Title: “The problem of prejudging”.
Author: Silvina Carrasco
6 Characters:
- Veronica: 15 year old teenager. She is the new girl in the neighborhood. She seems aggressive and antisocial but in reality she tries to protect herself from suffering.
- Camila: She is the first to meet Veronica at school and to tell her friends in the neighborhood her impression of her.
- Pablo: 15-year-old teenager. He is part of the group of neighborhood friends. His personality is conciliatory.
- Francesca: 15-year-old adolescent. She is part of the group of friends in the neighborhood.
- Rafael: Adolescent of 15 years old. He is part of the group of friends of the neighborhood.
- Paula: Neighbor of the teenagers’ neighborhood. She is the aunt with whom Veronica has come to live.
ACT I
Characters that take part in this act: Pablo, Camila, Francesca, Rafael and Veronica.
Scenario: The street of a quiet neighborhood.
Introduction: Pablo, Camila, Francesca and Rafael are friends of the neighborhood since childhood. As usual, they are together chatting and hanging out.
-Pablo: Did you meet the new girl?
-Francesca: Which one?
-Pablo: Mrs. Paula’s niece, she moved in with her a few weeks ago. She is our age, maybe she wants to be our friend.
-Camila: Veronica?
-Pablo: Yes, I think that’s her name.
-Camila: Impossible! That girl can’t be friends with anyone. She goes to school with me and she’s the most unfriendly person in the world.
-Francesca: Really? But Mrs. Paula is the nicest person in the world.
-Camila: I don’t know why, but at school we almost never get her to greet us and we’ve tried to integrate her.
(Veronica approaches)
-Francesca: Is that her?
-Camila: Yes, (ironically) look at her nice face.
(Camila and Rafael laugh).
-Pablo: Shhh, don’t be rude.
(Veronica arrives at a close distance to the teenagers.)
-Pablo: (To Veronica) Hello.
(Veronica doesn’t answer and keeps walking.)
-Camila: Excuse me, I think you didn’t hear the greeting, my friend just said hello.
-Veronica: (Annoyed) Leave me alone.
-Rafael: We just want to be your friends.
-Veronica: I’m not interested in being friends with you, I’d rather be alone.
(Veronica continues on her way.)
-Camila: See, I told you. This girl is the most unfriendly and antisocial.
-Francesca: Yes, Camila is right. She even has an aggressive face.
-Pablo: I don’t know, to me it looks more like a sad face.
ACT II
Characters that intervene in this act: Pablo, Camila, Rafael, Francesca and Mrs. Paula.
Scene: The same street of ACT I.
(The friends are gathered. Mrs. Paula approaches with the shopping bags).
-Francesca: Good morning Mrs. Paula.
-Mrs. Paula: Good morning, my children.
-Rafael: Shall I help you with the bags, Mrs. Paula?
-Mrs. Paula: No need, Raff. I am going to ask you another favor while I meet you here.
-Camila: Tell us, what do you need?
-Mrs. Paula: I guess you have already heard that I have had a niece living in my house for a while, she doesn’t know anyone here and since she is about your age, I thought maybe you could invite her to do things to make friends with her.
(Camila, Francesca, Pablo and Rafael look at each other, none of them dares to say anything and there is an uncomfortable silence that Paula notices).
– Paula: (Understanding the silence of the teenagers) Mmm, I see you have already met her. Veronica may seem very closed, but it’s just a facade, a way to protect herself.
-Camila: Protect herself from whom, if we haven’t done anything to her?
-Francesca: Camila!
– Paula: To protect herself from life my little girl, that child has had to go through so much… Her mother was a good woman, but she wasn’t ready to be a mother, so she abandoned her when she was just a few years old.
-Rafa: We had no idea.
-Camila: No, we didn’t know.
-Paula: Her father couldn’t handle her alone, so a few years later he left too. Veronica was left in the care of relatives who, because of money issues, could no longer support her and that is why she came to live with me.
-Pablo: That is why she has such a sad face.
-Paula: Yes, that’s why. And the reason she is unfriendly is because she is trying to protect herself. I know she would really like to be friends with you but she is afraid of getting attached to someone, she wouldn’t put up with another abandonment.
-Camila: Don’t worry, Paula. We shouldn’t have judged her without knowing her story, but we will fix it.
ACT III
Characters that intervene in this act: Veronica, Camila, Pablo, Francesca and Rafael.
Scenario: The street of the previous Acts.
(The friends are standing at the door that simulates the entrance of Veronica’s house. Veronica arrives).
Camila: Hello Veronica.
-Veronica: (Annoyed) What do you want?
-Camila: They are opening an arcade at the mall, do you want to come with us?
-Pablo: It’s going to be fun.
-Veronica: No, I don’t want to.
-Rafael: But what are you going to do all day alone and cooped up, other than being bored?
-Veronica: My business and leave me alone… My aunt asked you to become my friends, didn’t she? Well, it’s not necessary.
-Francesca: No, it was our idea to invite you.
-Pablo: No Fran, let’s not lie to her, between us we always speak the truth and we can also do it with her. (To Veronica) Yes Veronica, Dona Paula asked us to be your friends but we accepted because we want to do it.
-Camila: Yes, we want to be your friends and if you need time to get to know and trust us, we understand.
-Francesca: And in the meantime we can have fun.
-Rafael: Going to the mall for example.
-Veronica: I don’t know, it’s just that I have school homework. Besides, I don’t like the mall.
-Rafael: Well, we don’t want to pressure you.
-Veronica: (hesitating) Anyway… thanks for the invitation.
(The teenagers start to leave)
-Veronica: Hey! Tomorrow I have to go out to buy some things and since I don’t know the city very well, maybe you can come with me if you want.
-Camila: Sure!
-Pablo: No problem.
-Veronica: Bye.
-Francesca: Bye.
-Rafael: See you tomorrow.
(Veronica leaves the stage)
-Pablo: It’s a start, isn’t it?
-Camila: Yes, it’s a good start.
THE END