by Alysse Rich
This is the version of the script intended for actors in grades 6-12 to perform for an audience of grade four and five students. The follow-up activities for the audience can be found in the section entitled “Grade 4 Follow-up Activities”.
Production Notes: This script includes instructions for the lighting of the show. However, it is probable that most Elementary School production spaces are not equipped for these technical requests. Instead, the Director may choose to work with tableaux or freezing to direct the audience’s attention toward the action.
Characters:
Jenny: A smart and compassionate young woman with epilepsy, in approximately grade four or five. Although normally emotionally strong, she is experiencing a crisis in confidence due to her recent seizure in the presence of a classmate. The actor that takes on this part must be sure to do thorough research about epilepsy in order to realistically portray a seizure. She should also investigate what it is like for a young person to have epilepsy in order to understand the stigmas and struggles Jenny faces.
Mom: A caring and supportive maternal figure. She has a close relationship with her daughter Jenny, and has been exceptionally supportive to Jenny as both a parent and a role model.
Lawrence and Mandy: Exaggerated versions of superficial, self-indulgent television hosts. Both are transparent, stubborn, interfering, and closed-minded. They truly believe that their advice is a gift to less ‘perfect’ people.
Andrew: A humorous, good-natured boy in Jenny’s class. As they work on a school project, they joke around by teasing each other (in a non-offensive manner).
Natasha: The model of a loyal friend. She and Jenny have a long history of friendship which should be apparent to the audience. Her parents are not as wealthy as those of her friends, and she does not place much value in aesthetics and superficiality.
Samantha: Another girl in Jenny’s class. Generally the ringleader in teasing and minor bullying. She enjoys her power by flaunting it and making others squirm when she doesn’t get her way. In fact, her cruelty masks insecurity about herself and her home life (though she must not be portrayed too sympathetically).
Lights up.
Jenny is being tucked into bed by her mother DR. Lighting is only of that area – soft edges, indicating domesticity and warmth.
Jenny: (agitated) Mom, do you ever wish I was more perfect?
Mom: (comforting) Never! You know I love you just the way you are.
Pause.
Why are you asking me? Is it because of what happened with Andrew?
Jenny: Yeah, I’m kind of embarrassed, I guess. (frustrated) If I was normal, it never would have happened. …And then more people would like me.
Mom: I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like you. And everyone is different. I know you know that.
Jenny: (not convinced) Yeah, I guess. ‘Night, mom.
Mom: Goodnight, Jenny. You’ll feel better in the morning.
Lights dim.
Mom: Sweet dreams.
Jenny rolls over. (Lights remain dim on Jenny sleeping until otherwise indicated.) Lights come up on UC, revealing a platform/riser. Lawrence stands on the platform, gaudily dressed and speaking arrogantly, directly to the audience (of students). Everything about this ‘dream sequence’ is over-the-top, stylized, and artificial.
Lawrence: Hello, and welcome to the newest reality show, Mr. and Mrs. Perfect!
Someone holds a sign from beneath the riser: “Applause”. Sound of canned applause. If children in audience do not applaud, Lawrence may gesture, encouraging them to obey the signs.
I’m your host, Lawrence – but you can call me “Perfect”. (Sign: “Laughter”, accompanied by canned sound) And as always, I’m here with my beautiful co-host, Mandy!
Mandy enters, “Applause” sign again. Mandy is gorgeous, done up, and smiling radiantly. She laughs and blows kisses.
Mandy: Wow, Lawrence, it’s quite a show we have for today.
Lawrence: That’s right, Mandy. And just wait until you see the first “project”. She’s a girl from in desperate need of a bit of perfection. Why, I hear she isn’t even considered cool at school.
Mandy: (feigning shock) Oh my, Lawrence. (abruptly cheerful) Sounds like we have our work cut out for us today! But don’t worry, viewers, we can add perfection to anyone’s life!
Lawrence: We sure can! Now, let’s introduce today’s project. Jenny, come on out!
“Applause”. Lights up on Jenny’s bed. She sits up, bewildered. She is holding a remote control. Shocked, she climbs the stairs up to the riser. She looks out-of-place in her typical sleeping gear – pyjamas, messy hair, rubbing her eyes. However, her attire must be easily adaptable so that she can change swiftly between scenes by adding or removing an article (ie. jacket, sweater, etc.).
Jenny: What’s going on? Am I dreaming?
Lawrence: You sure are! …Dreaming that you could be perfect! (“Laughter”)
Mandy begins to tug at Jenny’s clothes, touch her hair, etc. She casts sympathetic looks toward the audience.
Mandy: You poor thing. It’s a wonder you have any friends at all.
