Oral Training II   Spring 2002
Play outlines

1. The Lost Purse
     After a dinner with classmates, Sarah finds out her purse is gone. She searches through her room, but cannot find the purse. She gives up looking for the purse and calls her classmate Angela to talk about their presentation. During their discussion, Sarah talks about her lost purse. The purse is finally found in Angela's pack because Angela has taken the wrong purse after dinner.

2.      It's been a disturbing year for May. She has not the least intention to go on studying. In fact, May can't see any point at all in continuing her studies. Her parents hope to have their only daughter at home receive the best education possible. After exams, May knows that she can't fulfill her parents' wishes. What she wants now is to study at a vocational school. There she can learn what she's really interested in - hair styling. But she knows that her parents won't let her. They are both working in well-known international companies. How could they accept having a hair stylist as a daughter? They have plans in mind already. They'd rather send May to a private high school than to a vocational school. The family quarrels. There is no communication at home. May's depression is understood only by her boyfriend. What will become of May and will she find a way out for herself?

3. A Quarrel The characters: Andy, Andy's friend, Old man, employee
     Andy goes to a performance with his friend. Andy tries hard to find a parking space and enters a private parking lot. The old man lets him park his scooter. The old man quarrels with an employee who is not allowed to park.

4.    Jennifer and Benjamin were junior high school classmates. After they graduated, Jennifer entered the best local senior high school, and Benjamin entered a junior college, but they still kept in touch. On Jennifer's last year in senior high, they became sweethearts. However, when Jennifer passed the JCEE, she had to leave her home town and Ben to attend her new school. She was very hesitant because she had to choose between her love and her dreams. At that time, Ben told her just to pursue the latter, and not to worry about him. He said he would never change his love for her and would be right here waiting for her when she returned. So Jen left.      Unfortunately, when Jen arrived the new city and started her new college life, she found she no longer loved Ben. She found their religions, values, and philosophies of life were so divergent that she couldn't stay with him anymore. At the same time, another boy in her religious fellowship, Tommy, took a very good care of Jen, and some features of his personality appealed to her, so she decided to break up with Ben. Of course Ben was very frustrated, but he thought since he loved Jen, he should let her do whatever she wanted to do. So Jen and Ben were separated, and Jen got together with Tom. After that, Jen and Ben were still very good friends and would encourage each other. As to Tom, though Jen and him had several quarrels sometimes, through God they could always overcome them. Therefore, they lived a happy life hereafter.

5.    He is the president of a international corporation. He is tall and handsome, around 30 years old. Women for him are nothing more than a suit which he changes everyday. He never really loves anybody.
     She was born into a poor family. Owing to that, she is very thrifty. She loves money so much that she eats bread or instant noodles every day to save as much money as she can. Although she loves money, she earns it by her own efforts. She won't sell her soul for money. She feels happy when she picks up ten dollars from the floor, but she does not take advantage of others. In short, she lives according to her principles. She is 23 years old, pretty and charming, but she has never had a boyfriend.
In his family, men have to marry at the age of 30. Though he does not want to be tied down, he has no choices. Her father likes gambling and has lots of debts. He buys her to be his wife.
     Though she is nominally his wife, she is in fact only a maid. She has no right to restrict him from doing anything, including dating other women. Nevertheless she never complains because she loves him. He on the contrary despises her for he thinks that she loves his money. He insults her, and does not find that he is attracted by her tenderness little by little.
     She is heart-broken due to his misunderstanding of her and constant insults to her. She thinks it is time for her to leave. Then she goes out of his life and completely disappears except for a letter she has written to him. Now he realizes how important she is and how much he loves her. He looks for her frantically. He becomes emaciated day by day. Twenty years pass.
     A person sits in front of a mirror. It reflects a man whose hair is half white and whose face wrinkled. Slowly, he takes out a letter, which has become yellow and shabby. His tears stream down on seeing it. Constantly, he murmurs "I have been looking for you for twenty years. Where are you? I'm still waiting for you, and I will wait for you forever. But my love, when will you come back?"

