Carnie

Grace: The nicest, sweetest, girl who is kind hearted and is always helping others before herself. She is the main character in the play.

Beth: A very sarcastic, nasty girl who isn’t very nice and doesn’t take time to like anyone but herself.

Sandi: Ditzy blonde who gets easily confused and usually in the butt of each joke.

Carnie: A scruffy looking man who is always trying to talk the girls into spending money on silly games.

Shawn: A good looking boy who is helpful and kind and plays a huge part in the action of the play.

Scene 1.
(The stage is set with fair games lined up towards the back wall. The sun is out, there is loud sounds of people talking in the background and bright colors are all over. The three girls are walking together in a line linking arms. The one in the middle, Grace, is being held up by her two friends so she doesn’t get sick from the ride they just got off of. CLS, a carnie worker is eyeing up the girls getting ready to harass them to play his game.)
Beth: Geesh Grace, great idea, let’s go to the fair, even though you can’t handle the ferris wheel.
Sandi: I thought it was a good idea. I mean it was better than going to that birthday party.
Carnie: Ladies! Want to play? I’ll give you five darts for five dollars! It’s a great deal. (girls keep walking) Come on. Everyone wins. (girls don’t even bother to look) Alright then, Five darts for three dollars, not because you’re beautiful, but because you’re new. Everyone is a winner!
Grace: Aw, come on you guys, let’s go try. I mean it’s my moms birthday next weekend, and this would be a great opportunity to get her something. I could win her a huge Scooby-doo, you know she loves that stuff.
Beth: Whatever, go waste money on a stupid game, just hurry. This man is creeping me out.
(Grace steps up to try her luck. The carnie hands her five darts in exchange for three dollars)
Sandi: Whoohooo. Yeahhh Grace, you got it. It’s all you!
Carnie: All you have to do is pop the yellow balloon with your dart and you win! One balloon, Five darts. Odds are looking good.
(Grace puts the first dart in her right hand. She closes her left eye and looks straight down the dart to the yellow balloon. As she swings her hand back to throw the dart, her shiny ring comes in contact with the sun and glistens, blinding the carnie worker.)
Carnie: Wow, that’s quite a ring you have on there.
Grace: Thanks, my great grandmother gave it to me before she passed away. I always wear it because I know she’s watching over me.
Beth: Ugh, let’s go Grace, I really don’t want to stand here all day. Just hit the yellow balloon and let’s get out of here. I want to be home by at least 7 so I can get ready before we go out again tonight.
Sandi: Yeahh Grace! You have three more shots left. Let’s hit it this time!
(Grace takes another step back and the ring shines again. This time as she threw the dart it hit the yellow balloon. The three girls started celebrating and the carnie pulles down the prize Grace pointed at.)
Carnie: Good job, young lady. You shine almost as bright as your ring. (smiling with a suspicious smile bringing the conversation back to her ring) I bet that cost your grandmother a lot of money.
Grace: Ahh, I don’t really know, my grandpa got it for her when they first met. Would I be able to keep my prize here and come back to get it before I leave?
Carnie: Sure, just be back before 8 because that’s when I pack up to leave. (Grace hands the carnie worker her oversized dog.)
(The girls walk off UL as the lights dim and fade into blackness)
Scene 2.
(The three girls are sitting at a table CSR, ordering food. The lights are directed towards them while the rest of the stage is lit up, yet a little dimmer. Two empty tables are surrounding them with garbage and spilt soda all over them. While out to eat the girls have a nice conversation. To the left of them UC, UL, CSL, there are little game shops set up all over. DL is another game, which happens to be the game that Grace stopped at to win her mother a birthday present. The Carnie worker begins packing up his things, because the end of the day was approaching fast.)
Sandi: Girls, I hope you are having as good of a time as I am.
Beth: (rolling her eyes) Yeah, I guess it’s ok.
Grace: Well, even if you aren’t having fun, Beth, I’m glad you guys came with me, it is really fun!
Sandi: (Smiling) Yeah! Best friends forever.
(the girls go and play a few more games, until it’s getting close to 8)
