2021 Young Playwrights Anthology

Hello old friend, you know it’s a wonder I can give
anyone advice even though I’m still into this whole
Snow White insanity thing. Why does she think I’m
okay with this? How can she think I want this? For
my husband to be millions of miles away, and all I
can do is worry and try to raise a kid. I don’t know
how to do this. I don’t know how to do this without
him. He just always had to be so self-righteous huh? I
can’t quite call him selfish, he is surviving his country
after all. But he still isn’t here.
(She starts crying gently.)
I guess I still have quite a journey in front of me too.
After all, when does any bird truly stop flying?
(AISHA climbs through the little window and makes
eye contact with her MOM.)
WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?
(She drags AISHA into the house and hits her on the
back of the head then AISHA takes a seat on a chair.)
AISHA. OW!
MOM. So you’re sneaking out now? What, are you also
doing drugs?
AISHA. I...I..j-just needed to get out.
MOM. (sighs again and then sits down on a chair next to
her and starts stroking her hair) I know this all has
been hard on you, but I want you to know we love
you. Me and your dad. But never, ever, I mean ever
do that again.

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AISHA. I know mom, and I’m sorry too. I can’t even
imagine how you feel. This has been really hard on
you too. And of course, I won’t. I’m sorry.

MOM. (smiles at her and places a kiss on top of her
forehead then smiles while rubbing her arm) I don’t
want you to worry about me honey, I’ll be fine. And
so will you. Everything will be okay. It’s perfectly
okay and normal to feel what you feel. You still have
your whole life to fly away to.

AISHA. I just don’t know what to feel. I know dad loves
me but he’s not here. I know that I have my whole
life in front of me but I feel like I need to have
everything figured out, but I just don’t. Today was
crazy. I don’t even know how to judge people when
I can barely judge myself. I don’t know how to do
anything. I just wish he was here.

MOM. I know this feels terrible right now. But
you’re always going to be alone. No one will ever
understand you as much as you. No one will ever
care as much as you care about things. Words will
fail you, and actions don’t do everything. Love
isn’t enough sometimes. Sometimes you need a
little flight, a little magic, and a little freedom. If
everything was good or bad there would only be
angels and demons. Could you imagine how boring
that would be?
(AISHA giggles a little.)
I remember my mom once read me something.
“The humanity of the most human people has the
potential to destroy them” You are fine. You are
amazing. I love you.

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(AISHA hmmms and then yawns and falls asleep, and
the bird flies away.)

Scene 7
(The OLD MAN in standing on stage alone. Multiple
birds fly around and chirp.)
OLD MAN. Ah, what a nice ending. Wonder what
they’ll have for dinner.
(The curtain closes.)

End of Play.

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Laura Karner as Isobel (left)
Sadie Pillion-Gardner as Olive (right)
in A Boring Street in the Middle of Nowhere

Digital capture from the
2021 Young Playwrights Festival

54

A Boring Street in the Middle of Nowhere
by Lucy Potts

photo courtesy of the playwright
Lucy Potts is thrilled to have her play performed at City
Theatre. Lucy is a sophomore literary artist at Pittsburgh
CAPA. She has been attending since 2017. During her
time at CAPA, she has won a gold key, a silver key and
several honorable mentions for her writing from the
Scholastic Art and Writing Contest. Lucy is also a rower
and has been rowing with Three Rivers Youth Rowing for
three years. She volunteers for adaptive and para rowing
in her spare time. Lucy would like to thank her wonderful
creative writing teachers for mentoring and supporting
her throughout her time at CAPA. She would also like
to thank the lovely people in City Theatre for helping her
play to life. Finally, she would like to thank her parents to
encouraging her to write and pursue her passion.

acknowledgments

A Boring Street in the Middle of Nowhere premiered at the
City Theatre Young Playwrights Festival November 6, 2021,
where it was directed by Linda Haston with dramaturgy

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by Olivia O’Connor. It featured the following cast:

Isobel Laura Karner
Olive Sadie Pillion-Gardner
Tom
Brian John Dolphin
Richard Allen Law
Ana
Brenden Peifer
Paige Moody

characters

ISOBEL: A woman in her 70’s. She is a retired nurse and
has lived on the street for her entire life.

OLIVE: A 15-year-old who moves around a lot.
ANA: A 39-year-old woman. She is ISOBEL’s estranged

daughter. Doesn’t have any lines.
TOM: A mailman in his 50’s. Has been delivering the

street’s mail for 20 years.
BRIAN: A construction worker in his 30’s. Never misses

a baseball game.
RICHARD: A mailman in his 20’s.

A Boring Street in the Middle of Nowhere
Scene 1

(Scene opens with ISOBEL sitting on her porch,
reading the newspaper. OLIVE is drawing with chalk
on the other side of the stage. ISOBEL is reading a
newspaper. A low rumble can be heard in the distance,
then gets louder and louder, before stopping. BRIAN
walks onstage, wearing an orange vest and a hard hat.)
BRIAN. Hoo-wee it’s hot out! Guess that’s just July
weather for ya! This the one?
(A truck honks.)

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Alrighty! Yep, I can see the branches in the electric
lines. ‘lil surprised that this street don’t lose power
every other week. How long ya think it’ll take?
(Two honks.)
Two hours? Probably be able to catch the game I
reckon!
(Starts to examine the tree. ISOBEL takes notice in
this.)
ISOBEL. Hey! What are you doing?
BRIAN. (looks at ISOBEL) Good afternoon ma’am!
We’re from the City Tree Ordinance and there have
been several complaints from residents on this street
that the power keeps goin’ out when it gets real
windy an’ we think this tree may be the reason, so
we’re taking it down.
ISOBEL. (walks over to BRIAN, looks up at the tree) Can’t
you just trim the branches?
BRIAN. Well, we could, but then we’d be back in a few
weeks to trim ‘em again. Plus, we’d have to cut off
the whole side of the tree since the branches are so
entangled with the wires. It’s a whole lotta work that
can be avoided if we just take it down. Plus it’s super
expensive to keep coming back with the truck.
(Honk.)
ISOBEL. Well, I don’t see how that’s a problem given it’s
my taxpayer dollars that go into cutting down trees.