6. The dragon
     There once a dragon that had a very soft and kind heart lived on an old continent. Although he had a fierce appearance, he never hurt even an ant. The residents of this kingdom, however, all disliked this huge animal. Even though he was badly treated, he remained honest to others and himself. And because of one particular incident, people gradually began to accept him. After rescuing a beautiful princess from an attack by robbers, he fell in love with her. But it was impossible for a dragon to marry a human. And their love created a lot of difficulties. The dragon finally lost his life after saving his the princess. After knowing that, the princess also committed suicide. And they finally meet again in another world.

7.    Tommy and Helen were lovers. Tommy was extremely considerate and would do anything for his dear Helen. However, he wasn't quite as romantic as what you read in novels. Flowers were too expensive and presents were too impractical for him. Actually, Tommy was a good man, but he didn't know how to be a good lover. After more than three years together, Helen decided to break up with Tommy. When Helen made her request, Tommy didn't say anything but "Goodbye." They then went their separate ways.
      On his way home, Tommy could not stop feeling down, his head filling with sweet memories. He knew he didn't love Helen in the way Helen wanted, but that did not mean he didn't love her. He did still love Helen very much even though she had left him. Tommy felt upset and idled around all day. Helen's leaving totally changed Tommy, and Tommy began leading an aimless life.
      One day, as Tommy was sitting in a park by himself as usual, he met an old man who asked Tommy why he was so sad. Tommy told the old man his story. The old man laughed. Tommy got a little angry and asked the old man why he had laughed. The old man told Tommy: you should not be so disappointed since what you lost was a girl who didn't love you, but what the girl lost was a man who loved her very much. After the listening to what the man had to say, Tommy smiled and decided to start a new life. The sky cleared and the sun continued to shine.

8.    Elva and Jason were classmates. Elva had a crush on Jason, so she sought a chance to approach him. One day after class, Elva worked up the courage to say goodbye to Jason. Jason said first goodbye, then "I like Elva the singer; she is cute and she sings beautifully." That night Elva couldn't sleep.
Jason did not show her any special treatment after this incident. Yet Elva liked him more and more. She felt happy every day when she saw Jason. When he napped in the afternoon, she always gazed at him quietly. When he talked to his friends, she listened to him carefully.
     On his birthday, Elva is racking her brains to choose a suitable gift for Jason. She finally she decides to knit him a scarf. Jason says he has a girlfriend and rejects her.      "Why didn't you tell me before?" she exclaims. He laughs, "Is that something I should have told you?"
     Elva quickly fell out of love. She often feels heartbroken at night.

9.    Nancy's father was a fire worker. Every time a typhoon came or accident happened, he had to set out to rescue people with his colleagues, day or night.
     One day, a man called 119 for help. His house was on fire. About 2:00 PM, Nancy's father hurried to the man's house. He saw the huge flames engulfing the house. The man who called 119 cried outside and struggled to break into the burning house but failed. His son was sleeping in his bedroom on the fifth floor. When no one went in to save the boy, Nancy's father rushed to the fifth floor as quickly as possible. He took the bed sheet and wetted it. Then, he covered the boy with the wet bed sheet, carried him on his shoulder, and rushed out of the house. As they ran out of the house, the firing cabinet (what is this?) fell down ... Nancy's father quickly covered the boy with his body. Unfortunately, he was seriously burned.
      The boy was rescued but Nancy's father ended up paralyzed, unable to walk anymore. All his life he must sit in a wheelchair. However, he never regrets that he saved the boy. Now, he's a social worker in a famous charity institution, and he lives quite happily.

10. Cast: an old couple, a young couple, a merchant, a monk
     The story is about a group of pilgrims on their way to Mecca. There is an old man, who is a devout Muslim, and his aged wife, who is blind. This old couple always seems to be very friendly. Moreover, there's another young couple who often has quarrels, and the aged woman is their peacemaker. Then there is a merchant who has some money involvements with the young husband, and he is also having an affair with the young wife. One night, the young couple argues about some trifles again, and in the next morning, the wife wakes up and finds that her husband has died. Everybody thinks that the young wife is the murderer, but in fact the murderer is someone else¡K.