Jenny: (defensively, trying to get Mandy away from her) Hey, wait a minute, I –
Lawrence: Don’t you worry, Jenny. We’re going to help you become the most perfect person at school.
Jenny: But –
She pauses to think.
Well, okay. I guess I probably need some help.
Mandy: You sure do!
Jenny: (indicating remote) What’s this for?
Lawrence: Well, this is your show! We’re here to give you suggestions for achieving perfection. In order to do this, we need to look at some parts of your daily life.
Mandy: So, when we say “Roll the tape!”, you press ‘play’ and we’ll all watch a scene. Got it?
Jenny: I think so…
Lawrence: Ready, audience? On the count of three: (he motions) One, Two, Three…. (sign: )ROLL THE TAPE!
Immediate blackout on platform, lights up on DC.
Jenny makes a quick change to her costume and goes down to the floor during blackout. The scene: Andrew and Jenny are working on a project at Jenny’s house. They are joking around, surrounded by a mess of markers, glue, books and papers.
Andrew: I don’t think the colours of our bristol board match.
Jenny: (teasing) Are you kidding? This will be the best display board in the class.
Andrew: Yeah, the best purple and yellow board…
Jenny: Exactly!
They go back to their work.
Andrew: Hey, remember at the beginning of the year when you told the class how to help you in case you have a seizure?
Jenny: Yeah, of course.
Andrew: I thought that was really cool of you. You know, to explain it without being too shy.
Jenny: Thanks, Andrew. It’s really important, because I still have seizures sometimes. I need everyone to understand so that people can help me and I won’t get hurt.
Andrew: My brother says his friend has seizures, too. But when he has his, he just looks like he’s staring into space, and then he doesn’t remember anything.
Jenny: Yeah, everyone’s seizures look different – everyone’s brain is different.
Andrew: Yeah. (trying to gross her out) I bet mine’s really squishy and gross and makes noises when I move around like (he makes gross squishing noises with gestures)
Jenny: (laughing) Ew, Andrew, that’s sick!
Andrew: Seriously though, I think both our brains have had some trouble coming up with matching colours. Are you sure purple and yellow will look good?
Jenny: Well maybe, as long as you let me do all the letters. You suck at bubble letters. Besides, you picked these colours!
Andrew: (laughing) Yeah, I guess. But you are terrible at gluing. Everything is sticky! I can’t touch anything without getting stuck to it!
Jenny: Oh, come on. Can you pass me the blue marker?
Andrew: Sure, if I can unstick it from the floor! (Looking for the marker) Do you want the light blue or dark blue? Jenny? Jenny, are you alright?
Jenny begins having a tonic-clonic seizure. She emits a small cry and falls to the ground, shaking. Andrew remains calm. He calls to her mom, moves objects out of the way, and puts a sweater under her head. Her mom helps him roll her onto her side when the seizure ends. Jenny recovers slowly, confused.
Mom: (soothing) Jenny, it’s Mom. Don’t worry, everything’s okay.
Lights fade to black on scene. Jenny returns to the platform ‘dream sequence’. Lights up on platform.
Lawrence: (shaking his head) Tsk, tsk, tsk. What was that, Jenny? That was not perfection. That was not even normal.
Mandy: And that outfit! What were you thinking? Do you really think Andrew will want to go out with you when you dress and act like that?!?
Lawrence: The only solution is for you to never act that way again. Does that sound like a plan or what, Mandy?
Mandy: That is the perfect first step to perfection!
Jenny: But wait, I… I can’t help it. I have epilepsy. It’s a disorder in my brain, it’s not my fault. Everyone’s brains sends signals to their bodies, and sometimes mine get mixed up. And then I have a seizure like that. I don’t have them often anymore, but sometimes I do. And anyway, I don’t want Andrew to date me, he’s just my friend.
Mandy: (disbelief, condescending) Yeah…sure, Honey. Whatever you say. (she laughs nervously, overcompensating) Isn’t she funny, folks?!? Don’t worry, she’s a challenge, but I still think we can help her! Let’s… (awkward, frazzled pause) look at another clip! Ready, audience? (motions) One, two, three…(sign:) ROLL THE TAPE!
Jenny and Natasha are walking along the sidewalk. It is a beautiful afternoon; school has just ended. They are singing a popular song, or laughing, etc – any activity or inside joke that indicates their close friendship. Natasha is dressed in a worn sweater or jacket – not at all stylish.
Jenny: What are you doing in a bit? Do you have any plans?
Natasha: I don’t think so.
Jenny: Do you want to walk to the corner and get slushies?
Natasha: Um, sure! But I’ll have to call my mom from your house, okay?
Jenny: Okay.
