Scenes for my drama students

Dear Readers,

My middle school drama students are doing monologues and they’re going pretty well. After they do monologues, they’ll do scenes. It’s hard to find a bunch of good clean easy to understand scenes appropriate for middle school students, so I decided to write a few of my own. Enjoy!

Title: Unwarranted
Characters: Cop and a Man.
Setting: A busy street in the downtown of a big city.

The cop stops a man walking down the street. The man is carrying a bag.

Cop: Excuse me, sir. (pause) Sir! Good evening sir.

Man: Good evening.

Cop: Is that your bag?

Man: This one?

Cop: Yes.

Man: (annoyed, confused) Yes, I’m carrying this bag and yes it’s mine.

Cop: Can I look in it?

Man: Excuse me?

Cop: Do you mind if I look in your bag?

Man: You want to look in my bag?

Cop: Yes sir, very quickly. A glance is all I need.

Man: (pause) Do you have a search warrant?

Cop: Look, sir, I’m going to be honest with you. No, I do not have a search warrant. OK? But, I’m just asking you politely, please.

Man: I don’t know. I’m in a bit of a hurry. (starts to walk away)

Cop: I understand that, sir, and I wouldn’t ask you if it wasn’t important. This is important, sir, seriously important. To be honest, I know this is a strange request, but if you let me have a quick look in your bag, I’ll buy you dinner, how about that? Dinner from any restaurant you like, out of my own personal money. Steak, mashed potatoes, soup, whatever. You like Italian?

Man: I have to go.

Cop: (stops him) I’m going to ask you again: may I have a quick look in your bag?

Man: You know what? No.

Cop: What are you hiding, sir?

Man: This is unbelievable. Just because I don’t want you to look in my bag, you think I’m hiding something? (Gets out a cell phone and starts videotaping the cop and himself.) OK, tell me again that you want to look in my bag.

Cop: What are you doing with that thing?

Man: I’m filming you.

Cop: Look, would you please put your cell phone video camera away?

Man: You know, I’d rather not put it away.

Cop: I don’t feel comfortable continuing with that thing on.

Man: Why not? Come on, tell me you want to look in my bag and then tell me you don’t have a warrant. That’s what you were doing before I turned this thing on.

Cop: Put that thing away.

Man: What’s the matter with having our conver-

Cop: Put that thing away!

Man: What did I do wrong, carry a suspicious-looking bag? Oooo… plain black… very suspicious. Last time I checked walking down the street carrying a bag is not a crime. (speaks into phone.) Oh, and let it be known to all who find this video that this cop offered to buy me dinner if I would let him look in the bag. Weird. (Closes cell phone) Well, thank you for an entertaining afternoon. (Man starts to exit. Cop hold Man’s elbow.)

Cop: Hold on a second.

Man: Let go of me.

Cop: Hold on a second.

Man: Let go of me! (Man jerks his arm away and runs offstage.)

Cop: (Cop opens his own cell phone and calls someone.) Hey… No, I didn’t get it. There’s too many people around. He’s headed north on 51st avenue. I can still see him. Make sure to get his cell phone. Then destroy it.

End of scene.



Title: Dripping Love Letters
Characters: A man and a female mail carrier.
Setting: The middle of the day in the suburbs. The mail carrier is putting mail into a big collection of mail boxes.

Man: Nice day, huh? (pause. louder) Nice day huh?

Mail Carrier: Yeah, it is a nice day.

Man: Nice day for stuffing mailboxes.

Mail Carrier: Huh?

Man: I said, nice day for stuffing mailboxes, you know putting all those envelopes into these mailboxes. The weather is nice, I mean, that’s all. Real sunny.

Mail Carrier: Yeah.

Man: It would be a shame if it were raining on you.

Mail Carrier: That’s right.

Man: Then all the mail would get wet, too.

Mail Carrier: Yeah. Well, thankfully we’ve had some really good weather lately.

