Prime Numbers
written by joy waller

Characters
 Sarah -- a feminist  (sort of)
 Scott -- a bully
 Diane -- teacher’s pet
 Jill -- a bit of a rebel
 Todd -- judgmental
 Robbie -- sensitive

Set
Should suggest a school -- a couple of desks, lockers in the background, and educational posters taped
to the walls. Downstage centre there should be a pale green board which will be used for video projections
between each scene.

Projections
Ideally, the video projections between each scene will be used as a transition between the ages. They should
be about thirty seconds in length and feature snapshots of that age group -- colouring with crayons for age 5,
smoking pot for age 17, etc. The final projection, presented at the close of the play, should somehow tie all of
the ages together and recap the events of childhood.

Scene 1 (Age 5)

[Enter ROBBIE, with a crayon and a piece of paper. He sits on
the ground and draws, humming happily. Enter SCOTT, also with
paper and crayon. He stares at ROBBIE.]
SCOTT: Hey. Move. I wanna sit there.
ROBBIE: This is my spot.
SCOTT: Well, move!!
[ROBBIE resumes his work, and SCOTT, frustrated, shoves
ROBBIE out of the way and takes his place. ROBBIE is annoyed
but keeps drawing. SCOTT tries to draw but his crayon snaps. He
throws the pieces offstage and takes ROBBIE's. There is a brief
scuffle, SCOTT being the victor. He settles down to draw as
ROBBIE cries. ]
SCOTT: Stop making so much noise. D’ja want Miss Penner to hear? You’ll be in trouble.
[ROBBIE cries louder. SCOTT slaps his mouth, then guiltily
offers him a crayon. ROBBIE just throws it offstage. Enter JILL,
TODD, DIANE, and SARAH. They all have paper and crayons.]
JILL: Aren’t you colouring?
ROBBIE: I don’t have a crayon.
DIANE: Miss Penner says we have to draw a cat by nap-time.
TODD: I’m drawing a purple cat.
SARAH: Hey! I was gonna draw a purple cat!
TODD: Well, you can’t! I am.
ROBBIE: [to SCOTT] We’re gonna be in big trouble.
SCOTT: [very worried] So?
ROBBIE: We need to get crayons before Miss Penner gets back.
SCOTT: Yeah. Let's go. [they exit]
SARAH: That doesn’t look like a cat.
TODD: It’s better than your cat.
SARAH: You’re not a very good drawer. [he angrily scribbles on her drawing, and she
does the same to his]
JILL: After school today, Mummy and Daddy are taking me to the farm, to buy a pumpkin,
and we’re gonna carve it. Daddy says he’ll put it on his desk at work. Daddy’s a lawyer.
He has a big desk.
DIANE: Your cat looks sort of like a pumpkin.
JILL: It is a pumpkin. Don’t wanna draw no stupid cats.
DIANE: But Miss Penner said to draw --
JILL: This pumpkin is better than a cat.
TODD: [leaping to his feet] Finished! I’m first!
DIANE: [the same] No! No! It’s a tie! I’m finished too!
TODD: Hey! You copied off me.
DIANE: [grabbing everyone’s papers and crayons] I’m handing them in! It’s almost nap-time.
[DIANE begins to exit; smacks into ROBBIE and SCOTT,
who are entering. They glance at the papers in her hand, and
then give her their blank ones. She exits.]
SCOTT: I hate nap-time.
SARAH: Me too.
JILL: I’d rather play on the computer.
SARAH: I’d rather play trucks.
ROBBIE: I’d rather play doctor.
TODD: I’m better at playing doctor that you.
ROBBIE: So! I’ll be a real doctor first.
DIANE: [entering] Miss Penner says it’s nap-time!
[DIANE flings herself on the floor to set a good example.
One by one, grumbling, the others do as well, until only
JILL is left standing. She tries very hard to resist, and
glares off-stage at the invisible “Miss Penner.” Finally she
sighs, mutters something negative, and lies down. Lights
dim and the video projection rolls.]