11. Love Can Be Different...
     Kathleen, a university freshman, was in a social service club. She had to go to a small elementary school in a remote area to hold activities for the children there every two weeks. In that small school, she couldn't help but pay special attention to a 5th grade boy called Lee. But it wasn't until a 3-day winter camp that she had some interactions with him. Kathleen and Lee were in the same group, so they had many chances to talk.
     Lee was the star in his school because he excelled in all kinds of sport. That's why Kathleen found that she liked him. She was not sick. Lee just reminded her of the kind of boys that she appreciated in her childhood. When Kathleen felt the love, she once struggled, but then she did not feel ashamed. She sometimes even made fun of herself and said, "I can make a ten-year project now." Lee just viewed Kathleen as a kind senior sister. During the winter camp, Kathleen had some interactions with Lee. They both had a good time. Kathleen listened to a lot of Lee's secrets, including the problems he had in transferring to a new school, his little girl friend, and his divorcing parents. This was also the first time she saw him cry. After the camp Lee accompanied Kathleen to the train station, and reminded her to keep in touch.
     Kathleen changed her previous love to a kind of sympathy for Lee, and decided to be his friend forever. Lee helped Kathleen find an innocence in her inner heart.

12.    Last summer I went to Berkeley with an uneasy heart. This was the first time for me to go abroad alone. I took a course in American music there and met a nice American friend in the class.
     After meeting this new friend, everything around me changed. I was no longer afraid of my new surroundings and got lots of interesting information from him. We became very good friends. After finishing the six-week course, I was reluctant to leave. We exchanged email addresses and promised to stay in touch with each other. When I returned to my own country, I emailed him immediately, and he re-emailed me right back. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. We talked about everything under the sun. Then one day he said something to me that I thought was not very polite. I asked him to change the way he talked to me. However, our relationship suddenly went cold. He wasn't willing to change and didn't email me any more.
     I was very sad. I thought maybe he felt shame or was afraid of being hurt again. I regretted the whole thing, and hoped that one day a miracle would happen to put things right again.

13.    Used to spending all the afternoon on Saturdays reading in the N library, Angela knew it was not only she who had the same habit. She noticed that there was a boy (Max) who always sat near the door and also came here on Saturday afternoons. And there was the feeling of being familiar, knowing each other well, and warmth between them. It didn't need any words, or knowledge of each other's names; this kind of spiritual meeting was already enough.
     One day in twelfth grade, they finally got to meet each other because of a discussion about writing. And after that, they came to know each other better. It became their regular 'date' to meet in the library on Saturday afternoons.
     One day, Angela's grandma died. It was a big shock to Angela, and she became quite unhappy, so Max brought her to the beach to let indulge her pain and cry bitterly. At that moment, Angela found out that she was afraid of being alone, and she hoped that Max would be the one who to accompany her forever.
Unfortunately, Max died two days before his birthday when he tried to rescue a drowning boy. And Angela had been busy making a seashell wind chime for him as a birthday gift. Angela lost the two people she loved most this year.
     After the JCEE, she was admitted to T College, and she felt that Max was always in her mind, that their hearts would always be linked with each other. The wind chime that she had originally made for Max now rings as if Max were talking to her.

14. My first lie
     I was about five years old. After taking a shower one night, I looked at myself in the big mirror hung on the wall and suddenly felt that my bangs were too long. I decided to give myself a little haircut, since I thought it should be pretty easy. I took a pair of scissors and started to cut my bangs in front of the mirror. My sister saw what I was doing and told me not to do it, but I didn't follow her advice. Then she walked away. Unexpectedly, I wasn't satisfied with how I cut my bangs, so I cut them again and again to try to make them perfect. I unconsciously cut more and more of my hair off and eventually my bangs covered only about one-third of my forehead. I did look odd that way. My mother, who had been washing dishes in the kitchen when I gave myself my haircut, was surprised at my bangs when she saw me later. She asked me, "What happened to your bangs?" I was afraid of being blamed so I told her that it was my sister who had cut them when my mom wasn't home the day before instead. I thought it was a safe, even clever lie because my sister had gone to bed and my mother wouldn't ask her about it until the next day. However, my mom went unexpectedly to my sister's bedroom and asked her about my hair right then and there, and my sister told my mom what had really happened. Though my mom didn't blame me, it was really embarrassing and I felt ashamed of myself.