Man: But I guess the mail really wouldn’t get wet, because I’ve gotten the mail before on a rainy day, and my mail isn’t wet from the rain. How do you stop that, I wonder, if it’s raining outside, how do you keep all the rain from getting into the mail? That’s something that I’ve never thought about before, but I’m wondering about it now for some reason. I mean, imagine all those soggy postcards and dripping love letters. So how do you do it?

Mail Carrier: Well, we just keep the mail inside as much as possible. Keep it in the post office, keep it in the vehicles, and if it gets pouring down really hard, well, I’ll take a break sometimes. Usually the really really rainy parts of the storms, the flash flood type of raining, those don’t last too long.

Man: Nice. I love breaks. How long have you been a mail carrier? I’m just making conversation.

Mail Carrier: Seven years.

Man: Seven years? Is that right.

Mail Carrier: That’s right.

Man: Seven years. Seven years of putting all those envelopes in all those mailboxes. I couldn’t stand a job like that. The repetitiveness. I mean, I respect it, stuffing mailboxes, it’s respectable. You’re respectable. Thank you for being respectable.

Mail Carrier: Are you feeling OK?

Man: I feel fine. Very good, in fact. I’ve got a smile on my face. (Mail Carrier starts to walk away.) It’s good to talk to you. Oh, are you done?

Mail Carrier: I’m done.

Man: Well before you go, I have to ask you, do you want to go to dinner or something, sometime?

Mail Carrier: Oh, that’s flattering, but I’m married.

Man: Oh. Sorry. I didn’t know. I looked on your hand to see if you were wearing a ring, and you weren’t, so I just thought that maybe…

Mail Carrier: I accidentally left my ring at home.

Man: I’m sorry. I never would have asked if I knew. I'm not that kind of person. Sorry. Well, thank you for delivering my mail.

Mail Carrier: You’re welcome.

Man: Bye. Thanks again for getting my mail to me.

End of Scene


Title: No Cheese At All
Characters: Tony and Dustin
Setting: An office in a fast-food restaurant. Tony, a new boss at a fast food restaurant, is talking to Dustin, an employee.

Dustin enters.

Tony: Hi, thanks for coming in.

Dustin: You’re welcome.

Tony: Have a seat. Yeah, that’s fine, just move that stuff over.

Dustin: (sits) Is everything OK?

Tony: Listen, Dennis-

Dustin: Dustin.

Tony: Oh, sorry, uh, Dustin, that’s right. Dustin, let me just start by saying I’m a nice guy, OK?

Dustin: OK.

Tony: I’m a new manager, did you know that?

Dustin: No.

Tony: Well, I need to talk to you.

Dustin: OK. (pause) That’s why I’m here.

Tony: It’s not going to be easy.

Dustin: Is this about how I came in late?

Tony: You came in late?

Dustin: Uh, no. (pause) I mean, well… I thought maybe you thought I came in late because… the clock in the kitchen is wrong.

Tony: Oh. I should really go fix that clock. (stands up and starts to leave. Dustin looks confused.) Oh wait, I have to talk to you. Silly me. (comes back and sits back down. long pause.)

Dustin: Is this about the order I messed up? The triple cheeseburger?

Tony: Yes, the triple cheeseburger! That’s it! OK, that lady requested no cheese, no cheese at all, Dennis, and what did you give her?

Dustin: Cheese?

Tony: Yes, you gave her cheese.

Dustin: It was a cheeseburger. How can you have a cheeseburger with no cheese?

Tony: That’s not the point, Dennis, the point is-

Dustin: My name is Dustin.

Tony: Dustin, well, you look like a Dennis, did anybody ever tell you that?

Dustin: How do I look like a Dennis? And I’ve got this nametag on, you know. It says Dustin.

Tony: Well I knew a guy named Dennis once and, well, that’s not important. Where was I?

Dustin: Cheese.

Tony: Cheese! You put cheese on the triple cheeseburger when she asked for no cheese and she’s a regular customer, you know. She comes in every day and we don’t want to make her mad. She brings a lot of money into this place- money that goes into your paycheck, Den… Dustin.

