Copyright © 2005

Today is Over Revelations

ABOUT TODAY IS OVER REVELATIONS

This play style is called involvement theatre. During Today is Over, there is not much audience involvement. However, they are to be treated as other citizens of Earth in it’s final moments. Thus, where it reads Blackout. at the end of the script, the lights should go out – completely – even if only for a second or two. This gives the feeling to the audience that the world really did end.

DAVID. A middle-aged man. We presume he is alive, since he is the owner of the car, however he and JOSEPH are not connected to HE and SHE in any other way.

JOSEPH. David’s friend.

HE. A young man who doesn’t understand that the world is going to end.

SHE. HIS lover, who wants him to get more out of these last minutes.

THINGS TO LOOK AT

Character Development

The difference between the apostles and the heretics

Names

TODAY IS OVER (REVELATIONS)

DAVID.So the world is going to end?

JOSEPH.Without a doubt. Within the next ten minutes.

They watch as HE and SHE sit on the park bench, talking.

SHE.Darling,

HE.Yes?

SHE. With difficulty. The world…

HE.Yes? What about it?

SHE.It’s going to end.

HE. Nonchalantly. Probably.

SHE.No, you don’t understand. Sighs.

DAVID.Why is it that people have such a hard time understanding this concept?

JOSEPH.Because they don’t want to admit it.

SHE.It’s going to end in ten minutes.

HE is startled.

HE.Ten…minutes?

SHE.Yes. No joke. Ten minutes.

HE.Why…but…?

DAVID points to the sky.

DAVID. Dramatically. And, as the end draws near –

JOSEPH.This is no time to quote Revelations, David. HE and SHE stand up. I wonder what they’ll do, now that the world is ending.

HE and SHE approach a ‘car’.

HE.Should we?

SHE.Should we what?

HE.Steal this car.

SHE.Oh, no, we can’t

HE.Why not?

SHE.Because we might –

HE.Get in trouble? The world is coming to an end

SHE.Oh, right…um…well,

HE.Now is the time to live!

DAVID.The time to live. Bah. The time to live is not ten minutes before the Earth ends. That doesn’t even make sense.

JOSEPH.Now is the time to pray and go off somewhere with your friends and family to say goodbye. Now is not the time to steal cars.

SHE looks at HE.

SHE.No.

HE.What? C’mon! This is the chance of a lifetime!

SHE.Darling, SHE approaches him. This is the chance of a lifetime. The chance that we won’t ever have again.

HE.Exactly!

SHE.We need to remember that the world is going to end in… checks watch five minutes.

HE.And…

SHE.Is there anything you’d like to say?

Suddenly, HE realizes what is happening.

HE. Sober. The world…is going to end…

DAVID.A breakthrough, that is.

SHE.Yes, it is. It is going to end. We will all perish and go…elsewhere.

HE looks at SHE. HE is clearly afraid; we can see it in his eyes.

HE. Sober. I ate the last box of Thin Mints.

SHE giggles.

SHE.That’s your big revelation?

HE.No! Well, I just felt really bad about it. You were so upset – and I couldn’t tell you. But now it makes me feel better. Closure, if you will. Pause. I suppose I could tell you about me keeping Playboys under my bed, or what I did with my second grade report card…but, really, it was your face when you saw that all the Thin Mints were gone…I realized I really hurt you.

SHE smiles.

SHE.Are we gonna steal that car?

HE.Are we?

SHE.We’ve still got two minutes.

THEY smile and, carefully, ‘steal the car’, leaving DAVID and JOSEPH on stage.

DAVID.They did it. They took the car.

JOSEPH.I knew they would. Two minutes.

DAVID.Oh, well. They begin to exit. DAVID stops. I won’t need it anymore anyway.Exits.

JOSEPH. Exiting. And as I walk through the Valley of Death, I shall fear no car thieves, for I have ON-STAR –

DAVID. Offstage. Are you coming?

JOSEPH.Just a min – Blackout.