Play outlines for Oral Training II  Spring 2004


1.      In downtown of the small town of Puli, Nantou lies a nonprofit coffee bar. One April, a group of 10 young missionaries from the United States came here for two months. During the spring break, they held a three-day camp for students there, and every evening this group of missionaries would gather in the coffee bar, talking or preaching to people. Lorinda,14, was one of the students participating in the camp. She was especially attracted by Ted, 19. After the camp Lorinda still came here every evening as a way to practice her English, but actually as an opportunity to chat with Ted. One day as they were saying goodbye, Ted gave his hand out to shake hands with her. When hers reached out, he pulled her into his chest. That was the beginning of her illusion of being in love. For a girl whose parents are divorced, the lack of security and intimacy kept her obsessed with the warmth she was soaked in. She didn't know that Americans' hugging or saying ¡§I love you" frequently was just a way of being friendly. Two months had passed and it was time for them to leave. She cried hysterically, but it couldn't change the fact that they would never see each other again. This everlasting memory became the most profound inscription deep inside her heart, which intrigues her to polish English and study theology later in her life.

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2.      Alan, Shirley, and Jessie are teenagers around the age of 18, living in a town called Sunnyside. They are students at the Sunnyside Senior High School right now. They have been good friends since they were in kindergarten, and have gone to the same school from elementary school to senior high. However, the three of them are very different. Alan is handsome and popular among the girls in the school. But he is often not very serious about dating or changing girlfriends. Shirley is a beautiful girl with an attractive figure. With simple casual clothes, she often stands out a crowd of girls with fashionable dresses and careful makeup when she goes to a pub. However, although being courted by quite a few boys, what she really wants is ¡§only one" nice, reliable boyfriend and a steady relationship. Jessie, having a relatively plain but sweet face, is famous for the things under her hair. She is very a smart student, always ranking the first in the exams and also participating in editing the school journal. She is also an enthusiastic person, often taking the job of the class leader. Anyway, they are all nice people and are bosom friends in spite of their differences.
     One day during lunchtime, Shirley meets Alan and Jessie at the table at a quiet corner in the cafeteria. She sits down, and starts to cry before speaking any words. The other two are very surprised. Shirley says that a good-looking boy named Brian, who just transferred to Sunnyside a month ago, asked her out last night to dinner and to a movie. At first she felt that he was nice, but later during the movie he started to take liberties with her by his hands in the dark! She felt so disappointed with boys because they seem to like to have sexual enjoyments more than to communicate with other human beings when dating. Alan thinks that Shirley is too exaggerating. He thinks that it is just the way for boys to show their interest in a girl, and that they aren't all like that. In fact, Alan and Shirley have argued about this topic quite many times. At this point, Jessie thinks of an idea. She proposes that Alan dress up like a girl, and then tries to get that Brian's attention, so he will be able to see whether he or Shirley is right. Of course Alan says no! But Jessie says that if he does it, it will help her to write a good special column for the school journal and it may end the often argument between him and Shirley. For his two best friends, Alan says he can lose his face for just this
time.
     That day after school, Shirley and Jessie take Alan to a clothes shop to pick up some female dresses for him. There they run into Jessie's aunt, Aunt Lucy. Jessie tells Aunt Lucy about the story and their plan. To their surprise, Aunt Lucy says that she knows Brian because he frequents her restaurant, Sunnyside Burgers. The transformation of Alan into ¡§Mariah Wasman" is very successful. He¡KShe looks really pretty, and won't give the game away if he simply remembers to raise his voice and to walk with an elegant pace.
          That next evening, Alan......no, Mariah goes to Sunnyside Burger alone in a pouring rain. Jessie dresses up as a waitress serving around in the restaurant. While Mariah is busy wiping the rain off her coat under the canopy at the front door of the restaurant, Brian appears. He sees this strange, slim, and pretty girl; Wow! He feels that he's in luck! (Looking strange¡Xpartly because Alan acts well, partly because Brian doesn't know many people here yet.) At that moment Mariah catches a glimpse of him, and drops her umbrella on purpose. Brian comes near to her, picks it up, hands it back, and seizes the chance to introduce himself. Mariah tells him that she has just moved to Sunnyside for a week and is still trying to get to know more about this town. Brian is totally infatuated with Mariah's beautiful friendly smile. He invites her into the restaurant and promises to show her around Sunnyside next time when the weather gets clear.
      They pick a table and sit down facing each other. Jessie comes over to serve them. Brian orders a cheeseburger for each of them plus a large coke with two straws. Mariah feels rather surprised and disgusted at the idea of sharing a drink with Brian, so she quickly orders a soda for herself. After the food is served, they eat and chat, but Mariah feels he doesn't pay full attention on what she says and she feels uncomfortable with the somewhat lustful expression in Brian's eyes. Not long after, she feels Brian's hands stroking her thigh. She is so shocked that she stands up suddenly and splashes her soda all over the table. She warns him angrily, ¡§Don't touch me!" She feels that she needs to cool down, so she leaves the table and goes to the washroom. Luckily she still remembers to turn back to ¡§the Ladies" the moment before she almost steps in ¡§the Gentlemen." Jessie follows her into the washroom. Mariah tells Jessie that she wants to quit and to leave, but Jessie pleads her to go on acting. Mariah agrees, and she starts to understand how Shirley must have felt under this kind of situation.
     Mariah comes back to the table, and Jessie comes over to clean the mess. Brian puts on a charming smile and apologizes for what he did. Mariah asks him to be polite and he swears that he's always very gentle to girls. Jessie also speaks in support of him. He suggests that he teach her how to play the motorcycle racing video game machine (the kind of large video game machine where one can sit on a special chair and plays with the handles) at the corner of the restaurant. Mariah agrees with a smile, but feels it's really funny at her heart because ¡§he" plays this game often and has always got the best score. Brian shows her how to play it, but he doesn't break the best record set by Alan. Now it's Mariah's turn. She sits down and holds the handles. The game starts, and she acts like a novice who plays pretty well. While she's playing, she feels Brian, keeping giving her enthusiastic instructions, placing his hand on her shoulder. She isn't quite sure how she should react, so she keeps on playing. Later, Brian makes an excuse that Mariah would play better with his demonstration, so he sits down beside her, holds her from the back, and places his hands on her hands on the handles. Mariah struggles to free herself, and stares at him in disgust. She repeats, ¡§Don't touch me!" He lets go of her, joking that she's such weird and conservative girl, and that perhaps she would prefer women rather than men. To his surprise, Mariah says, ¡§In fact, I do!" and gives him a punch on the nose! Brian falls on the ground, holding his nose with a confusing expression on the face, and yells, ¡§What for?" Mariah shouts at him, ¡§For every girl I've ever known!" with the original Alan's voice. Aunt Lucy sees everything from the counter and can't help but laugh and applause. Jessie comes over
beside them, drops the check on Brian, and leaves the restaurant with Mariah...no, Alan now.
     A week later the school journal publishes, and Jessie's special column about this ¡§experiment" gets a great success. Shirley meets Jessie and Alan excitedly in school the next morning, and gives both of them a big hug. She thanks Jessie for her great idea and the article to expose the playboy Brian to the school, and she thanks Alan for his sacrifice for her. Alan says that she doesn't have to thank him because he has learned a lot from this experience. He finds that the sincere communication with another human being, just like Shirley said before, is much more pleasant and meaningful to a woman¡Xand it should be so to a man¡Xwhile dating than simply to regard the relationship as a game. And he says that he'll be more polite when dating a girl, and take the relationship seriously. Shirley jokes that Alan is now the most perfect man on earth that women desire for a date!

