Two characters.
One – Remember? I told you I had a mouse in my house.
Two – Yeah.
One – You suggested I get a cat to get rid of it.
Two – And?
One – It worked. I don’t have a mouse anymore.
Two – Great.
One – Yeah. (Silence) But now, how do I get rid of the cat?
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 For real and for fun
Link to the collection for free download (PDF)

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

L’article The Cat and the Mouse est apparu en premier sur La Sketchothèque.

Two characters, who look like tramps but could be wearing mouse masks, stare straight ahead.
One – Do you see that cheese over there?
Two – It’s all I’ve been seeing for a while now.
Silence.
One – Why haven’t we rushed over to it yet?
Two – I don’t know. I’m suspicious.
One – Me too.
Two – It’s too good to be true.
One – That cheese is a bit too fresh.
Two – It looks like it’s just come out of the fridge.
One – It doesn’t look like the bits of cheese you find on the ground or in the bins.
Two – In the bins, it’s only the rinds.
Silence.
One – And what’s that thing?
Two – What thing?
One – That bit of cheese is sitting on a little board.
Two – Oh yeah… I was so fascinated by the cheese that I didn’t notice the board.
One – A little board, with a little yellow metal bar.
Two – Yellow like gold.
One – Yes.
Two – It’s shiny, it’s pretty.
One – What do you think it is?
Two – A cheese platter?
One – Usually, we have to settle for crumbs under the table, and now they’re serving it to us on a platter.
Two – What are we waiting for?
One – Then again, that bit of cheese isn’t very big. It won’t be enough for two.
Two – Yeah…
One – Go ahead, you take it.
Two – I don’t know… What if it’s a trap?
One – We can’t just let it go to waste, that would be a shame.
Two – I think I’m going to give in to temptation.
One – After all… you only live once.
Two – Here I go…
Blackout.
Sound of the trap snapping shut.
Lights up.
Only the second character remains on stage.
One – Yeah, you only live once… And sometimes not even for very long. Well… now I can have that piece of cheese all to myself…
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 For real and for fun
Link to the collection for free download (PDF)

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

L’article A Mousetrap est apparu en premier sur La Sketchothèque.

Two characters are facing each other.
One – So, it’s decided, you want to get rid of her?
Two – I don’t see any other way. I’ve tried everything, I promise you.
One – We’re talking about killing here. There’s no turning back. It’s final.
Two – I know.
One – Are you ready to live with that on your conscience for the rest of your life?
Two – I’ll take responsibility for it, but I can’t do it myself. Would you be willing to take care of it?
One – It won’t be free, of course.
Two – Of course.
One – When you don’t want to get your hands dirty, there’s a price to pay.
Two – How much?
One – I’ll give you a mate’s rate, don’t worry.
Two – OK. And how do you plan to do it?
One – Are you sure you want to know?
Two – I’d prefer it if she didn’t suffer.
One – I’ll set a trap for her.
Two – Well… If you think that’s the most effective way…
One – What were you thinking? A gun?
Two – I don’t know…
One – I have my principles too. With a gun, it would be a real crime. A trap is a sort of compromise between an accident and murder. Between unintentional suicide and careless homicide.
Two – But a trap still involves an intent to kill…
One – Yes, but it also requires the victim’s participation. If not their tacit approval, then at least their unwitting involvement.
Two – Really?
One – When you shoot someone with a revolver, you give them no chance. With a trap, the victim always has the opportunity to avoid it. The murderer goes halfway, and the victim goes the other half.
Two – Unknowingly.
One – At least unconsciously.
Two – So… what exactly is your trap?
The other character pulls a mousetrap out of his pocket and shows it to him.
One – This.
Two – A mousetrap?
One – A bigger one, obviously.
Two – And you’re going to build it yourself?
One – It’s not exactly sophisticated technology. As long as you get the proportions right.
Two – Right…
One – Of course, there’ll be some extra costs…
Two – And what are you going to use to bait her? Not cheese, I assume…
One – That depends… What kind of mouse is she?
Two – The luxury kind.
One – In that case, there’ll be a little extra for the bait as well.
Two – Fine… As long as you get rid of her for me.
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 For real and for fun
Link to the collection for free download (PDF)

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

L’article The Trap est apparu en premier sur La Sketchothèque.