57

BRIAN. That is true, say we did only trim it. Every few
weeks we’d come back and trim it some more. That’s
just fine for just one tree. But it isn’t just one tree.
There are hundreds of trees all over the Pittsburgh
area that are or are close to touching electricity lines.
We could just trim those ones too. That would be
tons of trees we gotta keep coming back to, wasting
time and resources on every tree when we could have
just chopped a few down. This one is too big, too
entwined with the wires. It’d be too much of a hassle
every time.

ISOBEL. Shouldn’t that be a risk you’re willing to take?
These are trees we are talking about. Trees! Living,
breathing trees that give us oxygen that we oh so
desperately need, nowadays since the air is dirty.
Shouldn’t we want more trees?

BRIAN. I don’t know Ma’am, we’re just the people that
cut down the trees. You’ll have to take it up with one
of the higher-ups, maybe once we’re done I can give
you a business card.
(OLIVE runs over, truck honks.)

OLIVE. What’s the issue with the…………
(Looks at the tree.)
Tree?

ISOBEL. These imbec…… workers are cutting down
this beautiful maple tree. Now, what I don’t
understand is—

OLIVE. That’s all this is about? A tree?

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ISOBEL. Excuse me? All this is about?
OLIVE. I don’t mean to be rude; I just don’t understand

why you’re shouting about a tree. There are a ton of
trees one street up from this one.
ISOBEL. Well, I don’t live one street up from this one.
Who are you anyway? I’ve never seen you before.
(Honk.)
BRIAN. Now I enjoy neighborhood drama just as much
as the next person, but me and my guys really gotta
get in there and cut down this tree if we want to
catch the baseball game. So if you ladies could kindly
move out of the way–
ISOBEL. I remember when this tree was planted! I used
to climb up it! My daughter climbed up it before she
moved out! You can’t just cut it down!
BRIAN. Well, you’re lucky ya didn’t hit your head on the
electric wires. Maybe you could call the higherups
like I said and ask ‘em to plant a new tree.
ISOBEL. They won’t listen. Look up the street. Do you
think they listened when I asked them to not cut
down any more trees? Do you think they care?
OLIVE. They probably care, they just know it’s too much
of a hassle to plant new trees and to take care of
them.
ISOBEL. Once again, who are you?
BRIAN. (sighs, turns to stage left.) Alright guys let’s take

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this thing down!
(Checks watch, then turns back to ISOBEL and
OLIVE.)
Please, I really need you two to move. I’m sorry
about your tree, but we really need to take it down.
(OLIVE walks offstage.)
ISOBEL. But–
BRIAN. I’m sorry ma’am.
(ISOBEL stands there for a second, then walks out of
the way.)
Alrighty! Hey, somebody get down here and gimme
a hand!
(Lights fade out. The audience hears a truck drive
forward and a chainsaw starts up.)

Scene 2
(Scene opens with ISOBEL standing exactly where she
was when the last scene ended. The tree is no longer
there, there is just a stump where it used to be. It is
4pm.)
OLIVE. (walks onstage) You’re still out here?
ISOBEL. This tree was planted when I was 14 years old.
I climbed on it, my daughter climbed on it. I wake
up…... woke up every day and watch the leaves
rustle and the birds land on the branches. And then

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these people come along and just…... take it all away.
OLIVE. I just moved onto this street, and this tree

was super nice, kinda wish I climbed it before they
chopped it down, but it’s just a tree y’know?
(Pauses.)
I’m Olive by the way. I just moved into the house
over there.
(Points across the stage.)
ISOBEL. Well, Olive maybe if you had lived here longer
you would know that there used to be 10 trees on
each side of the street. The tree they just cut down
was the last one.
(Silence.)
Who are you to say it’s just a tree?
TOM. (enters stage and walks over to ISOBEL and
OLIVE) Good afternoon Isobel!
ISOBEL. (smiles) I thought yesterday’s mail was late, but
I think you just set a record.
TOM. (bows) Jeez, I don’t know what to say. I’d like to
thank my parents, my dog, and all the people on this
street. Thank you for sending and receiving letters so
I could keep my job.
ISOBEL. (laughs) Have any letters for me? From…...
Ana?

61

TOM. Doesn’t look like it.
(Hands her some envelopes.)
Have anything for me?

ISOBEL. No. I- no.
OLIVE. Letters are a waste of time anyway. By the time

they get it, everything you said is probably no longer
true.
TOM. (Reaches out hand.) I don’t think we’ve met. I’m
Tom, I deliver your mail.
OLIVE. Hi, I’m Olive. I…... receive the mail you deliver.
ISOBEL. It’s late Olive. You should go. Now.
OLIVE. It’s only four.
(Looks at ISOBEL.)
Alright, whatever.
(Walks off stage.)
TOM. Well, I’ve got other letters to deliver. Ciao!
(Walks off stage.)
ISOBEL. (clutches envelopes) Oh, Ana...
(Lights fade out.)