Scene 2 (Age 7)
 

[SCOTT and TODD come to life and walk downstage left a bit]
SCOTT: Hey Todd did you hear I got first place in the 50 metre dash?
TODD: You got first? Cool! I couldn’t go .. I had a dentist ‘pointment.
SCOTT: Ugh. You have any cavities?
TODD: Yeah ...
SCOTT: How many?
TODD: Six! So anyway if I hadn’t had the dentist ‘pointment, I prob’ly would have beat
you in the race. I beat you in everything.
[SCOTT hangs his head; they freeze. ROBBIE and SARAH
come to life]
ROBBIE: You wanna play hockey cards?
SARAH: Okay. How do you play them?
ROBBIE: Like this. [demonstrates] You put a goalie up on the side of the wall .. And then
you stand ten steps back ... And you try and hit him with a defenceman. Like this. Now
you try.
SARAH: Like this?
ROBBIE: No -- hold it like this.
SARAH: Okay.
ROBBIE: Hey, you knocked him over on your first shot!
SARAH: Does that mean I get to keep him?
ROBBIE: Uhh, no. Best out of three.
[They freeze, as JILL and DIANE come to life]
DIANE: Wanna come to my house after school?
JILL: Why?
DIANE: So we can play, stupid.
JILL: Why can’t we play now? It’s recess.
DIANE: It’ll be more fun at my house.
JILL: I’ll have to ask my mum and dad.
DIANE: We’ll call them at lunch.
JILL: Daddy’ll be at work.
DIANE: Can’t you call him there?
JILL: No. I’m not allowed to call him at work. He’s a lawyer, he has very important
things to take care of.
DIANE: Could we call your mum? Where does your mum work?
JILL: At Overwaitea.
DIANE: So we’ll call her.
JILL: Okay.
[DIANE freezes; everyone else comes to life and meets
around centre stage]
SARAH: Scott, what’s wrong with your eye?
SCOTT: [defensively] Nothing’s wrong with my eye.
SARAH: It’s all black.
TODD: [to SARAH} Diane hit him.
SCOTT: She did not!
TODD: I saw her! Down by the swings.
SCOTT: [to SARAH] She didn’t hit me. She’s a girl.
SARAH and JILL: [sing-song] Diane hit Sco-ott ...
SCOTT: This is stupid. [to DIANE’s frozen form] You didn’t hit me and you never will!
[beat] I’ll get you back. [exits]
SARAH: Diane, you hit him??
DIANE: [comes to life] Yeah. He’s such a meanie.
ROBBIE: I’d like to hit Scott.
[Everyone ad-libs stuff like, “Yeah, me too;” “He’s
mean;” etc.]
SARAH: [proudly] My little brother hits me sometimes, but he’s not very strong.
TODD: So does my little brother! I hate him. Do you hate yours?
SARAH: Well, yeah, but he’s still nice.
[All but ROBBIE freeze. He walks away a little.]
ROBBIE: My little brother’s name is Jimmy. He’s only 4, but I taught him how to play
hockey cards. [beat] My dad gets mad a lot. He yells, really loud. It hurts my ears. It
doesn’t hurt Jimmy’s ears though -- Jimmy can’t hear him. Jimmy was born not being able
to hear things. [beat] I hate it when Daddy hits him. Jimmy can’t hear him, that’s why he
doesn’t do what Daddy says, it’s not his fault .. I hate it when Daddy hits him. [touches
his eye] So I try to get in between them. I tell him it’s my fault.
TODD: [still frozen] It is your fault.
ROBBIE: I’m sorry, Daddy. [exits]
[Everyone comes to life.]
DIANE: What are you gonna be when you grow up?
JILL: A waitress.
TODD: A doctor. Robbie's gonna be a doctor too, but we’re having a contest to see who
will be first. I’m gonna win. Hey, where’d Robbie go?
DIANE: [importantly] I’m gonna use the money in my children’s fund and go to college.
JILL: Right now?
DIANE: No, stupid, you have to be 13 to go to college.
SARAH: I’m going to be a hockey player.
ALL: You?
SARAH: [proudly] Yeah.
TODD: Girls can’t be hockey player, Sarah.. They’re not strong enough.
JILL: You have to be able to skate really, really fast.
SARAH: I can skate faster than Todd.
