ÉANNA - a play in one act.

[Ibby]

I'm writing a play for the upcoming Paradox Plus student play production at school. The rules for paradox plus this time are that you have to keep the greek unities of time and place, so it has to be in real-time with one fixed set, and be under 15 minutes.

here's what I have so far:


the plot: Éanna lives alone, after having just been dumped and used by her ex, Hawk. Her brother Jay, who left for the city a long time ago, returns, and comforts her. Hawk shows up later, to try to weasel some more money outta Éanna. Jay confronts him, and there's a violent altercation. (it gets a little hazy for the next section...) Éanna, in a typically soap-opera fashion, hits Jay for beating up Hawk. She leaves with Hawk. Jay is left at her house, alone. He sits, frustrated, and waxes poetic in a monologue... until Éanna returns, crying and hurt. He nurses her back to a state resembling being okay again, and there's a tender brother-sister moment.
At this point, two men dressed as hunters enter from that door in the back of the theatre and slowly take up position with a good vantage of the action. Éanna and Jay look up in suspicion, comment on 'did you hear something?'

The lights go out. There's a shot, and heavy running footsteps. the lights come back up slowly, and a dead dove is lying on the stage where Éanna was sitting. the hunters go over.
"what'd you do that for?"
"I dunno, it was up there in the tree, I shot it"
"it's a dove, dude! an innocent dove, man, what'd you have to shoot it for?"
"Oh, come on, dude. It's a dove, its got a brain this big! it can't like, have a life or anything, come on. pass me a beer."

[Ibby]

Script.

ÉANNA enters, begins gardening stage right. After a moment, she begins singing.
JAY enters, whistling the same tune, and sets his large backpack/duffel bag down nearby.

JAY: Howdy, Éanna! Long time no see, sis!

ÉANNA: Jay! It's been a while. Come on in, sit down, lets talk. Want a drink? Some tea? Coffee? Where have you been?

JAY: Slow down, sis! Quit peckin' at me like that. I've been in the city, up on some roofs, livin' on the streets a little, but I've been having a great time of things. It's been wild. But I'm not here to talk about me sis, tell me, how's it been out here in the boonies?

ÉANNA: It's been.... Oh, Jay, it's been awful!
She starts crying lightly
It's just been wretched here. Hawk... You remember hawk? Hawk... he left. Oh, Jay, he left me! Just up and left!
She grabs him and leans on his shoulder to cry.
JAY: (after a pause) I'm going to go make some tea. We're going to need it.
ÉANNA: No, no. I'll make it. You wait out here. I'll be back.
She exits.

JAY: I told her, I told her... she can't be with him, he's bad news. That girl in Westfield... I told her, I told her, bad news.
He struts, preening in an agitated fashion, for a moment.
God, Hawk... I'm gonna get that, that, that jerk, that monster.

Éanna enters with teapot and mugs, sniffling but not crying.

ÉANNA: Here's your tea... and Jay... Jay, don't be mad.
JAY: Mad? Why would I be mad?
ÉANNA: He's... he's coming over. He's coming here.
JAY: What?! No! No, he can't! Éanna, why?
ÉANNA: Oh, Jay, I'm sorry! He called, just then. While I was inside. I couldn't say no, Jay, I couldn't! I miss him so much, Jay, I just had to tell him to come back.
JAY: Dammit, Éanna! He's bad news, he's bad news!
Éanna turns away and almost exits.
ÉANNA: (defiant) Well, he's coming. If you don't like it you can leave.
Éanna exits
Jay waits for a moment, thinking
JAY: Éanna! Éanna, wait, come back. Come back! I'll keep my mouth shut.
He exits after her







SCENE II

HAWK enters.
HAWK: Yo? 'Ello? (pause) Éanna? (pause)
Hawk idly starts going through Jay's things, pocketing some.
Éanna and Jay enter, arguing.
ÉANNA: ...I'm telling you, if you say one word abou-- Hawk! Oh, Hawk, you came!
She runs to him and hugs him
HAWK: Hey, babe. Who's the homeless guy?
ÉANNA: (playfully) Oh, don't be silly, honey. That's my brother! Jay, this is Hawk.
JAY: I know who he is, sis...
Éanna glares
JAY: Uh, I mean, nice to meet you, pal. Éanna's told me a lot about you.
HAWK: (turning to Éanna) You been talkin' about me?
JAY: Good things, good things! Calm down now, Hawk.
HAWK: Who're you telling to calm down, you little punk?
ÉANNA: Hawk, please...
Hawk turns away angrily, and makes as if to leave.
Éanna grabs his arm lightly and gives him a pleading look
HAWK: Look, fine, I'll stay, but... You best tell your brother there to behave.
JAY: (aside) If there's either of us not behaving...
ÉANNA: Hawk, do you want any tea? Anything?
HAWK: A scotch?
ÉANNA: You threw the last bottle of it at... I mean, um, we don't have any, sorry...
HAWK: Alright, fine, I'll have some tea then.
Awkward strained silence for a few moments as they sit
JAY: So, um, Hawk, how are you and my sister doing together?
HAWK: We've had a couple little... problems. Respect problems.
Awkward silence resumes
ÉANNA: Respect problems. Is that what they call it now?
HAWK: You watch your mouth.
JAY: (standing) Don't talk to her like that!
HAWK: (standing) What was that?
ÉANNA: (jumping up between them) Both of you, stop it!
HAWK: Sit down.
ÉANNA: Both you brutes, stop posturing like this!
HAWK: I said, sit down, Éanna. This is between me and the bum here.
ÉANNA: Don't call him a bum!
Hawk smacks her backhanded
JAY: You son of a... Nobody hits my sister!
HAWK: We had another respect problem. Don't think you can tell me what to do.
Éanna begins crying softly
HAWK: Get up.
Jay moves to help her up.
HAWK: I said, get up.
Jay whirls around, punching Hawk in the face. Hawk goes down.
JAY: You get up. (kicks him) I said, get up!


Éanna gets to her feet slowly. As Jay steps back, she slaps him across the face.
JAY: I... I... Éanna, he was hitting you! He's abusing you!
ÉANNA: I think you should leave.
JAY: Éanna, I... come on! I was, I was, I was --
ÉANNA: You were hitting the man I love, Jay.
HAWK: (getting to his feet) Come on, Éanna. Lets go.
He grabs her arm, and leads her out. Jay sits silently again, angry, then cools down and gets more and more upset about it.
A loud thump comes from offstage; Éanna enters again crying loudly, clutching her arm.
JAY: (leaping to his feet) Éanna! Éanna, what happened!
ÉANNA: (through her tears) He... hit... you were right... he hit me... Jay, he... oh, I'm so sorry...
JAY: (taking her aside, sitting down with her on the bench) Shhhhh... Shhh... it's okay. It's okay.
More of the same, as Jay comforts her.
Loud noise as door in rear opens. The two onstage jump, but make no other mention.
Hunters 1 and 2 enter slowly. At one point, one coughs. Éanna and Jay start, and comment, but do not get up.
As the hunters arrive on the edge of the stage, the lights go out.
A single shot rings out. Jay yells as he runs offstage.
The lights come up, revealing a dead dove lying on the seat.

HUNTER 1: Dude! Come on, what'd you do that for?
HUNTER 2: What'd I do what for?
HUNTER 1: You shot that dove! We're after deer, man. You didn't have to shoot that bird, man!
HUNTER 2: Yeah, sure, but why not? Come on, dude. It's a dove, it's got a brain this big! It can't like, have a life or anything.
HUNTER 1: Dude, you don't know that.
HUNTER 2: Come on, dude, drop it and pass me a beer. Let's go.

Curtain.