62

Scene 3
(Scene opens with ISOBEL standing on one side of the
stage and ANA on the other.)
ISOBEL. (holding a piece of paper) Dear Ana, I know I
haven’t written to you in a while. I was trying to give
you the chance to respond to the last letter I sent,
and then when I didn’t hear from you I assumed you
didn’t want to hear from me, so I’m not sure why I’m
writing. I guess I was reminded of you.
(Turns to look at ANA.)
I think the last time we properly spoke; I was still
working. Well, I’m not anymore. Put down my
nurse’s hat and scrubs for good. I’m just tired, and I
didn’t need the money, so I’m done. Oh, and I finally
got around to painting the kitchen cabinets. The
nasty yellow ones? And the carpet in the mudroom?
Gone. I mean what even was that?
(Laughs.)
Do you have any major life updates for me? Any
grandkids? I’m kidding…... mostly.
(ANA looks over at ISOBEL.)
I know you don’t like writing letters, everything said
is no longer true by the time the letter arrives, right?
But even so, I’d love to hear from you.
(ANA and ISOBEL look at each other, both holding a
piece of paper. ANA turns and walks away.)

63

Love, Mama.
(Lights fade out.)

Scene 4
(Scene opens with ISOBEL walking along the street.
OLIVE is on the road with sidewalk chalk. TOM is
next to the moving sign.)
ISOBEL. (stops in front of the moving sign) The Parkers are
moving? But they’ve lived here for years, healthy, I
think. Why would they be moving?
TOM. This is the 10th sign I’ve seen in the
neighborhood today. The Reilly’s, the Grayson’s, that
lovely couple on Elm, all leaving.
ISOBEL. Why would that be? It’s so nice here, where
could they possibly go?
TOM. All I know is that there are a ton of empty houses,
My bag’s been a lot lighter.
ISOBEL. Huh. I’ve got to ask them about it.
(Starts to walk past the sign.)
TOM. They moved out a week ago. Just haven’t sold their
house yet.
ISOBEL. A week?!
TOM. Yep.
(Looks through bag.)

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Doesn’t look like I’ve got anything for you today.
ISOBEL. Nothing?
TOM. It’s only been a week since your last letter to her.

You could try writing another.
ISOBEL. Maybe.

(Silence.)
Well, I suppose I’ll see you tomorrow.
TOM. Suppose you will. Have a nice day.
(Walks offstage.)
ISOBEL. (stares at moving sign for a moment, then walks to
her house. Looks at OLIVE, who is covered with chalk
dust) What are you doing?
OLIVE. (startled) Just-just drawing with chalk.
ISOBEL. Well, I can see that. Why are you in front of
my house? Why not draw in front of your own?
OLIVE. The sidewalk’s all busted up. The sidewalk on
this side of the street is much smoother.
ISOBEL. Is that supposed to be an excuse? I paid for this
sidewalk to be repaved, and you’ve just ruined it!
OLIVE. That’s a bit extreme. It’s just chalk.
ISOBEL. That isn’t the point. The point is I didn’t give
you permission to draw. Why don’t you sit inside and

65

play TikTok like all the other kids your age?
OLIVE. How many kids my age have you met?
ISOBEL. That’s not the point the point is that you’ve

vandalized my property! Some parents you’ve got,
letting their child trespass!
OLIVE. Okay, let’s leave my parents out of this.
ISOBEL. It’s a mess.
OLIVE. Look, it’s not permanent, it’s not like I used
spray paint, but I do have a few bottles. Would you
like me to go grab them?
ISOBEL. You will do no such thing. What you should do
is grab a hose and spray that stuff off my sidewalk
OLIVE. Okay, I don’t know what your problem is, but
it’s chalk. It’ll come off whenever it rains.
ISOBEL. My problem is the fact you are drawing in
front of my house on my sidewalk when you could
just be drawing on your own.
OLIVE. Alright, I’m sorry! I’m leaving! Not like I want
to be here anyway.
(Starts putting chalk in the container.)
ISOBEL. (taken aback) What do you mean you don’t
want to be here?
OLIVE. Hmm, let me think, rude neighbors, boring
house, no trees.

66

ISOBEL. Maybe it’s not quite what it used to be, but the
street is charming! And I’m not being rude, I’m just
don’t want you drawing in front of my house.

OLIVE. Why do you care so much? You know what
forget it.

ISOBEL. (obviously annoyed) Well, you’re the one who
moved onto this street and caused a ruckus. You’re
the rude one.

OLIVE. Can you just leave me alone?
ISOBEL. Can you stop talking back to me? You know

what, I bet you’re the reason the Parker’s are moving
out. It’s kids like you who nobody wants to live
around.
OLIVE. Are you saying that people hate me so much
that they are moving? Lady, you’re delusional.
ISOBEL. I’m saying that it was better when you weren’t
here! People don’t want to be around rude teenagers
who vandalize and cause a fuss. Why else would they
be leaving?
OLIVE. Probably because no one wants to live on a
boring street in the middle of nowhere!
(OLIVE finished packing up the chalk and stands up.)
Call me if you decide to press charges.
ISOBEL. Maybe I will!
OLIVE. (laughs) Yeah, okay sure.

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(Storms off. ISOBEL looks down at the drawing. Lights
fade out.)

Scene 5
(Scene opens with ISOBEL standing on one side of the
stage and ANA on the other.)
ISOBEL. (holding a piece of paper) Dear Ana, how are
you doing? I’m wondering whether you received
my last letter. I never know how long it takes to get
things to California.
(Pause.)
I didn’t tell you this in my last letter, but they just
cut down the last tree on our street. I know you
never really cared for it, not as I did, it’s just a tree,
right? I always thought it pulled the street together,
like how a rug pulls the room together. Now I think
the street is a little bland, like you used to call it. I
wonder what you think now. I’m sure California is
much more interesting, with more than just trees and
without me. In any case, I thought you might like to
know.
(Pause.)
Ana, I know we haven’t been on good terms in years
but, well I miss you. I’m getting older and I’m afraid.
I’m afraid of dying and taking this with me. I’m.....
lonely.
(ISOBEL looks over at ANA but ANA does not look
over.)