TODD: Yeah, but I’m not trying very hard!
[SARAH wanders off to the left and freezes]
DIANE: I wonder if Scott hates me now. [rather pleased]
TODD: Probably.
JILL: Scott hates everyone.
TODD: He yelled at Miss MacGregor last week.
JILL: He had to go to Mr. Alderson’s office.
TODD: [laughing] Mr. Alderson sent him home from school.
[A bell is heard.]
DIANE: Time for class!
[JILL, TODD, and DIANE rush to stage right and sit
cross-legged, staring at the wall in fascination. After a moment
ROBBIE and SCOTT join them. SCOTT is restless; within a
couple seconds he leaps to his feet and shouts:]
SCOTT: I can’t DO THIS! [stalks angrily around centre stage] I can’t learn that stuff. I
can’t pay attention! When I was a little kid in kindergarten I couldn’t draw, cuz the
crayons broke, and now, in grade 2, I can’t do Math because ... because ... I'm too stupid.
[notices SARAH] Hey. What are you doing here, Sarah? I thought only the dumb kids skipped.
SARAH: [coming to life] I’m not skipping. I ... I didn’t hear the bell. [hugs herself
protectively and edges away -- she’s a little nervous around him]
SCOTT: I have cards. [removes them from his pocket] Do you like playing cards?
SARAH: [interested, against her will] Yes.
SCOTT: Let’s play War.
SARAH: Okay ...
[SCOTT drops to a cross-legged position
self-confidently; SARAH, a little hesitantly.]
SCOTT: So you’re on a hockey team?
SARAH: Yes.
SCOTT: So am I. You on a guy team?
SARAH: No ... It’s girls.
SCOTT: Oh.
SARAH: Todd was saying, that, I wouldn’t be able to be a hockey player when I grow up.
SCOTT: [stops playing] Todd said that?
SARAH: Yeah.
SCOTT: [angrily puts cards back in his pocket] Todd told me that I’d never pass grade 2.
He said that sometimes, they fail kids and you have to repeat a whole grade if you’re not
smart enough.
SARAH: I’m going to go back to class. [starts to]
SCOTT: Wait! .. It’s boring. Miss MacGregor’s just talking.
SARAH: [pausing] She’s only talking?
SCOTT: Yeah. And they’re coming out here for P.E. in a couple minutes anyway.
SARAH: I love P.E.! I hope we play California Kickball.
SCOTT: Me, too. If I’m the pitcher I’m going to throw the ball at Diane’s head!
SARAH: Did she really hit you?
SCOTT: [scowling] Yeah.
SARAH: How come?
SCOTT: I don’t know. She’s always being mean to me. Little teacher’s pet. Do
you like her?
SARAH: Do I --?
SCOTT: Like her. Do you like her.
SARAH: I don’t know.
SCOTT: I won’t tell her. [beat]
SARAH: No. .. I don’t like her. [shyly] I think she’s a teacher’s pet too.
[Scott smiles slightly, for the first time since the play has
started. He is about to say something but is interrupted as
ROBBIE, DIANE, JILL, and TODD leap to their feet and run
over.]
DIANE: We’re playing California Kickball! .. Why weren’t you in class, Sarah?
SARAH: I ... didn’t hear the bell.
DIANE: Yeah, right! Only dumb kids skip. Skipper! Skipper! Skipper!
TODD: Guys get outfield first!
[TODD, ROBBIE, and SCOTT run to the left side of the stage
and do jumping jacks or similar warm-up exercises.]
JILL: I’m starved. Do you have any food?
DIANE: I got an apple, but Miss MacGregor will be out here any minute --
JILL: Who cares. Gimme the apple.
[DIANE mimes giving her an apple, looking nervously off
stage. JILL starts twisting the stem off, chanting:]
JILL: Rich man, poor man, beggar, thief. Doctor, lawyer, merchant, chief. Rich man, poor
-- [stem breaks] Ohh, no! My husband is going to be a poor man!
DIANE: Noooo!
[They freeze. So do the guys. SARAH walks slowly over to
JILL, takes the apple, and stares moodily at it.]
SARAH: But what are you going to be?
[Lights dim and the video projection rolls.]


