My first play: A bittersweet experience

When I was in my fifth year in my primary school, I produced my very first piece of plays. Unfortunately, it also became the last, up now. There was an assignment from our homeroom teacher to show ten-to-fifteen-minute plays, and we only had two hours to produce them. We were parted into several groups and each group would perform one play. The teacher also promised us that the best play would be performed on stage by the end of the education year that time.

The challenge boosted our motivation to create something great. We went out the class to find our spots, arranging and preparing our plays. However, as we only had two hours and as we thought the range of time we had, the challenge became difficult. My friends in my group proposed a play about a group of students studying together. I did not react.

In my heart, I did not agree with the theme they proposed. And we run out of time before all the plays would be performed in the class. Sounds argued in my mind, would I let it be or speak up my mind?

At last, I could not hold anymore. I said that I wanted to change the story. Completely.

I was lucky to have considerate friends. They wanted to listen and afterward agreed with my proposal.

The story I proposed was a fantasy about students' adventure. Here I shared the piece based on my memory twenty years ago. Of course, the play was in Bahasa Indonesia and used simpler diction as we were just the fifth grader.

[The characters (the teacher and the students) entered the stage.]

Student A: What a wonderful sight, Sir.
Teacher: That's true. Look at there, so many trees and those trees that preserve our ground water.
Student B: Sir, can we take a rest for a while. I am little bit tired.
Teacher: Okay, let's take a rest.

[The teacher and the students gathered around and sat down.]

Student B: Oh, no... I run out my drinking water.
Teacher: Anyone can share?
Student C: I am afraid that I also run out of my supply.
Student A: I have a little, but I think it wouldn't enough for all of us.
Student C: Sir, can we look for a water source.
Teacher: Okay, but keep being together!

[The teacher and the students walked again. Suddenly, one of students shout as he saw a hole.]

Student D: Hey, look! It is a cave. Maybe we can found water there.
Teacher: Okay, let's take a look.

[The cave was dim as a little light could enter. The students seemed afraid.]

Student A: Hey, there are stalactites and stalagmites. And it's water dripping down from the stalactite.
Student B: You're right.
Student D: [Seemed afraid] But the shape of those are strange. They're like human bodies. And the water it seems appear from their eyes. Like they are in tears.
Teacher: Well, don't think much about it. Let's drink. It's almost dark outside.

[They collected the water into their jug and started drinking. But suddenly, their body became paralyzed. They scream and crying.]

Students: Sir, help us... help us...

[Like a ghost, suddenly a body appeared from the thin air.]

Witch: [In shrilled voice] Kik...kik...kik... lucky me, lucky me, my collection will sum up. I have already watched you guys since you enter the forest. And you are right, the stalactites and stalagmites once were human like you. By tomorrow I will have new collections. You my request whether you want to be place in yhe ceiling or in the ground. All would be the same as you become stones. Kik... kik.... lucky me, lucky me!

[The night crawled. Their feet started turning into stones. And they feared even more. But one of the students seemed think very hard.]

Student C: [In whisper] Look at the stick she brings. There are a red gem on top of the stick. I think we have to destroy it before we completely turn into stones.
Student A: [Also in whisper] But how?
Student C: [In whisper] We wait until she sleeps. I guess we can still move by using our ass.
Student D: [In Whisper and started sobbing] But I am afraid.
Student B: [In whisper and little bit angry] Cut it! Don't you want to get out from here?

[The students started making a strategy. They then waited until midnight. At the midnight the witch started yawning and shortly thereafter, she slept.]

Student C: Okay, you move and take the stick. You are the nearest from it.
Student B: Okay.

[Carefully the Student B moved. It was hard because his thigh had already turned into stone. However, he eventually did reach the stick.]
[The witch suddenly wake up.]

Witch: [In anger] Curse you! What are you doing?!

[In fear, the Student B threw the stick to another student.]

Student B: Catch!

[The stick was thrown one to another student for several times. The witch tried to catch her stick. And the last student threw it to the teacher.]

Student D: Sir, catch! Destroy the gem!
Teacher: Got it!

[The stick had landed to the teacher's hand. Praying to god for a little, he then punch the stick to the wall of the cave.]

Witch: Curse you! Curse you!...

[The voice of the witch slowly disappeared, her body as well. The part of the teacher's and the students' bodies that were stones returned into fleshes.]

Teacher: It's over, kids. Let stay here until the morning comes and we can go home.

[The play was over. All characters left the stage.]

The play was succeeded and our group became the winner as other group showed something ordinary, just like the theme we almost played before it was changed. Our play was praised because it collaborated some aspects: fantasy, subjects we learned in the class, issue of culture and religion, and also good acting.

I used to listen my father's tales every night which brought me through the boundary of fantasy world. We used the words stalactite and stalagmite in our script because those were a new terminology we learned in science class. We blended into our drama the cultural paradigm of witch in our society. We also put nuance of spiritual as the witch could be defeated by destroying the hallow preceded by a prayer. But the most incredible was, we recognized the actress of our class. The student who played the witch character, she gained praises as she managed the character stunningly.

In the play itself, I took a minor role as a student who never talked. I was the director and scriptwriter for the play, and that was enough for me. I weighed carefully who should be the teacher and the witch. I chose the oldest student in our group to be the teacher, and the thinnest girl as the witch. I was satisfied.

But the happiness of the success did not last long. We heard that our drama would not be played on stage in the event of the end academic year. It was terrifying, and a little bit in my heart I held a grudge for years to my teacher. I was angry as he promised but he did not do anything to fulfill his promise (which might be just my prejudice). We had already prepared how the stage should be and what equipments we might need. And it ruined. We were disappointed.

Pondering back this experience, I learned many sweet things. I learned about egalitarian. At that time I was the youngest, but my friends would listen to me and accepted what I proposed. I also learned to let a person to take part that suits his or her talent and ability. Then, I learned to collect sufficient data to prepare anything as it should be. The play, I prepared it to be different but in the same time to be natural. I also learned to love and pay my respect and empathy to my friends with all their situation, which related the bitter part of the experience I would mention right away.

The bitter part of the experience, I also learned another thing in the harshest way. To be led down with someone I trusted, it was hurt. At that time I felt that I was not good enough. I believed that my teacher could not trust us to make him proud by my script. The group I was in comprised not by the brightest students, and two or three of them were repetition students from the previous year or the year before. I did not know why I was placed together with them as I was one of the smartest students in the class back then, but there was in my heart a judgement that his students' condition in the group was not good enough to make him happy. The day that the play would be performed should be the moment of truth that not-so-bright students could produce something precious even though it was not a series of good marks on student's report sheets. But, the day we longing was never come.

Honestly, I am no longer holding the grudge. As I said, it might be my prejudice. I learn to forgive. However, that day I learned to be careful when promising something, especially to children. When a promise is made to a child but then it is broken, the experience would leave a wound in his/her heart even for years. It may murder his/her self esteem, his/her confidence, his/her trust, his/her dream.

That bittersweet experience might be the reason (or the excuse) of the end of my career as playwright.

Or...

Can I have another chance?