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I miss you. I miss our conversations; I miss you
writing back to me. I miss your voice and your face. I
miss your embrace and
(ANA looks up like someone is trying to get her
attention. She sets the paper down and walks off stage.)
your courage. I wish you would respond, and I wish
we could make up.
(Long pause.)
I can hope, can’t I? I love you.
Love, Mama
(ISOBEL looks over to where ANA was standing.
Lights fade out.)

Scene 6
(The next day. TOM is walking up the street.)
ISOBEL. (comes on stage holding the letter) Good morning
Tom!
TOM. Good morning Isobel! Beautiful summer day.
ISOBEL. Indeed it is.
(TOM starts to look through bag.)
Do I have any mail?
TOM. I don’t believe you do. Is that for me?

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(Motions to ISOBEL’s letter.)
ISOBEL. It is.

(Hands letter to TOM.)
Do you think I’m…. delusional?
TOM. Delusional?
ISOBEL. For continuing to write letters even though
Ana doesn’t respond.
TOM. (sigh) No, I don’t think so. I think you’re a
worried mother who wants to hear from her child.
Kids are stubborn, I’m sure Ana just doesn’t want to
back down.
ISOBEL. She’s not much of a kid anymore.
(Silence.)
Do you have children?
TOM. (surprised) Uh, yeah. Two beautiful girls and one
handsome little boy. My eldest daughter is actually
going to college soon.
ISOBEL. They grow up so fast.
TOM. They certainly do. I remember when she was a
baby. She was so tiny. Man am I going to miss her.
(Silence.)
Do you have any tips for……. I don’t know…...

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staying in touch?
ISOBEL. I’m the wrong person to ask.
TOM. Right. I’m sorry.
ISOBEL. Don’t worry about it.

(Pause.)
I would say to make sure she knows that you are
there for her, whether she needs you or not. She still
has you.
TOM. Thank you.
OLIVE. (walks on stage holding her chalk, looks at
ISOBEL) Sorry.
(Walks offstage.)
TOM. That girl seems sweet. She got the cutest little dog
that has not once barked at me, a rarity for this job.
ISOBEL. She’s disruptive. She’s destructive and arrogant,
and disrespectful–
TOM. Is she any of those things, or are you used to a
quiet constant street?
ISOBEL. What?
TOM. I hope you hear from your daughter soon. Have a
nice day Isobel!
(Starts to walk away.)

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ISOBEL. Wait!
TOM. Just give her a chance! Maybe you’ll be surprised!

(Walks offstage. Lights fade out.)
Scene 7

(Scene opens with ISOBEL sitting outside reading a
magazine. OLIVE walks on stage with a box of chalk,
looks at ISOBEL, then starts to walk off stage.)
ISOBEL. Did you know that the house at the top of the
street has a moving sign in front of it? You probably
don’t know them, Linda and Daniel Brown? And
OLIVE. (turns around) And their kid Samuel. Sam. Kind
of a jerk but he’s alright. Met him at open house for
school.
ISOBEL. Yes, and their kid Sam. The only other teenager
on the street. He’s the only other kid your age that
I’ve met. Well, besides Ana. Every time I see him, his
got his head buried in his screen.
(Silence.)
Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve seen you on
your phone once. Do you have one?
OLIVE. I have one but when there’s no one to talk to
what’s the point of it?
ISOBEL. Right.
(Pause.)

72

I’m sorry I told you to leave. Ever since you came,
things have been changing. People are moving, trees
are being cut down, I haven’t seen Tom in a few days
so I’m worried. I’m always worried.
OLIVE. (walks over and sets the chalk down) In my
experience, you don’t want to leave behind the things
you tied memories to. But the memories aren’t tied
to objects. That tree, these houses, your memories
exist outside of them. They will still exist when these
things are gone.
ISOBEL. That was very wise. How old are you?
OLIVE. Fifteen.
(Hesitates.)
I move around a lot. Nothing is ever the same.
ISOBEL. I can imagine that that is challenging.
OLIVE. Yeah, I guess.
(Pause.)
Ana is your ...... um..
ISOBEL. Ana is my daughter. She lives in California.
She......
OLIVE. (senses something is amiss) She what?
ISOBEL. Oh, nothing.
OLIVE. (awkwardly) Okay.... well um, how old is she?

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ISOBEL. Thirty-nine.
OLIVE. Okay. Does she have any kids?
ISOBEL. No. Well, I’m not sure. We don’t talk much.
OLIVE. How come?
ISOBEL. We…… had a bit of a falling out, years ago,

and things have been on thin ice ever since. I write
letters to her, but she doesn’t respond.
(Pause.)
You remind me a lot of her. I think she would like
you.
(OLIVE smiles. Silence.)
Do you like drawing?
OLIVE. Sort of. I like drawing with chalk because it’s
pretty simple and people won’t judge me for it
looking bad.
(Pause.)
I’m surprised you didn’t get rid of my drawing from the
other day.
ISOBEL. Oh, right, that.
(Awkward silence.)
I feel bad for the way I acted. I shouldn’t have given
you such a hard time. You were just drawing with

74

chalk. I guess it just……. I don’t know.
OLIVE. I’ll draw on my side of the street from now on.
ISOBEL. No, no. This sidewalk is good for sidewalk

chalk. You may draw here. Besides, I quite liked
looking at your little airplane. It looked like it was
popping out of the sidewalk.
OLIVE. Yeah, it’s not my best work. The shadows aren’t
all facing the right way. It’s incomplete.
ISOBEL. Well, if that isn’t your best work, I think I
would like to see what is.
OLIVE. (sits down to draw) Any requests?
ISOBEL. How about a nice maple tree?
(Lights fade out.)

