NWC #14- "Guns"
DUE Nov 15th at 8am
CHALLENGE: Guns!
There are LOTS of guns in
this play
Everybody has one. Guns
are a metaphor... or are they?
Tough talk
Spittin'
Shinning. Stroking.
FIRING
Guns...
It can be sad, hilarious,
romantic... whatever!
Maybe the guns THEMSELVES
talk.
The point is this play is
about power and sex.
Bonus- nontraditional
casting.
Bonus- characters with
reduced mobility
(Yeah, guns don't really
inspire me right now, which is probably just as well. But it's a good challenge to noodle over for
later. I didn't get everything worked
out with the beginning or end of the scene I was working on yesterday, so I
figured I'd get the full extended effect of that additional material...)
LOVE POTION #9
(extended scene)
(added material)
(lead-up, from yesterday...)
AUGGIE tuning a newly restrung
guitar; MICAH nearby.
AUGGIE
So -
AUGGIE
strums a minor chord.
AUGGIE
(cont'd)
Sad song...?
AUGGIE
strums a major chord.
AUGGIE
(cont'd)
Happy song.
MICAH
What do you think?
AUGGIE,
pleased, smiles.
AUGGIE
Happy song it is.
AUGGIE
strums a lively rhythm.
AUGGIE
(cont'd)
Perky...?
AUGGIE strums
a more laid back rhythm.
AUGGIE
(cont'd)
Mellow.
MICAH
Perky.
********
AUGGIE hits a sour note, makes a face and shakes
his head, gets to retuning the new strings.
AUGGIE
The
beauty of restringing a guitar is the bright, clean sound of new strings.
The
bitch of restringing a guitar is it takes forever for the strings to settle in
and remain in tension. They just keep
going in and out of tune.
MICAH doesn't say anything. Just watches AUGGIE.
AUGGIE notices.
AUGGIE (cont'd)
I
can see the wheels turning in there.
I
could always see your wheels turning.
You've
got the world's worst poker face.
MICAH
I'm
just worried.
AUGGIE
I
think that's been well-established, yes.
MICAH
Worried
that you're my restrung guitar.
AUGGIE
Haven't
hit a sour note yet, have I?
MICAH
But
you have to play the new strings a little bit before you knock 'em out of tune
again, right?
AUGGIE
Well,
if that's your metaphor, I feel like I need to point out you haven't played any
of my strings at all yet.
MICAH
I
let that guitar sit in the corner for years, you know, before I started taking
lessons.
AUGGIE
I
know. It scared you.
MICAH
I
was just scared of doing it wrong.
AUGGIE
But
you don't learn how to play a guitar right if you don't play it at all.
MICAH
An
unplayed guitar is like a piece of furniture.
But it's a chair nobody sits in for fear of breaking it.
AUGGIE
It's
wasted potential. It's unreleased
music. There's nothing sadder than an
unplayed guitar.
AUGGIE strums a much more pleasant chord.
AUGGIE (cont'd)
Back
in tune.
MICAH
Sounds
nice. It always sounds nice when you
play.
********
AUGGIE
Admit it.
You like this.
MICAH
You're writing me a song. Of course I like this.
AUGGIE
You and me.
Together in the morning.
MICAH
Yeah.
AUGGIE
Don't worry.
I won't tease you. Much.
MICAH
You're gonna break me. This, is gonna break me.
AUGGIE
I'll be gentle.
MICAH
Jesus.
********
then the phone call portion of the scene
after...
********
AUGGIE
So, what kind of memories can I talk you into
making?
MICAH
August -
AUGGIE
You're not gonna shut me up this time.
*******
MICAH
I
was preparing for that. Only fair. I removed some of your boundaries, so now
you're going to push some of mine.
AUGGIE
C'mon. It's not like you'd be my first guy.
MICAH
Really?
AUGGIE
Well,
for some things.
MICAH
Like
- ?
AUGGIE
You
are not the first man I've kissed.
MICAH
I'm
aware of that.
AUGGIE
Oh
you are?
MICAH
People
tell me things.
AUGGIE
Such
as - ?
MICAH
I
hate to break it to you, but spin the bottle doesn't really count.
AUGGIE
It
does if you enjoy it.
MICAH
And
why was I not present for this?
AUGGIE
You
didn't get invited to a lot of the drinking parties before I established you as
my wing man.
MICAH
And
designated driver.
AUGGIE
Hey,
it got you out of the dorm room.
MICAH
But
not where the action was, apparently.
AUGGIE
Admit
it. You stayed away from games like that
the first year of college because you were still closeted.
MICAH
And
it freaked me out, yeah, OK. Fair
enough.
AUGGIE
I've
jerked guys off before.
MICAH
What?
