"After Wonderland"
By Sam Toves
Act I Scene 1
(Lights up to dark WONDERLAND scene. The SPIRITS are introduced in a dark, almost demonic dance number. SPIRITS are dressed in all black and wear roller blades throughout the show to resemble quick and smooth movements. SPIRITS are to be seen in almost every scene while in WONDERLAND and are not seen by other characters except MEGAN and THOMAS)
(Dance ends in a blackout. When the lights rise, the SPIRITS are gone and the setting has changed to an ordinary high school classroom geometry class. MRS. MODDIE is copying problem on the board from a textbook. Students are passing notes, writing in notebooks, listening to music, secretly texting etc. MEGAN is writing in a black journal with a golden lock on it, the key is on a necklace around her neck. Someone from across the room throws a wadded paper at her she glares back at the and opens it. When she reads it she crumbles it up and throws it on the ground. The guys in the back laugh quietly at her)
Susan: (sitting behind to MEGAN, leans over and tries to take a peak over her shoulder to see what she's writing) What's that?
Megan: (Quickly shuts her journal closed) none of your business, Susan!
Mrs. Moddie: (Not looking away from her work) Megan, do your warm-up.
(MEGAN looks back and sneers at SUSAN, Who smiles as if she doesn't know what she did wrong)
Mrs. Moddie: (Finishing up with her work, turns around and leans back on the board.) Okay who can tell me the answer to number one? (she looks around the room for any volunteers) anyone? (Nobody raises her hand. She sighs and sees that MEGAN is not paying attention, writing in her journal) Megan? Can you tell me the answer to number one?
Megan: (Without looking up from her writing) No... (some of the students chuckle)
Mrs. Moddie: No? You haven't even looked at the problem.
Megan: (still not looking up) Mmhm.
Mrs. Moddie: (walks over and takes the journal away from her)
Megan: Hey! That's mine!
Mrs. Moddie: It's a big distraction from my lessons. You may have it back after school.
Megan: (Crosses arms and slumps down in her chair. The bell rings. Students quickly stand and pack up their stuff)
Mrs. Moddie: (Talking over the noise of everyone packing up.) I expect these problems to be done in your notebooks by next class have a great afternoon…(When the boys pass MEGAN they slide her books off the desks onto the floor, spilling her papers everywhere. She drops to her knees to pick them up as the boys just laugh and walk out. As MEGAN tries to leave MRS. MODDIE stops her at the door. )
Mrs. Moddie: Megan, can I talk to you for a minute please? (she crosses to her desk, Stage Up Left)
Megan: Yes, ma'am?
Mrs. Moddie: Your grades are dropping, Megan. What's going on?
Megan: I won't write in your class anymore. I promise.
Mrs. Moddie: It's not just in my class, Megan. Your close to failing almost all of your classes except for art class.
Megan: (smiles at the sound of art class) that's because I get to be creative in that class, you know? Let my mind explore. (she goes into her messenger bag and takes out a rolled up piece of paper and opens it to a beautiful painting of a beautiful landscape with mythical and unreal creatures) in that class nobody can tell me my limits on creativity.
Mrs. Moddie: That is amazing, Megan! What is it?
Megan: Its wonderland.
Mrs. Moddie: Wonderland? Like from Alice in Wonderland?
Megan: Yeah. I've always dreamed of going there. Escape from reality, you know? Like running away from all your responsibilities? Leaving the world behind… no work…no school…(She smiles as she gazes off into audience, daydreaming)
Mrs. Moddie: (after enough silence she stands from her desk) you have no idea how much I would like to abandon my responsibilities and run off to Wonderland. (she goes into her drawer and takes out her journal) don't write in class anymore, okay?
Megan: Thanks, Mrs. Moddie
Mrs. Moddie: Take care now…
(MEGAN flees the room to go catch up with her friends as MRS. MODDIE walks over and starts to erase the board. She chuckles in remembrance to what MEGAN said) Wonderland… (Blackout.)
Act I scene 2- Bedroom
(A single blue light rises directly on MEGAN and her desk witch is mostly clean and neat A fight between her mom and dad can be heard from upstage . You can hear her voice narrating her thoughts as she writes in her journal.)
Megan: …And then the Queen of hearts would yell "OFF WITH HER HEAD" to the white queen. But the Knave will refuse to chop her head off because he has always had feelings for her deep inside his hear- (Her thoughts are interrupted by a phone call. She closes her diary and picks it up) Hey, Susan…yeah im fine, why?…They posted what?! (She quickly grabs her laptop and opens it frantically opens it she looks at her Facebook status and sees what is posted. She looks as if she is about to cry) W-why would he post that? Where did he take that picture!...(Talking to susan) I know its photoshopped I'm not that flat chested! )she slumps back in her chair. At the verge of crying)…I can't go back to school…I can't…it already has 106 likes! By tomorrow its going to be all over Facebook! (she starts to cry)…I can't..I cant go back I just cant!
