Waiting for Sami
A play written in Eight Scenes
 |
| The author. |
Place: Ireland, 2011
Characters:
SAMI, 20
FATHER, 50
IRELAND
FEAR
UNCERTAINTY
ABBEY THEATRE
KILLARNEY NATIONAL FORREST
HORSE AND CARRIAGE MAN
GENERAL POST OFFICE
ARAN ISLANDS
Note: All productions of Waiting for Sami MUST adhere to the stage directions provided. Failure to do so will result in legal action by the Cubias Estate.
SCENE 1
Berkeley, CA: A crowded restaurant. Evening, the night before SAMI is scheduled to fly to Dublin. This is her farewell dinner. SAMI sits in booth, huddled very close to FATHER. SAMI sits in silence for a few moments, pensive.
SAMI: It’s too late for you to buy a ticket and come with me, right?
FATHER: Yes. Eat your food.
SAMI: I’m nervous. I’m getting the pit in my stomach. It’s the same way I feel the night before the first day of school. Or the way I feel when the dentist asks me if I’ve been flossing enough.
FATHER: You’ll be fine.
SAMI: I don’t know. It’s so far. And it’s going to be so different. And I haven’t been outside the country without you and my mom or anyone else from the family. I’ve seen Ireland on a map, and I’ve seen pictures of it, but it’s a whole other thing to actually be there! It’s across the world! They drive on the left! The toilets probably flush the other way! It’s going to be so different.
FATHER: They don’t drive on the left side. The UK does.
SAMI: Are you sure? I’m pretty sure they do.
FATHER: No, they don’t. You’ll be fine. Eat your food.
FEAR and UNCERTAINTY enter. Both commence to punch SAMI in the stomach, making it impossible for her to enjoy her last meal at home.
SCENE 2
Dublin: Twenty-four hours later. SAMI arrives in airport. She is exhausted, having only eaten airplane food in the last 12 hours.
IRELAND: Yo! Samizzle! What’s up?!!? Good morning!
SAMI: Ireland! What the heck. Why is it nine in the morning here? Why don’t you have signs that say “Exit” instead of little pictures with tiny people running into a door? Why is it raining outside in the middle of June?!
IRELAND: Hey kid, deal with it. You’re gonna be here for a while.
FEAR and UNCERTAINTY have now managed to pin SAMI in a submission hold. SAMI, who has had only one hour of sleep, refuses to fight back.
SCENE 3
Dublin. ABBEY THEATRE enters.
ABBEY THEATRE: Hey, Sami! What you up to?
SAMI: Hey, Abbey Theatre! I’m about to see Pygmalion. I’m pretty excited. I’ve never seen a professional production in such a historic theatre before.
ABBEY THEATRE: Sweet! I’m pretty excited to have you here. Of all the people who have visited me in the past 100 or so years, you’re probably one of the coolest.
SAMI: Whoa. You’ve been around for over 100 years. I didn’t know that Ireland had such an extensive history in performing arts.
ABBEY THEATRE: Extensive indeed. I came about as a result of the Irish Literary Revival, which developed in tandem with growing Irish language revival and the solidification of modern Irish nationalism. I was founded by W.B. Yeats and Lady Gregory. I’m considered Ireland’s National Theatre.
SAMI: Nice! So, do you ever hang out with The Gate Theatre? You know, the other well-known theatre in Dublin?
ABBEY THEATRE: Pshh. Please. That fool wishes it could be like me, but there can only be ONE national theatre. That’s me!
SAMI: Oh. Forgive me for asking. Hey, the performance is about to start. I will see you soon!
ABBEY THEATRE: Enjoy!
SCENE 4
Dublin. ABBEY THEATRE enters. SAMI has finished watching the performance of Pygmalion.
SAMI: Wow! That was amazing! I have never seen such a beautiful production! The set! The lights! The music! The acting!
ABBEY THEATRE: I’m glad you enjoyed it!
SAMI: Enjoyed it?! I nearly died of joy in my seat. I didn’t know that theatre like this existed in Ireland. I thought that there was New York, London, and the Bay Area. That’s it!
