Crank 004
The Blank Theater Winner
2024 Young Playwrights Festival
Link to the video of the play performed in Hollywood, CA, in July 2024
ExcerptSAGE
(Suddenly)
Harris, remember flowers?
Harris relaxes from his tense posture and focuses back on Sage.
HARRIS
Flowers, eh? Tell me about flowers.
SAGE
(Soothingly)
Roses, red with petals that seemed to swathe each other in layers. Sunflowers with their dizzying spiraled patterns and bright yellow color. There were fields of them, and they whispered to each other. It was like being let in on a little secret, standing in a flower field. When the breeze blew, the entire field seemed to move as one and–
HARRIS
(Barked)
Chrysanthemum!
Sage starts a little.
SAGE
Yes, there were chrysanthemums in the field. Long stalks with curled pink flowers–
HARRIS
Mary liked chrysanthemums. I would find them for her and put them by our bed. She warned me not to, said it would make them mad. Mary didn’t like how I talked around other people. We would go for walks, past… concrete. She told me to not speak so loud, that people were listening. I told her what I thought… that I didn’t like it. I didn’t like any of it. It was all so pointless, wasn’t it? To confine all of us in blocks, tell us when to eat, when to sleep. Chrysanthemums. They must’ve really hated those.
A pause
SAGE
Who? Who’s Mary?
HARRIS
My wi–
Full blackout.
V.O.
Room 004, hunger. Addition number six. Bowen. Reason for addition. Misconduct.
