A One Act Play by Allen B.

Performance:September 2005
Instructor: Dave Garret
Youth Guidance Center, San Francisco


Setting:In the house alone inside the closet where they sleep.

Time:Hot summer, Friday afternoon

At Rise:Toby’s lying down, while Ruff is walkin’ towards ’em limping with blood on his face & cuts on his neck.


Toby:

Ruff dog, what happened?

Ruff:

Dog, we gotta get outta here!

Toby:

What’s going on? What happened?

Ruff:

I just killed another dog!! “D” made me fight another dog, while him & his friends were betting & cheering & I killed ’em, for “D”, cuz I was bein’ a good dog, but I can’t be obedient anymore! We gotta go now!

Toby:

We gotta go? Naw’ dog, you gotta go, I’m not go’in mess up what I got go’in here. I mean I love you with all my heart but we ain’t got that bad, we eatin’ good got a roof over our heads. So why we gotta leave?

Ruff:

Cuz they set me up for another fight for tomorrow with a dog named Beast who’s a huge ½ great dane, ½ pittbull and he’ll rip me to shreds.   But that’s not all, it’s my biggest fear to lose you bro, we been together since we was pups so I can’t leave without you cut I need you by my side and I don’t want you to have to go through what I went through?

Toby:

I feel what you sayin dog, but I just don’t wanna mess up a good thing!   I mean D’s gonna take us to the park to play later, you always have fun at the park.

Ruff:

Damn it Toby!   You sound like a poodle!   I’m tired of bein a house dog!   I don’t give damn about the park, when we’re free we can go to any park, any time we want.   You talkin bout goin to that park with fences around it with D while he got our leashes in his hand and these collars on our necks!   That ain’t freedom Toby!   I’m talking bout really bein free but before we can make that happen you get two get the collar from around your mind then we can get ’em off our neck?

Toby:

And how am I supposed to do that Ruff?

Ruff:

First you gotta stop waggin yo damn tail and open ya eyes!   Look at what’s really going on bra and think about our ancestors in some places we’re worshipped like kings but here we’re animals.   You need to look inside yoself and have a critical mind!

Toby:

I don’t know if I could do that Ruff!   You critiziing this life we been livin all our lives then all dog, talking bout how bad it is.   How you know ain’t gonna be even worse out there?   I mean we don’t know how to hunt, we never   lived in the streets or in the wild.   I heard it’s dog eat dog out there and that scares me!   There’s other animals out there that are bigger and stranger and we’ll be they’re prey!   You ain’t got it that bad here Ruff, so you gotta fight other dogs and wear a leash, that’s the price you have to pay to live this easy life!   Bra I love you so much but I also love D!   Why bite the hand that feeds us to run to the unknown.   I’m scared of the unknown Ruff! And what if we get out there and get caught and sent to the pound.   They might put us to sleep there and if they don’t ain’t nobody gonna take us back. I don’t want to lose you either bra, so just stay with me!   Yeah it may be great if we go but its unlikely we’re probably gonna end up in the pound or dead!

Ruff:

That’s a risk I’m willing to take Toby!   I can take this for one more day and even if I did want to stay I’d be dead by tomorrow!   So this is the only way!   So if you love me you need to do some serious thinkin and come with an answer quick!

Toby:

Aight, Ruff, aight I’m gon try!

Ruff:

I ain’t got time for you to try Toby, I’ll be dead waitin on you to try. So I gon put it to you like this, I overheard D sayin that he’s gonna be back home at 6 tonight and at 5:55 I’m gon be waitin at that door for him to come in so I can run out. If you are there I’m gon take it you made up your mind and your comin with me but if I don’t see you I’m going t6o take it that you turned your back on me and even though I don’t want to leave you I’m gon be forced to leave alone.   So marinate on that and hopefully I’ll see you at 5:55.  