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3.      Vincent and Alan are best friends in college, even though the disparity between the wealth they had inherited is great. Vincent belongs to the noble family Hastings, while Alan comes from a quite common background. Nonetheless, after graduation Vincent invites Alan to live in his house as his accountant. Lady Alberta, who is Vincent's aunt, is an aristocrat with the highest self-esteem possible. However, her husband is in debt, so she wants to marry off her pretty, shy daughter to Vincent. Vincent, on the other hand, has his eyes turned towards his pretty maid Rose, though Rose has designs of her own. To make matters more complicated, Alan is so much in love with Miss Edeline that he plans to propose to her. He even carries the ring in his pocket all the time. As Lady Philips and her pretty daughter come over to the Hastings Mansion for tea, it is unlikely that anything but the maddest tea party will ensue.

4.      1) Characters: Will Truman: 26 years old. A responsible and ambitious lawyer from Harvard University. Being a lawyer and working diligently, he earns as much money as he can. He has everything he wants, an apartment in Manhattan, Mercedes Benz and good pay except for one thing, it is impossible for him to have children owing to his sexuality, homosexual. Grace Adler: 27 years old. A beautiful but annoying high school English teacher, who likes to read Emily Dickson and to talk about nihilism. Being the best friend of Will Trumn (they know each other from senior high school), Grace wants to help Will have his own children. J.D. (John Dorian): 26 years old. An intern, who likes to imagine when working, always visualizes what he thinks and makes situations funny. Elliot Reid: 25 years old. A nurse works with J.D. in the same hospital.
2) Summary: Although he is a successful lawyer and leads good life, Will Truman still hopes to have his own children. One day, Grace has a crazy idea that he can inseminate her so that they can have their own children without intercourse. Coming to this agreement, they went to the local hospital. Over there, they meet the intern, J.D., who is new to the hospital for one week. Without any experiences in helping people inseminate, J.D., Will and Grace faced many difficulties and makes many jokes.

5.      It's raining cats and dogs. The man sits by the coffee shop window, staring blindly into the splashing rain. He is to preside over a meeting in an hour, but he sees no reason to look forward to it; he's getting tired. He is 31, a manager in a promising company, has a clever and beautiful girlfriend, and owns a handsome car and a comfortable villa. Fame, wealth, a promising future and an enviable life--one can say he has everything--or does he? "What else am I looking for? What can I possibly want?" He has felt worn out before, but the feeling never lasted so long. "Maybe it's the rain¡KI can't seem to get anywhere¡K."
     This is a man who has almost everything that people will envy and aspire after, but he just can't see how much he's already achieved. He's still working like mad. Yes, he sometimes feels confused, but can't see through the matter. He clings to his situation firmly, and is sometimes going too far. He tries to grasp all he can grasp, but he never knows, grasp all, lose all...