Scene 8
(Scene opens with a man delivering mail. OLIVE is
drawing with chalk.)
ISOBEL. (runs onstage) Tom! I was worried about you.
How–
(Pause.)
You’re not Tom.
RICHARD. Good day, ma’am. My name is Richard
Harris, you can call me Rich and I’m delivering
letters on this set of streets today and probably for

75

the next few days.
ISOBEL. What happened to Tom, Richard?
RICHARD. I don’t really know who that is, but I was

just assigned to this street, so I’ll be delivering your
mail.
ISOBEL. Well, have I got anything?
RICHARD. I don’t know who you are.
ISOBEL. Isobel Sanz.
RICHARD. Well, Ms. Sanz, I don’t believe I am
supposed to give mail to people, just houses, so when
I get to your house, I will give you your mail.
ISOBEL. (coldly) Tom always gives it to me directly.
RICHARD. Whelp, I’m not Tom.
ISOBEL. No, you most certainly are not.
RICHARD. (sighs) Okay, I don’t know what you have
against me, but this just isn’t going to work. This isn’t
my usual set of streets, so I’ll probably only be on
them for a little while. Now I would appreciate it if
you would let me do my job.
ISOBEL. It’s not like you have much of a job to do.
There are quite a few empty house I hear.
RICHARD. It’s a wonder there aren’t more. This place is
a mess.

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ISOBEL. A mess? A mess?!
RICHARD. Take a look around! The streets are cracked,

the houses are falling apart. The streetlights are
flickering in the daytime.
(Mutters.)
What a Karen.
(Walks away, continues delivering mail.)
ISOBEL. Hey! What was that?
(RICHARD walks off stage.)
Karen isn’t my name!
OLIVE. (walks over) Jeez, do you treat every new person
you meet that harshly?
ISOBEL. (taken back) I just–
OLIVE. No, I get it. Just the people who change up your
life in some way. Like me.
ISOBEL. I’m just worried.
OLIVE. About the mailman?
ISOBEL. Yes.
OLIVE. I’m sure he’s fine. Probably on a vacation
somewhere fancy like Spain or something.
ISOBEL. Right. You’re right. Why don’t you walk with me?

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(ISOBEL and OLIVE start walking along the stage.)
I always wanted to go to Spain. My parents were
from there, they said it was beautiful. Have you ever
gone?
OLIVE. No. I’ve never been out of the country.
(Silence.)
Why did they leave?
ISOBEL. I’m not sure. They never told me.
OLIVE. Have you lived in your house all your life then?
ISOBEL. Yes. People moved onto the street, people left,
but I was always here.
OLIVE. Wow, I can’t imagine never moving. It would be
nice to stay in one spot forever.
ISOBEL. I don’t know how nice it is. It’s consistent, I
know what will happen and where I am every day,
but life with no change is dull.
(Pause.)
I haven’t seen you around recently. Have you grown
out of chalk drawing?
OLIVE. School started up.
ISOBEL. Oh! How is school? What grade are you in?
OLIVE. Tenth grade. School….. it’s whatever.

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ISOBEL. It seems a little early for school to be starting, I
thought it started around Labor Day.

OLIVE. I don’t know. Labor Day seems kinda late to me.
(Pause.)

ISOBEL. Did you hear what that man was talking about?
A mess he called it. This lovely little place.

OLIVE. He was probably talking about the decline.
ISOBEL. Decline?
OLIVE. Wait, you haven’t heard? People are talking

about how nobody wants to move in. The houses
aren’t worth much.
ISOBEL. What? Why?
OLIVE. Well, you said it yourself. The neighborhood
isn’t what it used to be. People aren’t really interested
in living in the suburbs, the outskirts of the city I
guess.
ISOBEL. But, a decline? Plenty of people still live and
love it here.
OLIVE. Plenty of people? There are 4 moving signs on
this street alone!
ISOBEL. (looks up and down the stage) The Parkers, the
Smiths, the Browns, I’m not quite sure who lives in
that last one.
(Pauses.)

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This is all so sudden!
OLIVE. Sudden? I think this has been happening for a

while, how can you not see?
(Offstage a man shouts, “Olive! Pick up your phone!”)
OLIVE. Ahh, that’s my dad.
(Checks phone.)
I have to go. Talk some other time.
ISOBEL. Alright.
OLIVE. Goodbye.
(Walks away. ISOBEL stands onstage alone for a
moment. Lights fade out.)

Scene 9
(Scene opens with ISOBEL outside sitting on her porch,
reading a newspaper. There is shouting offstage. OLIVE
runs on stage, visibly distressed.)
ISOBEL. (looks up from paper) Olive? Olive, what is it
dear?
OLIVE. What? Oh, I’m fine. It’s nothing. Nothing’s up.
What are, what are you doing?
ISOBEL. Just reading the paper. What’s wrong?
OLIVE. Nothing’s wrong. Nothing.

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ISOBEL. What was all that shouting about?
OLIVE. Oh, that. Um, just a……. disagreement.
ISOBEL. It seemed to be pretty heated to just be a

disagreement.
OLIVE. Gosh why can’t you let it go? It’s none of your

business.
(Sniffles and wipes her eyes. Silence.)
I’m-I’m going to go grab my chalk.
ISOBEL. I have a better idea. Wait here.
(Runs offstage. Comes back carrying an easel, canvas,
and painting supplies)
OLIVE. What are you doing?
ISOBEL. (while setting up easel) Well, I thought it might
be nice to paint together.
(Pause.)
I used to paint with my daughter a lot. And you are
so good at chalk drawing, I know you’ll be good at
painting.
OLIVE. Paint and chalk are completely different
mediums.
ISOBEL. True.
OLIVE. And I’ve never painted before. Not since I was

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little.
ISOBEL. Why don’t you sit down and try it? I bet you’re

a natural.
OLIVE. (hesitates, then sits down) What are we painting

anyway?
ISOBEL. What would you like to paint?
OLIVE. I don’t paint. I don’t know.
ISOBEL. We could paint anything you would like.