15. Who am I?
     "It" never knows who "it" is. "It" has no ideas of itself. The most common question "it" asks is: "Who am I?"
     One day "it" encounters a leopard, who passes "it" by as fast as an arrow. Suddenly the leopard shouts at "it" loudly: "can you chase the rabbit with me? I need someone to help me." At this time, "it" notices that a little white rabbit is striving to escape the leopard's grab. "It" starts to run, tending to help the leopard. However, "it" can't catch up with his partner because "it" runs as slowly as a turtle. "It" feels frustrated and cries: "I am not a good runner."
     Another day "it" encounters a snake. The snake invites "it" to have a meal-a fat rat. Seeing the snake swallow one whole rat without chewing, "it" gets astonished and feels inferior because "it" can't swallow a whole rat as the snake does. "It" cries again: "I can't eat as well as the snake."
     Then a bird in a fig tree talks to "it": "you, little creature, would you like to travel with me?" Flapping its wings, the bird is waiting for its answer. "It" knows "it" can't because "it" can't fly. "It" is very sad and can't find what "it" can do. "It" can't help doubting: "who am I? What can I do? What am I created for?"
After a while, "it" sees a dog hold a puppy in its mouth. "It" asks the dog: "Why do you bite your baby? It seems to hurt." The dog replies: "Silly! I don't have hands as you do. Of course I have to carry my baby with mouth." "Hands?" "it" begins to find what it has. Looking at its hands with fingers, "it" realizes "it" can pick up anything easily.
     "It" keeps on going and notices a chicken is pecking small stones. "It" asks the chicken: "Why are you pecking stones?" The chicken impatiently replies: "I don't have teeth as you do. I can't chew so I have to do it to help my digestion." "Teeth?" "it" finds again one thing "it" is born with.
     "It" begins to be delighted and realizes what it has and could make good use of. It's never a sad thing to ask "who I am". "It" gains confidence.

16.    This is a surreal play on the motif of "desire". It will be connected with several scenes which do not develop in the ordinary way but in the form of free performance. In other words, it's more like the post-modern plays which manage the atmosphere and the image carefully. For instance, if there is a chair put in the stage, every character will make different uses of this chair. Maybe someone regards it as a violin and starts to play it. Someone uses it as a public stool and takes off his pants. It shows that every one reacts differently when they face the same event or¡Kthe same "desire". Out of these characters' original ideas and their own interpretation, we can see various possibilities which also occur in the real world.

17.    Jessica was a beautiful and kind girl. However, she is outspoken and a little proud of her good looks. Therefore, most girls in the class didn't like her. One semester, there was a new student named Cindy. She was a shy and plain girl. Because she was ordered to sit beside Jessica, they became good friends. Nevertheless, the girls who disliked Jessica were unhappy to see that Jessica had got a friend. Once they got the chance, they spoke ill of Jessica, and told Cindy that Jessica only wanted to be friends with her so she could show off her own beauty in contrast to Cindy's. Although Cindy didn't believe them, she didn't forget what they had told her.
One day, Jessica went back to their classroom after school because she forgot to bring her notebook. When she reached her seat, she saw an envelope on Cindy's desk. Out of curiosity, she opened and read it. It was a love letter from a boy named Andre to Cindy. However, three of the girls who disliked Jessica also came into the classroom when Jessica was still reading the letter. Hence, she put the letter and envelope nervously in her pocket and went out in a hurry. Unfortunately, the letter fell out of her pocket when she went through the door and was seen by Julia, one of the three girls.
     The next day at school, Jessica found that Cindy was acting strange and it seemed she didn't want to talk with Jessica. No matter how Jessica asked Cindy to tell her what was wrong, Cindy wouldn't tell her. Over the next few days, Cindy was even together with the three girls who didn't like Jessica. Eventually, Jessica couldn't bear it. She decided to go ask Cindy no matter how she refused her.
     In the beginning, Cindy didn't want to see her at all. a lot of effort, Cindy was willing to speak with her finally. She asked Jessica why she took her letter away. Then Jessica told her what had happened that day and confessed that she was curious and also jealous because she never got a love letter although most people thought she was pretty. She also told Cindy that she thought of putting the letter back right after getting home, but the letter was gone. She was so worried about it that she didn't dare to tell Cindy the truth. After Jessica's confession, Cindy forgave her and they became friends again.

Lisa: I replied to your letter but my note was returned to me as undeliverable. Your story outline is not here because it is based on another source. Please come up with an original play idea for this assignment. Thank you. K. Chung

     Also, no submission has been received yet from Audrey.

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