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6.      Introduction: It is Chinese New Year's and three brothers and their respective family prepare to return home on Chinese New Year's Eve. The play is supposed to point out the insecurities, deceit, and conflicts between family members.
Characters: The three brothers' parents (Mother and Father); 1st brother ¡V stern, but a coward; 1st brother's wife ¡V constantly comparing with the second wife, very manipulative; 1st brother's son ¡V very young, spoiled by his grandparents; Second brother ¡V very insecure, the least liked by his parents, under the shadow of his big brother; Second brother's wife ¡V cannot stand the weakness of her husband and the trickeries of her sister in law, being spoiled herself, she does not like visiting her in-laws. However, she is a kind person at heart; Youngest brother ¡V He is struggling to hide his failure at work and not living up to the family's expectations. He has a huge debt, which his 2nd brother and his wife are helping him to pay off.
(A cell phone rings in the dark)
2nd brother's wife: Hello? Yes, Mom, We're on our way. We'll be there in¡K..I'm not sure, we're stuck in a traffic jam¡K.But I think soon. Oh, dinner is almost ready? She burned herself? I'm so sorry I wasn't there to help¡K.Yes, I understand, we should have left earlier. We'll see you soon then. (She turns around to look at her husband)
2nd brother: Was that my mom?
2nd brother's wife: Looks like your dear sister-in-law has burned herself making dinner for us. It was all your mother could talk about.
2nd brother: Is it serious?
2nd brother's wife: Ha! I'm guessing she did it on purpose. Burning herself making dinner while we're not even there to help! That's a good way to get your parents to see how obedient she is. I told you we should have left earlier!
2nd brother: And who are you to talk. You're the one who said you wanted to spend as little time there as possible, remember? And now you're complaining again?
2nd brother's wife: Fine! Blame it on me! I wish I'd never married you so I wouldn't be dragged to these reunions and insulted by your family every year. ¡§Can you make this dish? Can you make that dish? When are you going to have a baby?" is what I get all year long! I'm sick of it! I want my life!
2nd brother: (pauses) Please don't talk like that anymore. Can we just pretend that everything is alright?
2nd brother's wife: That's all you can do. Isn't it? Pretend. Pretend that you got the raise. Pretend that there's nothing wrong with us. Pretend, pretend, pretend¡K¡K. I'm telling you, why don't we just turn back and go home. You're parents don't even want to see us. (2nd brother stares at his wife)
(At the parent's home)
Mother: (to 1st brother's wife) Don't wash those vegetables anymore, I'll do it. You'll make your hand worse.
1st brother's wife: No, mom, I'm fine. It's good for the burn. Why don't you relax? I'll get everything done.
Mother: (sighs) You're so well brought up. Not like the other one...
1st brother's wife: (smiling secretly to herself, but pretending not to have heard her mother in law clearly) Sorry, mother? I didn't hear you.
Mother: It's nothing, nothing, just an old woman's complaints.
1st brother's wife: You're still so young mom, don't say that!
Mother: (smiling) That tongue of yours... If I'm so young, than what about all these wrinkles?
1st brother's wife: That's because you're not using the right creams. That reminds me! I haven't unpacked your gifts, oh stupid me. Wait, mom, I'll get it when I get finished with cooking the meal.
(The spotlight moves to the men, they are watching television)
Father: It's good to have to have you home again. But where's your brother, I wonder?
1st brother: Mom just called them; I think they'll be here soon.
Father: Called them, huh? Be here soon? Well, I don't believe a word they say. Ever since he was young, he's been selfish, and now he's married a wife that's worse than he is!
3rd brother: Oh, Father, she's not that bad.
Father: You stop that! I haven't asked why you haven't brought any girls home yet. But I'm telling you - If you want to get married, find a wife like the one your big brother has got over there, and not just some pretty face.
3rd brother: Dad...
1st brother: Come on, little brother, you sure there's no girls that you like?
3rd brother: Well, a lot of the girls at work love me, but I don't like a single one of them. I just don't admire their character.
