Love Was in the Air
In every country, love has a language of its own.
Each of us had a story about complications and mix-ups from meeting the love of our life. We also asked for people’s stories from the classes and put together skits based on the tales. One of my favorite moments was when Koren (a woman) was playing an obstructive father and an audience member called out, “that’s my father!”
Love Makes the World go Round
Love story from Canada
Characters:
Wanda – Wanda
Adolf – Koren
Nurses – Kris, Louise
Setting: Hospital operating room. Apartment with door. Adolf’s car. (6 chairs or 4 chairs, 1 table)
Narrator: Beginning relationships are often filled with misunderstanding. Wanda & Adolf had agreed to go to party together. As Wanda had to work that evening, they agreed that Adolf would leave the party and pick Wanda up at her home after her work and then the two would return to the party.
Action: Nurses are in operating room. Wanda says “Goodbye, I am so excited to be dating this new man.” They wish her luck, but then she looks at the monitor and the patient is having a heart attack. The nurses work hard to resuscitate him.
Meanwhile, Adolf arrives at Wanda’s apartment block in his car. He knocks and knocks on her apartment door. And he says: “She isn’t here! I was really looking forward to going to this party with this Canadian woman. I’ve left the party to pick her up, waited for quite some time and she isn’t showing up!! Perhaps this is a Canadian way of saying she’s not interested. She’s stood me up!” Adolf goes to his car and drives away.
Wanda finishes up. The nurses congratulate her and wish her luck. She rushes to the apartment, has a shower and gets changed. She waits and waits. She says: “He’s stood me up! Here I am all dressed up with nowhere to go! And I have even saved a life and all that. He ought to know that nurses often get off work late!!! I will certainly not be seeing him again! She finally gives up and sits down.
Adolf says in his car, “I will certainly not be seeing her again!”
Narrator: The next day things seemed different.
Adolf starts his car and says, “Well perhaps I should find out what happened, I’ll go see her.” He gets out of his car and rings Wanda’s doorbell.
Wanda paces in her living room. She says, “I’m sure it is him. Well perhaps I should find out what happened, I’ll let him in.”
They both ask, “Where were you?” and then laugh as they both explain at once. They go and sit down together.
Narrator: They were married six months later and have been married for close to 40 years.
Connie’s Story from Portugal
Characters:
Connie - Wanda
Boyfriend – Kris
Uncle – Koren
Father – Louise
Setting: Dance. 3 chairs in Connie’s home
Narrator: Connie went to the school of sewing in Portugal. Connie went to a dance and found her husband when she danced with her cousin. They “saw” each other but didn’t talk. Her suitor, too shy to talk to Connie followed her home and knocked on her door.
Action: Connie and her uncle are at a dance. Her uncle is playing the music. The boy and narrator are dancing and the boy keeps looking at Connie. Connie and uncle go home.
Boy comes to call. Father gets very angry and tells him there are no girls in his house who are ready to get married!
Uncle tries to talk some sense into him but the father is resolute. He says that when Connie is 20 she can go for a date.
Connie meets the suitor as he is walking his beat and they go for coffee.
Narrator: They saw each other secretly and on Connie’s 20th birthday her boyfriend came to call again.
Action: The father invites him in and pulls him aside to ask him what his intentions are. The father says if the boy comes back in ten days he will be allowed to take her out.
He comes back in ten days and they go out with her father’s blessing.
Narrator: They started dating (officially), although they had been seeing each other for many months already! Eventually they were married!!!
Love Story from England
Characters:
Bill - Koren
His Sister (Louise) - Louise
His other sister (Enid) - Wanda
Penny - Kris
Penny’s mother - Sue
Penny’s husband (Ken) - Louise
Post man - Sue
Minister - Wanda
Scene 1
Setting: England (a sign), Bill’s Drawing Room (2 chairs).
Canada (a sign), Penny’s desk
Narrator: Bill lived with his unmarried sister in England. This is Bill and this is Louise. His other sister, Enid, was married with children and often came by to work in their garden. Bill’s sweetheart Penny had decided to go to Canada to live.
Action: Penny and Bill are saying good-bye. Bill tells her to write and he will follow her to Canada. His sister Louise is busy cleaning but listening. Penny leaves and Bill sits down, obviously grieving. His other sister Enid, comes from the garden and comforts him.
Penny goes and says good-bye to her mother (standing in the kitchen) and they leave for the train station.
Narrator: And so Penny moved to Edmonton, Alberta. She worked as a housekeeper.
Action: Penny is at her desk in Canada writing to Bill. She talks as she writes, “I miss you so much. Please come as soon as you can.” As she puts the letter in an envelope and licks it, she says, “I’ll mail it right away.”
Bill’s sister is cleaning the Drawing Room when the post is delivered. She picks up the letter and says “It’s from Penny.” She looks around and she hides it. Bill comes in and says, “Any mail?” The sister replies, “Nothing important!”
Bill decides to sit and write a letter to Penny. As he writes he says, “I miss you so much. I would like to come and join you soon!” As he licks the envelope, the sister says, “I’m going to the Post Office, would you like me to mail that for you?” Bill says, “Oh, thanks.” He gives her the letter. She hides the letter.