ABBEY THEATRE: Well, consider yourself proven wrong! There are tons of theatres in the immediate Dublin area, including the Project Arts Centre, the New Theatre, and…don’t tell anyone I said this, but the Gate Theatre isn’t half bad.
SAMI: I will definitely have to check those theatres out. So, I’ve heard that this is the first time you’ve done Pygmalion.
ABBEY THEATRE: That’s right! It’s a play about formulating an identity through the utilization of language.
SAMI: Much like the national Irish identity is comprised, in part, by the use of the Irish language. Of course, Pygmalion puts a humorous twist on the notion if identity formation. I must say, the overall quality of the production definitely stemmed from the fantastic acting.
ABBEY THEATRE: We hire the finest Irish actors on the scene—you can see many of them playing multiple roles throughout the season!
SAMI: Fine actors, indeed! It goes to show that actors who lack formal training can produce amazing work! Thanks for having me, Abbey Theatre! It’s been a blast!
ABBEY THEATRE: No problem, Sami! Cheers!
SCENE 5
Killarney, Ireland. Roughly 250 kilometers from Dublin. Two weeks after Scene 4. SAMI finds herself at the KILLARNEY NATIONAL FORREST. She sits on a patch of grass.
SAMI: You’re beautiful.
FORREST: Thanks, Sami. Did you see the amazing wildlife, my scenic trails, and the bright blue sky? You don’t get this kind of nature in Dublin, that’s for sure! What about the horse and carriages? Did you see them? Eh? Eh? Pretty impressive, huh?
SAMI: I saw it all! I feel so privileged to be here! It sounds corny, but I do wish that everyone I know had a chance to experience something like this. I can’t help but to think of my fellow students and friends who don’t get to travel abroad because if they do, they won’t be able to get back in the US. Seeing all of this makes me see how unfair the entire situation is—they’re students too—they’re humans! Their legal status shouldn’t keep them from experiencing this. I’m happy here. I want to share it with people I care about.
Enter HORSE AND CARRIAGE MAN.
HORSE AND CARRIAGE MAN: Would you like a lift? 5 Euro!
SAMI: No thank you. I’m okay for right now.
HORSE AND CARRIAGE MAN: Very well then… Are you sure?
SAMI: I’m sure!
FORREST: Horse and Carriage Man, leave her alone. She’s enjoying the sunshine that doesn’t exist in Dublin!
HORSE AND CARRIAGE MAN: Fine! Fine! … 4 Euro?
FORREST: Horse and Carriage Man!
HORSE AND CARRIAGE MAN: Okay, okay. I’m done. Have a good afternoon. He exits.
SAMI: Thanks, Killarney National Forrest.
FORREST: No problem, Sami.
KILLARNEY NATIONAL FORREST continues to bathe SAMI in sunlight, and a cool breeze. SAMI continues in deep thought.
SCENE 6
Dublin, a few days after SAMI returns from KILLARNEY NATIONAL FORREST. Standing on O’Connell Street, SAMI speaks with the GENERAL POST OFFICE.
SAMI: Hey post office, are you feeling religious today?
GENERAL POST OFFICE: What?
SAMI: Cause you’re holey! Get it? You have holes in you? Holey, as in ‘Holy” as in religi— never mind.
GENERAL POST OFFICE: Not funny, Sami. Have any idea where these holes are from?
SAMI: Oh. Sorry. No, please explain.
GENERAL POST OFFICE: The 1916 Easter Rising Rebellion! Shots were fired into me, as the Irish Republicans hid from British soldiers. It was the most significant uprising in Ireland since the Irish Rebellion of 1798! Many civilians, including some children, died during the rising, and all for the cause of establishing an independent Irish republic, free of British colonial rule.
SAMI: I never knew about this. Sorry for making the joke. Really. Wow, this is really mind opening. Ireland had to fight off its colonizers? I knew these sorts of things happened in places like Latin America and in the US, but I never knew that Ireland shared in the struggle. I’m starting to understand the strong sense of nationalism in this country. It stems from centuries of oppression and struggles for independence.
GENERAL POST OFFICE: Good observation, Sami. You learn something new every day. Hey, Knock Knock.
SAMI: Who’s there?