Father: Well, choose well, son, and don't end up with the type your second brother's got!
1st brother: Yes, and make sure our parents like her before you ask her to marry you. (The three men laugh, the youngest rather uneasily)
3rd brother: Sorry dad, I think I got a call from my boss.
Father: From your boss? On New Year's Eve? Why, he must think a lot of you to be calling you to wish you a Happy New Year! (3rd brother smiles uneasily and leaves)
3rd brother: (speaking into his cell phone) Hello? It's me. Yes, I know I still owe you the money! It's New Year's Eve for crying out loud! Can't you leave me alone for just one day? Please, I beg you¡K.Give me one more chance¡K.don't take my apartment away from me, it's the only thing ¡V hello? Hello? (1st brother walks in)
1st brother: Hey, Maybe we should discuss how much money to give Mom and Dad this year.
3rd brother: You know I can't afford much.
1st brother: It's our parents!
3rd brother: Well, I can't even save my own skin.
1st brother: Well, you got yourself into this, and I think I've been kind enough not to tell mom and dad.
3rd brother: You'll kill them if you tell them.
1st brother: I can't spare anymore money without them finding out!
3rd brother: That's just an excuse! You were the one who advised me to buy those stocks! And now I have nothing! You'd see me lose everything before you'd help me, and only then to gloat! (1st brother looks long and hard at his youngest brother and shrugs)
1st brother: This is how much I'm giving them. You decide how much to give them so they don't get suspicious.
3rd brother: You know I can't ¡V
1st brother: I told you, you decide. (1st brother leaves)
3rd brother: How can there be so much deceit in this family? How?
Mother: (Looks at her watch and shakes her head) It's almost eight. I'm not going to wait for those two any longer. And look, Grandma's baby is so hungry!
1st brother's wife: He loves your cooking, mom.
Mother: (laughs happily) We're going to have to make sure that you get a lot to eat then, don't we! (The family sits down)
Father: Well, I wish you all a wonderful New Year!
Mother: Oh, Why aren't they here yet?
1st brother's wife: Don't worry about them, mother, just eat!
Mother: Oh, I'm not worried; it's just that they can be so irresponsible!
3rd brother: Well, it might really be the traffic.
1st brother: Stop finding excuses for then; they should have know about the traffic and planned to leave earlier! There's no excuse for letting Mom and Dad wait for so long. I'm going to have a serious talk with those two after they arrive.
3rd brother: Maybe it's really not their fault; maybe something happened!
1st brother: (ignores his youngest brother) Mom and Dad, we wish you a wonderful, prosperous new year!
Dad: Yes, I quite agree, let's forget about them and enjoy being together.
1st brother's wife: Sweetie, tell Grandma and Grandpa happy new year!
1st brother's son: Grandma, Grandpa, I wish everything you hope for comes true!
Mother: Oh, isn't he adorable? So smart too! Come give grandma and grandpa a hug.
1st brother: Here dad, eat some more fish.
3rd brother: I'm getting worried about those two.
1st brother's wife: Maybe she doesn't enjoy traditional Chinese cooking and went to eat somewhere else?
3rd brother: She wouldn't do that.
1st brother: So she's your best friend now, is she?
3rd brother: No, I mean, they won't ¡V
1st brother's wife: Maybe she'll arrive when all the work is finished ¡V
Mother: I quite agree with you, darling...
3rd brother: I can't take this anymore ¡V
Father: Take what, son?
3rd brother: This! This manipulation! All of this!
Mother: Are you drunk?
1st brother: Get a grip on yourself!
3rd brother: You selfish, selfish...you wouldn't even give a penny to help your own bother while you accuse the one who still has a conscience!
Father: Son, what are you talking about?
Mother: Yes? What the ¡V
3rd brother: (pointing at his eldest brother) Ask him! Why don't you all ask him! (All turn to look at the 1st brother. The phone begins to ring. Nobody moves. It gets louder and louder.) (Slowly, 3rd brother moved towards the phone. He picks it up and listens without expression. He hangs up slowly)
3rd brother: (so quietly, that no one hears him) There's been an accident.
Father: Well, speak up, son. Was it your grand-aunt?
3rd brother: (face pale, with a haunted look in his eye) Their car crashed, just around the corner.
Mother: Who crashed?
3rd brother: It happened an hour ago. They're in critical condition...

