Brick Puzzle
by
Greg Romero
Lights up on an empty stage. There are three doors on the backstage wall.
AMY enters from the stage right door. She wears a scarf on her head and bare feet. She carries a votive. She sits cross-legged.
ANN enters from the center stage door. She is dressed in pajamas and carries the New York Times crossword. She sits cross-legged.
PETER enters from the stage left door. He wears dark clothes and a mask. He is holding a brick. He sits cross-legged.
Silence on stage.
Lights down.
Lights up. AMY, very relaxed, does a series of yoga positions. ANN begins working on her crossword. PETER begins laying a foundation of bricks.
AMY
Can.
ANN
Be.
PETER
Brown.
ANN
Or White. (pause) Rice. R. I. C. E.
AMY
Make.
ANN
Cookies.
PETER
Or.
ANN
Cakes. (pause) Bake. B. A. K. E.
AMY
Short.
ANN
For.
PETER
Little.
ANN
(pause). Lil. L. I. L. Lil.
AMY
Measures.
ANN
Your.
PETER
Vital.
ANN
Signs. An E blank blank. KG. An EKG.
AMY
Roman.
ANN
Numeral.
PETER
For.
ANN
Seven. (pause) V. I. I.
AMY
Five.
ANN
Letter.
PETER
Word.
ANN
For five. Five letters in five. F. I. V. E. No. That’s only four. Four letters in five. Doesn’t fit in the blocks. Must make it fit. Fiver. Fives. Fever. Filer. Foils. Feets. Foots.
AMY
Stretch.
(silence)
ANN
What?
(pause)
AMY
Stretch.
ANN
What?
AMY
Four can make five. A long "I". Make the "I" bigger and it fits. A bigger "I" can connect. Stretch the "I".
PETER
It fits. Connecting together by stretching the "I". The "I" can move outside of the box. Stretch and connect. Like a brick. Bricks are lined together. All connected. Joined together they stretch. One small thing making everything around it bigger and stronger. Growing bigger. One brick at a time.
ANN
Like a wall?
PETER
Like a road.
(Pause)
AMY
Two
ANN
Letter
PETER
Word.
ANN
For "me".
(pause)
AMY
Stretch.
(pause)
ANN
What?
AMY
A long "I". It can fill two spaces.
ANN
Two spaces?
(pause)
ANN
"I" can fill two spaces?
AMY
Stretch.
PETER
Fit.
(Silence as AMY continues to do Yoga, ANN works on the puzzle, PETER lays bricks)
AMY
Stretch.
PETER
Fit.
AMY
Find.
PETER
It.
ANN
I don’t understand.
AMY
Stretch.
PETER
Fit.
AMY
Find.
PETER
It.
(AMY and PETER continue their activity, repeating "Stretch" and "Fit", "find" and "it" while ANN begins to tear the crossword, assembling the letters and blocks together on the ground, saying:)
ANN
R. I. C. E. B. A. K. E. L. I. L. K. G. V. I. I. F. I. V. E. I.
(ANN continues arranging as AMY and PETER continue stretching and fitting until ANN arranges:)
"if I give, I live like a brick". If I give, I live like a brick.
(pause)
(AMY, ANN and PETER join hands)
lights down
END OF PLAY
"Brick Puzzle" IS COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL AND MAY NOT BE DOWNLOADED, TRANSMITTED, PRINTED OR PERFORMED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR
"Brick Puzzle" debuted July 19, 2002, performed by Amy McClellan, Ann Taylor, and Peter Rogers. Directed by Ann Taylor.
Library]
