Summers in Prague (a sample)

​​© Copyright 2018 by Deanna Strasse
CAUTION: Professional and amateurs are hereby warned that
SUMMERS IN PRAGUE is subject to royalty.
All rights, including professional, amateur, motion picture, radio, television, public reading and the rights of translation into foreign language are strictly observed.
All questions with regard to licensing should be addressed to the author: Deanna Strasse [[email protected]]
No performance of any or all of the play may be given without obtaining in advance the written permission of the author and paying the requisite fee.
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Characters
Mara, she/her/hers, American, thirty-five to forty
Václav, he/him/his, Czech, twenty-seven to thirty-one
Time and setting
A hotel room in Prague. Present day.
Summers in Prague was originally produced through Sidecar Theatre, in conjunction with Chameleon Theatre Circle for the 2018 Minnesota Fringe Festival. It opened on Friday, August 3rd in the Rarig Center Arena Theatre.
Crew:
Director………………..Kimberly Miller
Stage Manager…………Jessi Kadolph
Costume Coordinator…Kathleen Martin
Dialect Coach…………Corey Boe
Producers………………Megan West and Kimberly Miller
Cast:
Mara…………………..Samantha Papke
Václav…………………….Avi Aharoni
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It was further developed and produced through Windfall Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It opened on Friday, March 20th, 2020.
Crew:
Director……………….Deanna Strasse
Stage Manager………..Carol Zippel
Costume Coordinator…Amanda J. Hull
Intimacy Coordinator…Kara Penrose
Cast:
Mara………………….Melody Lopac
Václav…………………Cory Jefferson Hagen
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Part I
A hotel room in the city of Prague. It’s nearly nightfall and summer time. There’s a breeze blowing through the open window, pushing the curtains aside delicately. Everything has an air of gentleness and cleanliness. Everything is perfect. A large four-poster bed sits upstage. Suddenly, we hear a cell phone go off. It vibrates wildly. Mara, a woman in her thirties, enters from the bathroom, anxiously. She’s half put together — a nice cocktail dress (nothing too short) is on but her hair is a mess and possibly she only has one shoe on. She does not want to miss this call. Nervously, she picks up the phone.
MARA: Hello? Hi. This is she. Yes. Yes. Room 341. On the third floor. Correct. Correct. Yes. Thank you. I have the check ready and…oh? Oh? Of course! Yes! How silly of me! (She laughs nervously) Of course! That makes perfect sense! No! Not a problem at all! I have cash. Yes. Yes. Lots of cash. I mean…don’t go telling everyone that, but…(She’s embarrassed.) I…uh…not a problem…of course…thank you…oh! Uh…sir? I’m just…could you tell me the name of the gentleman who is coming tonight? Okay. Václav. Yes, that’s a nice name. Thank you. Yes.
(She hangs up, embarrassed. But she doesn’t have time to waste. Mara dashes into the bathroom once more. A beat. Mara exits the bathroom with both shoes on and busily throwing her hair together. She’s in a panic suddenly, pacing back and forth, unsure of what exactly she’s doing. And then there is a knock at the door. The sound makes Mara jump and squeal. She gets control of herself and takes a breath before doing one last sweep of the room. She turns off her phone. She pulls the curtains. She checks her makeup once more. There is another knock.)
MARA: (A little too excited) I’m coming! (She walks to the door, takes a breath and then opens it.)
(In the doorway stands Václav: tall, dark and very good looking. He smiles winningly at Mara and speaks very good English but not without a distinct Czech accent)
VÁCLAV: Ms. Wright?
MARA: That’s me.
VÁCLAV: (Holding out his hand) Václav. How very nice to meet you.
(Mara accepts his hand and Václav kisses it)
MARA: (Startled by this gesture, but enjoying it) Yes…um…please…come in.
(She moves out the way so Václav can enter.)
MARA: Can I take your coat?
VÁCLAV: Thank you. (He removes his suit jacket and hands it to her)
MARA: Oh…sorry…I…I wasn’t thinking…I thought…that’s what you say when people enter…I mean you ask them if you can take their coat but this is a suit jacket, which is typically something you wear…even inside…I thought it was a normal coat, but it’s not…I’m sorry. You can have this back. (She hands him the suit jacket)
VÁCLAV: (Laughing a bit) No. Please. I wanted to take it off. It was very polite of you to offer to take it. (He lays the jacket aside) I’ll just put it there. Is that alright?
MARA: That’s fine. That’s great.
VÁCLAV: Very good.
MARA: Would you like something to drink?
VÁCLAV: Are you going to drink?
MARA: I’ll probably just have water.
VÁCLAV: I will have the same.
MARA: Alright. Just a second. (She goes to the kitchen area and begins to run two glasses of tap water) I…uh…I talked to uh…to…uh…I have the money for you…
VÁCLAV: Would you like to get that out of the way?
MARA: Yes. It’s here. (She goes to the nightstand and pulls out her purse. She hands him an envelope with cash in it.) I just…I don’t want to you to think that I’d cheat you.
(He goes to his coat and puts the envelope in an inner pocket before turning back to Mara)
VÁCLAV: I know.
MARA: Okay. Sorry.
VÁCLAV: (He goes to Mara) You’re very nervous.
MARA: Yes.
VÁCLAV: (He’s very close to her) You don’t have to be.
MARA: Sorry…I’m just…
VÁCLAV: (Laughing) Don’t apologize.
