By Chris Haas
Synopsis
On a quiet Vermont porch, a tense reunion unfolds when Taylor returns home to stay with her estranged former best friend, Hope. With her new friend Dominique in tow, Taylor unwillingly confronts her past with Hope and their hometown.
Cast of Characters
Hope Barrett – A woman in her twenties, A woman on a porch.
Taylor Nylund – A woman going to college in New York City.
Dominique Vitale – Taylor’s friend from college, 20s.
Setting
A front porch of a duplex in Castleton, Vermont
Time
Late night, Spring
2018
An excerpt from If that’s all there is or I wanna steal yr heart away
ACT 1
Scene 1
A FRONT PORCH – CASTLETON, VERMONT – NIGHT
Song 1
Song 1 plays over black. The song continues as lights come up. We are on a front porch in front of a duplex in the Vermont countryside. There are a few old chairs, an ashtray and a pack of Black Box Cigarettes on an old table. Hope Barrett comes outside with a beer and sits down. The song continues as she lights a cigarette and sips her beer. She sees something in the distance and puts her cigarette out, but stays seated with her beer. The song fades as Taylor Nylund and her friend, Dominique Vitale enter from the audience, down stage right. They both have small suitcases.
Taylor Hey you, long time no see.
Hope Yeah.
Taylor Sorry we’re a little late, we-
Hope Where did you park?
Taylor Oh, you know, we, we just parked down the-
Hope Yeah-
Taylor In the lot for the college, we -we parked over-
Hope You could have parked in the driveway.
Dominique We’re used to the city where there’s no parking, we-
Hope Sure.
Dominique It’s beautiful up here.
Hope It’s not.
Dominique Well to me it is. It’s so nice to see so much space. All these stars and open, you know-
Hope Yeah-
Dominique Space I guess. For lack of a better way to say things.
Hope Taylor, you could have parked in the driveway, you could have-
Taylor Well, I didn’t want to assume there was a spot for us to-
Hope I’m not sure what it says about me that you thought you couldn’t have parked in the driveway.
Dominique Oh, I was the one who just started looking for parking as soon as the GPS said we were close.
Taylor I didn’t mean to say we didn’t think we could-
Hope Actually, I guess it says more about what you thought about me more than what it actually says about me.
Taylor Hope, could we maybe not do a th-
Dominique You know, as soon as we were close I started-I’m so used to city parking you know-I started peering for spots and whatnot. Neurotic parking is a habit now or something.
Hope Who are you?
Taylor Hope, this is Dominique. Dominique, this is Hope.
Dominique Hi, it’s so nice to meet-
Hope Wouldn’t it have been wild if my name wasn’t Hope?
Dominique What do you-
Hope Taylor said “Hope, this is Dominique. Dominique, this is Hope.” I’ve never understood why people introduce other people that way. It’s seems so oddly redundant. Wouldn’t it have been wild if Taylor had said “Hope, this is Dominique. Dominique, this is Rachel.” Wouldn’t it have been wild if I had changed names in two seconds?
Taylor I don’t know where to park and I don’t know how to introduce people. I’m just a dumpster fire of a person.
Hope Did you think we had forgotten each other’s names in the two seconds that had elapsed?
Dominique Well I forget people’s names all the time. I’m awful with names.
Hope You’re-
Dominique That’s why I love songs that are repetitive. It’s the only way I ever learn the lyrics.
Hope That’s fascinat-
Dominique And when a song repeats someone’s name, wow do I like that. That’s why Bennie and the Jets is my favorite song. “Bennie…Bennie….Bennie and the Jets.” If they didn’t keep repeating that, I would have forgotten his name and would be off sounding like an idiot singing about Lennie and The Jets or some silliness.
Hope Bennie’s a girl.
Dominique A-
Hope In the song, Bennie is a she. Hence, she having electric boots and a mohair suit.
Dominique Oh. Well I don’t really care much about lyrics. I Hope that doesn’t make me sound stupid.
Hope No, that’s not what makes you sound stupid.
Dominique Oh my god, you’re so funny. I’m so glad I just met you.
Hope If for no other reason then to have more context next time you Elton John your way through a Karaoke office party.
Dominique Who’s Elton John?
Taylor Well I knew you two would hit it off. Where should we put our bags?
Hope Inside. Unless you want to leave them on the porch. I wouldn’t recommend it but you asked, so that presupposes you thought I might honestly make you leave your luggage outside.
Taylor Are you gonna be this much fun the whole trip?
Hope Well I’m not a mainstay of your trip T, but for our penciled in, allotted time, yes you can count on me to be just this much fun.
Taylor We could go to a hotel.
Hope Our hotels aren’t open this late, T. This is the country. Everything closes early. Did ya notice that one streetlight winking hello? I love when streetlights blink. 1 out of 7 drivers have no idea what to do. Until recently I thought the blinking light meant to slow down but only kinda.
Dominique Oh, I love blinking street lights. Blinking street lights and small towns make me feel like I’m in a bad Christmas movie.
Hope Are there such things as good Christmas movies?
Dominique No.
Taylor I just don’t want to feel like we’re putting you out. If we are putting you out, that is what it is, but I just don’t want to feel like we’re putting you out. I’m all about me.
Hope How deliciously existential.
Dominique Well, I sure Hope this night starts going a little better.
Taylor Look we-
Dominique You weren’t kidding, it is cold in Vermont. I had this one coat but there was a hole in it and Taylor here isn’t much of a tailor.
Taylor Maybe we should just find-
Dominique So I guess I’ll have to make do and….(Pause)
Nope. I could not figure out a way to make a pun out of my name. So I’ll just say it to even it out.
Hope You really don’t have-
Dominique Dominique.
Taylor Let’s take the bag i-
Dominique I got it. You did all the driving, the least I can do is carry the bags.
Taylor You did all the driving. Don’t be-
Dominique Yeah, I just really am trying to not be in this conversation anymore. Hopefully you two can unawkward whatever is so awkward between you two.
Dominique grabs the suitcases and starts to exit up stage left.
Dominique You don’t have any cats do you?
Hope Nah, no cats. Just burnt down candles and books I never read.
Dominique Wonderful.
Hope Why? Are you allergic?
Dominique No, nothing like that. I just really fucking hate cats.
Dominique exits.
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