Improvisations
Menander
Diskolos or The Grouch
Synopsis of plays
The following improvisations are sub-plots for the theme of the father who forbids his daughter to see the man she loves, forcing her to marry the suitor of his choice.
Give the characters A (the boss/father/mother) B and C (the employees) a brief history by asking questions and choosing the first answer that comes up.
Are the employees married, or do they have girl/boyfriends? Do they do something when they're nervous? Do they have something to hide? Are they really just servants or do they have an agenda? Maybe B, in the next act, turns out to be an agent for the IRS?
Did A inherit his business from his father (and his father's father) or did he build it himself?
1
A, D (Boss and Daughter)
A and D are arguing on one side of the stage. A wants to fix a wedding date for his daughter with George, the son of his business partner. She likes him as a brother, they grew up together and yes they did kiss but she doesn't love him. A says love is overrated, financial stability is more important....
D walks off while A tells her not to walk away from him.
2
A, B, C Two chairs
A walks in to his office and finds B dozing and C gone. A wants to know why B is dozing and C is absent. B complains he/she was awake all night. C walks up behind A.
How does A react? Startled or composed? His mobile rings. He listens.
A detective just told him his daughter and her lover Eugene are planning to elope, they’re to meet that evening. He wants to stall Eugene and has a plan that he shares with B and C. They must break into an office and steal a file that will show his daughter her lover isn’t what he appears to be. While she waits one of them must wear a disguise and hand her the file.
B and C are not thrilled with the plan; they could get arrested or shot. They’re taking all the risks but he threatens to fire them, they have no choice.
They grumble but stop when they see a spider on the floor making its way their boss while he complains about inflation, overhead, how much his daughter spends and how she wants to marry someone without a job instead of the man he chose for her. He tells them they’re lucky to have any job with their low IQ.
B and C watch the spider go up A’s pants. They try to warn him but he sends them out of the office.
3
B, C, D (daughter), E (Eugene the lover), F (Francesco, Eugene's friend)
D sits, waiting, center stage. She goes through different scenarios to figure why Eugene could be late. She's worried, angry, and back to worried.
On one the side of the stage B is urging C to deliver their boss’s message. C doesn't’t want to go, but they’d flipped a coin and s/he has no choice and puts on (an imaginary) disguise.
C steps up to D and delivers the incriminating file. D wants to know who sent it but C is already gone. She opens the file and sits, stunned. E appears, anxious to explain why he’s late. She hides the file. In a hurry he wants them to leave but she doesn’t move.
F appears holding B and C, who are denying everything. D recognizes them. Under interrogation, along with a bribe, they admit to delivering a file for their boss. D shows E the file, who hands it to F.
4
A, B, C, D, E, F
A is watching the scene from a distance when he feels something on his leg. He goes to scratch and realizes it's a big spider. Terrified he falls backwards into a bush full of thorns. He dare not move.
D and E walk past, quarreling (use platitudes): You should have told me, I was going to, why didn’t you, I was waiting for the right moment, this is why you pretended to love me, it’s not like that well maybe at first but I wanted to be sure...
They don’t notice A right away. Once offstage they back up to stare at him. They ask him questions but he doesn’t dare answer for fear of disturbing the spider.
E goes to pull him out but A has such fear on his face E backs off. A is not only afraid of the spider, he knows his plan has been discovered and fears Eugene even more.
E goes to get the others, D waits, A looks up at the sky (what is he thinking?) D sees the spider as it leaves A’s body, she follows it with her eyes and realizes why her father is so scared. She looks at the audience and smiles; she’s not letting him know it’s gone.
F returns with B and C. She pulls him aside and tells him about the spider. To scare A even more they agree to hoist him out roughly. Still in shock A checks to see if the spider is still on him. He is grateful and apologizes for his deception. He only wanted the financial well-being of his daughter. E admits he is very rich, and F is his valet.
5
All of the above plus H (Harriet)
It so happens A has a girlfriend, who thinks he may have been hurt. H appears to be completely dizzy and calls him Sugar. At first A tries to deny the relationship, bad choice, he has hurt her feelings. D accuses him of being a hypocrite, they argue. He leaves with her, the others leave as well.
6
D, G (Daughter and George, her suitor)
D and G sit next to each other. They both want to say something important and argue like brother and sister who will speak first. G wins and tells her he doesn't love her the way a husband should and cannot marry her. He is in love with someone else. Though D is pleased, her ego is bruised. They argue.
7
A , E and F walk in on the argument, A has an announcement. He has asked Harriet to marry him.
Variations
D and G realize they actually do love each other.
G is gay and loves F.