 

CHARACTER #1:

 

Name: Ruff McGruff – The Pitbull

Age: 4 Dog years

Habitat: The House – (1 bedroom, blankets in the closet)

Family: His owner; “D” & foster brother; Toby, The Rotweiller

Greatest Wish: To run-around on open field / no leashes / be a wild dog / Freedom

Greatest Fear: To lose the person he’s closest to; who’s his foster brother – Toby

Closest Relationship: His brother Toby, because they been together since puppies

 

CHARACTER #2:

 

Name: Toby – The Rotweiller

Age: 4 Dog years

Habitat: The House – (1 bedroom, blankets in the closet)

Family: His owner; “D” & foster brother; Ruff, The Pitbull

Greatest Wish: To be able to eat human food & be accepted & loved by “D”

Greatest Fear: To be sent to the pound, cuz he doesn’t want 2 B “locked up”

Closest Relationship: Ruff the Pit b/c it’s his brother & they been down since pups

 

RUFF McGRUFF THE PIT’S MONOLOGUE

I been feeling this way for months now but today I really got pushed over the edge. I got to get outta here& I need to have my brother come with me. I don’t know why he’s so hesitant & skeptical to come with me; actually I do because I was in those same shoes not too long ago. He’s too comfortable, he’s thinks this is the life, he thinks this is the best that it can get but I gotta convince him otherwise because I can’t leave him behind to go through what I went through. I got to show him that this relationship with “D” is one-sided. I hate to see my brother so blinded it makes me so angry. He thinks it’s freedom to be let outside to run around & play. If I could just get up and leave by myself , I would, but my love for my brother is too strong to leave him behind. I want me & my brother to be able to just get away & run wild; do what we want; when we want to do, without “D” influencing our every action. I’m so damn pissed off & sick & tired of this that it’s driving me crazy, I thought that just maybe I could put up with it but they pushed me over the edge. I mean they put me in a dog fight with a dog that looked just like me and I killed ’em to keep from being killed and was congratulated by “D”, I mean it’s too much & now they got me set up for another fight with a dog; that’s for sho’ gon’ kill me so now I’m at the point of no return I gotta go & I gotta have my brother Toby by my side & we gotta do this NOW.

 

TOBY THE ROTWEILLER’S MONOLOGUE

My brother Ruff just won’t see my side of this. He’s so caught up in getting out, he can’t see that he’s going to mess up a good thing for me. I mean this life ain’t so bad as he makes it out to be, we getting fed pretty good, we got somewhere to sleep, get took out to play & we even got some human food-scraps off the table. I’m happy here, well I won’t say happy but I’m comfortable in this life. I feel where he’s comin’ from but I don’t know what’s out there, what if it’s worse than this & we have to come back & what if “D” wouldn’t take us back? I know there’s a chance that it could be better out there but I can’t take that chance of messing up something good for something that “might be”. Damn, I love my brother so much though, we been together since we was young puppies but I love “D” too that’s why I feel torn in two-directions because if I do decide to go with Ruff, then I’m betraying the person who’s took me in & took care of me since I was a pup’, but if I stay, I’m betraying my brother & condoning what “D” put my brother through.

THE CONFLICT

The conflict is between Ruff McGruff & his brother Toby. Ruff is fed up with being a pet & wants to leave, but refuses to leave without his brother Toby, but his brother doesn’t really want to go because he’s kind of happy where he’s at; and comfortable and doesn’t want to tune on “D”.

BACKSTORY

For months now, Ruff, the Pitbull, has been habts about living the life of a house dog and a pet. He’s been having dreams about being wild & free like his ancestors. He’s also been trying to get his brother Toby; the Rotweiller, to see where he’s coming from for a while now too. But his brother was really not feelin’ him because his brother is so comfortable in the life. Ruff accepted this and thought he could just put up with it for his brother’s sake, but earlier today, their owner “D”; who treats them fairly well, when he’s not kicking them, put him in a dog fight with another Pit; who Ruff killed, & that was the straw that broke the doggies back, so when Ruff goes to see his brother Toby; with bite marks on his neck & face, he has one thing on his mind, which is freeing their mind & body NOW!

URGENCY / CRISIS

The urgency is that Ruff has to leave because he just had a dog fight where he killed a dog, & his owner “D” set him up for another one with a half-Pit-half-Great Dane who is sure to kill him tomorrow.

3 POSSIBLE RESOLUTIONS

•  One is that Ruff convinces his brother; Toby, to conquer his fear & come with him.

•  Another resolution is that Ruff can’t convince his brother Toby. And he; Toby, stays behind while Ruff leaves.

•  Lastly, Toby can convince his brother to stay & Ruff gives up on leaving to stay with Toby

The End.



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