Year 2 Week #5 A Perfect Memory - Play

Alright this one from my post over a year ago Perfect Memory. I've done very little work on it. I wrote a first scene a while ago and managed to edit a little over the past week. It's not all that good. I still like the idea but it's becoming very apparent that what I need is a story and some characters. If anyone has any suggestions I'm totally open.

Here's the first scene I came up with:

Act 1: College

The Mid Ninties

Scene 1

A dirty college students apartment. The stage is split into two large rooms. The first is the kitchen/living room The second is Sean’s bedroom. There is a door leading between the two rooms. There are also two other doors in the Kitchen that lead to unseen rooms. One for the bathroom. One to the outside world.

Both rooms are covered in filth. The general detritus of college life. Paper, booze bottles, dirty dishes. The floor of Sean’s room is covered in dirty clothes.

As the lights rise we see Sean, a slightly shabby but good looking guy in his early twenties. He is lying unconscious on his bed. He is fully clothed and lays on top of the covers.

After a few second in silence the phone begins to ring loudly.

Sean opens his eyes and looks around dazed. He is extremely hung over. He rolls over and searches the floor with his hands for the phone.

Once he finds it he picks up the receiver and hangs it right back up.

Sean lays back down. After a few seconds just as he’s drifting back to sleep the phone rings again. He waits for five or six rings before sighing and picking it up.

Sean: Hello… Hey, um what’s up?… No… I don’t really remember last night all that well I think I actually blacked out… okay, I guess… Wait I kinda need a little more sleep… I… okay… yeah… no… like two hours I guess… what’s all this about anyways? Did I do something?… Um… okay that’s good… no I’m fine I just need some sleep… yeah just like two hours okay… cool… later.

Sean hangs up the phone and looks a little worried for a few seconds then lays back down to drift back to sleep.

Blackout

Scene 2

Same apartment two hours later. Sean is pretty much in the same position as the opening. He is fast asleep.

There is a loud knock at the door. Nothing happens. A few seconds pass then a loud doorbell rings. Sean sits up groggily but quickly. He sits on the edge of his bed trying to wake up. The doorbell rings again.

Sean: (To himself) Jesus fuck. Hold on I’m coming. (He throws a robe on and goes to answer the door in the living room)

Terry, a young man about Sean’s age enters, dressed in fairly nice casual clothes, he caries a tape recorder. He is in an excited state.

Sean: Hey come on in. What’s up?

Terry: Hey… I huh… how are you?

Sean: Okay. Hung over.

Terry: Yeah. (abruptly getting to his point) How much do you remember about last night?

Sean: Huh… not much. (he attempts to do some remembering then decided he’d rather not) I remember some broad strokes but most of it’s a little blurry. Did I do something? Do you want some coffee?

Terry: No thanks. I don’t really drink coffee.

Sean: Well I’m gonna have some (goes to pour himself some). So come on what did I do.

Terry: Well you started telling us stuff. Stuff about about you and Carrie.

Sean: Shit.

Terry: No… it wasn’t like that. I mean it was but that’s not why I’m here. I… How do I explain this? You told us everything that happened.

Sean just looks mortified

Terry: No not like that. I mean sort of but that’s not what’s awesome. You see at first you just told us about the break up. Then you told us about how you met. Then you started describing your first conversation and you where like explaining it word for word. I figured you where just being romantic and depressed and shit but then you started going off about other stuff. It was like you could remember every word you’d exchanged with her. Like every word.

Sean: Fuck sorry that sounds irritating.

Terry: Yeah it was but it was also amazing. Eric wanted to take you home but I’ve been learning about this stuff. About memory and stuff and I wanted to do some tests.

Sean: Tests?

Terry: Yeah. Not much. So last night. I asked you to tell us about something else. Another conversation. You told us about these girls you’d heard on the train earlier that day. I recorded it.

Sean: Wait what the fuck are talking about? What’s going on?

Terry: I think you have like super photographic memory or something.

Sean: Huh… I don’t know man I can’t even remember what happened last night.

Terry: Will you just try something?

Sean: What?

Terry: I just want you to repeat word for word the conversation you heard on the bus yesterday. The one between the girls. You know what I’m talking about.

Sean: No.

Terry: Something about skaters and rockabilly and something.

Sean: Oh okay. I guess I know what your talkin’ about. Where should I start.

Terry. Hold on. (he reaches into his bag and get’s out a tape recorder. Presses record.) Okay. Just start anywhere.

Sean: (He’s skeptical but too hungover to argue) Okay… Huh let’s um… so at first there where just two girls, pretty normal looking, and the first thing I think I heard her say, the thing that caught my attention she goes: “He has like a naked lady tatooed on his belly” and the other girls says “does he have a pot belly” and the first girl says “no” then the other one asks “is he a rockabilly?” and she says “no I don’t really think so” and then they say something about him being a skater.

Terry: What does she say?

Sean: Something… I…

Terry: Try and remember just say what you think it was.

Sean: Okay one girl says “No he wears like skater clothes only he’s not a skater. He doesn’t skate. And he’s like 27 and he dates this girl who’s like 20” and the other girl goes “Yeah, that’s total skater boy.” then the first tries to say something.

Terry: What?

Sean: (Totally irritated) Just something. She says like “Only he doesn’t…” but the other girl cuts her off and says “He doesn’t skate. I know but he’s a skater boy type.”

Terry: Then.

Sean: (Still irritated but at some point he decides just to dive in) Then the subway made a bunch of noise and I couldn’t heat them. When I could hear them again the first girl is asking the other one. “So you don’t know if your brothers gay?” and the other girl goes “Well it’s never really come up. He’s 24, he’s never really had a girlfriend. He’s kinda into fashion. He eats really well except when he’s depressed then he eats chocolate chip cookies. But he likes video games a lot so that sorta throws the whole equation off.” Then there’s another loud noise I think and…

Terry: (stopping the tape recorder) That’s fine. Stop there. Listen, Terry, I asked you about that same event last night and I’m pretty sure you explained it with the same exact words. I want to listen to both of them now and see but first can I ask you something?

Sean: (starting to realize what he might have just done) I guess. Yeah. Sure. Sure.

Terry: Do you really not remember anything from last night.

Sean: I remember some but…

Terry: No I want you to take a second and just try. Really try. Do you really not remember what you where saying? How you got home? Did you really forget anything at all?

Sean: (Takes a few long seconds to try) No.

Blackout