One character is already there. Another arrives, searching for something.
One – What are you looking for?
Two – The prompter’s box.
One – The prompter’s box? That’s been gone for ages.
Two – There used to be a box, right? I think it was here.
One – They covered it up.
Two – They covered up the prompter’s box?
One – Well, I assume they let him out first.
Two – Another job that’s disappeared.
One – Yep… But you know what they say: prompting isn’t acting.
Two – And what if I forget my lines?
One – Forget your lines?
Two – If I have a memory lapse.
One – Your lines?
Two – Don’t tell me the lines are gone too.
One – No lines, no prompter. It’s contemporary theatre.
Two – So what are we supposed to say?
One – You can say anything.
Two – Now I don’t know what to say.
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

L’article Prompting Isn’t Acting est apparu en premier sur La Sketchothèque.

Two characters stand side by side.
One – Do you know your lines?
Two – I know half of them. And you?
One – I knew them all, but I’ve forgotten everything.
Two – When you’ve got a bad memory, you shouldn’t do long plays… Or you should have a prompter.
One – A trumpet?
Two – A prompter!
One – Oh, yes, a prompter.
Two – And he’s deaf.
One – When you’ve got a bad memory and you’re deaf, you really shouldn’t be in theatre.
Two – What’s the name of this play again? I’ve already forgotten…
One – The Goldfish.
Two – The Codfish? Strange title…
One – Not The Codfish! The Goldfish!
Two – Ah, yes, The Goldfish…
Pause.
One – Do you know your lines?
Two – I know half of them. And you?
One – I knew them all, but I’ve forgotten everything.
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

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