MARA: Sorry…
(Mara stands there awkwardly with two glasses of water in her hands. She’s paralyzed by how close Václav is to her. Smiling, Václav helps himself to one of the glasses in Mara’s hands. He takes a sip and stares at Mara.)
VÁCLAV: Don’t be nervous.
MARA: Oh, I’m way past that.
VÁCLAV: You don’t seem to understand, Mara. You control what happens tonight. It’s my job to make you happy, and I look forward to it.
(Again Mara is paralyzed as she stares into Václav’s eyes)
VÁCLAV: Would you like to sit down?
MARA: On…on the bed?
VÁCLAV: Anywhere you like.
MARA: The bed is fine.
(She sits on the edge of the bed and Václav follows)
VÁCLAV: May I kiss you on the cheek?
MARA: What?
VÁCLAV: May I kiss you on the cheek?
MARA: Um…sure.
(He leans in and kisses her on the cheek)
VÁCLAV: There. How do you feel?
MARA: That was…that was nice…
VÁCLAV: We’ll just go from there. You’re American?
MARA: Yes. You’re Czech?
VÁCLAV: Yes.
MARA: You speak very good English.
VÁCLAV: So do you.
(Mara laughs)
VÁCLAV: What brings you to Prague?
MARA: Oh, you know…travelling.
VÁCLAV: Prague is one the finest cities in the world.
MARA: I’ve always wanted to go. And it’s just a train ride from Berlin. Everything is by train in Europe. I like it. It’s very…old fashioned.
VÁCLAV: What do you think of our fine city thus far?
MARA: Oh, it’s beautiful.
VÁCLAV: Have you seen the Charles Bridge yet?
MARA: I did that on my first day. I was nervous my first day. But…there are all those statues by the bridge you know. Well, of course you know. I’m Catholic and…I was raised Catholic at least…and just seeing all the saints…Saint Augustine was really good for me. I suppose that sounds silly.
VÁCLAV: Not at all.
MARA: I suppose even if it did sound silly, you wouldn’t say so. Sorry.
VÁCLAV: Don’t be.
MARA: (Suddenly rising) I’m sure you hear this all the time, but I don’t…I don’t usually do this. I’ve never done this. I don’t even know why I’m doing it now.
VÁCLAV: Mara, I know why you asked me here tonight.
MARA: Oh?
VÁCLAV: Because it’s a shame for a beautiful woman to be alone in such a beautiful city.
MARA: (Giggles a bit) Oh wow. You’re kind of ridiculous. (Stops) Sorry.
VÁCLAV: Don’t apologize. What kind of work to do you do?
MARA: It’s boring.
VÁCLAV: I’m sure it isn’t.
MARA: I teach…kind of. I teach English. The American School in Berlin. I’m a teacher.
VÁCLAV: That doesn’t sound boring at all.
MARA: Well…I don’t really…the majority of work that I do is just editing. Working with adults who already have a grasp of the language and writing essays and correcting it.
VÁCLAV: But you are American, yes?
MARA: Yes. I go home every once in a while. I went home for Christmas…uh…not this past Christmas but the one before it.
VÁCLAV: Do you have a significant other?
MARA: (Laughs) No. I wouldn’t…I wouldn’t be here if I did.
VÁCLAV: Understandable.
MARA: Though, I assume you get all kinds of people coming to see you.
VÁCLAV: I do. It’s nice to hear that there is still some nobility in the world. You must be very lonely. (He takes her hand and runs his fingers across it. He gently kisses it)
MARA: Huh? Oh…yeah…there are plenty of English speaking people…(Gesturing to him) Obviously. But…it’s still hard to…meet people. You speak very good English.
VÁCLAV: Thank you. Americans seem to look at learning another language as something…silly or unneeded. Most everyone else knows that one language is not enough.
MARA: Say something in Czech.
VÁCLAV: Co byste chtěl, abych řekl?
MARA: (She giggles) What did you say?
VÁCLAV: I said, “What would you like me to say?”
(Mara laughs)
VÁCLAV: Smím tě políbit na rty?
MARA: What did you say that time?
VÁCLAV: “May I kiss you on the lips?”
(Mara studies him for a second)
MARA: Okay.
(He leans in and kisses her gently on the lips)
VÁCLAV: There. Are you alright?
MARA: Yeah.
VÁCLAV: May I kiss you on the neck?
MARA: Uh…sure.
(Václav leans in closely and begins to kiss her neck)
MARA: (Giggling a bit) Ahhhh!
VÁCLAV: What?
MARA: Sorry. That tickles. Go ahead. Try it again.
(Václav attempts to kiss her neck again)
MARA: (Standing and giggling) Ahhhh! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! I’ve never been kissed like that and your…your…your…uh…hair face…
VÁCLAV: My…hair face?
MARA: Yeah…
VÁCLAV: My stubble?
MARA: Your stubble! It kind of tickles.
VÁCLAV: I can honestly say I’ve never gotten that kind of a reaction from one of my kisses before.
(Mara opens her mouth to speak)
VÁCLAV: And don’t apologize. In fact, you’re not allowed to apologize anymore tonight.
MARA: This is how S&M starts, isn’t it?
VÁCLAV: What?
MARA: Never mind…
VÁCLAV: Your neck tickles, eh? Perhaps I should kiss you somewhere else.
MARA: You can try.
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