Challenge 2 – Due 03/02 at 09:59:59am GMT 

Look to the outside world for inspiration and the set you play as far away from your hometown as possible.

Cast:

Sarah Mann

The Footprint

The Play

The Moon. It’s a stark series of contrasts. Light and dark. Flat and mountainous. There is a US flag, pitched in the ground. The flag does not move as there is no atmosphere to below it.

The footprint sits alone in the landscape – the only other remnant that there was ever any human presence here. It begins to hum quietly to itself. It then tries to whistle. After a while it gets bored. From it’s position in the middle of the stage, it tries to blow the flag, but just can’t get up the puff to make the flag move. Very quietly, it sings ‘Happy Birthday’ to itself. It has a bit of a cry. The footprint’s tears float off into space, and the footprint watches forlornly.

There is the approaching noise of a space ship, growing louder. Slowly, a space pod lads, majestic in that appears to be made from cardboard, bulsa wood and tinfoil. Thrusters light as it wobbles it’s way to landing on the moon. A small amount of moon dust is kicked up by the impacts. A door falls open and a ladder descends.  Sarah sticks her head out and looks around. She mouths the word ‘balls’. She goes back into the space ship, then reverses out and down the ladder. She is wearing sneakers, a stripey jumper and dungarees. She is also wearing glasses.

Sarah’s glasses begin to float away. She claps one had onto them and rummages in a pocket with the other hand. She produces a roll of gaffa tape and proceeds to tape the glasses to her head.

Very slowly she bounces her way to the centre of the moon. Looks out as if surveying the earth. She shrugs, unimpressed. She rummages in another pocket and produces a packet of cigarettes and a lighter. She pulls out a cigarette and attempts to light it. Nothing happens. She tries a couple more times, but still nothing. She shakes the lighter. This time it works, and Sarah lights the cigarette. Sarah takes a deep draw and exhales.

Sarah gets her iPhone out of her pocket. She flicks down her dungarees, bends down and moons at the audience, taking an ass-first selfie while doing so. She gets the giggle when she reviews the photo on her phone. She holds the phone higher, hoping for reception. She wanders around trying to find reception. She fails. She puts the phone in away.

She continues to smoke as she rotates on the spot. She see the flag and slow-mo bounces over to it. Sarah proceeds to pull the flag out the ground and break it over her leg. She tucks the two pieces under her arm and begins to make her way back to the pod.

Footprint: Excuse me.

Sarah stops. Looks around.

Footprint: Down here.

Sarah picks up her foot. She was standing directly on the footprint.

Footprint: Hi. Yes. Just wondering if I could bum a fag?

Sarah remains motionless.

Footprint: It’s my birthday.

Sarah shrugs. She gets a cigarette out her packet, and puts it in the footprint. She lights the cigarette. The footprint inhales and exhales deeply.

Footprint: Thanks.

Sarah: Happy Birthday.

 Sarah bounces back to the space pod. She chucks the broken flag through the door, and clambers up the ladder. She pulls the ladder up after her and then, with one last look around, closes the door. The space pod takes off, wobbling precariously. It grumbles away from the moon. The sound of the space craft fades.

Silence.

The footprint sings ‘Happy Birthday’ slowly and quietly again, while puffing away on the cigarette.

Blackout.