An Attempt at Some Drama

Writing drama has never been my forte but this semester, I am taking a Creative Writing class for drama and so I will be made to confront a new form of writing. The last ‘play’ or script that I wrote of any significance was way back, in the grand year of 2007, at the age of 11. As I returned from my trip to Agadir, I realised that my creative writing class required me to submit a short scene and so running short of time and ideas, I used my holiday experiences to inspire a short scene. I emphasise the word inspire because to qualm your fears, only some elements of the following scene occurred whilst we were in Agadir. I’ll leave you to contemplate which:

CHARACTERS

TOM – a third year university student from East London

JOE – Tom’s friend, also a third year university student from London

MAN – Middle-aged Moroccan man

ACT 1, SCENE 1

A wide street in sunny Agadir, Morocco. TOM and JOE are strolling. It is quiet. A Moroccan man ahead of them leans against a shop’s front, covered partly by its shade.

TOM:              It’s quite warm today.

JOE:             Yeah man, let’s head to the beach after we eat. The sea should be warmer than                        yesterday.

TOM:              Well it better be, otherwise I ain’t going in.

As they approach the man he rears up out of the darkness.

MAN:              (barks) You want jet ski?

TOM and JOE jump a little, startled.

TOM: What the hell?

MAN: You want jet ski!

JOE: No we don’t

MAN:              Very cheap price, jet ski, very good, very powerful.

TOM:              (Copying the man’s accent) No we no want jet ski. We going to eat.

MAN:              (sighs) You want hotel? (smiling)

JOE:                No man! We don’t want anything.

JOE grabs TOM’s arm and begins to walk away. TOM follows for a few paces before turning

suddenly back towards the man.

TOM:              Did you say hotel?

JOE:                Bruv, what are you doing!

MAN:              (eagerly) Yes, very nice hotel! Fantastic –

TOM:              How much?

MAN:              I give you good price, not tourist price. 300 dirham, one night.

JOE:                Yeah well mate bad luck we already got a hotel.

TOM:              (whispers to JOE) Shut up! Don’t you know what hotel means on these streets? A girl! He’s asking if we want a girl for the night!

JOE:                What? Really? Tell him we both want one then. 300 dirhams is nothing!

TOM:              Of course. (To the man) Ok we want two hotel.

MAN:              Two? Sure?

TOM:              (impatiently) Yes we are sure. But good hotel.

MAN:              Of course, very best only for you.

TOM:              Ok, where will we meet?

MAN:              Why meet? I take you hotel now.

TOM:              No no, too early.

MAN:              But hotel open. Come we go now. 300 dirhams only.

JOE:                Yeah that 300 dirhams is sounding pretty attractive to me.

TOM:              It’s too early. I’m starving.

MAN:              Don’t worry, hotel, good food.

JOE:                What do you mean? We don’t want hotel. We want hoteeeel.

MAN:              Yes hotel is here. Traditional food.

TOM:              No you idiot. We want women! Girls!

MAN:              Oh! Aah no, women finished.

JOE:                What do you mean finished?

MAN:              Winter time. Women go home. Come back Agadir in summer. You come wrong time

TOM:              Fuck

Curtain