In My Life
Cast of Characters:
Shane Goyer ? A Protestant
Dave O?Neel ? Shane?s friend, a Protestant
Cecily McGowen ? A Catholic
Megan Hewson ? Cecily?s friend, a Catholic
James Dunn ? A Catholic, protective of Cecily
Catherine McGowen ? Cecily?s mother
Adam McGowen ? Cecily?s father
Kaylee McGowen ? Cecily?s sister
Mary McGowen ? Cecily?s sister
Daniel McGowen ? Cecily?s brother
Mrs. O?Keefe ? A teacher at school
Various other students, people at the club, and boys
Act 1
Scene 1
Setting: The McGowen House
(Catherine and Mary sit watching the morning news. James is milling around, checking under things, looking for his schoolbooks)
(Cecily emerges with Kaylee)
Cecily: (Dressed typically ?artsy? with all black on and long black hair) Morning mother, morning Kaylee
Kaylee: (Clashing red?s and blue?s on her outfit. Spiked hair) Why ARE you watching the news? It?s so depressing!
Daniel: (sarcastically) Wow, yeah Kaylee. We all know you hate depression.
Kaylee: (juts her hand upward in a backward V shape)
Daniel: Mum! Did you see what she did!
Catherine: Just get ready for schools all of you! You too Mary! Up, up!
Cecily: (tosses a muffin of other breakfast food at James) Come on you! (Runs out the door)
Daniel: (bites into the muffin) not bad cooking mum! Gotta run! (Exits)
(Mary and Kaylee follow)
Adam: (offstage) Honey! Where?s my tie!
Catherine: (sighs) Coming!
Scene 2
Setting: Mount Temple High School ? the halls (various students need to be mingling in the background)
Cecily: (walks a bit, then stops and pauses. All extras freeze and spotlight goes onto Cecily) Life really isn?t fair is it? You happen to take an underground in London one day and you don?t wake up the next morning. You know what I?m talking about. Terrorist, bombs, the IRA?us. Sometimes I get so sick of it. I mean yeah, I can always go to neutral ground, where people are at least civil to each other, but I then have to go home to my rebel father ranting about those evil?well, I won?t say what he says. (Walks a bit more as others come to life, then stops again) Don?t tell anyone I said that?
Megan: (sneaks up behind Cecily, then jumps on her) Hey!
Cecily: Megan?how many time do I have to tell you, I hate it when you?
Megan: (interrupting) The Hype is playing at Verona, you know that club in neutral ground, wanna go?
Cecily: Megan, can?t you ever find a band that plays in someplace I?m allowed to go? You know my dad doesn?t like me hanging around there. You know how he is ?Cecily, if you have to cut through that?s fine. Nevertheless, don?t hang out or whatever it is you do there. Those people are different than?
Megan: Cecs, have you ever listen to what your father said? Come on! It?ll rock! (Checks watch) I gotta go; my class is on the other side of the building?later! (Exits)
Cecily: Bye! (Walks with her head down, bumps into Shane) Oh! I?m sorry?
Shane: No biggie. (Reaches down to help her pick up her books)
Mary: Excuse me. (Cuts between them) I can do that (picks up books, grabs Cecily by the arm and leads her away)
(Cecily and Shane need to keep their eyes locked on one another as much as possible)
Mary: Cecs! Do you know who that is!
Cecily: A scummy ex of yours I didn?t know about?
Mary: No! Geez, Cecily?that?s Shane Goyer!
Cecily: Wait as in the Goyer?s? The richest family in all of Ireland?
Mary: yes the richest and their protestant! Honestly Cecily! How can you?
Cecily: I don?t understand why this is such a big?
Mary: Geez, Cecily! I know your only a 4th year but man! Cecily, they?re not like us! They wanna keep us restricted Cecily! They hate us and they?
Cecily: (suddenly angry) Shut up! Just SHUT UP! How do you know what he?s like huh? How the heck do you know! (Runs off)
Mary: Cecs?