Scene 2
Setting: Church pews. Organ music. Minister miming sermon.
Narrator: Months later Penny is on her way to church in Edmonton, Canada. She had waited and waited for Bill to reply to her letters, but no letter ever came. She was very lonely.
Action: Penny is walking to church saying, “I guess Bill has forgotten about me. I’ve written so many letters and I’ve never heard back from him. I’d better forget about his coming and marry someone here.” She slides into the pew across from a gentleman who keeps looking at her. She looks down and blushes. As soon as the service is over, he comes to talk to her. He takes her by the arm and they walk off.
Narrator: Penny married an Englishman who had come to Canada and needed a wife so he could become postmaster.
Scene 3
Setting: England (a sign), Bill’s drawing room.
Narrator: Four years later, in England, Bill’s other sister Enid happened to be cleaning and looking through some old books in the bookcase.
Action: Bill’s other sister Enid is looking through the bookcase and she finds the letters. She shows Bill the letters. Louise comes in to sees what is happening and Enid confronts her. Louise confesses that she hid the letters because she doesn’t want to have to move away from their home. Enid leaves angrily.
Enid goes to visit Penny’s mother who is washing dishes. She tells Penny’s mother about the letters. The mother tells her that Penny and her new husband will be arriving any minute.
When Penny, Ken and baby arrive, the mother introduces them and takes Ken and the baby out to the garden. Enid shows Penny the letters. Penny is stunned and upset. When the mother, husband and baby come back from the garden, Enid leaves. The mother and visitors go to the other room for supper.
Enid goes back and tells Bill that Penny is married with a child. Bill turns away and starts playing the piano. Enid leaves.
Narrator: Many years later when Penny’s husband died, Penny and Bill began writing to each other again. This time, they received each other’s letters!
Miriam’s Story
Characters:
Miriam – Louise
Girlfriend – Kris
Manager – Koren
Boyfriend – Wanda
Mother – Sue
Setting: Sewing machine factory (3 chairs). Girl’s home (mother standing).
Narrator: Miriam worked in a sewing factory when she met her husband. This is Miriam, her co-worker and this is the boy. This is the Manager. Look out for him!
Action: 2 girls are sewing on one side of the aisle, a boy is cutting on the other side. Miriam and the boy are exchanging glances.
The manager is walking behind them checking on their work. He starts to get too close to Miriam with a hand on her shoulder and a hand on her thigh. Suddenly Miriam stands up, turns, and hits the manager in the face. The boy falls off of his chair. The manager leaves.
The boy goes over and gives Miriam some earrings. He won’t let her pay for them. He asks her if she will go out with him but she refuses to speak to him. He gets back to his chair.
The manager comes in and tells everyone that it is the end of the day!
Miriam goes home and says hello to her mother who is working in the kitchen. The boy comes to the door and asks if he can go out with Miriam. The mother asks if he has talked to her yet. He replies no. The mother asks her if she wants to go out with him. She says yes. Then the mother takes her aside and tells Miriam not to kiss him.
They go out together.
Narrator: Miriam was married at 17 and they were married for 46 years.
Raja’s Story
Characters:
Raja – Kris
Girlfriend – Louise
Father – Wanda
Boy – Koren
Setting: School (girlfriend and boy), garden (Raja), home (one chair for Father)
Narrator: In Raja’s country, women are married to a person their parents choose. They pick out a boy for their daughters. One boy, who didn’t know Raja’s family saw her when she was eleven years old and decided that he liked her. Raja’s father was in another city so the boy talked to Raja’s uncle. The boy went to university in Egypt, then he came back and got a job. Raja was old enough to be married.
Action: The boy talks to the girlfriends at school and says he wants to marry Raja. The friends tell him, “You can’t marry her, she’s promised to another boy.”
The friend tells Raja about this in her garden and she says, “Please tell him that I can’t marry him.” The girlfriend says, “He is so persistent, you must tell him.” Raja agrees and sets up a meeting with this boy.
Raja goes with her friend and meets the boy at school. When she sees him, she likes him right away. She agrees to talk to her father and see if he will change his mind.
Raja goes to her house to see her father. She says to him that she does not love the man they have picked for her. He says OK, no problem.
The boy waits for about 10 days and then approaches the father. The father consents to allow them to marry.
Narrator: Now they have been married for 17 years.
The End
Hi Everyone. In case you didn't realize, this is another script from the Drama Divas where we wrote sketches for adults learning English as another language. We collected the stories from the students and then acted them out for them. We didn't have more than a few chairs for the set-up in the classroom and used the occasional hat for a costume. It was amazing to me how these stories translated into action and how the audience took the stories to heart. Sometimes I think our big production budgets actually detract from what we're trying to communicate. There's a couple more scripts coming. up in the Blog. Koren, Louise and Kris and I would have lunch together at Sam's place and brainstorm. I would take notes and put a scenario together. We did several shows a year and always had tea and a delightful discussion with the students after the show.
Thanks so much for reading my blog!
Sue