Excerpt from Scene 1.
He gets up and moves to the kitchen. Michelle is already making herself breakfast.
Tom (brightly) Good morning, Michelle.
Michelle (sleepily) ‘Morning Dad.
Tom (calling out) Alex, are you having toast?
Alex (off stage) No.
Tom Cereal?
Alex (off stage) No.
Tom What then? (Alex enters, putting on his jumper)
Alex I’m getting dressed. (Michelle and Tom look at each other and roll their eyes.)
Alex (entering kitchen) Dad, have you seen my moccasin?
Tom It’s on your foot, mate.
Alex (looks down in surprise) No, not this one! My other one.
Tom Look under your bed.
Alex Thanks (he exits stage)
Tom Are we looking forward to going to our new school?
Michelle (sarcastically) yeh…I can’t wait. Did we really need to move to ___________(insert name of city)? Couldn’t we have stayed in Sidon River?
Tom Not again! Sidon’s a tiny little town. Thirty k’s to school every day; teaching the same stuff for 20 years; same families; same teachers. Half the time they were at each other’s throats. Now we’ll meet new people and we’ll enjoy living in the city.
Michelle Meet new people? What was wrong with the people that we knew?
Tom Nothing… of course…But Earlswood’s a much bigger school. It’s got more VCE subjects and you’ll meet… new people. Besides it’s only a two-year contract. We can always go back. (Alex returns from off stage. His moccasins don’t match.)
Alex Found it.
Michelle You seem pretty keen on this “meet new people” thing. We’ve got each other!
Tom Yes… we do but, but… it was time for a change.
Michelle But how often are we gonna visit mum? (Everybody stops what they’re doing) I still think that’s important.
Tom You mean… (long pause) Mum’s… I don’t really know. Don’t you think she’d prefer you to be enrolled at Earlswood. It’s one of the best schools in the state.
Michelle So we’re just gonna forget her?
Tom No, of course not. But we have to do what’s best for us. We have to go on and we have to me…ah…Come on, stop worrying.
Alex You might even find a boyfriend, Michelle. There’s bound to be some one there who’ll even find you attractive. (laughs at his own joke)
Michelle Shut up, Alex!
Tom Alex! Michelle, just for the record again, you know that I’d rather you didn’t get involved with anyone this year. I want you to concentrate on your work.
Michelle Yeah, yeah, I know, dad! But can you tell him to stop being so immature.
Tom We can all be a little immature at times.
Michelle Not me. I’m 17 you know.
Alex 17!! Wow. (Tom smiles in agreement with Alex’s sentiment)
Michelle At least I’m not like so many supposed adults who are just set in their ways. “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is how the saying goes.
Tom Yes, but the point is that you, as a “young puppy”, still have many “tricks” to learn.
Alex “Young puppy?” She’s one of the oldest dogs I know. (laughs at his own joke)
Michelle You’re gonna cop it, I swear!
Tom I mean that we all need to learn to see things from other people’s point of view. That’s maturity.
Michelle I can do that.
Tom Yes…well…
Michelle (finishing her juice) I’m gonna get ready (exits)
Alex Dad, now that we’re living in Melbourne, do you think that we can go to Macca’s a little more often?
Tom Actually, I’ll be pretty tired tonight; maybe we should go out for dinner.
Alex (excitedly) McDonalds?!
Tom No…(dryly) Hungry Jack’s (Alex’s excitement turns sour. Tom goes to exit)
Alex But the burgers are better at McDonalds! (Tom laughs as he exits) (Michelle enters again, looking behind her nervously, anxious that her dad doesn’t hear her.)
Michelle Now listen, Alex. I’m sick and tired of all your talk about boyfriends and girlfriends.
Alex It was only a joke. Calm down.
Michelle No, it wasn’t funny. The last thing we need is dad getting any ideas about finding a girlfriend.
Alex I reckon it might be okay to have a mum again.
Michelle She won’t be a “mum”. She’ll be a step mum. Now hurry up and get ready. (she exits)
Alex (mimicking) “Hurry up and get ready” Yes, mum!
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Excerpt from Scene 8
Scene 8: Band members are getting their equipment ready. Kathi (the band’s bass player) is missing.
Adam Well, only two more weeks before the festival!
Jon I’m so pumped.
Warren There’ll be no stopping us. We are so gonna rock! (Enter Kathi.)
