on the swing/hammock.
- Child 2: Plays on the handrail.
- Child 3: Runs around the park after a ball.
- Woman: Child 3’s mother.
- Extras: Children playing in the park.
SINGLE ACT
Characters involved in this act: Elijah, Franco, Child 1, Child 2, Child 3, Woman and Extras.
Scenario: An amusement park: Seating benches, hammocks/swings, a slide/slide and a handrail (a structure formed by a kind of ladder that the children try to cross from one end to the other by holding on with one hand at a time to each of its bars. This ladder is located parallel to the ground at a considerable distance from it, held at each end by two vertical posts).
The boys and girls play in the games, run, laugh, have fun, shout. Elijah and Franco talk while sitting on a bench.
-Elijah: … It’s like I was telling you on the phone: I’m getting more and more stuck. I don’t dare to tell Sofía how I feel about her, I don’t dare to play in public with the band, I don’t dare to do anything… I’m more and more closed in.
-Franco: Mmm… It scares you.
-Elijah: I guess…
(The friends watch the children play)
-Franco: That’s why I thought we should come here.
(Elijah looks at Franco without saying anything to him)
-Franco: (Pointing to Child 1) Look at that kid.
(Child 1 swings high up with a huge smile on his face)
-Franco: … Look how small he is and how high he swings. (Small pause) It could be dangerous: he could fall, he could break the swing; but apparently he’s not thinking about any of that. His capacity for enjoyment is greater than fear.
(Small silence from the friends.)
-Franco: (Pointing to Child 2) Look what that one is doing.
(Child 2 tries to complete the handrail but does not succeed. He gets about a third of the way up the ladder and his hands come loose. He goes back to the top and tries again; he gets through a couple more bars than the previous time and comes off again. He goes back to the top and tries again…)
-Franco: Can you imagine if he would have been frustrated the first time he let go?
-Elijah: (Smiles a little more animated) Mmm… Yes, he seems to be enjoying learning how to do it.
-Franco: Exactly! He doesn’t just want to get to the other side, he’s also enjoying the ride.
(A cry of pain is heard. The friends look back to child 3 who has fallen and is crying loudly).
-Elijah: Oh, he hurt himself badly.
(Woman cleans child 3’s injured knee and puts a band-aid/gauze/band-aid on it).
-Franco: Yes, but you’ll see that in a moment he’ll be playing as if nothing happened.
(Woman finishes treating Child 3. He stands up, takes the ball and goes back to his game. Elijah and Franco look at each other with complicity and laugh).
-Franco: I told you so! The children recover in a second, they don’t stay there lamenting like adults.
(Small silence between the friends)
-Franco: You say you have fears, that you don’t dare to do the things you want to do, and that happens to all of us, but in children we can see another way of living. Can you imagine if they bring a child to this park and even though he is surrounded by all these tempting games, he stands still without going anywhere for fear of falling or getting frustrated or getting hurt?
-Elijah: No.
-Franco: No! Kids fall down, get hurt, get frustrated, get up and keep having fun and getting more and more excited….
(Friends watch the children play)
-Franco: And life has its similarities with this park. One day your parents bring you here and the best thing you can do is to enjoy what’s there: dare even if it’s scary, overcome, learn, fall, get up and be happy while it lasts… In a moment you have to leave and if you didn’t have fun while you were here you get nothing.
THE END