Title: “The bad boy”
Author: Silvina Carrasco
8 Characters:
- Juance: Teenager of about 16 years old. In the past he has had attitudes that have sentenced him to be “the bad boy” of the neighborhood.
- Martín: A 5-year-old boy who is rescued by Juance.
- Martín’s mother: She desperately asks for help but no one is able to do anything.
- Neighbor 1: Distrustful of Juance and prefers to keep him on the sidelines.
- Neighbor 2: Distrusts Juance and prefers to keep him on the sidelines.
- Neighbor 3: Looks helplessly at Martin in the cage without daring to do anything.
- Neighbor 1: Looks helplessly at Martin in the cage without daring to do anything.
- Neighbor 2: Looks helplessly at Martin in the cage without daring to do anything.
ACT I
Characters taking part in this act: Neighbor 1 and Neighbor 2.
Scene: In a typical neighborhood street; what seems to be the outside of a greengrocer’s: crates piled up with fruits and vegetables.
Neighbor 1 and Neighbor 2 converse with shopping bags in their arms.
-Neighbor 1: Did you find out what happened to the newborn puppies that were abandoned in the street above?
-Neighbor 2: The ones left near the hairdresser’s?
-Neighbor 1: Those… They were so adorable! It’s a pity that no one could take care of them, there should be someone to take care of those things.
-Neighbor 2: Look, I don’t know what to tell you; according to what Mr. Cosme, the bakery owner, told me, he was told they were taken by that boy Juance and he is taking care of them.
-Neighbor 1: No, I can’t imagine! That kid doing a good deed, if all he knows is how to get into trouble. No, they must have told him wrong.
-Neighbor 2: Well, it’s a rumor; Mr. Cosme didn’t believe it either, nor did I, nor did anyone else in the neighborhood. We all know what kind of troublemaker that boy is.
-Neighbor 1: Yes, we’ve all seen him stealing and picking fights in the street.
-Neighbor 2: Also with the family he comes from ,you can’t expect more, his father was worse than him and his mother hardly pays any attention to him.
-Neighbor 1: Fortunately he hardly ever comes here anymore. Except for a few times he comes to the zoo, he’s hardly heard from anymore.
-Neighbor 2: It’s better this way, better not to hear from him.
ACT II
Characters involved in this act: Juance, Martin, Martin’s mother, Neighbor 1, Neighbor 2, Neighbor 3, Neighbor 1 and Neighbor 2.
Scenario: A sector of a zoo or nature reserve: an open space surrounded by high walls or fences where the tiger lives. Inside, there is a kind of little house where the tiger rests.
(The tiger is never seen directly. It peeks out of the door of the little house from what appears to be it´s backside and occasionally it´s roars can be heard).
(Martin, Martin’s Mom, Neighbor 1, Neighbor 2, Neighbor 3, Neighbor 1 and Neighbor 2 are outside the sector/cage waiting for the tiger to appear).
-Martin: (Impatient) Mom, when is the tiger coming? I want to see him!
-Martin’s mom: He’s in the little house (pointing to the little house) Do you see him there?
-Neighbor 1: That’s right, he’s over there. He must be sleeping.
(Martin slips away from his mother without her noticing and manages to sneak into the cage through a slightly open grate. Juance approaches the group).
-Neighbor 3: Here comes that boy.
-Martin’s mom: Be careful with your belongings.
-Neighbor 2: Yes, watch your bags, ladies.
-Martin’s mom: (Looking around) Martin?…Martin?!
(Martin approaches the group from inside the cage)
-Martin: Mom, look where I am!
-Martín’s mom: (Desperate) Martín, what are you doing there? (Not knowing where to go) Help! I need help! Somebody help me!
(A roar of the tiger is heard. The neighbors look at each other without being able to do anything).
-Martin’s mother: Somebody help me, please!
(Without thinking, Juance climbs the fence as best he can, falls to the other side, lifts the child who is pulled out by Neighbor 1 and Neighbor 2 on the other side. Another roar is heard. Juance manages to climb up and jump out of the cage).
(The neighbors are still in shock. Martin’s mother hugs her son in shock).
ACT III
Characters involved in this act: Martin’s mother, Neighbor 1, Neighbor 2, Neighbor 3, Neighbor 1 and Neighbor 2.
Scenario: The same street as in Act 1.
(The neighbors are gathered together talking, Martin’s mother approaches)
Neighbor 1: Dear, how is Martin? We are talking about what happened.
-Martin’s mom: Martin is fine, he didn’t know about the danger, for him everything was like an adventure. The one I don’t know is that boy who saved him, Juance. That day, with the commotion, he left and we could not talk to him.
-Neighbor 2: Yes, we were wrong about that boy; we misjudged him.
-Neighbor 3: He wasn’t so bad after all, we marginalized him because of attitudes he had in the past.
-Neighbor 2: It was more comfortable for us to leave him in the place of a problem child instead of seeing if he needed help.
-Neighbor 2: If it hadn’t been for him, who knows what would have happened.
-Neighbor 1: We owe him an apology.
-Martin’s mom: I’m going to his house to bring him a drawing that Martin drew and see how he’s doing.
-Neighbor 1: We could all go and talk to him.
-Neighbor 1: And ask him if he needs anything.
-Neighbor 2: Yes, let’s go.
-Neighbor 3: Let’s go.
-Neighbor 1: Let’s go.
(The whole group walks away in the same direction)
THE END