Kathi (nervous) Hi guys.
Band Hi Kath.
Kathi Uh…Guys… Um… I … I’ve decided that …uh, I’m not gonna play with the band anymore.
Warren What? Why? It’s only two more weeks to the festival.
Kathi Yeh, I know but I’m struggling a bit with my work…Uh, I just can’t… Look I’m sorry but I’m sure you guys are gonna be okay.
Adam But we need you.
Kathi Look, I’d love to stay, but I just don’t have enough time. My parents are telling me to do more homework. Sorry guys. My dad’s waiting outside in the car. Bye. (Kathi exits)
Jon Great! What are we gonna do now?
Adam We can’t play at the festival without a bass player. This is gonna wreck us big time.
Ross We’ll have to get a new bass player.
Jon Do we know any other bass players? (they all stare out trying to think, except for Michelle, who just looks at the others hoping that they will know someone)
Jon Your dad plays guitar, Michelle. Maybe he can play for us.
Michelle My dad? Are we that desperate? Don’t you guys know anybody else? (they all keep trying to think)
Adam Actually, Michelle. Did your dad tell you the news?
Michelle The news? What news?
Adam About him and my mum?
Michelle (getting a little apprehensive) No, what?
Adam They’re going out for lunch together on Friday. They’re gonna discuss this year’s musical.
Michelle (a little angry) Going out? He didn’t tell me that.
Adam Maybe he just forgot. Anyway, what are we gonna do about our bass player?
Michelle (staring out into space) I can’t believe he didn’t tell me.
Nic This bloke that lived down the road from me, he was about forty five. He’d never got married or had a girlfriend or anything like that and then one day he meets this woman who was about the same age and they got married about three months later.
Michelle My dad’s gonna get married? But, he’s like, my dad! He’s already… (others look at her funny. Jon finally speaks after a pause)
Jon Look at it from their point of view, Michelle. Adam’s mum’s been on her own for about six years and your dad’s been on his own for …(he pauses waiting for Michelle to fill in the missing time, but she just crosses her arms and leans back looking angrily at him, so Jon continues) quite a while now, too. They’re not gonna want to drag it out.
Michelle But…
Ross Hey, if your parents get married, do you think they’ll let us play at the wedding?
Michelle Ross!
Adam (laughing) Yeh, that’d be great. Do you think we’ll have found a bass player by then?
Warren Actually, if your parents get married…that would make you two… brother and sister.
Ad and Mich Brother and sister?! (they look at each other in shock)
Nic Yeh, you’d have to stop goin’ out together. You can’t go out with members of your own family.
Ad and Mich Family?
Warren Face it guys, you’re just gonna have to dump each other.
Ad and Mich Dump each other?
Michelle No. This is all a little sudden. Just because they’re going out on Friday for lunch doesn’t mean that they’re gonna get married!
Nic Oh, yes it does! That guy who lived up the road…Three months, baby.
Michelle (looking towards Adam) Adam…(he takes her by the hand) (Michelle, looking quite stressed, walks around the room for a little while, thinking. She finally looks up and thinks out loud–in the direction of the audience) I’m gonna lose my dad and my boyfriend. (then talking to her friends) There’s only one thing to do. We have to stop ‘em. (She thinks for a second. The band members wander where she’s goin’) It’s never a good idea to go out with someone that you work with. Everyone knows that. Everything might start out okay but if there’s any trouble, you’re stuck having to work with your ex-boyfriend or girlfriend. They shouldn’t rush things… Imagine if your mum had to work with her ex-boyfriend.
Adam I suppose I wouldn’t really want her to be hurt again.
Jon But they’re gonna go out anyway if they’re planning the musical. And if they’re together, the sparks might fly.
Michelle I am gonna ask my dad to rehearse with us Friday lunchtime. (approaching Adam and putting her arm around him) We have to do what’s best for us, ahh them, of course… Don’t we? (just before they kiss, Warren rushes in and separates them.)
Warren Sorry guys, but brothers and sisters shouldn’t be kissing on the lips!
Michelle But we’re not brother and sister. (He leans forward to kiss her on the lips but then, taking a deep breath and appearing uncomfortable, he shakes her hand)
Adam I couldn’t do it. (Michelle looks a little disappointed and the band members start laughing at Adam.)
To order Meant To Be (the musical), or to request a preview copy of the script, go to the Contact Us page.