Experimental in Progress - I Scritti di Lavanda
04.04.2015
Gregory & Rose
Or - Scritti di Lavanda
ACT I
SCENE i
Sicily. Metro train: Borgo – yellow lights – doors
close -starts.
Slight
breathing. Vacuous scenery. Lights flicker. Yellow lights. Metro train – stops:
Giuffrida. Earphones. Music. Humming. Girl on floor – dress – tights –
jacket – notebook – novel – pen – music. She draws. Guy on seat – trousers –
sweater – shirt - collar – phone. He looks. Metro - starts. Brief silence.
Flicker. Breathing. Earphone music. Scribble - paper. Click of pen with
flicker. He sighs. Observant. He looks.
Gregory: Name?
No response. She sighs.
Scribble.
Gregory voice over (in swift whispers): Coffee
– lipstick - stain - edge. Cracked acrylic nail polish.
Gregory: What are you listening to?
No response.
Gregory voice over: Split ends. Brown. Gold.
Both? Tights – eyes – black. Shoes – eyes – black.
Gregory: I’m on holiday here.
No response.
Scribble.
Gregory voice over: Indigo. Nail polish -
blue. Eye lashes – black. Long… [pause] Legs. Shoes – lashes – black. Lips. Soft?
Humming. The music. Earphones. Sicily.
Gregory: Are you from Catania?
No response.
Gregory - Scoff.
Gregory: Hey. You.
Pause. Hesitation. Girl
looks.
Gregory voice over (whispers – very quick): Eyes – lips – impatience? Eyes – eyebrow – black. Skirt – eyebrow –
lifted. Soft – skin – soft – fabric – lifted.
Blood rushes.
Saliva swallowed. Look diverted. Scratch knee. Skirts – soft – skin – lifted –
thigh – leg – woman. Girl?
Gregory: So do you have a name?
Girl looks down.
Scribble. Breathes. Light flicker. Paper note:
“No English.”
Sigh. Swallow. Look away. Silence. Earphone
music. Girl coughs. She reads.
SCENE ii
Same setting.
Gregory voice over (slow whisper): Strong.
Eyebrows – black – strong. Face – hands – strong. Eyes – mouth…soft. And she
reads. She reads but doesn’t talk. Funny.
Coffee – sip. Lipstick – fade - edge. Coffee –
drip. Tissue – book. Eyelash – black – eyelash bat. She reads: “Strenuous Life[1]”.
Pause – Thought - Pause.
Gregory voice over
(slow): …English.
Scoff. Chuckle. Looks away. Hand – mouth.
Amused – looks.
Gregory: I’ve read that (chuckles
– she looks – then back). So not even a name? This train is delayed, you
know. It’ll be a while – you might get bored.
She looks. Pause. Eyebrow – raised. Paused. Book
– raises. Waves. Mocks.
He looks back. Eyebrows – raised. iPhone –
raises. Waves. Scoff. Mocks.
Gregory voice over:
10%.
Sigh. Click. Lock. Looks. Book. Flicker.
Flicker. Metro – stops: Italia.
Long pause – silence. Hesitation. Thought.
Gregory: Okay.
She doesn’t look. Smile – slight.
Gregory: Please. Do you have a name?
Silence. Book – down. Breathe.
Looks. Back. Pen. Scribble. Pen – black. Scribble – too long. Scribble – black.
He looks. Nothing.
She looks. Paper note:
“Stupid.”
Scoff.
Gregory: I am?
Eyebrow – raised. Looks. Note – turned:
“Your question.”
Looks – down. Book. Back. Silence. Nothing.
Waits. Nothing.
Gregory (mockingly): My
question (short pause) Expression.
You’d know (points – book).
Quick look up. Slight shame. Retraction.
Ignores. Down again. Indifference? Metro – starts. Sigh. Flicker. Pause. Sigh.
Gregory (articulated): What.
IS. Your name.
She looks. Writes – note. Points – book.
Gregory (frustrated):
Yes. I know. You’re reading. That means you can’t answer?
Smiles. Note:
“You.”
Gregory: Me?
Turns:
“Predictable.”
Points – book. Twice.
Gregory voice over:
Book. Yes. What. Reading. Author.
Gregory: That’s your name?
She looks – smiles.
Gregory: Theodore Roosevelt? (she
looks) No? Your name is JUST Roosevelt? (laughs)
Well that’s really a shame.
She scoffs. Flicker. Yellow lights. Notes,
successively:
“You.”
“Predictable.”
“Stupid.”
Gregory: You’re a bit quiet for one of the most enthus-
Gregory voice over (whispers): Name.
Roosevelt. Girl - the name is
Gregory: Rose.
She looks immediately.
Gregory: Rose?
She smiles.