GENERAL POST OFFICE: Interrupting Cow.
SAMI: Interrupting co—
GENERAL POST OFFICE: Moo!
SCENE 7
Aran Islands, Ireland. It is raining. Not sweet, gentle Dublin rain, but hardcore, buckets-of-water-in-your-pretty-little-face rain. SAMI stands in the middle of her room in a hostel, as the ARAN ISLANDS look on.
ARAN ISLANDS: Sami, your shoes are a little wet.
SAMI: Yeah, I know.
ARAN ISLANDS: Your pants are too. And you have a little water in your backpack--
SAMI: I know, Aran Islands!
ARAN ISLANDS: Aw, geeze sorry, Sami. But think about it: people have been living here for centuries, and they’ve survived the rain. You’ll be fine.
SAMI: I guess so. And I can tell that people have been here for a long time. We stopped by a cemetery on our bus tour—some of those headstones looked ancient! And the low-lying stonewalls have been here forever as well!
ARAN ISLANDS: The people here take pride in their Irish roots. Many people on the islands still speak in Irish!
SAMI: It’s amazing to think about being able to preserve one’s culture for so long. At times, I worry that being born in the US means that I will lose my parent’s culture and traditions as the years go by. I’d really hate for that to happen.
ARAN ISLANDS: What else did you notice in the cemetery, Sami?
SAMI: There were really old tombstones, but then there were also really new ones, dated as recent as 2010. The people in these places don’t forget their history; they live alongside it, and when the time comes, rest for eternity alongside it too. They don’t forget their history, because it has made them who they are. It’s cool to think that Ireland can be so modern, and still hold on to its roots like that. I’d like to think that I could live like that, alongside my history.
ARAN ISLANDS: I think you can. Um, Sami, you have a little water dripping from your forehead.
SAMI: Oh, that. It’s sweat. It was a long walk up to the hostel.
SCENE 8
Dublin. The final days of studying abroad in IRELAND. SAMI walks outside, dressed in a skirt and sandals, since the sun has finally come out after weeks of rain. Within a few seconds, it begins to pour rain, and SAMI comes to a standstill.
SAMI: Dude, Ireland, what the heck?
IRELAND: Sami, really. What else do you expect? Think about it: you’ve spent weeks here, learning about theatre, experiencing new places, meeting new people and doing things you’d never thought you would do! Are you going to let a little rain get in your way? Be happy that you’re here! Go with the flow. If life gives you fish, find somebody with chips, and have a party!
SAMI: Ireland! Why do you always have to rid me of my negative energies?! Ugh. Fine. I’ll be happy. But not for you—I still think you’re weird. I still don’t understand why you can’t drive on the right side.
IRELAND: Sami, shut up and dance. You’ve always wanted to be in a musical number onstage, I know that.
SAMI: Oh, Ireland. You know me well. Thank you for everything. Thank you.
SAMI pulls out an umbrella from her purse, and begins to dance in the rain. An Irish rendition of “Singing in the Rain” begins to play, as the characters from throughout the play come out to say goodbye to SAMI. First, the ABBEY THEATRE and the KILLARNEY NATIONAL FORREST join SAMI in dancing, followed by the GENERAL POST OFFICE and the ARAN ISLANDS, who both pick SAMI up and lift her onto their shoulders. HORSE AND CARRIAGE MAN rides through the background, waving goodbye to SAMI as well. FEAR and UNCERTAINTY try to make their way to SAMI, but before they can reach her, ABBEY THEATRE and KILLARNEY NATIONAL FORREST manage to tackle them to the ground, much as they did to SAMI before. SAMI laughs and cheers. Finally, IRELAND brings SAMI back down to the ground, before giving her a final hug goodbye. IRELAND leaves, and SAMI is left standing alone for a second, as the song ends. After a moment of silence, FATHER makes his way back in.
FATHER: Welcome home!
SAMI: Daddy, I’ve missed you! I have so much to tell you.
FATHER: Well, tell me.
SAMI: Yes of course! Where to start? Well, I guess I’ll start by saying that I’ve seen Ireland on a map, and I’ve seen pictures of it, but it’s a whole other thing to actually be there.
Black.
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