The Bridge

Theme:     “The Bridge” is a short vignette about hope in times of despair and pain.

Keywords: depression, difficulty, despondency, renewal, hope, strength, healing

 

Cast:       2 adult males, 1 adult female

 

            Despondent Man, 30-40

            Homeless Man, 30-50

            Young Woman, 20-30

 

Set:        A “bridge” at night: wooden railings simulating bridge rails, a sign reading “MEMORIAL BRIDGE” (or similar).

 

Special effects:      A dark stage with single spotlight (simulating a streetlamp) illuminating a small area where the action takes place.

 

Props:      photograph, man’s wallet

 

Costumes:   Despondent man and young woman wear street clothes, homeless man wears shabby/dirty clothing.

 

Sample of script:

 

The scene is a bridge at night.  A single streetlight casts a pale glow.  A DESPONDENT MAN slowly enters, then stops at the bridge railing and peers downwards with a look of despair.  He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a photograph, stares at it longingly, then puts it back in his pocket.  He grabs the railing and starts to climb over.  A HOMELESS MAN suddenly appears from the darkness.

 

Homeless Man:      Hey, buddy, can you spare a couple of dollars?

 

The despondent man STARTS in obvious alarm.  He sees the homeless man and calms.

 

Despondent Man:     You scared me to death!

 

Homeless Man:      Sorry about that, pal.  Just wonderin' whether you could spare a dollar or two.  I ain't had anything to eat for a couple of days.

 

The despondent man takes out his wallet and starts to open it.  He pauses briefly, shaking his head sadly, then hands the wallet to the homeless man.

 

Despondent Man:     Here.  Take it.

 

Homeless Man, puzzled:

The whole wallet?

 

Despondent Man:     Yeah.

 

Homeless Man:      Mister, I ain't tryin' to rob you.  I just want a couple of dollars for a sandwich.

 

Despondent Man:     I know.  But take the wallet.  I don't need it anymore.

 

The homeless man takes the wallet, then glances towards the railing.  He smiles knowingly.

 

Homeless Man:      You plannin' to jump. 

 

The despondent man doesn't reply. 

 

Homeless Man:      Care to tell me why?

 

Despondent Man:     It's a long story.

 

The homeless man steps forward and leans casually against the railing. 

 

Homeless Man:      Well, the one thing I got plenty of is time.

He eyes the despondent man intently.

Homeless Man:      You're dressed too good to be homeless, at least for very long, and you're wearing a wedding ring.  So you either lost your money or your wife.  Which was it?

 

Despondent Man:     Both.

The complete script, plus all 2,000 other DramaShare scripts, are available at no charge to DramaShare members, non-members may purchase the individual script.

Theme:     “The Bridge” is a short vignette about hope in times of despair and pain.

Keywords: depression, difficulty, despondency, renewal, hope, strength, healing

 

Cast:       2 adult males, 1 adult female

 

            Despondent Man, 30-40

            Homeless Man, 30-50

            Young Woman, 20-30

 

Set:        A “bridge” at night: wooden railings simulating bridge rails, a sign reading “MEMORIAL BRIDGE” (or similar).

 

Special effects:      A dark stage with single spotlight (simulating a streetlamp) illuminating a small area where the action takes place.

 

Props:      photograph, man’s wallet

 

Costumes:   Despondent man and young woman wear street clothes, homeless man wears shabby/dirty clothing.

 

Sample of script:

 

The scene is a bridge at night.  A single streetlight casts a pale glow.  A DESPONDENT MAN slowly enters, then stops at the bridge railing and peers downwards with a look of despair.  He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a photograph, stares at it longingly, then puts it back in his pocket.  He grabs the railing and starts to climb over.  A HOMELESS MAN suddenly appears from the darkness.

 

Homeless Man:      Hey, buddy, can you spare a couple of dollars?

 

The despondent man STARTS in obvious alarm.  He sees the homeless man and calms.

 

Despondent Man:     You scared me to death!

 

Homeless Man:      Sorry about that, pal.  Just wonderin' whether you could spare a dollar or two.  I ain't had anything to eat for a couple of days.

 

The despondent man takes out his wallet and starts to open it.  He pauses briefly, shaking his head sadly, then hands the wallet to the homeless man.

 

Despondent Man:     Here.  Take it.

 

Homeless Man, puzzled:

The whole wallet?

 

Despondent Man:     Yeah.

 

Homeless Man:      Mister, I ain't tryin' to rob you.  I just want a couple of dollars for a sandwich.

 

Despondent Man:     I know.  But take the wallet.  I don't need it anymore.

 

The homeless man takes the wallet, then glances towards the railing.  He smiles knowingly.

 

Homeless Man:      You plannin' to jump. 

 

The despondent man doesn't reply. 

 

Homeless Man:      Care to tell me why?

 

Despondent Man:     It's a long story.

 

The homeless man steps forward and leans casually against the railing. 

 

Homeless Man:      Well, the one thing I got plenty of is time.

He eyes the despondent man intently.

Homeless Man:      You're dressed too good to be homeless, at least for very long, and you're wearing a wedding ring.  So you either lost your money or your wife.  Which was it?

 

Despondent Man:     Both.

The complete script, plus all 2,000 other DramaShare scripts, are available at no charge to DramaShare members, non-members may purchase the individual script.