Natasha: Oh, wait! I forgot, I have to babysit for my sister. Is it okay if she comes with?
Jenny: Yeah, of course. Maybe I’ll see if my sister wants to come, too.
Pause.
Natasha: Are you, uh, sure that you’re up to it? I heard about your seizure yesterday.
Jenny: Yeah, I’m fine now. You know me, I’m tired for a little while, but then I’m back to my normal self!
Natasha: That’s true. I guess I’m just checking that you didn’t hurt yourself during your seizure.
Jenny: No way. Andrew was really great.
Natasha: Did he remember everything he was supposed to do?
Jenny: Yeah, he moved all the sharp things out of the way and called for help. He knew not to put anything in my mouth, and just to put something soft under my head. Other than that, he just let me have the seizure, just like I told everyone to do.
Natasha: Did he roll you over like we learned?
Jenny: Yup, he even remembered to roll me on my side after my seizure. But by then my mom had come downstairs anyway. He was really brave.
Natasha: He looked proud about doing such a good job. I’m really glad he remembered what to do; I know how important it is to stay calm just so you can remember how to help.
Jenny: I guess you’ve learned something from being friends with me for so long!
Natasha: Yup, now I’m a pro! Okay, I’ll go get my sister. I’ll see you at your house in 10 minutes?
Jenny: Sure.
Natasha: Okay, perfect! I’ll see you soon.
They exit in separate directions. Lights down on DC, Jenny returns to platform. Lights back up on platform.
Mandy: Wasn’t that pathetic, folks? Poor Jenny, you really do need our help! We got here just in time!
Lawrence: That’s for sure.
Jenny: (confused) I don’t get it. What was pathetic?
Lawrence: (sympathetically) Oh Honey, you’re so far gone you can’t even tell! First of all, just look at that friend –
Mandy: That awful hair, that messy look…can’t she do better than hand-me-downs?
Lawrence: And what do you think you are doing hanging out with someone who has to (patronizing voice) call their mommy, and brings along their sister?
Mandy: That is pretty lame…And talking about that seizure? You really should never speak about something weird like that. You’ll just draw attention to it.
Jenny: But Natasha is my best friend. And I have known her sister since she was born; I don’t mind if she comes along. And I don’t care how Nat is dressed. I know her family can’t always afford fancy clothes. I like her because she’s nice, and funny, and if she has her own way of dressing, why should that bother me?
Lawrence: Maybe because it’s not cool?!? Hanging out with imperfect people like that will not help you be perfect. Or even a little bit cool, for that matter.
Jenny: I’m starting to think that might not be what I want…
Mandy: Of course it’s what you want. So, our current list of tips: get nicer clothes, find a cooler and prettier best friend, stop having seizures – and if you have them, for goodness sake, don’t talk about them!
Jenny: But my doctor told me that it’s good to talk about them. There are lots of different types of seizures, and if I hadn’t told my class at school how to help me when I have mine, then Andrew wouldn’t have known what to do. I could have really hurt myself!
Mandy: But right now, you’re hurting your chance for perfection.
Jenny: I guess….
Lawrence: You guess?!? Of course we’re right. That’s what perfection is, my young friend.
Mandy: Let’s look at one more clip and we’ll see if we can add more to our list of perfect suggestions! (motions) One, two, three…(sign:) ROLL THE TAPE!
Jenny and Natasha are bouncing a ball back and forth. They are on the playground, which is indicated by their carefree mood, and perhaps background sounds. Jenny bounces the ball high over Natasha’s head, and it is caught from behind her by Samantha.
Samantha: Here you go, Nat.
Natasha: Thanks, Samantha. (She turns to go back to her game)
Samantha: Hey, Nat, I’m setting up a game of foursquare. Do you want to play?
Natasha: Yeah, sure! With me and Jenny, you’ll only need one more person. And we can use our ball.
Samantha: Actually, I just meant you. I said, “Do YOU want to play?”
Natasha: (confused) Well, I’m already playing with Jenny.
Samantha: Oh yeah? Well, I’m organizing a game, so I get to choose. And I don’t want to play with Jenny.
Jenny: (hurt) Why can’t I play?
Natasha: Don’t listen to her, Jenny. Let’s just forget it.
They continue their own game, ignoring Samantha.
Samantha: You know, I WAS thinking of inviting Alex to play…
The ball is caught, bouncing abruptly stops.
Natasha: …Alex?
Jenny: Nat, I know you like Alex. You can go play with them.
Natasha: (throwing the ball again, determined) No way – it doesn’t matter. I would never ditch you like that.
Samantha: Alright, that’s your problem. I’ll just see if Alex wants to play with me.
She exits.
