Cast of Characters:
ALEX
Character description:
Alex, a gay highschooler who loves reading and spends a lot of time in the school library. Alex is good friends with the school librarian.
ARNOLD
Character description:
Republican board member, talks in a voice that sounds like he needs to clear his throat and hasn’t in days. Maybe named Arnold Smith? Very selfish.
MINDY
Character description:
Mindy, young school librarian who loves working with kids. She has a passion for reading and tries to make friends with all of the students who regularly visit the library. She is Alex’s role model and secondary mother figure.
STAGE
The background of the stage has screens which can represent TVs, phones, etc
Scene #1:
Setting description / Moment in time (3+ sentences):
High school Assembly that a Board Member who publicly proposed a plan to ban/censor certain books is watching or attending. Alex is standing at the podium to make a quick announcement.
On screen:
The background is set up like a video on social media.
[Every character is frozen until the play button is clicked on the screen]
VIDEO NARRATOR
Check out this video taking social media by storm. Board member Arnold Smith decided to attend a local school assembly right before his speech today but he couldn't have anticipated what one of the student announcements would be…
ALEX
[sarcastically]
I love reading. I love going to the library after school and picking up books, reading them in the library or at home in the evenings. It’s a shame really.. that books have just started magically disappearing off shelves left and right. Strange isn't it? I think it’s really odd… Really sad too. But most of all…
[pause and looks to the sky for a second]
I think it’s fucking pathetic.
[Teachers start walking up to the stage]
Board member Arnold Smith, are you really afraid of a book? They say the pen is mightier than the sword but I have a feeling that if I had a sword right now, you would change your mind pretty quick. Hey, don’t take me off stage! I’m not done yet! I mean, the fact that you have the audacity to take books out of school libraries just because you don’t like them is just, wow. Like, people elected you? Get your hands off me!
[drops microphone]
This needs to be said! He violated the first fucking amendment dammit!
[gets taken off stage by teachers]
Shit!
[They exit]
Scene #2:
Setting description / Moment in time (3+ sentences):
Outside on a sunny day about an hour after the assembly. Arnold is about to give his speech.
On screen:
The background is a news channel.
ARNOLD
[Arnold walks in from stage left, picks up the dropped microphone, and walks up to the podium as camera flashes light up the stage]
Yet another tragedy in our city. Early afternoon yesterday, at approximately 1:00, a shooting, an actual school shooting occurred at Greenbrook High, a disaster that resulted in the deaths of three staff members and a single student injury. An-and no matter how I put it in my head, I just can’t help but feel somewhat responsible in a way. This is the second - school - shooting - we’ve had - this year - so I’d like us to take a moment of silence.
[He waits for all of five seconds]
Very good. Now, last night I was more than distraught by the news of recent events. I was devastated, absolutely devastated. And so I got to thinking. How are we going to stop this from happening? Well, arming our teachers and staff with police standard handguns is a step in the right direction but then I saw the news, the headlines, oh the headlines. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, the shooter was another trans student! It’s the same thing, the same exact thing all over again, coincidence? I think not! Folks, I say we stop this problem right at the roots, we must take action to prevent tragedies such as this from happening again. We must protect our children! Any books containing trans themes shall be removed from school libraries, I’ll see to it myself. While we’re at it, we’ll remove any other “related content” from our curriculums and libraries. This plan wasn’t supposed to go into action for another month but I say we’ve had quite enough! Has everyone had enough?
[Crowd cheers back]
Have we had enough?!
[Crowd cheers back]
For the children!
[Crowd cheers and claps. Reporters begin shouting questions over each other while more cameras flash
“How fast do you expect harmful content to be removed from schools?”
“Do you have an estimate for how long it will take for your plan to have an effect?”
“Can you give us proof that removing content from libraries will stop the violence in American Schools?”
“Will this plan have a negative effect on students who regularly visit the school library?”]
[Arnold exits]
Scene #3:
Setting description / Moment in time (3+ sentences):
School is ending. The school library is very busy but for all the wrong reasons.
On screen:
Nothing yet.
[Podium is removed by a person in a worker uniform and carried off to the right. Simultaneously, other workers lifting cardboard boxes, milk crates, and rolling shelves of books start walking from left to stage right. After, another rolling shelf is being moved off stage as Mindy enters from the other side, carrying a small cardboard box]
MINDY
Ah! Hey! Can I see that shelf for a second before you take it? This one still needs sorting. Yeah. Thank you.
