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Matthew Freeman is a Brooklyn based playwright with a BFA from Emerson College. His plays include THE DEATH OF KING ARTHUR, REASONS FOR MOVING, THE GREAT ESCAPE, THE AMERICANS, THE WHITE SWALLOW, AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR, THE MOST WONDERFUL LOVE, WHEN IS A CLOCK, GLEE CLUB, THAT OLD SOFT SHOE and BRANDYWINE DISTILLERY FIRE. He served as Assistant Producer and Senior Writer for the live webcast from Times Square on New Year's Eve 2010-2012. As a freelance writer, he has contributed to Gamespy, Premiere, Complex Magazine, Maxim Online, and MTV Magazine. His plays have been published by Playscripts, Inc., New York Theatre Experience, and Samuel French.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Wrote this yesterday

I asked Pam to e-mail me a poem, so I could write a short play about it. Just something to do. Here's what I came up with.

The poem she chose was The Quiet World by Jeffrey McDaniel

Here's the play.

ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY SEVEN

A play in exactly one hundred and sixty seven words

A

You can look at me.

B

I know. I’m sorry.

A

Don’t apologize.

B

I’m sorry.

A

What’s the good word?

B

Water.

A

Water?

B

I’m sorry, yes. Yes. Water.

A

What about water?

B

It can suffocate you. It can bury you.

A

Drown you.

B

That’s what they call it.

A

What made you think about that?

B

Something about sea levels. We’re going to drown.

A

I like the idea of that. If I had to die, just seeing a coral reef and some schools of fish and blue and green and salt. Silver fish. Tuna. Starfish. Sea horses. Light.

B

We’re nowhere near that sort of water. That kind of climate. Anyway, the coral reef is being destroyed.

A

We should move then. We can get near what’s left of it. Then, when it happens, it’ll be warm, clear water. I’d like that.

B

You think you’re making me feel better, but all I hear from you is suicide.

A

Suicide is a strong word.

B

I know

A

I don’t think of it as suicide.

B

I know.

A

It’s raining.

B

I know.

END


1 comment:

Sabina E. said...

that was a good piece. My friend and I were actually talking about something similar yesterday-- global warming (or climate change) will cause sea levels to flood the east and west coast of the USA. she lives in Washington and she's paranoid about it. Plus, I can't swim either.

Scary thought.