[Ronnie Rowlands]

Something I'm doing for drama, just finished one of the scenes, opinions would be helpful, I will be playing Mr.Drip.
(Stage right, a desk, with 2 chairs on one side of it, Mr. Drip is sat at the table, talking into an intercom, mother and father appear stage left)

Father: Wonder what they want to see us for?

Mother: I don’t know, she’s been showing me all her books, she’s been doing well!

Father: Then it must be something to do with her attitude, I bet she’s being bullied here!

Mother: Ian!

Father: I told you not to send her to this school, it’s scummy!

Mother: Oh, well, let’s just go in and see what he has to say. (Mother and father mime a conversation)

Drip: (Into intercom) Hello? Valerie love? Send us a coffee up here will you? Yes, two lumps, thanks dear. (Knock at the door) Uh... Oh, come in! (Mother and father enter) (Back into the intercom) Uh, Valerie love, cancel the lumps, I’ve got 2 in the room now, thanks dear. Charmed to meet you! (shakes hands with father)

Father: Nice to meet you Mr, uhh…

Drip: Mr. Drip.

Father: Drip.

Drip: Well, sit down please, sit, sit, sit, sit sit!

Mother: Thanks.

Drip: Can I get you a coffee?

Mother: No thanks,

Father: Oh, do you do tea?

Drip: Hmmm, I’m not so sure, oh, hold on, Valerie will know, (into intercom) Valerie love, do we have a tea machine?

Intercom: Sorry love.

Drip: (Sternly) Oh? Sod you then! (Pleasantly again) ‘Fraid we don’t darling.

Father: Oh…
Mother; That’s ok.

Drip: So, how can I make your life more attractively styled?
(pause)
Father: Well, you called us over here…

Drip: Oh? (Flicks through his diary) Uhhh…Oh… hahaha! Yes! So I did! (laughs)

(mother and father laugh along awkwardly )

Drip: (carries on giggling, and takes a drink of water.) Yes, yes, (leans forward, more seriously) Your daughter sir.

Mother: Abby? What’s she done?

Father: She been skiving?

Drip: She may as well.

Mother: Why?

Drip: Well, to be honest Mr and Mrs Casillingua, I’m quite concerned about your daughter. Now, I know that not long ago, she used to be the politest young girl, she was bubbly, popular, well mannered, and she passed all her tests and exams with flying colours…

Father: You mean she’s been slacking?

Drip: Well, see for yourselves… (He produces a book and hands it to Ian) (Ian flips through it)

Father: Hmm. A. A. A. A. (he looks up, then keeps looking through the book) A. B. B. B-, C, C, C-, C-, D, D-, F, F, F, U,…What’s U?

Drip: Unclassified.

Father: But, the rest of the book is unclassified!

Drip: Exactly. Over the last 2 months, your daughter hasn’t done a jot of work, or homework!

Mother: But that’s stupid, she’s always been good with her homework! She always kept on top of it!

Drip: Well, she may have done in the past, but her entire personality, attitude, effort in class and grades have gone down hill over the past month.

Mother: Attitude?

Drip: Yes. Her friend, Sarah?

Father: Sarah? I knew she’d have something to do with it! I bet she’s distracting her! She’s a bad influence on her, I told you about that!

Mother: Oh don’t be stupid! They knew each other
Before we met up!

Father: She spends too much time with her!

Mother: Father:

Well she’s got to have a social life, That girl is a bad influence on her I
We can’t just keep her in the house all the told you the minute I saw her, I just
Time! Don’t say you never used to go out used to stay in and play with my
On the weekends! Action men and so should she!
She goes out after school with her
Every day until after 8!
So what?

Drip: Can we settle down please? (they ignore him)

Mother: Father:
I'm telling you now Ian, we can't chain her to the bed It's obvious they're distacting each other!
She's her best friend! Her school work is more important!
She was out wit her last Friday!

Drip: Uh, forgive my interruption but...

Mother & Father: WHAT?!?

Drip: Did you say that she goes out with her every day?

Mother: Yes…

Drip: They’re close then?

Mother: Well, yeah.

Drip: It’s just that, last Thursday, they both wandered into my lesson, LATE, they were continually talking…

Mother: Well, all pupils chat in class don’t they?

(The lights dim) Drip: Yes, if I might be allowed to finish my sentence sometime between today and next Christmas, and you stopped with your pig headed ignorance, and actually let me explain, then perhaps we might get somewhere!

*ahem* As i was saying, most pupils, usually shut up if I give them one of the looks, or shout at them, but, your daughter seems to see her conversations with her friend more important than her maths and her education and grades! Also, I noticed that your daughter was quite withdrawn from her friend, and seemed to be ignoring her, until, last Thursday, halfway through the lesson, she stormed off in a massive huff, and her friend followed!

They went to the toilet together, and I listened at the door, but all I could hear was vomiting, and the girls arguing. They said something about a coat. She wears a very big coat, as if, as if she is trying to hide something. I heard them thrashing about, as if Sara was trying to get the coat off her, well, it all went quiet, and I tried to keep listening, but Mrs.Pert walked past me and started going on at me about how terrible her class are, you know what it's like. Anyway, I lost everything they were saying after that. But that’s not all that's happened you see.

I heard you mention that they had been out last Friday. However, I had Sara in an after school detention. There is no way they could have been out together. But. I was doing some marking, just before she came to the detention, and I saw Abby walk out of the school gates, towards a boy. About 19 years old, pale face, dark hair, he looks like he uses drugs! She didn’t look happy to be with him. But they walked off together. And that’s the last I saw. So I put it to you. The big coat, the extreme unhappiness, the boy. Do you think that the cause of this change could be….To do with this boy?

(Mother and Father stare at eachother as the lights go down.)