[Sighs and begins going through the books and checking the covers]
It’s just not fair. Sure, I feel bad for that school and the families but this ain’t right. I know it ain’t. When has this ever been the right answer? If they read a book or two they would know the answer’s never. But, I suppose this is the way it is.
[facepalms]
Alex is gonna be depressed as hell when he comes in tomorrow. I mean, at first, it was only a few books but now… look at my library! I’ve never seen it so empty, so sad, so robbed. He’ll hate me for letting them do this. It was his sanctuary. And now even that’s been breached. Bleached. This world ain’t built for people like him.
[Mindy gets a phone call and the screen shows that the caller is Alex]
Oh Alex! I thought you’d be in detention for longer! Oh. Suspension? Well I definitely can understand why. Though, that don’t justify what they did. What? Oh, sorry Alex, I can’t drive you home today. I got some…
[looks at books]
Uh… stuff to do. Listen, remember those overdue books you keep forgetting to bring in? Yeah those three. You can keep them. All yours. Don’t even need to pay the overdue fees? Why? Why? I just want you to have them. Um. I know you’ll just check them out again before anyone else can so just keep them. Yes, I mean it! Alright, okay. Good. And don’t forget to pull the stickers off. Okay, now go home before Mr. Jameson yells at you again.
[Call ends and Mindy gives a long and heavy sigh. She puts some of the books in the box, closes it. She exits with the shelf and the box]
Scene #4:
Setting description / Moment in time (3+ sentences):
Alex is home from school
On screen:
Nothing yet.
[A door is slowly moved in from the stage right while Alex moves in from the stage left. The door and Alex both stop at the box. Alex picks up the box, opens the door, and the two continue moving.]
[Dad enters]
Oh hi dad! Why am I late today? I had to walk home today. Well it was a long walk okay? No? Relax. The school called you? That’s strange. Okay okay. Fine. I don’t wanna talk about it. I don’t care if it’s something that needs talking about. I know I’m almost an adult, that’s why we don’t need to talk about it. I’m not avoiding the conversation. Look, I got a lot of homework to do. So much that I actually have to start now. Why? Because all my work is home work now. Whatever happened to democracy huh? I call bullshit.
[Dad exits and a bed with a TV remote on it is rolled in, which Alex jumps onto, leaving the package at the foot of the bed. Alex gets a text on his phone from a friend.]
What? Channel 6? Not like I have anything better to do I guess.
[Alex turns on the TV (the screen). Various news reporters and anchors cutting in and out start talking while Alex talks over them]
REPORTERS
-plan going effective immediately. Already books are being taken out of schools. The seizure of library books that have not been returned yet is undetermined. This is the largest book ban on record since-
ALEX
Wait what? Now? The hell? How could they do this? That fast? Is that even possible?
REPORTERS
-related to the recent school shooting, Arnold has made it his goal to make a safe haven for all students. This is a bold move but many agree it is the right one. Further plans are in consideration-
ALEX
Safe… haven…? What …the… fuck do you mean lady? Are you actually reading this willingly?
REPORTERS
-however, the plan is not uncontested, while it is believed to bring a new wave of peace, several students have already spoken out against it, including young Alex Fletcher who spoke to Arnold right before his speech today-
ALEX
Several? Several?! Only a couple other people actually said something? Look at what they’re doing! It’s maddening! It’s sick! This- this is outrageous. First amendment, more like the first unmendment!
Godammit
[The lights go dark and the background is reduced to static, transitioning to the next scene. Alex is rolled off stage.]
Scene #5
Setting description / Moment in time (3+ sentences):
Arnold is being interviewed on TV.
On screen:
Talk show background
[Two chairs are moved in near the center of the stage and Arnold and a show host walk sit down]
ARNOLD
Now I’m not a hateful guy, I don't hate anyone, I swear. What I'm trying to say is that this younger generation, they’ve grown up on the internet, they’re easy to manipulate. They’ll believe anything, do anything that some idiot says online.