Scene 3 (Age 11)
 

[ROBBIE walks to centre stage and kneels. He begins to cry.]
JILL: [stepping forward] Hey, Robbie! ... Robbie? .. [kneels awkwardly beside him]
What’s wrong?
ROBBIE: [through his tears] My brother ... My little brother Jimmy ... Social Services
took him away, and he’s only a little kid! -- And he has to live in a foster home and I don’t
get to see him and he’s so young, he’s only a little kid, he’s only 9 years old, and he’s
deaf, he doesn’t understand, and what if they don’t know sign language in his foster
home? What if he can’t talk to anyone? What if he doesn’t know why they took him
away?
JILL: Why did they take him away?
ROBBIE: Oh ... [gets up and moves away from JILL] Oh .. Well he wasn’t very happy at
home.
JILL: Then it’s good he’s living somewhere else --
ROBBIE: No. No it’s not good. You don’t understand.
JILL: Well ... Sorry. [beat] Hey! Did you hear that I got a part in the school play?
ROBBIE: [depressed] No, I didn’t. Good for you.
JILL: [proudly] I got the lead.
ROBBIE: They gave you the lead? I thought only grade sevens got the leads.
JILL: Not this time! Mr. Kimball says I have talent.
ROBBIE: [still depressed] That’s nice.
TODD: [walking over] Hey Robbie, I heard your brother got sent away cuz your old man
drinks too much.
ROBBIE: How would you know?
TODD: Everybody knows. So, does he beat on you too?
ROBBIE: Take that back!
TODD: Try an’ make me!
[ROBBIE tackles TODD and they are on the floor hitting
each other when JILL intervenes.]
JILL: Hey, don’t do that in here! Let’s go behind the portables and charge kids to watch!
[ROBBIE, TODD, and JILL exit.]
DIANE: [walking forward with SARAH] And I got an A in English, and an A in Socials,
and an A in P.E., and an A in Science, and in Math ... I got a B in Math. [upset] What did
you get in Math?
SARAH: An A.
DIANE: Hmm. Well I think Mr. Mathews likes you more than he likes me. That’s why he
gave you an A.
SARAH: Whatever. [starts to walk away]
DIANE: Wait! You wanna come to my house after school?
SARAH: Not really.
DIANE: We just cleaned the pool, and my sister could take us to the movies.
SARAH: I have some other things to do.
DIANE: Why are you so busy all of a sudden? You never want to come over to my house.
[SARAH glances at SCOTT, who is still frozen from the previous scene.] Oh, it’s that
guy. Why do you hang around him so much? I can’t stand him. Ever since second grade --
do you remember when I gave him a black eye by the swings? [she laughs] He said he’d
get me back, but he never has yet.
SARAH: Yes. I remember that.
DIANE: I don’t know why you hang out with him so much. He’s so grubby, and so stupid!
He almost failed last year, you know.
JILL: [offstage] Fight, fight, fight!
DIANE: Did you hear that? I heard Todd's fighting Robbie today ... Only a dollar, behind
portable 87. Isn’t Todd cute? .. [she’s been slowly walking off to stage left, near the exit]
Aren’t you coming?
SARAH: No.
DIANE: [scowling] Have it your way. [she exits]
SARAH: [svagely imitating] Isn't Todd cute? Ugh.
SCOTT: [coming forward] Hey, Sarah! I thought you’d be at the big fight.
SARAH: Well, I said I’d help you. Did you bring your books?
SCOTT: Yeah. [they sit; he mimes opening a Math book.] Man, I
still can’t get this Math stuff. If I thought it was hard up till now ... I mean, look at this!
Prime numbers. How am I supposed to get “prime numbers.” When did we learn this? I
don’t remember learning this.
SARAH: You were in the principal's office, remember?
SCOTT: Oh. Yeah.
SARAH: Well, it’s easy. Okay. A prime number is a factor that is divisible only by one or by
itself.
SCOTT: Huh?
SARAH: Like five. Five would be a prime number because you can only go “five divided
by five” or “five divided by one.” Nothing else works.
SCOTT: So ... Divisible only by itself.
SARAH: Yes.
SCOTT: I sure hate Diane.
SARAH: Focus!
SCOTT: I don't see why I have to know this!
SARAH: For the test.
SCOTT: Yeah, okay ... But why do I have to take the test?
SARAH: I don’t know.
SCOTT: Why do I even have to come to school?
SARAH: I don’t know that either. And I don’t know why I’m not allowed on the grade six hockey team.
SCOTT: Coach said it’s because you’re a -- [stops himself]
SARAH: Because I’m a what?
SCOTT: Because ... you’re too short.
SARAH: Oh. [beat] I’d been wondering.
SCOTT: Don’t listen to him, Sarah. He’s just an assho --
SARAH: Scott! He's a teacher. [looking around worried]
SCOTT: Well, yeah ... But that doesn't make him right. And anyway, there are things more important
