She is sitting, reading. He approaches very hesitantly.
Him – Um… Excuse me for bothering you, but…
Her – Yes?
Him – I was wondering if… you’d be willing to… tell me the time, please.
Her – Sorry, but my watch has stopped.
Him – Oh…
Her – Probably the battery.
Him – That’s inconvenient…
Her – Yes.
Him – Well, then, I won’t bother you any longer.
Her – Mmm…
He’s about to leave but reconsiders.
Him – Could you maybe still tell me what time it was when your watch stopped?
Her – Um, yes, why not…
Him – That would give me an idea…
Her – An idea?
Him – An idea… of the current time.
Her – Oh, yes…
Him – For example, I don’t know… If your watch stopped at three twenty-eight, I would already know that it’s past three twenty-eight now…
Her (checking) – My watch stopped at half-past three…
Him – Thank you very much; that already gives me an indication… I now know with certainty that it’s past three thirty…
Her – Yes…
Him – Once again, sorry for bothering you…
Her – No problem.
He’s about to leave but reconsiders again.
Him – Are you sure your watch is really stopped?
Her – Oh, yes, it is…
Him – Excuse me, but… How can you be absolutely certain?
Her – I don’t know, I…
Him – Sometimes, it happens that we have the impression time is not passing very quickly… or not at all… temporarily, at least…
Her – That’s true, but…
Him – When you’re bored, for example…
Her – Um, yes…
Him – You look at your watch, and you feel like it stopped, but in reality…
Her – Mmm…
Him – Were you… very bored while waiting?
Her – Waiting for what?
Him – I don’t know, I… I wouldn’t presume to ask what you’re waiting for… or who.
Her – Not particularly… I have my book…
Him – Then I’m sorry for you, but in that case, I’m afraid your watch is truly broken…
Her – Yes… It’s been a good half-hour since it showed half-past three… I believe there’s no doubt about that…
Him – Wait… Half an hour, you say?
Her – Approximately, yes…
Him – How do you know?
Her – Well… I’ve had time to read three chapters of my book…
Him – In that case, if your watch stopped at three thirty half an hour ago, it means it’s approximately four o’clock now.
Her – Yes, probably close to that…
Him – And do you know from experience that it takes you exactly ten minutes to read a chapter?
Her – Not exactly… It depends on the length of the chapters…
Him – Ah… And given the thickness of your book, I suppose those must be considerably longer than average…
Her – Yes, perhaps…
Him – Mmm… So it could very well be a little past four.
Her – Oh, certainly not!
Him – No? What makes you say that?
Her – Well… I have an appointment with someone, actually…
Him – Ah…
Her – At exactly four o’clock…
Him – I see… But… your appointment could be running late.
Her – Oh, I don’t think so.
Him – And why is that?
Her – It’s a first meeting… A man never arrives late for a first meeting, right? Generally…
Him – Generally, a woman doesn’t arrive early for a meeting either. Especially the first one…
Her – Oh, really? And why is that?
Him – To not look completely desperate, I suppose…
Her – Yes, of course…
Him – Well, you told me you’ve been here for a good half-hour, right?
Her – Yes…
Him – You see, in this case, one can’t rely on generalities…
Her – That’s true… And why do you need to know the time so badly yourself?
Him – I have an appointment at four o’clock too. And since I’m someone who’s very punctual…
Her – When you’re very punctual, it’s better to have a watch, isn’t it?
Him – Ah, but I have one!
Her – And it’s broken too…
Him – No! Well, I don’t think so…
Her – Then why were you asking me for the time?
Him – But… to check that my watch wasn’t stopped, precisely. Like yours.
Her – So, can you tell me what time it is?
Him – Absolutely… It’s exactly six minutes past four… You can trust me; it’s a Swiss watch…
Her – Thank you…
Him – I’ve had it for years… My godfather gave it to me for my first communion… He’s been dead from a heart attack, but the watch… Not a single breakdown since I got it!
Her – And what about when the batteries run out?
Him – There are no batteries! I wind it up every day at eight o’clock sharp!
Her – Well, um… Thanks for telling me the time…
She gets up.
Him – Are you leaving already?
Her – You said it’s six minutes past four. I wouldn’t want to seem like I’m waiting. We had a meeting at four o’clock…
Him – I understand… So, goodbye… And… sorry again for bothering you…
She leaves. He remains alone.
Him – I’ll wait another five minutes… Let’s say… until eleven past four… But I don’t like women who are late either… Especially for a first meeting…
Black.

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 Lost Times Chronicles
Link to the collection for free download (PDF)

Find all of Jean-Pierre Martinez’s plays on his website:
https://jeanpierremartinez.net

L’article Current time est apparu en premier sur La Sketchothèque.