He smiles. iPhone – click – unlock – tap –
open – seven taps. Smile. iPhone Note:
“Stupid?” (smiling)
Gregory voice over
(whispers): she looked – she laughed – down. (pause) Eyelashes – eyes – tights
– black. Hair. Split. Personality. Split.
Pen. Quick scribble. Click – pen. First note:
“No English”
Smile. Pause. Flicker. Metro – stops: Galatea.
Delay. Wait.
She looks. Note:
“You.”
Gregory: Greg (she looks –
eyebrow – raised). What?
“No English”- “You.”
Pause.
Gregory: Gregory.
She smiles.
ACT II
SCENE iii
Same
setting.
Eyes - black. Look – direct. Look – smile. She
scribbles – note - pocket – gone. Smile. Heat. Heart beat.
Gregory voice over (pensive): Notes. That’s how she does it?
Goosebumps. Excitement. Frantic. Unlock –
taps. Pause.
Waits. Silence. Flicker. Waits. iPhone note:
“Can I sit with you?”
She looks. Eyes – bright. Two scribbles. First
note:
“No English.”
Confusion. He looks. She rips: First note:
“No”
Gregory: Not no? (laughs)
She sips. Coffee. Lipstick – fade. Gregory.
Rise. Sit. Rose. Smiles. Legs – cross – book – open. Flicker.
Gregory: You’re strange, Rose, amongst other things.
Gregory voice over: Young.
Skirt – lift. Skin – brown. Hair – brown.
Split. Skirt. Legs. Split. Air. None.
Gregory: How old are you?
She looks - down. Breathes. Flicker (always
the light). Earphone music – stops. Breathes.
Eyes – black – closed. Eyes – black – open.
She looks. Floors – fingertips – touch. Hands touch. Floor. Blood rush. Heart
beat. Warm – sweaty. Retraction. Him. Not her.
Gregory voice over
(frightened passion?): How old.
Fingertips – touch. She breathes. Arm - Hairs
– rise. Hairs – rose. Rose. He breathes: Rose.
Gregory: I’m twenty-five (pause).
You’re not.
Heavy breathing. Pause. Hesitation. Note:
“No”
Gregory: You’re twenty-one (no
answer). You’re not twenty-one.
“No”
Gregory: You’re… not twenty.
Heavy breathing.
“No”
Gregory: You’re nineteen. (no
answer)
Gregory voice over:
Not. Nineteen. Eighteen?
Gregory - Mouth – open. Starts.
She sighs. Hand – raise – knee – raise – slap.
Scuffle – notes, successively:
“Your question.”
“Stupid.”
“Predictable.”
Her - arms crossed.
SCENE iv
Same
setting.
Long pause. No questions. Thoughts.
Stop. Pause. Hesitation. Look – eyes – black.
Eyes – blue. Hair – brown. Hair – auburn. Tights. Trousers. Dress. Sweater.
Jacket. Shirt. Lips. Eyes – both look. Flicker (not light – eyes).
Gregory: Are you tired?
Thinks. Nods.
Gregory: You can-
Head – tilt. Body – side. Head – shoulder.
Open – pocket – hand - note: “Predictable”. Crumpled.
Gregory: Yeah. I suppose it was…
Gregory voice over
(pensive): Stubborn. Young… Pretty…
Head – tilt – shoulder – smells. Flower.
Goosebumps. Hesitation. Inhalation. Lavender. Looks. Bag. Flask – small. Flask:
“Lavanda”. Spanish? Turns. Flask: “Profumo”. Italian.
Click. Unlocks. Taps. Taps. Taps. Pause.
Silence. Eyes closed – open. Looks up. She looks. Note:
“Can you miss a voice you haven’t heard?”
It’s a sorry. They look: Now as Rose and
Gregory. Fingertips - touch. Head – tilt. Head – tilt. Metro starts. Flicker.
Yellow lights – OFF. - Darkness. Pause.
Rose (fear
for passion?): Yes. Yes you can.
Gregory: I-
Silence & Darkness. Shift – tilt – shatter – glass breaks – burst of Lavender. Arms over –
body – body: Skin – skin. Mouth – touch. Coffee – spill. Lipstick – fade.
Lipstick lips tint. Warm lips. Shuffles – hands – mouth. Eyes – tights – shoes
– black. Metro – black. Fingertips – touch – legs – skirt – fingertips.
Lipstick fades. Smell. Lavender. Feels. Breathes. Breathless. Mouth closed
mouth. Silence. Shuffle. Metro stops: Stazione F.S. Centrale.
Rose (heavy
breathing): This is me.
Gregory voice over: What is?
Skin – shoes –
tights – dress – bag – book – notebook – pen – Gone. Lips and Eyes. Gone.
Coffee and Lavender. Here. Flicker. Flicker. Lights – on. Rose. Doors.