(Silence.)
How about……. a nice beachy sunset. Palm trees,
maybe some mountains.
(Starts to paint.)
OLIVE. (silent as she watches ISOBEL paint) Bob Ross
who? You’re so good.
ISOBEL. (laughs) I’ve had lots of practice. Would you
like to paint some happy little palm trees?
(Hands OLIVE a paintbrush. OLIVE begins to paint.
Silence.)
OLIVE. Why don’t you and your daughter speak?
ISOBEL. (taken aback) Well, that’s a forward question.
OLIVE. Sorry, it’s just, you used to paint. Together.
What happened?

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ISOBEL. (hesitates) I don’t know if it was just one thing.
Things just piled on top of each other. We’re…...
quite different, and… I suppose we’re both to proud
to admit that we’re wrong or apologize.

OLIVE. How did you two fall so out of touch?
ISOBEL. Well, we stayed in touch for a while. She went

off to college and I wrote to her all the time. She sent
letters back occasionally, she was busy with school.
But when she graduated, she moved on. From me I
guess. From this house, this street. And I never did. .
Nothing stays the same for long in her life.
(Silence.)
She had a deadbeat father. Left at the first sign of my
pregnancy. I compared her to him when she decided
to go to college across the country. I told her she runs
when things get tough. And five shaky years later,
she told me she wanted to find him, for reasons I’ll
never know. I blew up at her, told her that he doesn’t
want her, there’s no reason for her to go looking.
She stopped responding to my letters, and I stopped
writing them. I regret it all so much now. If I could
go back……
(Pause.)
I said some awful things to her, things I regret now.
I’m writing to her, trying to make it up I suppose.
OLIVE. And did she find him?
ISOBEL. Yes. He even wanted to be a part of her life,
and Ana wanted that too. So she stopped talking to

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me and started talking to him.
(Laughs.)
After 30 years of nothing from him, no child
support, no help, he wants to be a part of her life. I
was……left behind.
(Pause.)
You know, I actually repaved the sidewalk for her. It’s
why it’s so much nicer than the rest of the street. She
liked to roller skate and draw with chalk, though not
as much as you.
(Pause.)
Olive, what’s wrong dear?
OLIVE. Um…..why-why letters? Why not phone calls or
text messages?
ISOBEL. Letters because neither of us had cellphones
until she was out of college, and well it’s a habit,
Olive you can tell me.
OLIVE. And uh, why-why are you still here? Why did
you never leave?
ISOBEL. What’s going on?
OLIVE. Is it because of money, or maybe a job, the
scenery?
ISOBEL. Olive...

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OLIVE. I’m moving.
(Silence.)
My dad, he sells insurance or whatever. He doesn’t
talk to me about it. He keeps relocating himself
to different places and we’re losing money so we
move out before the next rent is due so we can’t
go back. We come here; the cycle starts over…. I
know something’s going on with him but…. but I’m
moving.

ISOBEL. Oh, honey...
OLIVE. Don’t-don’t do that to me. Don’t feel bad or say

anything because it’s not like this is new or-or out of
the ordinary and I don’t know why I care so much I
mean you don’t even like me so
ISOBEL. That isn’t true. Maybe I didn’t like you at first
but now,
OLIVE. Now?
ISOBEL. Now I think you are a lovely girl.
OLIVE. I don’t even like it here, but you’ve been kind
and, I don’t know, you pay attention?
ISOBEL. It’s going to be okay.
OLIVE. No, you don’t get it. I don’t want to leave! I’m
sick of everything changing! I just started school! I
made friends! Do you know how hard that is? For
me? I unpacked! I never do that! I thought things
would be different! He said he liked the house, he

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said it was all going to be fine! I don’t want to go! I’m
always going! I don’t want to.
ISOBEL. We have to learn to accept the things we can’t
control.
OLIVE. You’re one to talk!
(Pause)
You never got over your daughter leaving. You can’t
accept that people move off the street or that trees get
cut down or the mailman not delivering mail for a
few days. You can’t accept change! You can’t change!
(Voice breaks.)
You can’t change.
(Starts crying. ISOBEL pats her shoulder and OLIVE
rests her head on it. Lights fade out.)

Scene 10
(Scene opens with ISOBEL standing on one side of the
stage. The other side of the stage is dark.)
ISOBEL. (holding a piece of paper) Dear Ana, I don’t
know what to say. I’ve been thinking about you
so much in the past few weeks. A darling girl who
moved onto the street is leaving. She came to me
today, We.... painted.
(Pause.)
Ana I’ve talked a bit about our current relationship,

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or I suppose lack thereof, in my past letters, but
I never apologized for it. I never apologized for
our argument before you left for college, I never
apologized for our argument at Christmas, and I
never tried to fix our relationship, I’ve just tried to
forget it. But Ana, I can’t just forget it. Forget you.
(Pause.)
I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have tried to keep
you here, I shouldn’t have accused you of running
when things get tough. I never, never should have
accused you of being just like your father. I’m sorry I
tried to stop you from finding him.
(Pause.)
You told me he was kind, I’m curious if the two of
you still talk. It’s just……. Christmas was always
your favorite holiday and we always spent it together,
so when you told me you were seeing your father
afterward
(Pause.)
I think I felt betrayed. It made me resentful. I
shouldn’t have faulted you for those feelings. I never
meant to control your life. And I didn’t mean to shut
you out of mine. For years I told myself that if you
wanted to talk, you would reach out, that it isn’t my
responsibility to fix what we broke, but I’m your
mother. It was my responsibility to reconcile with
you and I didn’t. And that’s me failing. I’m sorry it
too me so long to say it.
(Pause.)

