If only we could channel such collective passion towards activities that really matter. A game's outcome seems all-important at the time, but doesn't change the world one bit. Meanwhile, the climate that sustains life as we know it is being radically altered, and rather than rise to the challenge, many people invent excuses for not taking action. Contrast that attitude with how people react when a team makes a last minute comeback to win the big game. This year's Superbowl 51, in which the New England Patriots pulled off a seemingly impossible comeback, was a case in point.
"Team Spirit" crams that contrast into one minute of theater, through dialogue between fans "A" and "B". The piece was first performed as part of the 2016 NJ One-Minute Festival hosted by the Luna Stage.
TEAM SPIRIT
by Stephen Hiltner
Two people stand together, center-right. They speak to
each other, but address portions of sentences out into space.
A: The
climate isn’t changing.
B: And if
the climate IS changing, it’s not our fault.
A: And if it
IS our fault, there’s nothing we can do about it.
B: And if
there IS something we can do about it, it would hurt the economy.
A: And even
if it didn’t hurt the economy, we’re just one country.
B: And even
if other countries go along and do something, too, I mean, why bother? It’s
already too late.
A: Right!
B: (pause) Hey, do we have time to catch the
game?
A: (starts heading slowly stage left) Yeah. Let’s go. Did you see the last one?
B: (joining him, slow progression stage left as they
continue talking) That was amazing. I
don’t know how they pulled it out, but they did!
A: What a
team! They don’t give up.
B: (pausing to revel in the team’s attributes) So resilient.
A: Yeah. And
they adjust. They aren’t stuck in their ways. They find a way to win!
B: (they resume walking stage left) And
they’re unselfish, you know? Everybody does their part. A real team effort.
A: And that
last shot, right at the buzzer.
B: Man, I
was horse from cheering.
A: I LOVE
games like that!
(the last words are spoken as they leave stage. A few
moments of silence, with stage empty, before lights dim for next play, to allow
the irony to sink in. The empty stage could represent the void in action taken
to slow climate change.)
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