"THE OTHER ROOM" Scene By Cory Capron Scene opens dimly lit with five teenage figures carrying out a mute conversation. One of them seems to tell a joke that puts the others in hysterics. They quiet down into a pause, slap their knees and exit into the other room. The teenager who told the joke (Calvin) stays. The lights come up. Calvin: That's usually how it goes. We have are chats and are jokes and fun and stuff. We don't do much together outside of here. I don't really go hang out with them that is, but we're still good friends. We're there for each other, we tell our problems to one another and stuff. Yeah we're not the best of friends but we are still friends, ok. They'd probably help me out of a tight bind if I ever got caught in one. Heh, I know I'd do just about anything to help them if they needed me to. (Calvin looks over at the door to the other room.) I never do go in there. It's just not my thing, you know? It would probably really screw me up if I did. I always take things too far. I'm trying to cut down on problems, not make myself more. I guess it's odd to some that I would be friends with them if I wasn't a part of that, but it's worked out ok so far. They know it's not my thing and I don't judge them for doing it. I don't try and get them to quit. Some of them I think might need to, but they have to decide that for themselves. Everybody's got to stay true to Ôem self. Yeah, they did seem a little amazed at first that I didn't go in any of them other rooms. But between you and me that's not totally true. There are some places that people just don't realize are actually other rooms. I've been in a lot of those. I don't think any of us haven't when you think about it. When I think back on... You know sometimes, I wish that I did go in there. I mean... It's good to talk about problems, get things off your back. You've got to. Otherwise they just grow and, I'm pretty good at it, talking about stuff. I mean it's never easy, but most things you can get out in a kind of easygoing way. For example how many ways can you say you have a drinking problem with out it sounding... gwim? Wif' h'out it Ôuonding... see-wee-us? (oddly giggles) Ya- know? Most problems you can just sort of sugarcoat. But some... some just sound so naked. You can't help it but they just sound... (Calvin pauses for an uncomfortable amount of time.) I'm lonely. I don't mean for it to sound like some damn cry for help or bellyaching or anything. I just am. So yeah I do think about going in there. Yeah! Because you know how many good friends Ð best friends I could have had over the years? Do you want to know how many girls I could have gone out with? If I just went in the other room? Hell I don't know! I mean I, I, I feel like I'm in a damn glass house and the walls are made of dreams that will never come true. I want out! I just can't see the damn knob. I can see that one over there though. Yes that one shines bright as a Ð as a Ð as a damn searchlight! You got to stay true to yourself. I don't want to sell myself out. It just gets lonely sometimes. I'm feeling a lot better now though. Thank you all. This stuff was really growing kind of heavy on my shoulders. I hope you don't feel uncomfortable around me for saying all this. And... (The door to the other room's knob turns. The door creeps open about an inch, apparently on it's own.) Hello? (Calvin walks over and peeks inside.) You guys ok? (Lights slowly begin fading out. Calvin walks in the other room.) Hello? Dude. Wake up. Dude... (Black out.)"The Other Room" IS COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL AND MAY NOT BE DOWNLOADED, TRANSMITTED, PRINTED OR PERFORMED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR
Calvin is by no means a set sex role. In fact I'd really love to see a woman play it. I think it would put a real interesting spin on things.
"The Other Room" debuted December 13, 2002, performed by Matt Semler, Cory Capron, Julius Gavin, and Tucker Duncan.