An extract from the famous play Three Sisters
Main Cast:
Past - often sentimental and nostalgic, occasionally bitter and frequently murmurs ‘what ifs’. Often, whilst talking, she sheds a tear or two and her face is characterised by many worldly wrinkles and a permanent cynical smile. She claims to know it all, to fantasise that things are better than they are. Nevertheless, she is a beautiful character who frequently immerses herself into memories from different times and places and wishes for a better appreciation at the time. Wearing a beautiful, long perfectly-ironed dress in red with golden frills and tassels, her hair is tied back in a neatly shaped bun.
Present - most definitely understated and overlooked. Overall she tends to be happy but rarely acknowledges that being the case. Always accompanied by the niggling thoughts of reaching farther and further and dreams of not now but then. Somehow now is never good enough and requires her purposefully and mindfully thinking of it. Wearing a plain, dull white-ish dress with some small flowery colourful pattern, only noticeable if closely looked at. She wears her hair in a long ponytail allowing some playful strands to kiss the sides of her rosy cheeks.
Future - the dreamy, promising and beautiful one; the one with mystical aura around her; the one with the sweetest, most enthralling laugh you would ever hear; the one that is captivating audiences and makes everybody talk about her. She always promises to be here but never really is. The one that keeps us breathing, hoping and wishing for better. The one that portrays and thinks up unhappened realities. The one that avoids the hint of darker colours in the palette and almost certainly never mentions the negative, the doomed and unpleasant. Always looks for the better and the brighter. Wearing a shiny, gorgeous, dramatically ostentatious, drape around her, you can’t even tell if it is a dress at all - maybe just a curtain dragged from a stately home window wrapped around her body. It looks good though, just fits perfectly and hugs her shape gracefully. Her hair is all over the place in loose unkempt curls and always in some crazy rainbow colours.
Scene 1
Evening. Birthday tea party. Simple round wooden table with 3 chairs. A set of bright white teacups and saucers on the table filled with freshly brewed aromatic tea that fills the air with warmth and tranquillity.
Two sisters - Past and Present - sitting at the table, casually slouching back and waiting. For their famous sister. It has been a while. And still no sight of her.
‘I told you, she will not make an appearance!’ Past annoyingly taps the fingers on the table, stares at her sister, grilling for an answer. Eventually she cries out, ‘As always!’ Followed by a high pitched, put on laugh.
Present shifts uncomfortably, straightens her back, rearranges her plain dress with colourful floral motif. The atmosphere gets familiarly icy. ‘Shush, did I just hear her coming?! I’m sure I heard something,’ she desperately looks around, ‘it must be her!’
Past looks into the eyes of Present and hisses, ‘She is always the one everybody waits for, the one who promises, insists she was there last time! Can we all not remember?!’ Past theatrically touches her head, rolls her eyes back and gives out the big yawn. ‘The good old sister!’
‘She always keeps us hoping and dreaming but never bothers to make an appearance. Well if she is not here by the time I finish my tea, I will be gone.’ Past demonstratively picks up the cup and leans back in the chair slurping noisily.
Present shifts awkwardly biting her quivering lip and silently praying for Future to show up.
‘Right, that’s it!’ Past shrieks out and loudly slams the teacup on the table, sending the cup and saucer flying.
Startled Present knows the time is up.
Past pushes the chair off the table, stands up and heads for the door. She waves her hands erratically mocking Future. ‘Yes, yes, always look at the brighter side, never stop believing, look out for the best! What a nonsense that is!’
She swings the door open, looks back at Present and stops for a second, whispering, ‘Happy Birthday, Present!’ She hesitates a touch longer and eventually murmurs, ‘Anyway, all the best for Future!’
And she is off. Slamming the door behind her.
Present lets out a big sigh, she stands up from the table and looks for Past’s cup and saucer on the floor. Whilst on her knees, the feeling of desperation is overwhelming, slowly drowning her, filling her every pore with sadness. Past’s words, before storming off, keep echoing in Present’s head and deafening her. The persistent reluctance of agreeing with Past starts to blur and she is no longer sure what to think. She picks up the teacup and saucer from the floor, inspecting for some chipped edges. She slowly puts them on the table and sits back down holding her head in despair.
Suddenly, Present jolts up and lets out a squeal, ‘Oh my! I cannot believe it! Can it be true?!’ She grabs Future’s teacup from the table, bursts out in a joyous dance, spinning round and round, uncontrollably laughing becoming nearly hysterical. She is unstoppable.
‘The teacup is empty. Empty!’ she repeats it again and again in disbelief. She laughs and spins round again, loudly singing:
‘She came, she was here! I knew it! Never stop believing! Never stop hoping, praying and wishing! Keep the chin up! There IS the silver lining, the light in the tunnel, the brighter days ARE most definitely ahead of us!’
Present collapses on the floor in contentment, closes her eyes and silently whispers to herself, ’Must not forget to tell Past the next time we meet again!’