A Sketch by Jean-Pierre Martinez
Two characters stand side by side, looking up at the sky.
One – Have you seen all those stars?
Two – Yes.
One – I wonder how many there are.
Two – Three thousand two hundred and twenty-seven.
One – What?
Two – I counted them. There are three thousand two hundred and twenty-seven.
One – You’re joking.
Two – Yes.
One – Even if you could count them… between the ones we can still see but are already dead, and the ones that have just been born but we can’t see yet…
Two – It’s like asking how many people there are on Earth. Even if you got a birth announcement for each one, with postal delays, you’d never know the exact number.
One – Speaking of which, the neighbour’s dead.
Two – The neighbour across the street?
One – The one next door.
Two – I didn’t know. How long ago?
One – About two weeks. We missed the funeral. I’ve only just received the notice.
Two – He should’ve put it directly in our letterbox.
Blackout.
All the texts available on this website can be downloaded for free. However, performance rights, which constitute fair compensation for the author’s work, are a legal obligation. Whether you are an amateur or a professional, you must request authorization to perform the play and pay the corresponding royalties for the production.
To get in touch with Jean-Pierre Martinez and ask an authorization to represent one of his works: CONTACT FORM.
A sketch from the collection Stage Briefs
Link to the collection for free download (PDF)
Find all of Jean-Pierre Martinez’s plays on his website:
https://jeanpierremartinez.net