Numbers Have Feelings
10 minutes
1M/4M or F
1F, 1M, 2F, 2M, 3F, 3M, 4F, 4M, Building Trust, Children's Theatre, Church, Community, Community, Dramatic Interpretation, Elementary School, Empathy, Fantasy, HaveScripts, High School, High School, Jack J. Berry, Junior School, Kids, Loyalty, Max 5, Middle School, Middle School, Min 5, Script, Trust, Valuing Others| Cast Size: | |
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The Cast:
ZERO: Males/Female, moderator of the group, used to being in
charge
ONE: Male/Female, a long-time friend of ZERO, who likes to correct
him/her
PI: Female, has been coming to the group a lot, sarcastic, easily
irritated
E: Male/Female, a bit discouraged & downhearted
I: Male/Female, individual of mystery, others aren’t sure how to take at first
Stage Requirements: 5 chairs arranged in a line (front-to-back).
Numbers Have Feelings
As the play begins, ZERO enters the room and moves the chairs to form a semi-circle facing the audience and then sits in the middle chair. ONE then enters the room showing obvious displeasure at the new seating arrangement but resignedly sits in the chair to ZERO’s right. The remaining 3 characters drift in with various levels of enthusiasm. PI has the highest, E is more subdued, I is even more tentative.
ZERO: OK, looks like a small subset today. I think I know just about everyone here. But let’s all introduce ourselves and say something about ourselves that most of us don’t already know.
ONE: I’m ONE. My confession? ONE is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do.
PI: Let the pity party begin! Just because you’re ONE does not mean you get to go first. You don’t have a singular problem anyway.
ONE: (Muttering) Oh, go to infinity.
ZERO: We ALL have issues we’re dealing with or we wouldn’t be here, PI. Don’t be a divider.
PI: And why are you always in charge, ZERO?
ZERO: I’ve been told I’m unbiased and…
ONE: What he means is that he has no absolute value and adds nothing to the conversation.
ZERO: Hey, I’m also right in the middle of the number line.
PI: Yeah, I notice the chairs are set up just how you like ’em.
ONE: We used to set ’em up MY way.
ZERO: And that didn’t work, remember? Too much back-biting. Please — let’s not get off on tangents – at least not to that degree. We have only 60 minutes at most before the kids are back from recess and we have to get back on the line.
PI: I know how it goes — kids need exercise — “Play 60”. But I don’t want a bunch of heavy-breathing, sweat-dripping kids near me on the line. (Muttering) Paste-eating, constant fighting, pants wetting, fart lighting…
E: Excuse me, PI, I think you’re being irrational here…
PI: And who are you?
E: I’m E.
White River School, 14th November 2022
White River School, 14th November 2022
What if numbers could feel? Does a number feel diminished when it is subtracted? Originally written for a math-tutoring business open house, this short script is perfect as a classroom or meeting diversion.
Enter Quantity Below
Play Details
The Cast:
ZERO: Males/Female, moderator of the group, used to being in
charge
ONE: Male/Female, a long-time friend of ZERO, who likes to correct
him/her
PI: Female, has been coming to the group a lot, sarcastic, easily
irritated
E: Male/Female, a bit discouraged & downhearted
I: Male/Female, individual of mystery, others aren’t sure how to take at first
Stage Requirements: 5 chairs arranged in a line (front-to-back).
Numbers Have Feelings
As the play begins, ZERO enters the room and moves the chairs to form a semi-circle facing the audience and then sits in the middle chair. ONE then enters the room showing obvious displeasure at the new seating arrangement but resignedly sits in the chair to ZERO’s right. The remaining 3 characters drift in with various levels of enthusiasm. PI has the highest, E is more subdued, I is even more tentative.
ZERO: OK, looks like a small subset today. I think I know just about everyone here. But let’s all introduce ourselves and say something about ourselves that most of us don’t already know.
ONE: I’m ONE. My confession? ONE is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do.
PI: Let the pity party begin! Just because you’re ONE does not mean you get to go first. You don’t have a singular problem anyway.
ONE: (Muttering) Oh, go to infinity.
ZERO: We ALL have issues we’re dealing with or we wouldn’t be here, PI. Don’t be a divider.
PI: And why are you always in charge, ZERO?
ZERO: I’ve been told I’m unbiased and…
ONE: What he means is that he has no absolute value and adds nothing to the conversation.
ZERO: Hey, I’m also right in the middle of the number line.
PI: Yeah, I notice the chairs are set up just how you like ’em.
ONE: We used to set ’em up MY way.
ZERO: And that didn’t work, remember? Too much back-biting. Please — let’s not get off on tangents – at least not to that degree. We have only 60 minutes at most before the kids are back from recess and we have to get back on the line.
PI: I know how it goes — kids need exercise — “Play 60”. But I don’t want a bunch of heavy-breathing, sweat-dripping kids near me on the line. (Muttering) Paste-eating, constant fighting, pants wetting, fart lighting…
E: Excuse me, PI, I think you’re being irrational here…
PI: And who are you?
E: I’m E.
White River School, 14th November 2022
White River School, 14th November 2022