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7. Title: Disillusionment at the airport
Setting: CKS International Airport, 2006 summer
Main Characters:
John
¡V A 24-year-old idealistic man from a common family, college graduated, just finished 2-year military service, with no economic foundation but very optimistic view of future. He has been Mary's boyfriend since college years and she is his first love. He believes that they will work out all their problems and eventually get married.
Mary ¡V A 23-year-old practical woman from a rich family; she has just finished master degree and coming back from abroad. She is greedy for love and care and she longs for a romantic and luxurious life with a perfectly matching partner. Most recently she is deeply attracted to Steven but she is unwilling to cut away from John before she makes sure that Steven would love her back.
Steven ¡V A 28-year-old cunning and playful man with a mysterious, wealthy background;, he is very generous in spending money to please ladies, very good at
creating a romantic atmosphere as well. He is actually a drug smuggler, working together with Roxanne, and makes use of Mary's admiration without letting her aware of it. However, he's kind of falling for Mary gradually in some sincere part of his heart.
Roxanne - A 26-year-old sexy, energetic, and hypocritical woman from the bottom of the society, not educated, very selfish and malicious, always gets her own way at all costs. She needs Steven's love badly and has a sexual relationship with him but Steven never requites her love. She got acquainted with Mary at graduate school and later on introduced her to Steven in order to use her in drug dealing.
Story:
     
Mary has lost contact with John for a month since their last fierce quarrel. She gets her master degree and flies back to Taiwan without notifying him. Surprisingly, Steven, a handsome guy whom she has adored for a long time takes the same plane and sits right next to her. Steven makes a romantic planned proposal during the flight and she decides to marry him. However, John shows up at the airport unexpectedly with a series of sweet surprise he has planned with effort to welcome her back with. Fortunately, John actually appears when Steven is absent somehow and they don't encounter each other until much later. Meanwhile, since Mary has never told John about Steven and neither has she told Steven anything about John, she tries to make John spontaeneously break up with her, beginning with frustrating him, then ridiculing him, and finally shouting at him. At last, she can't help but tell him the truth. On the other hand, Roxanne and Steven are arguing with each other because she thinks that his love toward Mary would undermine their business. They accidentally arouse the police's attention. When Steven and Roxanne suddenly appear in front of John and Mary, chased by a bunch of police, Steven pulls out a gun and has Mary as their hostage. John gets very angry and anxious to rescue Mary but is finally shot dead by Steven. Mary, knowing that she has been set-up by Steven and Roxanne all the time, becomes very angry and extremely sorry for John's death. She takes over the gun, first points at Steven and Roxanne but finally commits suicide on the spot. ~The End~

8.      On the sidewalk, an old woman sits in a small chair. Before her are several boxes and containers placed on a rug. A sign reads, "For those who are destined to have." People come and go, but none stops to look. Even those who turn their heads only cast weird glances at the woman. She pay them no attention and sits there motionlessly. Night falls and passers-by decrease. A cat comes over and looks at the containers curiously. It sniffs and walks around one of the boxes. The lid slides off and a circle of light appears next to the woman and the cat. Ghost-like figures appear in the light. The cat looks at them curiously, while the woman tells the cat about the story hidden in the box. The figures inside the light move around and act out the story out as she speaks. When the story ends the light disappears along with the figures. The cat flips open another box, light appears again but with different figures inside. The woman starts another tale. This keeps on repeating until all containers have been opened. (The story may be about love, downfall, betrayal, and all other events we encounter in life.) Then the cat goes over to the woman's handbag and picks out another box. The woman tries to stop the cat from opening it but fails. The light appears. Out comes a monstrous voice, followed by the cat's shriek. The box closes itself. Light darkens. The cat is nowhere in sight. The end.
(Moral: Curiosity kills the cat. Some things are better left hidden.)