Scene 3
Setting: A complete black stage with only a spotlight, we assume Cecily has run outside somewhere. Des?ree?s ?Kissing You? plays in the background.
Cecily: (runs in, almost at tears if not already crying. Looks up as if looking up to heaven) Am I wrong? Are they right? Is my family right? How can?how can this?this hatred be right? I know it?s not?but I want it to be so badly?She doesn?t even know that boy?and yet?he looked like such a nice boy, so sweet and?(clamps hand over her mouth) Oh my?
Shane: (enters on other side of stage) Cecily?Cecily McGowen, wow she had beautiful eyes. What am I saying? Come on Shane, you saw her sister jerk her away from you like you had the plague. Just cause your?different. Man she was beautiful though?I?ve never seen eyes like that. They weren?t one color but a spectrum of blues and greens. Man?
Cecily and Shane: (in unison) what am I talking about? It?ll never work?
(Lights fade as ?Kissing You? continues to play)
Scene 4
Setting: The Verona ? a nightclub
(A rock song needs to be playing like U2?s ?Pride? or Dropkick Murphy?s ?The Gang?s All Here?)
(Various people should already be there, including Shane and Dave)
(Enter Cecily and Megan)
Megan: Yeah this is what I?m talking about!
Cecily: Well, it?s a lot better than home
Megan: Come on Cecily, lighten up! Why are you so antisocial?
Cecily: Why do you always drag me into very social situations?
Megan: Because inside of you there is a bad girl who likes to defy her father. Wow, that guy looks drunk of his?
Cecily: Megan Hewson!
Megan: ?hindquarters. Okay, I take the bad girl thing back now.
Cecily: Shut up! You wanna drink?
Megan: I?ll get them, you go mingle?
Cecily: Megan?
Megan: MINGLE! (Pushes her into crowd, causing her to bump into Shane)
Cecily: Oh, I?m sorry?(looks up) oh?h-h-hi
Shane: Hi
Cecily: Oh hi. Oh gosh, you?re the guy I bumped into today?Shane right? (Shane nods) Sorry about that and sorry about my sister she?s (twist her finger by her head to signify her sister is crazy)
Shane: no problem Cecily. I know how weird family can be.
Cecily: Yeah, um, if you don?t mind me asking, how did you know my name.
Shane: I?ve seen you around.
Cecily: You?ve seen me around?
Shane: Yeah, why? Is that a problem?
Cecily: No, no it?s just?sorry I?m being silly.
Shane: What?
Cecily: Well, I know it?s just an expression, but?sometimes, it seems like no one sees me. So yeah that, that was nice of you.
Shane: How do people not see you?
Cecily: What? What do you??
Shane: (nervous and suddenly shy) I mean, you?re noticeable. You, stand out.
Cecily: (laughs)
Shane: What?s funny?
Cecily: Nothing really, it?s just, when most people say I stand out, they say it in that nice-adult-trying-to-explain-to-an-outcast-why-no-one-likes-them-way. Like, ?Well, Cecily dear?you just, how do you say, stand out?? But when you say it, you?I mean you make it sound like a good thing, not a bad thing?you just
Shane: (interrupting) Cecily, would you like to dance with me?
Cecily: Yes, I would like that very much.
Shane: (pulls Cecily into his arms as ?Somewhere Out There? by Our Lady Peace begins to play) So?
Cecily: Shhhh?
Shane: (whisper) Okay.
Dave: (to a group of male extras) whoa, you guys! Look who Shane?s with.
Megan: Is that Shane with Cecily? (Does a comic little ?victory dance?)
(Enter James)
James: (angrily, rather than jealous) Cecily?
Shane: (Leans down) Can I kiss you?
Cecily: I don?t know if?yes. Yes Shane.
(They kiss)
(Everyone freezes)
Cecily?s voice off-stage: There! Right there is when it all started. Looking back now, I realize that I wouldn?t have changed my awnser there for anything in the world. Because I had made a wonderful mistake. I had fallen for Shane Goyer.
End Act 1