Dustin: Alright, alright, I get it. Don’t put cheese on cheeseburgers if they don’t want cheese.

Tony: Right. Good. Perfect.

Dustin: I just can’t believe I got in trouble for something that small.

Tony: No, now, uh… duh… (trying hard to remember his name)

Dustin: Dustin.

Tony: Dustin, now, nobody said you were in trouble, I’m a nice guy, remember? Just remember that the customer is the first priority number one. Numero Uno. (stands up) So, do we understand each other?

Dustin: Yep.

Tony: Good. I’m glad we had this little talk. (Tony offers his hand for a handshake.) Now go out there and make some burgers!


Title: Wouldn’t that be so awesome?
Characters: Two high school girls, Lisa and Sherry.
Setting: Lisa’s bedroom. Lisa and Sherry are studying for a geography test.


Sherry: Ugh… I hate geography.

Lisa: I know.

Sherry: No, you don’t understand. I hate geography!

Lisa: Like, I know.

Sherry. I mean, what’s the point of memorizing all these places nobody’s ever heard of anyway?

Lisa: Like, grades.

Sherry: Ugh. Seriously, I’m only sixteen, but I already know everything I need to know about geography. I know where the school is, I know where the mall is, I know where I live, I know where all the cool people live, I can point to America on a map of America. What else do I need to know?

Lisa: (looking down on a piece of paper) The capitol of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, like, according to Mr. Hammer’s study guide.

Sherry: Hey, you want to go see a movie?

Lisa: Sherry, we can’t. You have an F in Geography, and if you don’t get your grades up, like, you’re kicked off the volleyball team, like, forever.

Sherry: You want to get ice cream?

Lisa: We have to study! What’s the capitol of the Democratic Republic of the Congo?

Sherry: Ok. Let me think. Rrrr. Rrrr… it starts with an R, doesn’t it?

Lisa: No.

Sherry: Oh that’s right it’s not an R, Ok hold on, it’s coming to me, it’s uh… Mmmmm mmmmmuuu… Am I close?

Lisa: No.

Sherry: Brazzaville! It’s Brazzaville!

Lisa: No, that’s the capitol of the Republic of the Congo. I asked for the capitol of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Sherry: What?

Lisa: Brazzaville is the capitol of the Republic of the Congo, but, like, the capitol of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is different.

Sherry: Wait a minute. There’s a democratic Congo and then there’s a… a regular Congo? They’re two different countries?

Lisa: Yeah.

Sherry: That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard! How am I supposed to remember all that? Ugh! All those countries should just die!

Lisa: Sherry Marie Montgomery! I have an uncle who lives in the Congo!

Sherry: No you don’t.

Lisa: Yes I do.

Sherry: No you don’t. All your uncles live in Texas!

Lisa: Except for Felix! And Felix, like, practically lives in the Congo.

Sherry: The democratic one or the regular one?

Lisa: I don’t know. OK, like, maybe Felix doesn’t live there, but he, like, went on a safari there once. He got his picture taken with a hippo and everything.

Sherry: Really? Hippos are cool. You're right. Gosh, that was really mean of me, to say that all those countries should die, but you know I was joking. All I’m saying is that they should get their name situation straightened out. Two countries having practically the same name is like two high schools having the same mascot. It just shouldn't be done. But I’m sure all the Congo people are cool.

Lisa: Yeah, Felix told me they were really cool. Congo people, like, run with antelopes and moose and stuff.

Sherry: I know. They must have buff legs.

Lisa: Wouldn’t it be cool if we had a Congo man? Like a real live Congo man?

Sherry: Oh my gosh, yeah! And then we brought him to geography class? I bet if we did, Mr. Hammer wouldn’t make us take the geography test, we could just say, see, look, we brought in a real live Congo man! Here he is! And then he could speak in his special language and throw a spear or something.

Lisa: Oh my gosh, if we really did that then you would totally get an A in the class! Or maybe we could adopt a Congo baby, like Angelina Jolie did! Wouldn't that be so awesome?

End of scene