than being a guy -- being tall.
JILL: [rushing in, panting] Sarah! Sarah, Todd beat up Robbie, really bad --
SCOTT: He had it coming. I hate Robbie.
JILL: Shut up! And I think his arm is broken. No one knows what to do --
SARAH: Well, get a teacher! Call an ambulance!
JILL: I can’t get a teacher .. Or an ambulance! They’ll find out I organized the whole
thing! -- I made 29 bucks, by the way. They’ll take it all away!
SARAH: You’re crazy! I’m calling an ambulance. [she exits]
SCOTT: [conversationally] He had it coming though. I hate that guy.
JILL: You’re a real loser. He’s hurt!
SCOTT: I’m not the one who charged people to watch it happen.
JILL: Yeah, well you’re not the one whose mum just lost her job. Need to get money for
clothes someplace.
SCOTT: What about your precious daddy? You’re always talking about him -- his big
important lawyer job. Can’t he buy you clothes?
JILL: [beat] My Daddy lives in Calgary now. [tosses her head]
SCOTT: So ... [grins] He left you.
JILL: He didn’t leave me! [beat]  He didn’t leave me.
SCOTT: I bet he left cuz you’re so whiny.
JILL: How would you know? Why are you such a jerk? Everyone hates you except Sarah,
and I bet she only likes you cuz she feels sorry for you, being so stupid and everything.
SCOTT: [deadly] Don’t ever talk to me again about Sarah, or I’ll punch you in the face.
JILL: [frightened] Scott, you’re a psycho! [exits]
SCOTT: I, I wouldn’t have. I wouldn’t have. I wouldn’t have punched her in the face. There
is no way I would have done that. I couldn’t have done that. That is not something I would do.
TODD: [running in, panting, sweaty] Scott! Have you seen Jill?
SCOTT: Yeah, she just left.
TODD: Well, is she getting help? I hurt Robie, his arm --
SCOTT: [laughs] Yeah, I heard.
TODD: Everybody's probably heard! I’ll get suspended. I’ll get kicked off the hockey team!
My dad’s gonna kill me. What am I gonna do?
SCOTT: How should I know? I have enough problems of my own. I’m failing Math.
TODD: I thought Sarah was tutoring you.
SCOTT: [beat] Yes. Yes she is. [beat] Why don't you run away? When you get back, everyone
will have forgotten.
TODD: Robbie won't forget!
SCOTT: Yeah, well ... [shrugs]
TODD: And anyway I can’t run away. I have hockey.
SCOTT: Yeah ... And I have homework. See ya. [he exits]
TODD: [distracted] Yeah, see ya.
[TODD paces up and down the stage, obviously very worried.
Mutters nervous things. Enter JILL, counting change in her hands.]
JILL: Two, three, five, seven, eleven, thirteen, seventeen, nineteen, twenty-three,
twenty-nine bucks! [notices TODD] Hey, Todd, did you hear what happened to Robbie?
TODD: No. I’ve been asking around but no one really knows.
JILL: I saw him at the hospital today. He's sprained his arm. They have it in a sling. He
won’t be back at school till Friday.
TODD: Does Mr. Alderson know?
JILL: No.
TODD: Good. [beat] How much did you make, again?
JILL: Twenty-nine bucks! Would’ve been even more but Mrs. Hammon’s class
had a field trip to the cheese factory.
TODD: Well, don’t you think I should get half of it?
JILL: Whoa, hold on. You? Half?
TODD: Yeah ... I did the fighting.
JILL: No!
TODD: C’mon, give me half! ... Or I’ll tell Mr. Alderson.
[After a few unwilling seconds, JILL hands over some
money. They freeze as her hand is poised above TODD's.
Enter ROBBIE, SARAH, and SCOTT. ROBBIE has his arm
in a sling. SARAH is very concerned regarding ROBBIE.
SCOTT is jealous.]
ROBBIE: [groaning in pain] Owwwww ...
SARAH: Oh, oh, are you okay? Do you need painkillers? Do you need a cushion for your
arm?
SCOTT: [savagely imitating] Do you need a kick in the seat of the pants?
ROBBIE: [to SARAH] No ... It just aches a little.
SCOTT: Too bad you weren’t stronger. Then you wouldn’t have gotten beat so bad.
SARAH: Do you mind? [to ROBBIE] So ... What are you going to do about Todd?
ROBBIE: I don’t know ... [walking away] What am I going to do about Jimmy?
[They freeze. Perhaps ROBBIE could sit at one of the desks,
as he will  be frozen for much of the next scene. Enter DIANE.]
DIANE: Guess what! Guess what! Todd and Robbie are in big trouble. I told Mr. Alderson
about --
SCOTT: [dangerously] About what, Diane?
DIANE: [attitude] About Todd and Robbie's fight.
[DIANE brushes past SCOTT. He grabs her arm. She stops,
looks at her arm, then at him. Hold the look. She wrenches free.
They freeze. Lights dim. Projection rolls.]



And now, the exciting conclusion! (scenes 4 and 5)

(sorry ... angelfire only allows me so much room per file)