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If I could take it all back I would. If I could go back
and change things I would. And I know these are
just words. But if you could just give me a chance,
just one letter back, I would be so grateful. I want to
get to know you again. I want to know where you’ve
gone, the places you’ve seen. I want to know you
again. I want to be your mama again. Words don’t do
justice to how much I love you. Love, Mama.
(ISOBEL looks across the stage. Lights fade out.)

Scene 11
(Scene opens with OLIVE and ISOBEL moving boxes.)
ISOBEL. This one has to go over here?
OLIVE. (visibly annoyed) No, it goes over there on the
left.
ISOBEL. Okay.
(Both continue to move boxes.)
So, um, have you seen the new house yet?
OLIVE. No.
ISOBEL. Oh. Well, all these boxes have your name on
them. Are you excited to decorate your new room?
OLIVE. I don’t usually like to unpack because I’m usually
gone in a couple of months. Weeks sometimes.
ISOBEL. I always liked decorating rooms. Any room.
Especially bedrooms.

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(Pause.)
I always found decorating and setting your things
out makes wherever you are feel like home.
OLIVE. I don’t know.
(Offstage there is barking.)
ISOBEL. Tom mentioned something about a dog.
OLIVE. Yeah, his name is Dexter. We got him three
moves ago. Thinking about it, it’s kind of like a
‘sorry we keep moving, here’s a dog so you stop
complaining’ present from my dad.
(Silence.)
Thank you for helping me with…...all of this.
ISOBEL. Of course honey.
(Silence as they continue to move boxes. ISOBEL sits
down on one of them.)
OLIVE. (sits down next to ISOBEL) Have you heard
anything from your daughter? It’s been two weeks
since your last letter.
ISOBEL. No, I haven’t heard anything.
OLIVE. I’m sorry.
ISOBEL. Don’t be.
(Pause.)

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Maybe your new house will be in a nice little
neighborhood with lots of places to walk to.
OLIVE. Yeah I guess.
(Pause.)
Can I ask you something?
ISOBEL. Of course.
OLIVE. Why did you ask me to paint with you? It just
seemed a little random.
ISOBEL. When my daughter was your age, she pierced
her own ears. I wouldn’t let her get them done until
she was sixteen, but I guess she didn’t want to wait
that long, so she pierced them herself. I didn’t know
about it for a while, she kept wearing her hair over
her ears so I couldn’t see. A few days before I found
out she looked like she was in pain, and I found
bloody tissues everywhere. So, I confronted her about
it, but she didn’t want to talk. So, I sat her down and
we painted. She painted and eventually she worked
up the nerve to tell me what was bothering her. We
painted so you could work up the nerve to tell me
what was bothering you.
OLIVE. That was pretty sneaky of you.
(Silence.)
At least you won’t have to see another for sale sign
since we were renting.
ISOBEL. I suppose.

90

(Pause.)
I used to be close with the people on this street. It
was like an everybody knew everybody small town.
But the people I knew left, they were getting older,
wanted less house to care for. I tried to get to know
the new people who moved in. I thought I did know
them, but I had to find out they were leaving from
their vacant houses and for sale signs instead of them
directly.
OLIVE. You got to know me.
ISOBEL. That’s right. I do know you.
(RICHARD walks onstage.)
RICHARD. Good afternoon, Isobel, was it? I haven’t
seen you in a while.
ISOBEL. Good afternoon Richard.
RICHARD. After we talked, I tried to find out who Tom
was and why he was taking a break and it turns out
that his oldest daughter moved across the country for
college, and he is helping her move and get settled in,
so he’ll likely return to work next week. I have been
wanting to let you know but I haven’t seen you so.
ISOBEL. He did mention his daughter going to college.
Oh, I should have connected the dots! Thank you,
you didn’t have to do that.
RICHARD. No I didn’t. Anyways, you got a letter. If you
don’t tell anybody I gave it directly to you, we’ll be
alright.

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(Hands letter.)
Haven’t delivered a handwritten letter yet today.
(Walks offstage.)
ISOBEL. (holding letter) Handwritten? Could it be?
(Opens letter.)
Just one letter......
OLIVE. What does it say?
ISOBEL. Dear……...
(Reads silently to herself.)
OLIVE. (picks up envelope) It looks like it was returned
to the post office. Got one of those orange stickers.
“Return to sender. Unable to forward.”
ISOBEL. (hands shaking) What do I do? What can I do?
She’s gone! She’s gone and moved and didn’t tell me!
I can’t contact her, I don’t know where she is or if
she’s alright!
(Starts to cry.)
OLIVE. I’m so so sorry. Isobel, I can’t imagine what you
are feeling.
ISOBEL. I can’t be here; I have to go….
(Starts to stand up.)

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OLIVE. No no no you are in no state to walk home or to
be alone.

ISOBEL. But I am alone! I don’t have anyone!
OLIVE. You have me! I’m here!

(Silence.)
My mom died a couple years ago.
(ISOBEL takes a deep breath.)
And it sucked. It’s so awful. Some days I wake up
and I can’t move or breathe. When she died it was
like I was drowning. It was dark and no one could
hear me. I felt so incredibly alone. It felt like it would
be like that forever. But days and weeks and months
and years go by and it still hurts. It does. But I’m
not drowning anymore. It’s not so dark and it’s easier
to move and live. I know she wants me to live. And
Ana, maybe it’s just too painful for her to speak.
Maybe she’s still drowning. But I know she wouldn’t
want you to stop moving and living and breathing
for her.
ISOBEL. Olive….
OLIVE. Isobel, you aren’t alone. And now you don’t have
to wonder about whether Ana will respond or not.
You have an answer. You have something. And you
can move on.
ISOBEL. I don’t want to move on. I don’t want to leave
her.

