Velocity

Daniel Macdonald

• Publisher: Oberon Books
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781783196463
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Canadian Drama
• Index: Literature

'Everyone falls at the same rate. Isn't that amazing? Everyone. Everything. A fat man. A little baby. A brick, a piece of paper, a penny. Amazing. Once acceleration gets a hold of you velocity just goes all fuckin' nuts.' Dot doesn't hate her father, she just wants to explode him out of his office tower to shake things up. Set him off. See what happens. And get an "A" on her science project...Daring to challenge the law of physics, Dot interviews her flailing father and neurotic mother, as their world crashes to the ground. Just imagine. Your life in six seconds.

The audience is entering. Occasionally during this (pre-show) time DOT, 15, appears and re-appears, looking around the space as though getting things ready. She is perky, fun, stylish. She has her phone out and occasionally checks it or sends texts. She chats with the audience as they enter. (Note: This is an entirely flexible pre-show routine.)

She looks at the audience and smiles, nervous but confident. She pauses, catches her breath and steps off stage to return with an easel with large paper and a large marker. Carefully, she places the marker on the easel and looks at it for a moment, pondering, making sure that everything’s right. Exits. She returns with a stylish tote bag from which she extracts a small pad and pen. DOT does not need to have the bag all the time during the play but at various times it is used to hold items like phones, makeup, etc. It is not the same as the purse that MING has later. DOT looks at her easel and then her audience and scribbles some information in her notebook as she glances at the audience.

Lights fade to black.

When the lights come up a man and woman are in the middle of breakfast. These are DOT’s parents, well-groomed and attractive. They are in a sort of “movement piece”; a dance. It is the “Dance of the Morning Breakfast”. They neither appear to be comfortable in the dance nor do they appear to be controlling it. It is as though they are puppets going through repetitive, pedestrian “modern dance” movements like sipping coffee, looking in the fridge, eating toast, fixing their tie, putting on makeup in a tiny, confined space. They occupy only a few square feet. LAURA, the mother, at times seems to be looking for something. They move about each other fluidly but awkwardly. They continue to do all this during the upcoming chat with DOT.

DOT returns and watches them for a moment, then has an idea and takes out her phone and snaps a picture of them.

(Note on images: They should be large (for the audience) and appear instantaneously with DOT snapping the picture. They are never entirely compatible with the image we see on stage. They last 3-4 seconds and fade.)

Image #1: A candid shot of Dot’s parents in the kitchen; Heads turned, eyes wide. Mom is adjusting an earring. Dad has jam on his face.

Immediately we see it projected somewhere. DOT looks at the pic and laughs and then puts the phone away. The projected pic disappears.

LAURA picks up her purse from the floor and roots through it searching for something. MICHAEL is oblivious, eating. Finally, in frustration LAURA goes into her husband’s pocket and extracts a cell phone and dials. DOT writes in her notepad. Satisfied, she looks at the audience.

DOT: (To audience.) Good evening. Before I start –

A phone rings inside her bag. She takes it out, answers. It’s her mom. During this conversation they do not look at each other. LAURA continues to be engaged in a dance with MICHAEL.

DOT: Hello?

LAURA: Why am I calling my number and you’re answering my phone?

DOT: Shit. I took your phone by accident. I’m so sorry Mom.

LAURA: Where’s your phone?

DOT: I have it.

LAURA: So you have both phones. Great. Fantastic.

DOT: I’m sorry, Mom. They look identical.

MICHAEL begins to look for something.

DOT: Whose phone do you have?

LAURA: Your father’s.

DOT: He hasn’t left?

LAURA: He’s looking for his lunch. When can I get my phone?

DOT: I’m bringing his lunch. (To audience.) At this point I should probably introduce –

MICHAEL grabs the phone from his wife.

MICHAEL: Dot, where’s my lunch?

DOT: I’m bringing your lunch.

MICHAEL: Where?

DOT: To work. I want us to have lunch.

MICHAEL: That’s sweet. Where’s your mother’s phone?

DOT: I have my mother’s phone.

MICHAEL: Where are you?

DOT: I’m here. Busy. With the audience. Getting ready.

LAURA grabs the phone back from MICHAEL.

LAURA: You get over here right now.

MICHAEL: (Yelling at the phone.) Dot, you get over here right now.

LAURA: I’m sorry, honey but I can’t be at your thing today. Your presentation.

DOT: Ha. Ha. Very funny. You’re part of my presentation.

LAURA: Well I can’t be. I’m meeting with your father.

DOT: It’s too late, Mom, my thing’s going to be fucking fantastic.

LAURA: Dot, please don’t say that.

DOT: It’s going...