9.      A man and his wife had been married for years but failed to have any children. One day, the man came to a coffee shop and was supposed to meet a volunteer who was going to be the surrogate mother for their child there. However, he came there early and met another woman. This woman sitting there alone was waiting for her date. This was her 31st blind date. Before she came to the coffee shop, she had made up her mind that she simply had to make it work out this time. She refused to be single any longer. The mistake began when the man politely asked the woman, "You are..." and the woman jumped in his words by saying, "Yes." They both postponed the most important issue and decided to "know each other first." They did not realize the meeting was a mistake until the man mentioned for the first time about his " wife." And then he took out a contract on which these words were clearly written, "for surrogate mother." A man desperate for a kid met a woman desperate for love. What will happen to them?

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10.      Oscar is a middle-aged man who works in a publishing house. He gets married to a woman named Mary. They have a daughter, Catherine. Oscar has an affair with his assistant, Olivia. Oscar is a kind man, but his niceness sometimes brings him into an endless series of awkward situations. Every time Oscar's colleagues ask him for help, he is unable to turn them down. And he has to do vast amounts of additional work. Besides, Oscar's immediate problem is that he cannot choose between his wife and mistress. He tries his best to please them both, but he can't be with one or the other every day. Also, he has to tell lies to prevent Mary from knowing about Olivia. He doesn't have his own time. His time is occupied by additional work, his wife and mistress. His project are interfered with to the point where his career is at risk. He takes the easy way out - using lies and excuses. However, lies and excuses have the inevitable side-effect that Oscar is disbelieved. His wife and mistress don't trust him and blame him. His wife wants a divorce and Olivia wants to leave him. Moreover, Oscar can't complete the project before the deadline and perhaps he will be fired. Can Oscar turn over a new leaf and adopt a policy of honesty or will Oscar end up miserable?

11.      The Yellowish Blob
Scene 1:
     The scene opens in a well-established town. Everything is constructed in a colorful manner, but also all with a very earthy feeling. There are many ants walking around, chatting and selling things. A few scholarly ants sing about the history of their colony and the glory of the present day. A quiet, blind prophet ant sings of how one must not be too proud of their present glory and that they must not live too well in ease.
Scene 2:
     The queen ant comes out and the prophet hides away. She stands in golden costume, shinning like a goddess. She speaks of how their world will never fall, of how nothing can destroy them. Suddenly a yellowish drop falls from the sky and lands in the middle of town. It smells sweet and delicious. A few young worker ants take tastes of it. The queen runs away in fear, and many elder people guard it with fear. Yet, the taste of it is so delicious that soon even the elders fall for it. The prophet runs out screaming, ¡§It's poison! It's poison! It's the doom of the world!" He is killed by the mob furiously in love with the blob.
Scene 3:
     The whole country is in love with the yellowish blob. They all take and give freely at first. Then as the supply of it lowered, they started to sale it through markets. The ants who eat it became dreamy and unable to work properly. Some ants even die from eating it, but no one seems to notice. The queen enacts laws to protect the supply for herself and thus enrages the ant colony. Everyone wants the blob for themselves; no one is willing to share anymore. They start to kill each other off, fighting for a bite of the yellowish blob.
Scene 4:
     The country now lies barren. All the great buildings lie in ruin. There are dead ants all over the ground. A great bottle stands in the background. It says, ¡§Ants 98-your best ant-killer". A voice over of a human says, ¡§Honey! Did you kill the ants?" ¡§Yes, sweet. I don't think they will be any problem for us anymore." ¡§We humans can conquer nature, can't we?" ¡§Yeah, we sure can."

