Drink A Glass of Water
Act One
This piece is intended to be performed in an intimate space where there is little separation between the performer and the audience. There should be no stage. Lighting may be used to acknowledge the boundaries of the performance space if needed. Chairs for the audience should be set in a semi-cirlce around the area designated as the performance space. The audience, although seated should be on the same and equal level as the main performer.
A man in a white dress shirt and tan slacks stands besides a wooden stool with a flat circular top that acts as a makeshift table. Upon the stool is a slender clear glass of water.
Without speaking a word, the man picks up the glass and takes a sip of the water, then sets the glass back down upon the stool. The act is very casually done and after the sip the man looks about the audience in the room as if preparing something in his mind or about to speak. Instead of speaking, the man again picks up the glass of water and takes another sip.
As the water touches his lips, the most subtle cloud of blue seems to enter the top of the glass. As the man places the glass back on the stool, the inky cloud like a blue smoke can be seen wafting around in the water near the top of the glass.
The brow of the man tightens into a look of stern concentration. Again the man picks up the glass and takes a sip. As soon as his lips interact with the water, it is evident that they are contaminating each other. In parting, the mans lips have a blue spittle and the blue ink cloud in the glass has grown as it continues wafting its way to the bottom. The audience can see that the man's eyes are beginning to water.
Eyes watering and sweat upon his brow, the man adjusts himself to refocus his attention on his task, he brings the glass to his lips and takes another sip of the water. Mid-sip he hiccups back some of the water back into his mouth. Lips clench to contain it. Eyes connecting with the audience, he fights his natural impulse and with a pause and a look of assurance, swallows the water that lingers in his mouth.
Lowering the glass of water from his face back to the stool, dark spittle clings to the edge of the glass and the crevice where his lips meet, until it snaps. Leaving only a fine line of dark blue saliva, somewhere between ultramarine blue and squid ink that trails all the way down to his chin.
The once clear and full glass of water is now a solid bright blue that only fills about half of the glass. The white dress shirt now adorns small blue stains dotted along the front while the pink of his skin emanates from the areas his sweat absorbs into and clings to the fabric. Sweaty, a bit shaken and visibly uncomfortable, the man rocks ever so slightly from side to side putting all of his weight on his left foot and then his right, repeating this pattern unconsciously as though he were rocking himself to a maternal calm. An inverted pendulum he stands and continues rocking from side to side, his eyes softly closed, shoulders dropped and hands swaying at his hips, he continues rocking himself in time as the glass on the stool remains still.
The silence from the audience is broken as they begin to shift and adjust in their seats. The man’s discomfort has rippled through the room while they await to see what he will do next. It’s not long.
The man’s eyes open fully and suddenly as he comes to a complete stop, standing firmly and sharply upright. Eyes stare vacantly into a deep nothing beyond the gathered room. Face, neck and shoulders frozen as the arm closest to the stool picks up the glass and brings it up to his mouth.
As the glass tilts back and the bright blue water begins to splash into his agape mouth, a deep blue almost black fluid, thick - the consistency of melted chocolate, gurgles up from the back of his throat and begins slowly and steadily rising up to the corners of his mouth and then flowing over his lower lip fully coating his entire chin making its way to the floor. The two liquids at two speeds, one steady and one splashing, both puddling and pooling around his feet. The bright blue water empties from the glass and just splashes off the perturbing thick black/blue syrup staining his shirt and slacks where ever it lands.
THE END
