The Play: A Tragic Turn in a School Theater Performance
- Nick Ho
- Dec 16, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 12
[📖 Prefer reading? Here's the story in script format.] ⬇
(Scene: School Theater, somewhere in England, evening. YOU and RYAN sit side by side in the middle, watching the modernized version of Romeo and Juliet.)
You: This is it, right? The big fight?
Ryan: Yeah, they’ve been rehearsing this forever. It’s gonna be awesome.
(The fight begins. The actors, including your best friends SHAWN (playing Romeo) and JESS (playing a side character), move with practiced intensity. But an unease creeps up your spine.)
You: Wait… something’s not right.
Ryan: What do you mean?
You: I don’t know. It just feels… off.
Ryan: Nah, it’s just like the rehearsal.
(Suddenly, someone in Tybalt’s gang steps forward from the group, and in one quick motion, his right hand swings in front of Shawn’s face. There’s a pocket knife in his hand.)
You: What the hell? That wasn’t in the script…
Ryan: Guess that big mouth just wanted more attention—couldn’t stick to the script.
(You freeze, staring at the stage. Shawn dodges the stab, but then Jess rushes forward. She throws herself in front of Shawn, taking the blade herself. Her face twists in pain. The audience stays silent.)
Ryan: Wait… is that part of the scene? They’re acting so well.
You: No. No, that’s not acting. Jess is… Jess is hurt!
Ryan: What?
(The knife-wielder pulls back, and Jess collapses into Shawn’s arms, blood staining her costume. The audience gasps, but they think it’s part of the performance.)
Ryan: Oh my god…
You: Jess is bleeding! We need to stop this!
(The realization hits you like a punch to the gut. It’s too late. Something real, something horrible, is happening. Tears fill your eyes as you rush toward the stage.)
Ryan: Oh my god… No…
(Ryan’s realization hits him too, and he jumps up, following you toward the stage.)
(Posted on Threads on 16.12.2024)
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