AUGGIE
Oh,
come on. Teenage boys in the throes of
puberty? I'm surprised I didn't rub
myself and every one of my friends raw.
MICAH
Sorry
I didn't know you in high school.
AUGGIE
I
imagine your closet was shut even tighter back then though.
MICAH
I
wasn't even aware there was a door.
You're right.
AUGGIE
A
little too aware of what touching another guy meant.
MICAH
At
least to me.
AUGGIE
Touch
me, Micah.
MICAH
Auggie
-
AUGGIE
OK,
then can I touch you?
MICAH
You
probably shouldn't.
AUGGIE
But
- ?
MICAH
Do
you see me running away?
AUGGIE
All
right then.
AUGGIE approaches MICAH.
AUGGIE puts a hand on MICAH's shoulder.
With his other hand, AUGGIE takes MICAH's hand and
places it on his own (Auggie's) shoulder.
AUGGIE moves a hand up to MICAH's neck.
MICAH stays where he is.
AUGGIE moves his hand up to MICAH's cheek.
MICAH stays where he is.
AUGGIE runs a finger over MICAH's eyebrows, then
down his nose.
MICAH stays where he is.
AUGGIE runs a finger over MICAH's lips.
MICAH closes the distance between them.
They kiss.
For a little while.
When they finally break off for a second.
AUGGIE (cont'd)
Well,
look at that. The world didn't end.
MICAH
Not
yet.
AUGGIE
Shut
up.
MICAH
Shut
me up.
They go back to kissing.
AUGGIE starts maneuvering the two of them out of
the room and back down the hall to the bedroom.
then, to see it all together...
LOVE POTION #9
(extended scene)
(FULL SCENE)
AUGGIE
tuning a newly restrung guitar; MICAH nearby.
AUGGIE
So
-
AUGGIE strums a minor chord.
AUGGIE (cont'd)
Sad
song...?
AUGGIE strums a major
chord.
AUGGIE (cont'd)
Happy
song.
MICAH
What
do you think?
AUGGIE, pleased,
smiles.
AUGGIE
Happy
song it is.
AUGGIE strums a lively rhythm.
AUGGIE (cont'd)
Perky...?
AUGGIE strums a more laid back rhythm.
AUGGIE (cont'd)
Mellow.
MICAH
Perky.
********
AUGGIE hits a sour note, makes a face and shakes
his head, gets to retuning the new strings.
AUGGIE
The
beauty of restringing a guitar is the bright, clean sound of new strings.
The
bitch of restringing a guitar is it takes forever for the strings to settle in
and remain in tension. They just keep
going in and out of tune.
MICAH doesn't say anything. Just watches AUGGIE.
AUGGIE notices.
AUGGIE (cont'd)
I
can see the wheels turning in there.
I
could always see your wheels turning.
You've
got the world's worst poker face.
MICAH
I'm
just worried.
AUGGIE
I
think that's been well-established, yes.
MICAH
Worried
that you're my restrung guitar.
AUGGIE
Haven't
hit a sour note yet, have I?
MICAH
But
you have to play the new strings a little bit before you knock 'em out of tune
again, right?
AUGGIE
Well,
if that's your metaphor, I feel like I need to point out you haven't played any
of my strings at all yet.
MICAH
I
let that guitar sit in the corner for years, you know, before I started taking
lessons.
AUGGIE
I
know. It scared you.
MICAH
I
was just scared of doing it wrong.
AUGGIE
But
you don't learn how to play a guitar right if you don't play it at all.
MICAH
An
unplayed guitar is like a piece of furniture.
But it's a chair nobody sits in for fear of breaking it.
AUGGIE
It's
wasted potential. It's unreleased
music. There's nothing sadder than an
unplayed guitar.
AUGGIE strums a much more pleasant chord.
AUGGIE (cont'd)
Back
in tune.
MICAH
Sounds
nice. It always sounds nice when you
play.
********
AUGGIE
Admit
it. You like this.
MICAH
You're
writing me a song. Of course I like
this.
AUGGIE
You
and me. Together in the morning.
MICAH
Yeah.
AUGGIE
Don't
worry. I won't tease you. Much.
MICAH
You're
gonna break me. This, is gonna break me.
AUGGIE
I'll
be gentle.
MICAH
Jesus.
Micah's
PHONE rings.
AUGGIE
Saved by the bell.
MICAH
Hey, Jeffrey.
I'm putting you on speaker, what've you got?
JEFFREY
walks in - he's in another place, not actually there, so AUGGIE and MICAH
direct their attention to phone as JEFFREY wanders among them.
JEFFREY
So, that magic book I got the love potion from?
MICAH
Yeah?
JEFFREY
Turns out there's this whole chapter on ethics that
I skipped over because, you know, I thought I had them already.