Grace: I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready to call it a night, do you want to come with to go get my prize from the dart game?
Beth: (looking at Sandi) I don’t know about you, I want to play a few more games. we’ll wait for you right here.
Sandi: Yeah, if that is ok with you Grace.
Grace: Of course! Don’t run away, I’ll be back soon.
(In the distance Beth and Sandi are UC, while grace goes to collect her prize DL)
Carnie: Why hello! I thought you weren’t going to come back, I am almost all packed up, let me go get your Scooby-doo!
(Grace puts her hands out going to grab the huge stuffed animal, when she realizes the carnie had stolen her ring and took off running towards his packed up car offstage CSL!)
Grace: Oh my gosh! (terrified and screaming) SOMEONE HELP!!
(The two other girls coming running to Grace’s scream but are too late. When they meet up with the terrified Grace she is in tears with her head down. The two other girls get the story and help Grace walk out of the carnival with their arms around her.)
Beth: Don’t worry, Grace. We will call the cops, come back tomorrow, or do whatever we have to do to catch that bastard.
Sandi: Oh my gosh. This is just like that TV show I was watching the other day. Some girl had her car stolen from her ex-boyfriend. She never got her car back, and ended up being killed by her boyfriend’s jealous lover.
Beth: (Irritated at Sandi) Shut up, Sandi. You’re so stupid.
(The two girls keep bickering on each side of Grace, while she is still crying, even harder then before now. The girls leave the stage at the same spot where the carnie ran off, CSL. The lights fade again and the scene is in complete blackness. All that is heard is a phone ringing and the three girls on the phone with the cops explaining the story. The cops assured the girls that they would be at the carnival tomorrow and would get to the bottom of it.)
(The lights flash back on to the same scene that was left except the tables are pushed off stage so the view is a little closer. The girls enter the stage UR. The main spot light is directed on them and the rest of the scene is dark. )
Grace: I really hope that we can find that man today. I don’t know why he would come back today because he knows we will be waiting for him.
Beth: Yeah, but this is his job. He just can’t skip town. He has to travel as a group with all the other carnie workers. I’ll bet on it. He will be back.
Sandi: Hmm, I don’t know Beth. He seemed kind of smart. I mean he already had everything packed up ready to go before Grace came back. He must of thought about it for a long time before he made any final decisions. I have a feeling that if he does come back, he wont have the ring and there will be no way to prove that he stole it.
Beth: Sandi, shut your mouth right now. Why do you have to be so dumb? We are trying to help Grace here, not bring her down.
Grace: Girls, just stop it. It’s alright. I know my chances aren’t very good at getting the ring back, but we can try. That’s all we can hope for. I mean the people at the front who we talked to didn’t know much about this guy. For all we know he doesn’t even work here.
(As the girls walk the light pans out and shows the carnie worker setting up his booth. Grace starts to run over by him but is pulled back by her two friends.)
Beth: Hold on! Hold on! Just wait. If he sees you right away, he will leave. We need to come up with a good plan.
Grace: Okay Beth, but what are we going to do? We don’t have a good plan. He will never admit to the police that he stole my ring. He is just going to deny it and say it was his. There is no way to prove it. Ugh I don’t know what to do.
Sandi: (looking confused) Couldn’t we just ask him for it back?
Beth: Really Sandi, really. (sarcastically) That is an amazing idea. Why didn’t I think of that? I wish I could be just like you. Only if that would work.
Grace: Come on you guys. Knock it off. This is a bad situation already, I don’t need you guys fighting. You know Sandi, that might just work. Maybe if I go up to him and ask for it back, he will give it up. How bout you two hide on each side of his booth so that if he tries to run, we can get him. Come at him from each side.
Beth: In a way I want to say that wont work, but I don’t think we really have any choice. I don’t want to be here any longer then I have too. Yesterday was good enough for me.
