Animal Friendship: A Docudrama

Animal Friendship: A Docudrama : Gloss 1

1

Floor, a small box, a giant hand. The hand slowly pulls the box toward the audience, Maru looks at the audience through the box, crawls into the box. Curtain.

Floor, a small box, no hand. Maru runs and slides into the box, the box slides with Maru inside. The box with Maru inside hits a table leg, which the audience only now notices. Curtain.

Floor, two small boxes lined up one next to the other. Maru runs, slides into both boxes. The boxes stay put, Maru stays put, tail twitching. Curtain.

Floor, Maru lying down, his torso contained within a small box that is open on both ends. His front and back legs extend from either end of the box. Maru stands up, wearing the box, exits. Curtain.

2

Bright lights, the sound of purring. A figure comes into focus. It is Max-Arthur dressed as a Great
White Shark. Lights out.
Lights up on Max-Arthur in his shark costume. He is sitting on a Roomba, which describes
fragmentary circles across the stage. From stage left, a Baby Duck enters. The Baby Duck scampers
across the stage, pursued by Max-Arthur on the Roomba. The Baby Duck pauses at the center of
the stage. Looks out at the audience with black, inscrutable eyes. Beat.
The Baby Duck turns and pursues Max-Arthur on the Roomba. Max-Arthur rides into the horizon,
collides with the back wall. Enter Sharkey, from stage right. He is dressed as a Hammerhead
Shark. Max-Arthur, the Baby Duck, and Sharkey begin an oblique trio. Then, the Roomba stops.
Silence. Max-Arthur, Sharkey, and the Baby Duck all turn and gaze out into the audience. Beat.
Max-Arthur licks his lips. Sharkey licks his lips. The Baby Duck stares. Beat. Curtain.

3

Lights up on Goo and Yat Jai, upstage, facing each other in profile to the audience. Behind them,
two large computer screens. From the rear, light floods the stage.
Goo and Yat Jai each raise their front paws. They reach out and their paws meet, first Goo’s left
paw and Yat Jai’s right paw, then Goo’s right paw with Yat Jai’s left paw.

VOICE FROM ABOVE: Patty Cake, Patty Cake, Baker’s Man, Bake me a cake as fast as you can.

VOICE FROM ABOVE: Patty Cake, Patty Cake, Baker’s Man, Bake me a cake as fast as you can.

Goo and Yat Jai play patty cake. They stop, then begin again. They stop, then begin again. They stop, then begin again. They stop. Curtain.


About the Author

Minou Arjomand is Assistant Professor in the English Department at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research focuses on political theatre and the public role of art institutions.