[Arnold leans forward a bit more]
I read an article where a five year old killed his mom with a knife because some guy on TicketyTook or whatever told him to do it! Our kids are being corrupted, twisted, puppeteered! And I-I don’t haaaate the trans. Remember, I’m not a hateful guy. All I’m saying is that if I come home from a long day of work, right, and my son, I’m abouta ask him if he wants to play catch, if he says “hey Dad I’m actually a girl”, I wouldn’t hate him but he better be back by tomorrow, right, haha? You folks get me right? Listen, I’m just hoping that it’s some dumb internet trend that will wash over eventually. And if we all work together, I’m sure we can make that happen. The libraries are only the first step, I’m asking teachers and doing my best to make sure this stuff stays out of our schools and away from our children. This violence and these non-American values will plague our city no longer.
[people clapping]
Thank you John.
[Alex is rolled back on stage right and he clicks the remote, turning the show off.]
Scene #6:
Setting description / Moment in time (3+ sentences):
Directly after the last scene. Alex at stage right, Mindy is at stage left. All lights are off. Both are on their phones.
On screen:
The screen is set up like a messaging app and each line the characters say appears on the screen as they say it.
[Every time a character speaks they are lit up by an overhead light]
ALEX
WTF?!
MINDY
I saw it too Alex. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.
ALEX
This whole situation is bullshit. What does this country even have against itself?!
MINDY
That’s an interesting way of putting it. But yes, this whole thing is rotten. Makes me wonder how much of this even had to do with the shootings.
ALEX
None of it! Tomorrow I’m gonna go right up to that man’s door and teach him a thing or two!
MINDY
And teach him what? That books really do make people more violent? That these books are a negative influence on the new generation?
ALEX
Well no…
MINDY
Exactly.
ALEX
Then what should we do? I’m not just going to sit still and keep quiet!
MINDY
I didn’t say you had to. But brute force is never the answer in a complicated situation.
ALEX
So what are we going to do? Sit on the street and protest?
MINDY
I mean we could do that
ALEX
That never works. Hey, remember the donation money we raised together to buy new books for the library?
MINDY
Yes, the district canceled the order.
ALEX
But that means the money is still in our possession right?
MINDY
What? You can’t just take donation money to do whatever!
ALEX
I propose we do exactly as we promised to do with it. We’re just going to buy some books…
MINDY
???
Scene #7:
Setting description / Moment in time (3+ sentences):
Arnolds living room early in the morning. Arnold is in slippers and pajamas, sitting down in an armchair. There is a door on stage right.
On screen:
The TV is on. Arnold is watching the news. The weather channel is quietly playing in the background.
[A mailman with a package walks onto stage and knocks the door]
[Arnold gets up to answer the door]
ARNOLD
Who is it? Ah good morning! Thank you for coming all the way out here but I- uh- didn’t order a package haha. Sorry about that! There must be some kind of misunderstanding! What…? I’m sorry I’m sure you’ve got it all wrong. What the devil! It has my name on it? Gah whatever.
[Arnold takes the package and closes the door. Mailman exits. Arnold begins attempting to open the package.]
Now, now, what could be inside. I sure hope it’s not a pipe bomb haha! I’ll bet that kid is still seething mad. Sorry bud.
[sighs]
I hope he got expelled…
…
[Arnold shakes the package and puts his ear up to it. He then rips it open revealing a book]
What is this? A prank? Fahrenheit 451? Looks like a used copy… what even is this book anyway?
[The TV gets louder with the latest story]
REPORTER
All around the city, we’ve got reports of board members, principals, and many teachers who are receiving mysterious packages containing books such as Fahrenheit 451 and of course 1984. These are some of the books that were included in the recent ban.
ARNOLD
This is a city wide incident?! I’ll have to make a speech on this attack tomorrow. Let’s see what we’re dealing with.
[Arnold sits down and opens the book the lights shift to represent a day passing and turning to night. Arnold walks off stage]
Scene #8:
Setting description / Moment in time (3+ sentences):
Alex and Mindy are on stage
On screen:
Social media video
VIDEO NARRATOR
What we are seeing here today is the strangest but certainly most creative form of protest I have ever seen if you can call it that. Board members across the city are receiving copies of books listed in a recent book ban. Already, this act has inspired countless others to read the books and protest traditionally on the streets. The city has even started looking back on the ban and controversy unfolded in the council meeting earlier today. There's even a chance repeal by the looks of it. We'll just have to see!
[Mindy and Alex begin celebrating. Arnold walks onto stage and shakes Alex's hand before continuing to walk to the other side of the stage and exiting.]
Whatever the case, I know that America is a constantly changing country. Nothing ever stays the same. New times are ahead and the old ways won't be here to stick around when they come. And that means that this too will pass. This too must pass.
THE END?