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OLIVE. You aren’t. She knows you’ll never really leave
her. Even if it’s hard for her to admit it.
(Pause.)
A wise person once told me, “We have to learn to
accept the things we can’t control.”

ISOBEL. (gives OLIVE a weak smile) I don’t know how.
OLIVE. You said consistency is dull. Do something

crazy. Spontaneous! Unplanned! Impromptu!
ISOBEL. I can’t.
OLIVE. Go to Spain. Like you always wanted. I’m

serious. How long are you going to wait to fulfill this
dream? How long is it going to stay uncrossed on
your bucket list? They say it’s beautiful.
ISOBEL. Alone?
OLIVE. You’re not alone. I’ll be here. I’ll write to you.
Even though everything I say will be outdated by the
time you get it.
ISOBEL. But to leave it all behind? Leave Ana behind? I
can’t.
OLIVE. Our memories aren’t tied to things. They exist
outside of them. You can’t really leave this behind.
This boring street in the middle of nowhere.
ISOBEL. They exist outside of them. They exist….
(OLIVE and ISOBEL hug. Lights fade out.)

94

Scene 12
(Scene opens with ISOBEL standing on one side of the
stage. The other side of the stage is dark.)
ISOBEL. (holding a piece of paper) Dear Olive…...
(Lights on the other side of the stage come on. OLIVE is
standing there.)
You were right, Gazpacho was delicious. I don’t like
many types of soup, so I didn’t think I would like it,
but I was very wrong. The restaurant where I tried it
was on a hill and I could see the entire city from the
window. It was beautiful. I’ve been here for a little
over a month now but I’m still taken aback every
time I see the view. You should put Tarragona on
your bucket list, it’s amazing here.
(Pause.)
I’m thinking of visiting Cadaqués next. It’s where
my parents were from. Just a little town in Girona,
Catalonia. Just a thought. I always thought I’d visit it
with Ana, she never met my parents……
(Long pause.)
Well, I suppose that’s all for now. I’m sure you’re
busy with school so I won’t take up too much of your
time. I’m wishing you luck on your midterms. Let
me know how they go. Love, Isobel.
OLIVE. (puts down the piece of paper and pulls out a
different one) Dear Isobel…...

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(Lights fade out.)
End of Play.

96

Shakirah Stephens as Jamila, Matt Henderson as David, Sadie
Pillion-Gardner as Brooke, Brenden Peifer as Elijah (left to right)

in Never Too Late to Change
Digital capture from the

2021 Young Playwrights Festival

97

Never Too Late to Change
by Ayanna Bennett

photo courtesy of the playwright
Ayanna Bennett is 16 years old. She is a junior at
Westinghouse Arts Academy and is also a part of the Teen
Ensemble at Alumni Theater Company (ATC). Ayanna
has written countless amounts of scenes for ATC but she
decided to take a crack at writing a one act play for the
Young Playwrights Festival. Her play Never Too Late To
Change touches on the topic of black history isn’t taught
accurately in schools. She believes that this is a very
important topic to bring up as it relates to current events.
She hopes that the audience can take away that change isn’t
always a bad thing and it’s always important to speak up.

acknowledgments

Never Too Late to Change premiered at the City Theatre
Young Playwrights Festival November 6, 2021, where it
was directed by Linda Haston with dramaturgy by TJ
Parker-Young. It featured the following cast:

Jamila Shakirah Stephens

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Elijah Brenden Peifer
Mr. Calum Allen Law
David
Brooke Matt Henderson
Sadie Pillion-Gardner

characters

JAMILA: A smart and determined yet sassy student who
takes pride in making things right especially when it
comes to black history. She will take any opportunity
she has to tell people the truth. Her best friend is
Elijah. They both have each other’s back and will
always back each other up.

ELIJAH: Jamila’s best friend. He’s goofy but serious when
he needs to be. He also shares the pride to make sure
everything is right and truthful when it comes to black
history. He’s always by Jamila’s side and will stick up
for her any time.

MR. CALUM: A white 10th grade history teacher. He
wants nothing but the best for his students. That
includes teaching everything they should know. He’s
open to learning from his students and will give them
the time they need to explain. He would like to teach
his students more but feels like he’s restricted because
of the curriculum he has to teach.

DAVID: A class clown. He has nothing but jokes to share
with the class even though it’s pretty uncalled for
at times. He never actually learns anything in class
because he just doesn’t pay attention but ends up
changing his ways.

BROOKE: A know at all that doesn’t actually know it all.
She’s very open-minded, loves school. Very romantic,
but seen as a nerd so she doesn’t have a romance of
her own.

setting

This takes place in a history classroom. The door is

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upstage left. The teacher’s desk is by the door. There’s a
total of 6 desks in front of the teacher’s desk.

Never Too Late to Change
Scene 1

(Lights up. It’s the beginning of a history class. Students
are slowly entering the class chatting as their teacher,
MR. CALUM makes his way to his desk to sort out
his lesson plans. As the last wave of students comes into
the room we see ELIJAH and JAMILA, a pair of best
friends, walk into the room. They sit in their seats and
wait for class to start.)
(The bell rings. The students start to quiet down and
class begins.)
MR. CALUM. Alright, class today we are going to go
over some black history. It is Black History Month
after all.
(Chuckles.)
JAMILA. (whispering) Oh, great, I can’t wait to learn
about the same stuff once again.
ELIJAH. Aye look, they could surprise us this year.
JAMILA. Now you know good and well that they ain’t
bout to change the way they teach Black History. It
will take away all the “white-washed glory.”
MR. CALUM. Today we will be talking about Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. Before we start, what is
something we already know?

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