Taxi, Three One Act Plays & Two Other Plays

By E K Eonia

This is a collection of three plays all written in 2008. Taxi is a collection of three one act plays based on the minibus taxi industry in South Africa. Each act deals with a common place scenario that many commuters face in their daily lives and examines the heart warming and sometimes tragic events that unfold on the roads of South Africa. Hangman is a dramatic play set in an undisclosed country where unsettling events start a chain reaction to which both a local community and aid agency workers must respond. Drawing on recent events from many places around the world, the play circles themes relating to responsibility of individuals versus the responsibility of the world as a whole. But I Thought You Said… is a comedic play set in London, following a married couple Greta and Frederick through their daily lives, as they communicate, miscommunicate and negotiate the journey that is married life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: E K Petrolekas
• Release date: Jul 7, 2012
• ISBN: 9780992172336

Book preview

Taxi, Three One Act Plays & Two Other Plays

Taxi- Three One Act Plays & Two Other Plays

E K Eonia

An ‘epik expansion’ Presentation

Copyright © EK Petrolekas 2012

The right of the author of this work has been asserted.

ISBN- 978-0-9921723-3-6

Taxi

Dedication

This collection is dedicated to all the ordinary people living ordinary lives under extraordinary circumstances.

Those of us who make up statistics and are branded by generalisations on the roads we travel. We are both the driver and the passenger.

Introduction

Taxi, is an African story on the minibus- taxi industry in South Africa and the millions of ordinary people who use them everyday. Over the recent years the taxi industry has gained notoriety as violent, cut throat and hazardous to public health However, for the millions of South Africans there is no alternative method to ensure they are able to get to their work in order to earn their livelihood. The story looks at both drivers and passengers and how they engage with each other in the daily course of life in a fast developing nation running to catch up with modernisation, equality and the right to safety and security. The play consists of three commonplace and everyday scenarios which are one act plays within themselves. Each part of the play makes use of the same actors using the same name, but, representing different characters and thus personality types in each story.

The play is about the human relationships within the social context of the South African taxi industry.

The Cast:

There are 16 characters in total with 8 male and 8 female actors. The last story/act makes use of 4 extras with none speaking roles.

Each gender set is divided up into age categories consisting of:

2 older men and 2 older women (over 55)

1 male child under 10 years of age

2 young men and 2 young women (18-25)

3 men and 4 women (over 35)

Driver: Lucky

Child: Samuel

OL1: Sonto

OL2: Nobasantu

OM1: Anthony

OM2:Mandla

YL1: Karabo

YL1: Leleti

YM1:Bongani

YM2:Kabelo

ML1: Agnes

ML2:Zanele

MM1: Oliver

MM2: Vusi

ML3:Mable

ML4 Pricilla

Key:

OM & OL (older man & older lady)

YM & YL (young man & young lady)

MM &ML (Men and women over 35)

The set is a half metallic outline of a taxi, with the other half open to audience. There are 4 rows of seats seating 3 people per row in a diagonal line with higher seats at back and cascading down. Only the backdrops change for each scene.

ACT ONE: Zimbabwe- Bob’s your uncle!

Character roles:

Taxi Driver: friendly, sympathetic and chatty

Grandfather and grandchild

3 men: 1 older, 2 young.

2 young 2 older ladies 2 middle

2 toll gate workers, one male and one female

2 Boarder officials, 1 male, 1 female

Props: A trailer at the back of the vehicle filled with bags. Money & passports

Driver: Lucky

OL1: Sonto- passenger

OL2: Noba- passenger

Child: Samuel- grandchild

OM1: Anthony- grandfather

OM2: Mandla- passenger

YL1: Karabo- passenger

YL2: Leleti- passenger

YM1: Bongani- passenger

YM2: Kabelo- passenger

ML1: Agnes- passenger

ML2: Zanele- passenger

ML3: Mable- toll booth

MM1: Oliver-toll booth

MM2: Vusi-border post

ML4 Pricilla – border post

Backdrop is rural scenery daytime.

Curtain opens on taxi driving in rural areas on road towards Zimbabwe

Scene 1

Lucky: We are almost on the main road, sorry for the slow and bumpy ride hey, I have to avoid the toll roads so that you don’t pay your monthly salary to travel to see old Bob.

(The passengers smile and giggle)

Agnes: Oh yes, these days you have to pay too much money to travel in a straight line!

(The laughter continues and is hearty)

Zanele: Eish, how many toll roads form Pretoria these days?

Lucky: Mme, just to get to Polokwane is about four from Pretoria!

Agnes: Hey! It’s highway robbery! Just like in those old American movies with the cowboys.

Sonto: Westerns…they are called westerns.

Agnes to Sonto: Yes Mme, Westerns. There, the robbers stop you on your journey and take all your money. Now it’s the government that stops you on your journey and takes all your money! Hey hey hey!

(The passengers laugh all together and smile and nod at each other)

Anthony: Tell me Mr Driver; are you John’s boy?

Lucky: Ah yes Baba! John is my father! You know him?

Anthony: Oh yes, I have taken his taxi many times when I was younger to visit my family in Zimbabwe. Your father is a very good man. Are you taking over now?

Lucky: Yes Baba, my father is sick; he was injured in all the taxi violence. He was shot in both legs and cannot drive long distances now.

Mandla and Anthony: Yo! That is terrible!

Lucky: Yes, the taxi associations are big trouble! My father did not want to join and pay those high fees. He wanted to continue working for himself and taking people to where they want to go, you know?

Anthony: Yes my son, I know. I am very sorry to hear that. Please tell him Anthony from the Zim route sends his best wishes for his health. You are Lucky aren’t you?

Lucky: Yes!

Anthony: Your father told us about you and your naughty ways!

Mandla: Hey, young Lucky, look at you, you’re all grown up now! Anthony, he is a man!

Anthony: Yes Mandla and he is taking care of his family just like his father before him.

Mandla: Yes, at least some things stay the same sometimes in this world. So much change! Eish, too much if you ask me!

Sonto: You can say that again!

Noba: Sonto! Hey, sorry for my sister! She is too loud sometimes; she gets herself into trouble always.

Sonto: Nobasantu, I am expressing myself in my free and democratic country. I have the right now!

Noba: Yes and you will still get into trouble in your free and democratic country! Not so much change if you ask me. Some things are a bit different but it’s all superficial. Look at us, we are still travelling the same way, still living in the same place with the same things and now we pay even more than we used to!

Sonto:  Yes but we are free!

A moment of silence and Anthony breaks it and changes subject

Scene2

Anthony: So where are you youngsters travelling to? (To the two young men and ladies)

Samuel: With you to our house Grandpa!

Anthony: Hey young man, I was asking the grown ups. Do you want to be a grown up already?

Samuel: Yes grandpa! I will make the country right! I can!

(Laughter in the taxi)

Mandla: Your grandson is more like you than his father!

Sonto: What is your name little one?

Samuel: Samuel!

Noba: What a lovely name! Where are you travelling to Samuel?

Samuel: To Beitbridge with my Grandpa! We are going to visit some of my grandpa’s friends.

Sonto: Oh how nice. Do you have family in Zimbabwe?

Anthony: Yes, some family too.

Samuel: We are taking them some mielie meal and rice because they can’t buy it there where they are.

Sonto: No young one, they can’t. That’s very good to help them that way.

Noba: Many people have family in Zim, many taxis going up there these days.

Anthony: Yes many families need help. Where are you going to?

Noba: My sister and I get off at Musina to visit my mother. She is old and frail but she does not want to move and live in the big city with us. She likes her small village and has all her friends and community