Two characters (men or women). Possibly a couple. Maybe elderly. They remain silent for a moment.
One – It’s muggy, isn’t it?
Two – Yes.
One – It came all of a sudden.
Two – Mmm…
One – This morning, it was fine, right?
Two – This morning…?
One – And suddenly, it’s so hot.
A moment passes.
Two – It smells like a storm.
One – You think so?
Two – I don’t know…
One – So why did you say that?
Two – That’s what people usually say, right?
One – Usually?
Two – Someone says, “It’s muggy,” and… the other responds, “It smells like a storm.”
One – Mmm…
Two – Wasn’t that what I was supposed to say?
One – Yes… Sure… (A moment) Still, at this time of the year…
Two – What?
One – That it’s so muggy like this.
Two – Mmm…
Silence.
One – Or maybe it’s just me… (A moment) Aren’t you feeling hot?
Two – No, well… Not really…
One – Then why didn’t you tell me?
Two – What?
One – You also said it was muggy!
Two – I don’t know… I said it just like that… Not to upset you…
One – So, it must be me…
Two – You…?
One – Maybe I have a temperature!
Two – Do you feel like you have a temperature?
One – I don’t know… What do you think? Is it muggy, or is it me?
Two – It’s true that I’m starting to feel a bit warm now that you mention it…
One – It might be contagious.
Two – What?
One – Fever! It was fine a while ago, and now you’re starting to feel warm too. It might be contagious!
Two – No, but I’m not really warm. I said that just to…
One – Why?
Two – I don’t know… Just… (A moment) What if you take off your sweater…
One – You think?
Two – You can always try.
One – Won’t I catch a cold? If I have a fever…
Two – It’s not really warm, but… it’s not that cold either. It’s neither hot nor cold.
One – Okay…
The first character takes off their sweater.
Two – So?
One – Oh, yes…
Two – Feeling better?
One – Oh, yes, yes… Now I feel better…
Two – Did you wear your sweater this morning?
One – No…
Two – Well, you see, that must be it…
One – Yes…
Two – It must be the sweater…
One – It’s true that this morning… It wasn’t that warm, right?
Black.

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 Lost Times Chronicles
Link to the collection for free download (PDF)

Find all of Jean-Pierre Martinez’s plays on his website:
https://jeanpierremartinez.net

L’article Neither Hot Nor Cold est apparu en premier sur La Sketchothèque.

A girl is sitting on a bench, staring ahead. It becomes clear that she is watching the couple from the previous scene. A boy arrives and sits next to her without saying a word. They remain in silence for a while, looking straight ahead.
Her – Can you imagine us when we’re their age?
Him – No…
Her – She is all dressed up. She even put on makeup…
Him – Oh, yeah…?
Her – He didn’t notice either…
Him – Why does he have an umbrella? There’s not a cloud…
Her – She asked him to take it. At the age of hairstyling, we’re wary of storms… And she knows it serves as his cane. It’s more discreet… It’s his little vanity…
Him – Did you see? Her hair is almost purple…
Her (tenderly) – It’s still beautiful, isn’t it?
Him – What? An old lady with a punk hairstyle?
Her – They must have been married for half a century, and they still hold hands…
Him – You bet! Look, she’s storming off. And she doesn’t look happy… Maybe they’ve been arguing for fifty years…
Her – He probably told her he found it too purple… (Pause) I wonder if it’s going to rain after all… Shall we go?
Him – Uh, yeah…
He gets up to leave.
Her – By the way, why did you want to see me?
Him – Well… I don’t know how to say this, but… I don’t think we’ll grow old together…
Her – I know…
Him – And you, did you want to tell me something?
She stands up as well, revealing that she is pregnant.
Her – You should have brought your umbrella too…
Black.

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 Lost Times Chronicles
Link to the collection for free download (PDF)

Find all of Jean-Pierre Martinez’s plays on his website:
https://jeanpierremartinez.net

L’article Future Plans est apparu en premier sur La Sketchothèque.

An old man is sitting, leaning on an umbrella. An old woman approaches. She sits next to him and takes his hand. He allows it, a little surprised.
Her – A bit of calm, it feels good, doesn’t it?
Him (not contradicting) – Yes…
They enjoy this moment of serenity.
Her – Do you remember our first vacation?
Him – No…
Her – Now, for us, it’s like a vacation every day…
Him – Yes…
Her – Did you take your pills?
Him (surprised) – No…
Her (handing him a box) – Here, I brought them for you.
Him – Thank you… (He takes a pill and swallows it, then looks at the box.) It’s for the heart…
Her – Yes…
Him – Mine is more for memory…
Her – Those are my husband’s medications…
Him – Then I must not be your husband…
She looks at him offended, lets go of his hand, and stands up.
Her – You could have said that earlier!
She leaves, upset. He watches her go.
Black.

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 Lost Times Chronicles
Link to the collection for free download (PDF)

Find all of Jean-Pierre Martinez’s plays on his website:
https://jeanpierremartinez.net

L’article Memories est apparu en premier sur La Sketchothèque.