ACT I

SCENE I

Setting:     A futuristic lab with stone walls. There is an overabundance of jars with 

unknown liquids and body parts. Manic writing is scribbled in chalk on the chalkboard that takes up half  of the space. There are long gothic windows that decorate the walls. Blobs of flesh, or failed experiments, are littered around the room. A metal surgical table and surgical equipment are in the very center of the lab. Faint lightning and thunder plays in the background. 

At Rise:   The curtains are closed, leaving the lab out of the audience’s view. DR. 

OPTIMI appears from an entrance offstage and takes a leisurely, but proud stroll through the audience to  the stage’s stairs with a mic in hand, like a Broadway star. A spotlight follows her path.

DR. OPTIMI

Throughout the ages, beauty standards have constantly evolved, shaping what we define as “beauty” today. Poison-flushed cheeks open up into a rosy bloom. Round, dilated pupils freeze into seductive pointed dots. From untouched snow, to a sun-kissed bronze. From well-fed plumpness to the brink of starvation. The pinnacle of beauty will eventually fall into a bin with the rest of the dull needles.

DR. OPTIMI pauses in place and turns to the audience.

DR. OPTIMI

But what if beauty can last forever? An appearance so generational and timeless they outperform the mathematical ratio of beauty with ease?

DR. OPTIMI continues her stroll towards the stage.

DR. OPTIMI (unhinged)

For months now, I’ve been trying to perfect this formula. And I’ve gotten very, very close each time with only the slightest miscalculations throwing me off, but is that not the point of an experiment? Trial and error? Even the greatest of their fields had to fail in order to gain their expertise. So how is mine different from those? Go on, Answer it! Right, you can’t!

DR. OPTIMI makes her way up the stage’s stairs and 

stands proudly in front of the curtain.

DR. OPTIMI

I have an inkling that this will be the one. By now, her skin cells should have already formed, and she is ready for viewing.

The curtains open, revealing BIANCA upright on a surgical

 table that was tilted to look like she was standing up. 

She is a thin, proportional girl with white cloths covering 

the nude parts of her body. She has long brown hair that is

 slightly wavy at the ends covering her neck. Her eyes

 are closed and her head is turned to the left. DR. OPTIMI 

gasps and stares at her with pure amazement. Her limbs are shaking.

DR. OPTIMI (filled with awe)

Bianca… Oh, my beautiful Bianca…

DR. OPTIMI rushes to BIANCA’s side. She looks

 off into the audience with pride and gently

takes her right hand, completely unaware of the

extra thumb until she looks back at BIANCA. 

DR. OPTIMI yelps and drops BIANCA’s hand.

DR. OPTIMI (horrified)

AHHH!

DR. OPTIMI takes a couple steps back, eyes

 widened with horror and frustration. She 

stomps her feet and grabs at her own messy hair.

DR. OPTIMI (spiraling)

God damn it! I got so close! She was almost perfect this time! I was so damn close!

DR. OPTIMI lets out her frustration with angry

 stampedes around the lab and barely audible

 mumbles and rants until she takes a

 deep breath and collects herself.

DR. OPTIMI (with manic confidence)

You know what? I can fix this, yeah, I can fix this! I practiced surgery on smelly pig skin because I knew something like this would happen! She’s not even conscious yet, so she won’t feel a thing! Haha! And if there's more flaws, I can cover them up with the materials in my special effects drawer! God, the executives are definitely going to regret firing me so hard after they see my beautiful masterpiece!

DR. OPTIMI approaches BIANCA’s body and inspects 

her closer. She notices the other flaws of the body

 and grabs a notepad to write them down.

DR. OPTIMI (mumbling)

Okay… a thumb– I can amputate that– I can fill in the hole of her cheek and nose with plaster, I can cover up the blemishes on her skin– and–

DR. OPTIMI notices the eye on the side of BIANCA’s 

neck.

DR. OPTIMI (shocked)

An eye… oh wow. A striking phenomenon indeed! Well, she has the two that she needs up there, so there wouldn’t be harm in covering that thing.

DR. OPTIMI sighs and slides her hands up 

BIANCA’s flawless shoulders.

DR. OPTIMI

Oh Bianca, you are going to be so beautiful…

CURTAIN.

Kel Welker, Grade 11

Media Production Major