12.      Scene (1)
     In a hotel. It's almost midnight, and a shrill scream from one of the rooms can be heard almost everywhere nearby. It's obviously a murder case, and Conani (as
the name implies, he is a detective), without any further consideration, decides to come out and figure this case out. He accidentally comes near by (what a coincidence!) and runs into the hotel to investigate this murder case. The victim is a charming woman, who has been strangled with a rope. The witness to the
horrible scene is a waiter in the hotel. Detective comes to the spot and asks all the present certain questions and starts his detective journey.
Scene (2)
     The process of investigation. Actually I haven't planned it 100%, and this part does require a careful plan. However, the purpose of writing this play is to indicate that detective stories (especially cartoons on TV) are usually too innocent, so that the details might contradict themselves, and the detective seems not quite smart and sophisticated enough to figure this case out. Anyway, the ¡§victim" simply killed herself, for she thinks she is not beautiful enough, but this simple fact isn't found out until the detective eventually realizes it. No murderers are going to be sent into jail.
Scene (3)
     Happy ending. The detective still walks around to find some cases for him to figure out. The reason why he can be that famous is that he usually walks all over the city to make inquiries about whether there are any murder cases needing solving or not.

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13.      Title: A Perfect Life
    David is turning 30. He has a good career ahead of him, but his parents are not happy. They want him to get marry and have children. His boss won't promote him because he thinks a married man is more stable and responsible. David doesn't want to get married because he wants to focus on his career, plus, there's no one around him that he really wants to spend the rest of his life with. However, under pressure from his family and his boss, he agrees to go on a blind date set up by his parents. The girl comes from a very ordinary family. She is good at cooking, house keeping, and is very likely to have a boy baby, according to David's mother. David doesn't love her but he doesn't dislike her either. They get married soon after. It is a peaceful marriage. He goes to work every day and goes home for dinner. She cooks everyday and keeps the house clean and neat. They are a perfect couple. They never fight or quarrel. A year later, David becomes the target of his parents and his boss again. They start saying it's time for the couple to have a baby. David's mom even makes them go to the hospital to see if they have any problem having babies. Before the test result comes out, his wife is pregnant. He doesn't even bother to read the test result when it arrives. He is insulted by the fact that they are forced to have a baby and are forced to get a check up as if they have some defect just because they don't have a baby. David is now a perfect man with a nice career, a wife, and a baby. No one has any doubt about him any longer. He discusses business with his boss while his wife talks about kids with the boss's wife. No one nags him now. He has everything a man would want. One evening, he receives the phone call from the hospital. The doctor tells him first that he's sorry about the fact that David is not able to have a baby, and wants to know if he's interested with a new technique coming out right now that can help him solve the problem. He drops the phone and falls into the sofa. He suddenly laughs out loud. ¡§This is what one calls a perfect life, huh?" he yells.

14.
     Cast: Maggie: a business woman in middle thirty, divorced. Smart and feminine but lacking in humor and who seems forever tense and not so good-tempered. She has a son named Shane.
Ted: a young man in his late twenties. Comes from a well-off family but he has cut off his relationship with them to pursue his dream of becoming a director. He now is a famous director in Britain. Romantic but sometimes weird and stubborn, just like an artist.
Shane: Maggie's fourteen-year-old son. Naughty.
Plot: Maggie and Ted used to be a couple four or five years ago. They met in one afternoon when Maggie took a walk in the Hyde Park and then carelessly fell into a pond. Ted was also in the park that afternoon looking for some inspiration, and he saved Maggie. Afterwards they started to go out together, and even considered marrying. However, several weeks after they became engaged, Ted was found sleeping with a naked girl on his bed on the morning of his twenty-fifth birthday, when Maggie had originally wanted to give him a surprise. Maggie believed that Ted had cheated on her, though it was in fact just a trick Ted's college friends had played on him; Ted was drugged and was unconscious. Still, they broke up.
     After several years, Ted became a famous director, and Maggie the head of an international business. Today Ted was in Brighton to promote his film, and Maggie was there on business. They meet each other and start to talk about the past in a café. Finally they clear up their misunderstands and go back to their former lives again.


