mead hunter (he/him)
Mead Hunter has written three original plays, translated four plays from the Italian, and crafted four adaptations for live performance.
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Tranche de Vie
A play by Mead Hunter Excerpt for Theatre Viscera VAL
Sloan, it’s a little late to be asking this, but you didn’t tell anyone from the Players that you were coming here tonight, did you? SLOAN Well, I hardly had the chance, now, did I? With this sudden invite? VAL It’s just that I really hate when tongues start to wag during a rehearsal process, and the show’s not even open, you know? What do you say we frustrate the gossips by, um… SLOAN Keeping the drama on the stage? No prob. Hey, cool-looking cocktails. VAL Yeah, they look almost poisonous under these lights. SLOAN Hey, Valeria—you didn’t put anything in this, did you? You planning to slip me a mickey? VAL Well, there’s the splash of vermouth, but basically it’s scotch on the rocks. Mabuhay! SLOAN No, I mean like hemlock or truth serum or LSD. Or a roofie. VAL You’re kidding, right? SLOAN Right. Nostrovia! [They clink glasses and Sloan sips his drink. Val almost sips, then studies the glass.] VAL Know what else is fun? I have this Godzilla wind-up that’s just like the nun. Only greener. It’s on the middle shelf of the cabinet, right behind you … see it? SLOAN How about we just enjoy our drinks right now and I can look at your curio collection a little later. VAL Just grab the Godzilla for me first, k? Come on, hurry up, you’re going to love this cocktail. I want to see how much. SLOAN But Val: you’re the one who’s not drinking. VAL [slowly sets down her glass, staring at him] No. I’ve decided I better keep a clear head about me tonight. [Suddenly Sloan reacts to something he sees over Val’s shoulder. Val shrieks and spills her drink on him. Then Cory steps into the room. He’s dressed like a skinhead, complete with baldpate. Outside, distantly, a police howler siren begins to be audible. It will gain in intensity and proximity through the following sequence.] CORY What’s going on here? VAL Jesus fuck Cory, you scared me— (to Sloan) no, you scared me, Christ. Sloan, this is my brother, Cory; Cory, this is Sloan, the guy who -- CORY Sloan. That’s what he’s calling himself now? VAL What? CORY [to Sloan] Wasn’t it Paul or Saul or something the other night? VAL Oh. CORY What is he doing here, Val? Was he hanging around the building / or something? SLOAN Hey, you know what, it’s okay, I’m leaving, okay? / I was just going. VAL Uh, Cory, this is Sloan, the guy I told you about / from the play? CORY I want to know / what’s happening here. VAL I was just making Sloan a Maltese Falcon, / do you hear me, Cory? A nice Maltese Falcon for Sloan here when you-- CORY [to Sloan] Couldn’t take no for an answer, is that it? You think you can just come in here and muscle in on / my life when I made it clear-- SLOAN Look, I’ll just go, all right, let’s just act like-- [Sloan tries to get around Cory by going downstage, but Cory grabs him and trips him. Sloan scrambles to his feet and backs up a little, hands up, then remembers his Taser and dashes upstage to grab his jacket. Finds the jacket: no Taser. Looks around desperately, grabs a large knife from the kitchen knife block. Cory laughs.] CORY Who do you think you are, Norman Bates? VAL He was looking for this. [She takes the Taser out of her pocket, tosses it to Cory, who fumbles it and the thing lands in the middle of the room.] CORY Shit. [All three lunge for it, but the melee quickly becomes a fight between Cory and Sloan, with Sloan gaining possession of the weapon and Cory struggling to keep him from using it. Sounds of a police piercer siren, very close now, join the howler. Meanwhile Val grabs the Maltese Falcon and bangs Sloan over the head with it. He drops the Taser, Cory grabs it, Tases him. For a second Sloan grimaces and is completely rigid, and in that moment Val hits him again. He collapses. Cory checks his pulse. Several last short bursts from a loud police horn, followed by murmur of offstage voices.] VAL Please tell me he’s dead. [End of Excerpt.] |