Rose. Window. She looks. She smiles. Rose out. Gregory in. Now as Gregory.
Gregory (shouting - closed door window): ROSE! There are things I have to
tell you, things you can write notes to, things you can raise your eyebrows at,
things you can judge, things you can say or not say… (frantic) Did I scare you? Did I scare you?
He looks. Teary -
voice. Teary - face. She looks. Confusion. Metro starts. Arm – raised. Eyebrows
– raised. Faint look – sorrow – confusion – love. She mouths (with passion?) “I
need to go”. She points at him, at the floor, at the inside. “I need to go”.
She points. Hand – window – door. Metro starts.
Rose – gone. Gregory
– sits. He looks.
Gregory voice over: Rose. Darkness. Then gone. Why? She left me with the
notes… “No”- “English”- “Stupid”- “Your question”-
“You”. (pause) No. She took “You”. Of course she did (scoffs). They smell of
her.
Lavanda. Wet – paper
– flower – smell. Tears – face – floor. Coffee stains. Breathes. Gasps. Metro
stops: Porto
ACT III
SCENE v
Two
Months Later
Gregory. London. Tube. Kings Cross. Grey lights. No flicker.
Months – passing.
Restless – mind. Restless – body. Thinks. Rose. Lavender. Papers. Darkness. The
darkness. Fingertips, touch, body, Rose, feel, love, feel, Rose, love, darkness,
door, closed, restless. She felt. She took.
Lavender papers box
– unopened remain still. Pain. Lavender notes box – away. Smell – away.
Painful. Closed. Sealed.
Flashback
“He looks. Teary -
voice. Teary - face. She looks. Confusion. Metro starts. Arm – raised. Eyebrows
– raised. Faint look – sorrow – confusion – love. She mouths (with passion?) “I
need to go”.”
End
No more. Out. Away. Back.
Back. Trousers – shirt – sweater – shoes – blue eyes – auburn hair – box –
belongings – taken – move. Back. Her.
SCENE vi
Same time frame. Gregory. Sicily. Metro train – yellow lights - stopped.
Very slight breathing. Vacuous scenery. Lights
flicker. Everyday. Waits. Borgo. Giuffrida. Italia. Galatea. Stazione F.S.
Centrale. Nothing. No one. Porto. Home. Eat. Sleep. Rose. Dream. Repeat. Gregory.
Sicily. Metro. Lights. Breathe. Empty. Flicker. Waits. Borgo. Giuffrida.
Italia. Galatea. Stazione F.S. Centrale. Nothing. No one. Porto. Home. Repeat.
Everyday.
SCENE vii
Three Years Later
Gregory. Catania,
Sicily. Home – new home.
Box – lavender paper – unopened still. Pain. Box –
notes. Rose. Pain. Thinks. Waits. Silence. Hesitation. Opens. Nostalgia. Holds.
Smells. Tears. Rose. Anger. Rose. Crumples. Rose. Fireplace. Throws? Pause.
Hesitation. Lights the fire. Pause. Hesitation. Thinks.
Flashback
“He looks. Teary -
voice. Teary - face. She looks. Confusion. Metro starts. Arm – raised. Eyebrows
– raised. Faint look – sorrow – confusion – love. She mouths (passionately) “I
need to go”.”
End
Gregory voice over: “I need to go”- she said and she pointed, mute (pause
- thinks). She wouldn’t. “I need to go”... “I need to go”. She just wouldn’t -
it’s too...
Heart beat.
Realisation. Hot blood, hot veins, heated body. Head – quick – rise – up – eyes
– flicker – bright – eyes: wide, mouth: open. Heart beat. Blood. Goosebumps.
Flashback
“She smiles – eyes -
black. Look – direct. Look – smile. She scribbles – note - pocket – gone.
Smile. Heat. Heart beat.
Gregory voice over
(pensive): Notes. That’s how she does it?”
“Head – tilt. Body – side. Head – shoulder.
Open – pocket – hand - note: “Predictable”. Crumpled.”
End
Gregory (everything unfolds): …Predictable. Predictable! (falls) Stupid, stupid, stupid, STUPID (hits himself, he bleeds a little)
Bends – frantic
search. Sweat. Anticipation. Notes – scrambled. Notes – lavender. Notes – crumpled.
Notes. Finds: “Predictable”.
Gregory voice over: In the darkness she wouldn’t have been able to, so if
she has, she had done it before we happened… Is it naïve? Can you love skin you
haven’t felt?
Heavy breathing. Closed
eyes. Rose. Eyes – open. Anticipation. Squinted eyes. Rose. Heart beat. Rose.
Fast. Rose. Anticipation. Rose. Gasp. Rose. No air. Turns note:
“+39 900 532317”
Yes. Yes you can.
CUT.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Comments
Post a Comment