Cool
Ghouls
Playwright’s
notes
This play is a light hearted comedy set in a graveyard in present time. It suggests that, apart from material things, life goes on as it always has. Just have fun!
Scene: The scene in which the story takes place is a graveyard complete with
tombs and gravestones growing like grey weeds. Great spaces to put names of personal significance; a drama teacher or principle perhaps.
Props: 1: A baseball
2: A skateboard
3: Three bodies, empty in appearance, and with a skeletal faces
that ooze green slime from their eye sockets.
Sound effects: The sound of an iron gate slamming.
Character Profiles
The Cool Gang
Jenny The confident leader
of the Cool Gang
Sam A loyal member of the
Cool Gang
Nick A loyal member of
the Cool Gang
Kim The sensitive one
Ben The brains of he
Cool Gang
The Ghouls Gang
Regan The confident leader
of the Ghouls Gang
Edgar A loyal member of the
Ghouls Gang
Beth The sensitive one
Celia The brains of the Ghouls Gang
Scene 1:
A
gang of cool kids walk into a graveyard huddled together and looking around.
One carries a skateboard, another a basketball, and a third carries a book.
It’s an eerie place. Tombs and gravestones grow out of the ground like grey
weeds.
Jenny: I didn’t think it’d be this dark.
Sam: It’s scary
Kim: (In a scared voice) I’m not scared.
Ben: Go on then, walk over there by yourself.
Kim: I would if I had to.
Nick: Yeah, sure!
Sam: What are we gonna do now?
Jenny: Dunno!
Someone
in the group makes a ghostly sound and the other shout in unison.
All: Get real!!!!!!
Pause
Jenny: This is it then.
Sam: Do we have to stay here all night?
Nick: That’s the initiation.
Kim: I’m not scared!
Ben: You already said that.
Kim: So, I said it again, all right?
Nick: She is scared really.
Sam: So am I.
The
sound of a big iron gate is heard slamming shut. Kim runs off set to try the
gate and comes back.
Kim: Whoa! Someone’s locked us in!
Nick: (Teasing) Or some thing.
Jenny: The wind’s blown it shut, that’s all.
Kim: What we gonna do then?
Sam: What is there to do in a graveyard?
Nick: Dig holes.
Ben: Good one Nick. (holding his book) I’m going to fine some names on these
graves.
Sam: Dunno what you brought a book here for anyway.
Ben: I told you, it’s a history of this graveyard and I like history.
Kim: Let’s sing.
Jenny: Our audience would dig that.
Nick: Let’s play dead then.
Sam: My dad says when I sing I wake the dead.
Ben: Go on then; wake all the dead’ns in here.
Everyone
laughs and then Nick steps forward to make an announcement.
Nick: Quiet everyone! It gives me great pleasure to introduce Sam who will wake
the dead.
Sam: Awe, give us a go, Nick.
Ben: Nobody in this gang ever refuses a request by the other members.
Kim: Yeah, them’s the rules. We all agreed.
Jenny: That’s right even you, Sam.
Sam: Fair go. My dad just hates my singing, that’s all.
Nick: So do we. If you sing in the graveyard, maybe the sound of your voice will be
buried forever.
Everyone
laughs again and then they stir Sam some more.
Ben: Come on Sam, it’s a gang request.
All: Yeah, come on Sam!
Sam: Oh, all right, but don’t blame me.
Sam
starts to sing and he is so awful that everyone puts their hands over their
ears and beg him to stop.
All: Stop! Stop!
Sam: But you said it was a gang request.
Nick: The gang requests you to stop.
Sam
sees a chance to get some revenge.
Sam: But I haven’t woken the dead yet.
He
then launches into a louder rendition of his song. The others put their hands
to their ears again and beg him to stop but he keeps on going until horrible
green ghouls with black eyes, string like hair and sack clothing appear from
among the gravestones.
The
others see the ghouls but Sam doesn’t. They run to the edge of the graveyard as
the ghouls, looking with bewilderment, slowly surround Sam. He is now singing
with some gusto until all in unison the ghouls shout:
Ghouls: Shut up!!!!!!