Not a number
A brief all-silent play
by Daze (Sheri Grutz)
Man sits in an office chair behind a messy desk with phone, laptop, and an ipod with a set of big head phones.
The phone rings once. The man visibly looks piqued. It's only one ring, and he stares at the phone seeking a hesitant connection. He rubs his face.
Enter supposed receptionist with small drum and mallet, and she aggressively stands in front of him, emotional and she bangs the drum one time. The man squints his eyes, and she leaves quickly. Man again shrugs his shoulders, and he begins work on his laptop.
There is one knock that comes from the background, supposedly from the wall behind him. Man raises his head abruptly and stares straight ahead, wondering. It is only one loud knock. Silence. Pause. The man shrugs his shoulders yet again, and goes back to his laptop.
There is the sound of one bark from a large dog that comes from his laptop. Man shakes his head, and raises his eyebrows, but it was only one bark, and isn't sure if he imagined it, but he closes his laptop and puts his head phones on, putting his head down with hands over his ears. He sits up and puts his head back on the chair, smiles, appearing more relaxed.
There is the sound of one honk from a car passing outside, a loud, brief honk, and only one. Man throws the head phones down, and stands up quickly. He rummages around in his desk drawer for a bottle of pills. He pours out two and takes them fast drinking from a coffee cup.
Man gets out a piece of paper from his drawer that has his small printed poem on it. He stands, and reads this poem out loud, imagining an audience. His voice does not carry. Enter a supposed male associate who stands just inside the room, and this man waits, then claps his hands one time, frowning, and he leaves.
Man throws his hands up in the air, and sits down with all his weight. Suddenly the office phone rings again, one time, and the man dives to it quickly picking up, nearly screaming, "Hello?" There is a loud slam down of the receiver of the phone coming from the other end.
The man carefully hangs up the phone. All at once, every singular sound he heard one time goes off all at the same time, in equal volume, and continuous, not just one time each. Man appears rattled, but puts his index finger up in the air and he goes to stand in front of a small broken mirror on the wall.
With some working, the man turns the mirror around to face the wall, And on the back of the mirror hangs a vivid, wild painting with stenciling that reads in large print, One of a Kind. The sounds all stop. Silence. The man goes to his desk, and from the bottom drawer, he takes out what appears to be a name plate stand you would put on your desk, but instead of a name, it says in bold lettering: Not a Number. He sets it on his desk, facing outward. He smiles, and sits back.
Suddenly 4 people rush in, with unique and varying looks, they approach the desk, and they silently appear to be talking to this man all at once, with loud body language. Man nods his head rapidly, looking intently from person to person, listening and making mental notes.
Lights out. The end.
A brief all-silent play
by Daze (Sheri Grutz)
Man sits in an office chair behind a messy desk with phone, laptop, and an ipod with a set of big head phones.
The phone rings once. The man visibly looks piqued. It's only one ring, and he stares at the phone seeking a hesitant connection. He rubs his face.
Enter supposed receptionist with small drum and mallet, and she aggressively stands in front of him, emotional and she bangs the drum one time. The man squints his eyes, and she leaves quickly. Man again shrugs his shoulders, and he begins work on his laptop.
There is one knock that comes from the background, supposedly from the wall behind him. Man raises his head abruptly and stares straight ahead, wondering. It is only one loud knock. Silence. Pause. The man shrugs his shoulders yet again, and goes back to his laptop.
There is the sound of one bark from a large dog that comes from his laptop. Man shakes his head, and raises his eyebrows, but it was only one bark, and isn't sure if he imagined it, but he closes his laptop and puts his head phones on, putting his head down with hands over his ears. He sits up and puts his head back on the chair, smiles, appearing more relaxed.
There is the sound of one honk from a car passing outside, a loud, brief honk, and only one. Man throws the head phones down, and stands up quickly. He rummages around in his desk drawer for a bottle of pills. He pours out two and takes them fast drinking from a coffee cup.
Man gets out a piece of paper from his drawer that has his small printed poem on it. He stands, and reads this poem out loud, imagining an audience. His voice does not carry. Enter a supposed male associate who stands just inside the room, and this man waits, then claps his hands one time, frowning, and he leaves.
Man throws his hands up in the air, and sits down with all his weight. Suddenly the office phone rings again, one time, and the man dives to it quickly picking up, nearly screaming, "Hello?" There is a loud slam down of the receiver of the phone coming from the other end.
The man carefully hangs up the phone. All at once, every singular sound he heard one time goes off all at the same time, in equal volume, and continuous, not just one time each. Man appears rattled, but puts his index finger up in the air and he goes to stand in front of a small broken mirror on the wall.
With some working, the man turns the mirror around to face the wall, And on the back of the mirror hangs a vivid, wild painting with stenciling that reads in large print, One of a Kind. The sounds all stop. Silence. The man goes to his desk, and from the bottom drawer, he takes out what appears to be a name plate stand you would put on your desk, but instead of a name, it says in bold lettering: Not a Number. He sets it on his desk, facing outward. He smiles, and sits back.
Suddenly 4 people rush in, with unique and varying looks, they approach the desk, and they silently appear to be talking to this man all at once, with loud body language. Man nods his head rapidly, looking intently from person to person, listening and making mental notes.
Lights out. The end.
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