One-Act Play

A Play in One Act by William Ivor Fowkes

Opposites attract, but can this union survive?

Earthbound Sisyphus and flight-obsessed Icarus meet and fall in love. Two years later, they find themselves in couples therapy.

Full script available at the National New Play Network's New Play Exchange (NPX). Click here.

Or see EXCERPT below.

LENGTH: 20 minutes.

CAST: 3 (2M, 1F)

SETTING

Scene 1: Sisyphus's workplace

Scene 2: Libra's office

TIME

Scene 1: Once upon a time.

Scene2: Two years later.

CHARACTERS:

Sisyphus. Male. 37. Hard working. Earnest

Icarus. Male. 29. Beautiful. Exhibitionist.

Libra. Female. 40. Marriage counselor.

PRODUCTIONS

2019. LaBute New Theater Festival, St. Louis Actors' Studio, St. Louis, MO, July.

2020. Livestream production: Digital Dionysia Festival, Third Citizen Company, December.

EXCERPT:

SCENE ONE: (Projection or announcement) “Once upon a time.” 

Sisyphus enters stage right pushing a giant round rock slowly and with great effort. (If preferred, this can be staged minimally—and comically—perhaps with a stagehand carrying a drawing of a large rock.)

SISYPHUS

Cursed boulder! Hast thou gained weight? Or do I with each day’s labor feebler grow?

ICARUS flies in from stage left, hovers over SISYPHUS for a moment, and then flies off stage right. (If preferred, this, too, can be staged minimally—and comically—perhaps with SISYPHUS, wearing wings, carrying a chair on stage, standing on the chair momentarily, and then carrying the chair offstage.)

SISYPHUS (CONT’D)

(without looking up) 

And now my sense of hearing is askew, for I do the flapping of birds’ wings so strangely hear, as if their size to mammoth extent hath grown.

ICARUS flies back in stage right (or carries his chair back in and stands on it.) Hovers again. 

SISYPHUS (CONT’D)

(still not looking up) 

Alas, the sound grows louder still. Methinks my labors suit me not and will the end of me cause. Or perchance, I have the spiral to death already begun and angels now do hear.

SISYPHUS finally looks up.

SISYPHUS (CONT’D)

By Zeus, tis no angel! 

ICARUS

(flirtatiously) 

Well, hello there.

SISYPHUS gasps.

SISYPHUS

Tis a god! A god with a body most beautiful and wings most monumental! 

ICARUS

(embarrassed) 

Please cease thine effusions, lest the blood surging through my muscle-toned body most suddenly my visage flood!  

SISYPHUS

I am sorry, your godship.

ICARUS

Thou needst not apologize. And I like thee am just a mortal.

SISYPHUS

Alas not just like me, for I be but a simple laborer.

ICARUS

Thy humility is most pleasing and doth my interest in thee greatly justify. For in truth, twas my intention to attract thine attention. 

SISYPHUS

Wherefore wouldst thou my attention pursue?

ICARUS

Thy fortitude in tending to thy labors doth me most impress. Forsooth, no creature hath e’er touched my heart in quite this fashion. 

SISYPHUS

Thy skill in flight doth likewise my soul excite. No mortal or god hath e’er so moved me. 

ICARUS

That is why I did a strategy of flight in these environs pursue. Around thee have I soared; have I hovered; have I glided—but thou with nary a glance at me thy work did continue so to practice. I would this futile pursuit cease and off to lesser objects of potential affection fly, but thou didst all at once look upward. 

THEY stare longingly at each other.

ICARUS (CONT’D)

And now our eyes do like two pieces of magnetite lock.

SISYPHUS

Thy tongue is most lissome. Thy words most gilded. But thou speakest truth—methinks henceforth our eyes shall ne’er be unglued.

ICARUS

Tell me thy name, earnest laborer. 

SISYPHUS

Sisyphus.

ICARUS

(hissing the name luxuriously in all its ess-ness) 

“Si-sy-phus.” Tis like a breath of air cleansing the mouth. My name is Icarus. 

SISYPHUS

(pronouncing the name with great strength)

“Icarus.” A name as imposing and monumental as its bearer.

ICARUS

Pleased to meet thee, Sisyphus.

ICARUS extends his arm down as if to shake hands. SISYPHUS lets go of the rock and reaches upward. Before their hands touch, the rock rolls backwards offstage. We hear a thunderous crash.

SISYPHUS

Woe be me! Look upon it and weep’st! The gods have cursed me for letting loose my work, like a distracted seagull letting drop the day’s catch of fish.

ICARUS

No, the fault tis mine. To see this mammoth orb of granite, the very one against which thou hast toiled and up that steeply tilted mound of earth pushed for hours of the day all at once backwards roll and with a crash come to a halt is most deflating.

SISYPHUS

Berate thyself not. If to meet thee be the outcome, I suffer this setback most gladly.

ICARUS

Oh, extraordinary Sisyphus. I feel a pang of contrition more extreme than any here before in my luck-kissed short life.

ICARUS flies down. Lands beside SISYPHUS.

ICARUS (CONT’D)

Let me make amends for this most perturbing consequence. Wouldst thou dine with me this evening?

SISYPHUS

Most happily, fairest Icarus.

SISYPHUS and ICARUS exit arm in arm.

END OF EXCERPT