15.       Background: a city, similar to the one we now live in
Protagonist: a man or woman, who holds an important position in a food trading/distributing corporation, who is facing substantial problems at work, as well as at home
The company: distributes human flesh as food
The problems: (1) public opinions/moral concerns
(2) short supply of infants/the protagonist's own baby
(3) struggle (moral/family/corporation)
The spouse: doubtful, unsupportive of the career morally; pained at having to sacrifice the child
Story: begins in a satirical/hilarious way¡]people talk and act as if in regular trading company¡^; urgent demand specifically on infants of a certain age/size, which is in short supply; the protagonist has to decide whether to sacrifice his/her own child
Revelation: painful awakening/disillusion of the protagonist; confession/condemnation addressed to the corporation/the public/the society/the audience

16.      A man in his forties has just heard from the doctor that he has lung cancer. He has always been an honest man, hard working, and has always gone by the rules. He is fairly strict and rarely has fun at all, and he is modestly rich and very devoted to his job as a financial manager. He has issues with his colleagues because of his hard-to-get-along with and demanding personality. He struggles with how to break the news to his daughter and also to his wife, whom he has been separated from and is on the verge of divorcing. His daughter is in her rebellious teens and has just begun smoking and is also secretly doing drugs with her friends. She is curious and young and inexperienced and yet deep down she still loves her father very much, and yearns for more of his attention. He also wants to make things right with his coworkers by giving them a break and not always being on their backs. As a fulfillment of his dying wish, he is able to patch up these broken relationships and even get back together with his wife. When he is a changed man, he returns to the doctor to express that he wishes to undergo no further cancer treatment and just wants to be left alone, when he finds out that the hospital had been mistaken and that it had only been a false alarm...

17.      It all happens one day before the holiday arrives - when Amber declares that she officially hates Valentine's Day. She refuses to spend time for this 'stupid, pointless excuse for commodity indulgence' even if she is currently seeing someone (Conner) - because she can see no love in that stupid holiday but formalism, formalism and formalism.
     Conner has everything planned and booked three weeks before the 14th, and is looking forward to spend a nice weekend with his sweetheart. But he has no idea what he is going to face next. This is probably the most humiliating disaster in his whole life A his girl disappeared from his town and his world leaving no clue at all. (Conner Slater is 30, works as an editor in a publishing company)
     Amber figures the only way to escape the whole holiday torment is to disappear altogether. She flies all the way from New York to San Francisco to stay with her girlfriend (Bianca), and to pretend that Valentine's Day never really exists. She is unaware of that the world still goes on even if you turn your eyes away. (Amber Robinson is 28, writes for magazine)
     Bianca is not seeing anyone on a regular basis; she only dates or flirts with some guys - nothing serious though. If not working (which she's very professional at), Bianca spends most of her time in theaters and pubs. She's recently been promoted as the department executive. But behind the seemingly fulfilling life she leads, she has her own troubles. (Bianca Maura is 29, works for an advertising company)
     Luisa is mentally unstable; she's unable to control her emotions and can be very dangerous sometimes. She can understand people perfectly, but when it comes to response, her emotional intensity is very extreme. But because of this illness, Luisa is always 100% honest with herself, and she knows how to love in her own way. (Luisa Maura, sister to Bianca, is 23, dropped out of university two years ago)
     Really simple plot sequence:
1) (SF: 2/13) Amber knocks Bianca's door and surprises her. The girls talk about Valentine's Day, complain about people and life, and finally decide to go out (for shopping or stuff).
2) (NY: midnight) Conner at home, trying every number in the address book he found in Amber's apartment. Nobody seems to know anything until Luisa picks up the phone. After their (interesting? Intense?) conversation, Conner flies to SF.
3) (SF: evening) The girls come home, finding Conner in the house. Awkwardness. Fight. Silence.
4) (SF: midnight) Now they're in separate rooms; Bianca and Conner, Luisa and Amber have different problems to solve and lessons to learn. They have to face themselves, big time.
5) (SF: 2/14) Conciliation. Happy Valentine's Day.

18.      Young princess Shasa's father, King Minsc of Azeroth, was murdered by a secret cult. Shasa succeeds her father and reigns as Queen Shasa, only now her kingdom lies in chaos under the dark power of the Secret Cult of Sirius, which worships the Underdark Gods and gains their power from demons. They now control major cities of the kingdom and threaten to overrun the capital in days. Desperate for the safety and future of her people, Queen Shasa calls for help from her neighboring nations, only to find the Cult of Sirius inflicting damage and destruction in all kingdoms.
     As she is preparing to surrender her people to the evil Cult, a beggar comes to the palace and asks to see the queen. He tells her that if she would marry him, he will lead the people of Azeroth against the Cult and he ensures her of their victory. The queen bravely accepts his proposal, partly because there is no other way, and they are married. Then the beggar takes off his rags and there under his rags is shining armor. He is not a beggar, but a knight in shining armor. Sir Lucius is his name. And then he leads the army into battle against the evil Cult.
     They win, but Sir Lucius dies.


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