Grace: Okay great, you two get into position. As soon as you are there, Ill go up to him and ask for it back.
(The two other girls creep around the side of the Carnie workers booth. He is inside his booth setting things up, not paying attention. It was perfect timing. As soon as the girls ducked around the side, he turned around to blow up another balloon. Spotlight is on Grace, slowly walking, and breathing deeply. As soon as the carnie worker spots her she turns her nerves around and looks confident. The carnie worker on the other side seems to sweat a little bit. He too changes his face from nervous, to confident as they both plan the upcoming conversation.)
Carnie: I see you came back to play another game. Well little lady, step right up and try your luck, everyone is a winner.
Grace: Give it up. I just want my ring back. You were looking at it all day yesterday and commenting on it the whole time I was here. Did you think I would forget the whole part of you running off with my ring?
Carnie: Tell you what, you pop this green balloon here on one try and you can have it back.
Grace: Tell YOU what, you give me my ring back and I won’t have the cops come here today.
Carnie: (laughing) That’s a good one. Okay, okay. Why don’t you just try your luck though, see if you can pop the balloon. Just because I’m curious and want to know the fate of the ring.
Grace: Give my ring back first, then I will try.
Carnie: nahhh ahh ahh. Its just a game, come on, try it.
(Grace stands with her hands on her hips and continually shifts her weight from each leg. At the final breaking point, she sticks her hand out for the dart that the Carnie was holding out toward her. Grace didn’t want to take her eye off the carnie, but knew that if he ran again, her two friends were right there waiting. She eyed up the green balloon, put her hand back to aim, and shot. Before she got her shot off the carnie jumped over the side of his stand and took off running. He ran directly past Sandi, and she didn’t even move from her position)
Beth: Oh my gosh Sandi! Can you not do anything right around here! All we asked you to do was stand there and wait for this old slum to run past you!
Sandi: I’m sorry. (her face tenses up) I had a split end and I was trying to fix it before it got out of control.
(all three girls began running after the carnie worker. All three were yelling and screaming for him to stop. At this time Shawn enters the stage CL with a bag of cotton candy in his hand. With all three girls yelling at the carnie, the carnie was distracted and ran right into Shawn. They both hit the floor. The three girls caught up quickly and surrounded him. Without any hesitation the carnie took the ring out of his pocket and held it in the air. He knew he had no other tricks left. Before Grace could reach out and grab the ring, he dropped it on the ground as a distraction. Everyone went for the ring at the same time that the carnie got up off the floor and began running again.)
Grace: Let him go, we will report him later. I don’t even care as long as I got my ring back. Thank you so much for helping me, I owe you.
Shawn: (Nervous) Oh yeah, uhh no problem. Well when I saw you three running after him, it looked kind of serious. I really didn’t do anything though, he just ran into me.
Sandi: Whew, I need a nap.
Beth: Sandi, you ran less than 100 yards. I think it is about time you get into shape!
Scene 3.
(The girls and their new friend Shawn, had a stressful night, fighting off the criminal, but in the end, got what they needed and decided to take their new friend Shawn out to eat, for some pizza. The three girls and Shawn are sitting at a table CS with a window CLS.)
Grace: I still can’t thank you enough for helping me.
Shawn: (smiling) It’s really no problem, he ran into me (sarcastically) and you know with my huge muscles, I knocked him down, and, well, myself as well.
Sandi: You’re like a super hero! Fighting off the bad guys!
(Beth, Grace and Shawn laugh)
Sandi: WHAT?
Beth: Nothing Sandi, let’s just eat this pizza and enjoy it.
(Suddenly, in the background there are cop sirens going off, so Grace looks outside CLS and sees the Carnie being arrested for doing something)
Grace: (laughs)

Beth: What’s outside Grace?
Sandi: Is the Carnie stealing the cop car!?!?
Grace: No Sandi, but the Carnie is getting what he deserves!
(Grace waves out the window to the Carnie, with her ring shining and then she laughs and goes back to eating her pizza, as the lights start to dim.)