(In the darkness, a SPIRIT rolls by behind her, quickly. By the time she looks back there is nothing there) hello? (She starts to walk over to where she heard the noise) Hello? Who's there? Jeremy, if that's you I'm going to hurt you…Jeremy? (Almost instantly all stage lights shine red and reveal all SPIRITS surrounding MEGAN. SPIRITS are in a dance to transition Megan to Wonderland)
Act I scene 3- "drink me"
(The SPIRITS disperse and go offstage at the end of the dance number leaving MEGAN center stage with a single red light shining on her. She is frightened by the sudden change of setting. She quickly stands and looks around ready for anything to attack. Scared, she calls out into the darkness)
Megan: H-hello? (the rest of the stage lights up to an empty stage with only a small table with a small, glass bottle labeled drink me and a tiny door Stage Up Right. MEGAN notices) well lets see. If I can remember correctly drinking this will make me smaller…witch must mean there must be a small door around here somewhere. (She notices the door) Out there must be Wonderland. I hope. I still want to find out how I got here…maybe I will find some answers out there…(she goes to take a drink but is interrupted by THOMAS who enters stage left)
Thomas: Don't drink that! (MEGAN stops just as she is about to drink)
Megan: Who are you? What are you doing here?
Thomas: Who am i? what am i doing here? I was here first. What are you doing here?
Megan: well I don't know what I'm doing here, nor do I know how I got here in the first place. I want to get into Wonderland, see but I'm too big to fit through the door and well, this drink should make me smaller and-
Thomas: you say you know about Wonderland?
Megan: Yes.
Thomas: Then you should know better. If something says "drink me" for heavens sake, don't drink it! (he says as he crosses to MEGAN and pours the bottle out on the ground)
Megan: But how am I to get into Wonderland?
Thomas: You don't.
Megan: What do you mean? I have to get into Wonderland!
Thomas: (gives her a look of disbelief) I don't know what you think Wonderland is but it's not a place you have to go in.
Megan: well. Maybe I want to go in
Thomas: (he sighs and shakes his head) My name is Thomas (steering away from the conversation).
Megan: Megan. Now would you tell me please how do I get out of this room?
Thomas: you don't.
Megan: So you're saying I'm stuck here.
Thomas: No I am merely saying you are never going to get out even if you tried.
Megan: Isn't that-
Thomas: Trust me I have tried
Megan: well how long have you been here? In this room?
Thomas: ( thinks) about 7 years give or take.
Megan: Seven years?!
Thomas: Give or take.
Megan: I can't stay her for seven years!
Thomas: Give or take.
Megan: why don't you go out there? (gesturing to the small door)
Thomas: Because what is out there is worse than what is in here.
Megan: what is out there?
Thomas: Wonderland.
Megan: Oh come on I think you are over reacting. Help me get through the door and I can find us a way back home or wherever you came from.
Thomas: no. no no no no no! definitely no! you cannot go out that door.
Megan: you're right. I'm too big to fit. (MEGAN walks over to the tiny door and looks it up and down. She gently knocks on the wall above the door ad outs her ear to it. She grins and kicks a hole in the wall above it she looks back at THOMAS) It's just drywall. Come on (She continues to kick a hole in the wall until it's big enough to fit through)
Thomas: nope. Nu-uh. Not going out there.
Megan: oh come on. Don't you wanna go home? Don't you have a life outside of this room?
Thomas:…
Megan: come on I've read Alice In Wonderland about a hundred times…In the end we wake up and it's all just a dream. Come on doesn't it make you feel better to know this is all just a dream.
Thomas: I've been in this dream for seven years.
Megan: Give or take (She giggles and wanders out the hole. THOMAS groans and follows her.)
(Blackout)
Act I scene 4- Wonderland
(The SPIRITS bring us into a beautiful garden with a graceful and calming dance. There are flower pedals everywhere with big, beautiful trees with white roses blooming in the tree. MEGAN and THOMAS enter. MEGAN is taking her time to enjoy her surroundings and THOMAS is moving quickly and in a hurry)
Megan: (smiling) wow. I didn't know white roses grew on trees.
Thomas: They don't. Don't trust anything out here.
Megan: Stop taking things so seriously-…uhm…
Thomas: Thomas. My name is Thomas. And yes I did have a life outside of that room.
Megan: Thomas. Well, you don't have to take things so seriously we don't even know where we are going.
Thomas: What's that suppose to mean?
(WHITE RABBIT runs from behind one tree to another)
Megan: What was that?
Thomas: It looked like a White Rabbit.
Megan: (gasp) That's our way out!
Thomas: A rabbit?
Megan: Alice finds her way out of Wonderland by following a white rabbit that takes her to the queen!
