THE STAGE

Early afternoon, late November

I am seated in one of the busiest, noisiest buildings on campus of Thompson Rivers University. November brings its brisk, sharp winds in preparation for winter, but no snow. It’s lunch time, in fact it’s exactly noon. The enormous room is filled with noise of the hustle and bustle of busy students, the clicking of keyboards, the beeping of a cafe’s panini warmer, and fast footsteps as someone struggles to get to class on time. The lights above are bright, in fact so bright that they’re causing me a small headache. I can smell the coffee that belongs to the person sitting next to me and my perfume (which I slightly overdid that day). I am situated on the second floor of a two storey room at a bar-style seat, and my cast is seated below me on the first floor. The building is very tall and wide, and the amount of round tables, bar-style seats, and couches make the area feel cramped. I was lucky to find a seat here, for I can’t see a single free seat in the whole room. Despite the room being packed and all of the distracting noises, it is all surprisingly muffled to a low buzz. I now focus my attention on a group of individuals seated below me and commence the writing of my play.

THE PLAYERS

Player A: Female, caucasian student in maybe her early 20’s. With olive skin, she is about medium height.. Maybe five feet four inches. She is dressed in clothing similar to Lululemon or Under Armour. Her shoes are black runners. She wears her hair in a loose ponytail, and perhaps wears no makeup. She has sandy hair, but I can’t see the colour of her eyes. She does not seem to be wearing a wedding ring. In front of her are textbooks that part of a health care program, however it’s not clear which one. She has a laptop in front of her and is doing research. Looking stressed and worn out, she is confused by the information she sees. She often checks her textbook and then refers back to the laptop, ruffling her eyebrows as if she’s lost. Player B is assisting her in the technology, possibly her partner for a project or assignment. I can tell by the way she converses with Player B that she is a shy, reserved person. However, I get a sense that she is also fierce and confident when necessary.

Player B: Female, caucasian, and early 20’s, similar to Player A. She has fair skin and curly red hair. She is fairly tall, with a height (I’m assuming) of five feet nine inches. She wears a burgundy dress with a jean jacket and black, opaque nylons. She is wearing burgundy high heels. She is wearing some makeup, but not a lot. Just a little eyeshadow, concealer, and blush. She also wears blue glasses. I cannot tell the colour of her eyes and she does not wear a wedding ring. She seems to be a part of the same health care program that Player A is in as well. She is acting like she feels awkward working with Player A. Possibly, the two don’t know each other. However, unlike Player A, she seems friendly and says hi to many people who pass by. As Player A does her research, Player B scrolls through her phone on different social media sites. It’s fairly obvious that she knows Player D more than any player. Despite her friendly nature, the way she is sitting tells me she is self conscious. With her hand placed across her stomach, she constantly pulls at her dress so that it won’t get caught in her stomach or chest, revealing the shape of her body. Regardless, she gives a large smile to anyone who walks by, showing her bright personality.

Player C: Female, caucasian, early 20’s. There’s a theme starting. She is fair skinned and has long, light brown hair with blonde ombre at the bottom. She is quite short (the shortest of all the players), with a height of about five feet two inches. She is dressed in leggings and a purple plaid blouse with a black vest over top. She wears white keds for shoes. Like Player B, she wears little makeup. Another similar characteristic is that she does not wear a wedding ring. I can tell from the way she helps Player A with the research that she is in the health care program as well (shocking) and is very smart. She is confident in knowing the answers that Player A seeks. It’s quite evident that she knows Player A better than Player B does, in fact they act as though they have known eachother for years. She is fully engaged in the conversation and gives me a sense of a bubbly, funny personality. The way she carries herself tells me that she is humble, and maybe does not recognize her full potential. She is extremely friendly to everyone, and seems to treat everyone as if they’re an old friend.

Player D: Male, caucasian, late teens. He has olive skin a little darker than Player A’s, and has short hair that has been dyed silver with tints of blue. He is medium height for a male, maybe six feet at most. He wears black ripped jeans, a plain white t-shirt, with a dark grey cardigan over top. The shoes he wears are black converse. He does not wear a wedding ring, however, halfway through the play he is approached by another young man and they share a kiss, meaning his sexual orientation is homosexual or bisexual. The way that he is conversing shows that he is in the health care program with the other girls. While he does not pitch in his ideas about Player A’s research, he does mingle and laugh with Player B very often. They act as if they are best friends. I can tell he is very friendly and does not have trouble making social interactions. He carries himself with great confidence and treats every moment with excitement. He is obviously a very fun person, and when he laughs he seems as though he can hardly contain himself!

BLOCKING

scan-1

THE PLOT

In the beginning of the play, only Player A and B sit at the table. At first glance, the two weren’t conversing at all. I thought that this may be due to two reasons: either they know each other quite well and are comfortable enough to sit without word, or they don’t know each other at all. However, as the play continues, it becomes evident that the girls don’t know each other very well. This is possibly the first time that they have had to work together. Player A does research on her laptop for the first couple of minutes, referring to her textbook and then back to her laptop. Player B, on the other hand, is scrolling through Instagram and Facebook on her phone (as I can see from above her). Occasionally, Player A will get stumped and ask Player B of her opinion on the research, and the two will problem solve together. While they don’t seem to have been friends for long, the girls are extremely friendly with each other when they do converse. I think this factor is what is keeping me from feeling awkward for them. This carries on for about ten minutes, with Player A glued to her research and Player B saying hello to friends as they walk by.

Enter Players C and D. Immediately after they enter the scene, the environment seems to be more comfortable and conversation flows much more easily. I believe the four students are all in the same health care program, because they all seem to be familiar with the research being done by Player A. In other words, they all know each other by name. Player C sits next to A, while Player D sits next to B. Almost immediately, Player A asks C for her opinion on the assignment she is working on. I get the sense that Player C has already finished her assignment (possibly with Player D) because she is confident in her answers and is giving advice to A. C and A treat each other like old friends and have obviously known one another for some time. I believe that Player A is more comfortable with Player C rather than Player B simply because they have known each other longer. Player C also seems more friendly with the entire group as a whole, however, I believe this is just because she has a more social personality than Player A does.

Player B and D act similarly. They are not quite as comfortable as A and C are with one another, but they are evidently friends. Their conversation is a little more light. They look as though they are gossiping or talking about something hilarious that their professor did earlier that day. Eventually, the entire group is focussed on the assignment. They are putting their heads together to come up with a solution. Eventually, after about seven minutes of thinking, Players A & B pack up their things to go to class. They thank C & D for their help, even though they couldn’t seem to find the answer. This leaves Players C & D at the table. This is where the play ends.

The only strange behaviours that were present (that I could tell, keep in mind I couldn’t hear them) was the difference in level of friendliness between the players. The reason I think that everybody felt more or less comfortable with each individual was simply because of the amount of time that they had each known each other. Players A & C obviously have known each other for a number of years, while Players B & D have known one another for less time but hit it off anyways. Other than that, all of the players are of the same age and occupation, and therefore their behaviours are very similar.

THE FINALE

This play was extremely interesting for myself. I was able to analyse and evaluate people’s behaviours that I normally would not have even noticed. While the situation was fairly plain, I still enjoyed critiquing the player’s behaviours and their personalities.