Jenny: Nat, you didn’t have to do that. You don’t have to stay with me. You’ve liked Alex for so long!
Natasha: Yeah, but I don’t like Samantha. She’s so bossy, and she thinks she’s so cool.
Jenny: Yeah. But she asked you to play. That was pretty nice.
Pause.
I wonder why she didn’t ask me.
Natasha: (gently) Well….Sam’s not really a great friend. She’s been saying mean things about you since your seizure the other day. She’s always saying you’re crazy, and she told some of our class that you’re contagious and they could catch it.
Jenny: But that’s so silly! I’m not crazy; I just have seizures. And you can’t catch epilepsy. That’s like saying you could catch someone’s blue eyes, or their height.
Natasha: I know, and I told everyone not to listen to her. But she’s so mean. I think she’s just scared because she doesn’t understand it.
Pause.
You know, I found out that her mom and dad are getting divorced.
Jenny: (surprised) Really? That’s kind of sad. Maybe she’s afraid people will make fun of her. I guess everyone has something that they are dealing with.
Natasha: Yup. But that’s no excuse for her to be mean to you! I’m just sorry she didn’t want to play with both of us.
Jenny: I don’t really care. I’m just happy to have a friend like you who will stand up for me and not ditch me for anything…..(teasing, love-sick voice) even Alex.
Natasha: Don’t worry. I know that if people were making fun of me, you’d stand up for me, too.
Bell rings, signalling the end of recess. They exit. Lights out on scene, up on platform.
Mandy: Well, that little film clip makes me feel even stronger that you need to get rid of Natasha.
Lawrence: I agree wholeheartedly. If you didn’t hang around with her, you could try to become Samantha’s best friend. Then everyone would listen to you like they listen to her.
Jenny: What are you talking about? That clip just proves how nice and loyal Natasha is. It shows she’s a good friend. Didn’t you see how she stuck up for me when Samantha was mean?
Mandy: I don’t know about that. I really liked that Samantha girl. She’s a model of everything you should try to be: she is smart, she takes charge, she’s pretty, boys like her, and I bet she has tons of friends.
Jenny: (figuring out her opinion as she speaks – thinking out loud) Yeah, maybe, but she’s also mean and talks behind people’s backs. And she has problems, too, she just hides them. I’d rather have only a few good friends if it means I don’t have to hide things from them.
Lawrence: (attempting to cut her off) Look, Jenny –
Jenny: (not allowing him to interject) I think that film clip shows that no one is perfect, and everyone is dealing with something. But it’s how you deal with your problems and how you treat other people that counts.
Lawrence: Isn’t she a hoot, folks? Now Jenny, listen. If there were no such thing as perfect people, then how could we be here?
Jenny: I bet you have problems and just hide them by being mean and judging people like me – you’re just like Samantha! And you’re not really here – you’re just a dream. (revelation) You’re my dream.
Jenny threatens them with the remote; she aims at them as if to hit the power button.
Mandy: Now Jenny, don’t cancel our show! Just think: how will you become perfect? How will we help other unfortunate people become perfect?
Jenny: All this is making me realize that no one needs to be perfect. Everyone just needs to be the best they can be. And for me, that means being nice to my friends, and dealing with my epilepsy in the best way possible: by teaching other people about it and trying to understand their problems, too.
Lawrence: Mandy, this project is getting out of control!
Jenny: You bet it is. Because now, I am in control…And I say this dream is over!
Jenny aims the remote at Lawrence and Mandy and ‘turns them off’. Abrupt blackout on the platform.
Jenny returns to her bed as in the beginning of the show. Lights up DR; Her mom is waking her. It is apparent that Jenny is feeling happier and more self-confident than during their conversation the night before.
Mom: Jenny? Jenny? Jenny, wake up! You’ve slept in – my goodness, you’re sleeping so heavily. Do you feel better?
Jenny: Yeah, I think so.
Mom: I’m so glad to hear that, Honey. Natasha is waiting for you downstairs; she says you made plans to go to the park this morning. Maybe you two would like to have some breakfast first? I don’t think she’s eaten yet, so I told her to wait for you.
Jenny: Okay, thanks.
Jenny begins to get up.
Mom: I’m so glad you’re back to your normal self. You know, Jenny, I was really worried about you last night. I felt like you were trying to fit someone else’s definition of perfection…I don’t know where you got that idea from.
Jenny: Yeah, I guess I was.
Mom: You know, sweetheart, I was thinking…you can’t define perfection; it’s just an image. So it’s more important to meet your own goals and be the best person you can.
They begin to exit.
Jenny: I know, Mom. I think I finally figured out that perfection is just a dream.
Fade to black as they exit.