Tuesday 9 February 2010

Introduction | Outline

“An Outline”
A play in one act.

Written and performed by
Thomas Samuel Smith Druker (of Catford)


Dramatis personae: Tom- A man, also going by the nomme-de-internet of ‘strontiumtom’

Act One: “An Introduction”

TOM sits in a dimly-lit room. A light bulb hangs from the ceiling. Despite a meagre 40 watts, its deceptively penetrating glow is tempered by a golden coloured lampshade made of metallic carvings of leaves, the type of which was de-rigueur a few years previously. It was not of his purchase or to his taste, but remains only as a testament to a long-standing grudge between old friends. He sits at an old bureau in front of a window, of which he never looks out. The bureau, a 1950s replica of Victorian design is a pleasing fraud. It is also a metaphor. The glow of a laptop illuminates his face (for the purposes of dramatic tension and scene setting), highlighting a furrowed forehead, a constant look of anxious concern that belies his age.
He stares at a blank page.

Nothing happens.
TOM sits motionless.
The audience wait.
Nothing happens.
Nothing happens.
Nothing happens.
And still the audience wait.

SFX: The sound of a woman holding her breath. A cough. Someone shuffling in their seat. Popcorn.

Suddenly the lights dim, aside from a single beam, almost heartbreaking in its purity, picking out our weary protagonist.

TOM rises from his seat and addresses the audience.


TOM:
“Hi, my name is Tom and I’m a writer. I’ve been writing for over two decades now but have yet to see fit to have something published outside of review work for various low-grade publications. Prose fiction has always been my first love (a cliché I am happy to rely on in this instance) and is a craft I have been attempting to refine for many years now.

I’ve decided to set up this blog as something of an experiment, in an attempt to:

A) Impose a level of discipline onto my writing habits by creating deadlines (in this case a short story/ piece of work each month)

2) Create a forum in which I can receive feedback/criticism

iii) Create a body of work outside writing for publication which will exist for free
...as well as creating a lot more work for myself.

Please read and let me know what you think. All work on this blog is ©Tom Druker, aside from photos which are ©Ben Starkin, except where noted. Please contact me if you wish to repost anything.
bee oh are enn eff are oh doubleyou enn eye enn jee at googlemail dot com
Thank you”

TOM nods to the audience and leaves the stage, closing the laptop on his way out. The spotlight fades.

FIN