MICAH
Uh huh...
JEFFREY
And if I'm honest there was a warning at the front
of the love potion recipe.
MICAH
And that warning was -
JEFFREY
Basically to read the ethics chapter first.
MICAH
Imagine that.
JEFFREY
Also to read the rather extensive end note for the
spell.
MICAH
Which says -
JEFFREY
Basically the specific ethics tied to the love
potion. That you shouldn't use it on
someone's who's not already in love with you.
A better use would be to enhance your own love and confidence in
yourself as a person.
MICAH
So, not this situation.
JEFFREY
No.
MICAH
And for these many and various reasons, they
happily offer up an antidote to get you out of any ethical quagmire in which
you might have landed yourself.
JEFFREY
Yes. And I
was right. Gathering all the ingredients
is gonna take just a bit.
MICAH
A bit being - ?
JEFFREY
Like I said before, days.
AUGGIE
That's OK, Jeffrey.
We're cool with that.
MICAH
Fewer days is better.
JEFFREY
But an antidote that works just as well as the
original potion - ?
MICAH
Is the primary objective, yes.
AUGGIE
Take your time.
JEFFREY
One other thing.
MICAH
Oh boy.
JEFFREY
No, not 'oh boy' - just a piece of advice from the
book.
MICAH
Yeah?
JEFFREY
The antidote may remove the feelings, but it
doesn't erase the memory of anything you may have done while under the
influence.
MICAH
So you're saying - ?
JEFFREY
Anything you guys might - do, here, in the interim
- you'll both be stuck with those memories.
Neither of you gets a free pass on this one.
MICAH
OK then.
JEFFREY
I'll do my best to make that interim as brief as
possible for ya'.
AUGGIE
Thanks, Jeffrey.
MICAH
Yeah, thanks.
JEFFREY
More when I know more.
JEFFREY
hangs up, walks away.
MICAH and
AUGGIE are alone, again.
AUGGIE
So,
what kind of memories can I talk you into making?
MICAH
August
-
AUGGIE
You're
not gonna shut me up this time.
*******
MICAH
I
was preparing for that. Only fair. I removed some of your boundaries, so now
you're going to push some of mine.
AUGGIE
C'mon. It's not like you'd be my first guy.
MICAH
Really?
AUGGIE
Well,
for some things.
MICAH
Like
- ?
AUGGIE
You
are not the first man I've kissed.
MICAH
I'm
aware of that.
AUGGIE
Oh
you are?
MICAH
People
tell me things.
AUGGIE
Such
as - ?
MICAH
I
hate to break it to you, but spin the bottle doesn't really count.
AUGGIE
It
does if you enjoy it.
MICAH
And
why was I not present for this?
AUGGIE
You
didn't get invited to a lot of the drinking parties before I established you as
my wing man.
MICAH
And
designated driver.
AUGGIE
Hey,
it got you out of the dorm room.
MICAH
But
not where the action was, apparently.
AUGGIE
Admit
it. You stayed away from games like that
the first year of college because you were still closeted.
MICAH
And
it freaked me out, yeah, OK. Fair
enough.
AUGGIE
I've
jerked guys off before.
MICAH
What?
AUGGIE
Oh,
come on. Teenage boys in the throes of
puberty? I'm surprised I didn't rub
myself and every one of my friends raw.
MICAH
Sorry
I didn't know you in high school.
AUGGIE
I
imagine your closet was shut even tighter back then though.
MICAH
I
wasn't even aware there was a door.
You're right.
AUGGIE
A
little too aware of what touching another guy meant.
MICAH
At
least to me.
AUGGIE
Touch
me, Micah.
MICAH
Auggie
-
AUGGIE
OK,
then can I touch you?
MICAH
You
probably shouldn't.
AUGGIE
But
- ?
MICAH
Do
you see me running away?
AUGGIE
All
right then.
AUGGIE approaches MICAH.
AUGGIE puts a hand on MICAH's shoulder.
With his other hand, AUGGIE takes MICAH's hand and
places it on his own (Auggie's) shoulder.
AUGGIE moves a hand up to MICAH's neck.
MICAH stays where he is.
AUGGIE moves his hand up to MICAH's cheek.
MICAH stays where he is.
AUGGIE runs a finger over MICAH's eyebrows, then
down his nose.
MICAH stays where he is.
AUGGIE runs a finger over MICAH's lips.
MICAH closes the distance between them.
They kiss.
For a little while.
When they finally break off for a second.
AUGGIE (cont'd)
Well,
look at that. The world didn't end.
MICAH
Not
yet.
AUGGIE
Shut
up.
MICAH
Shut
me up.
They go back to kissing.
AUGGIE starts maneuvering the two of them out of
the room and back down the hall to the bedroom.
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