The Stones

Characters

The Boys

SHY BOY, age thirteen
YAHOO, age fifteen

The Detectives

RUSSO
QUINN

The Stones is a dramatized true story written as a play for two actors. Each actor plays two roles, moving from teenager character to detective character by the simple use of a zipper on a tracksuit—zipped up for the teenager, zipped down to reveal a white collar and tie for the detective. The actors mime objects throughout the performance, with full use of verbal sound effects. The actors can also play the music live.

Prologue

SHY BOY stands on the freeway overpass looking down at the passing traffic. The wind howls quietly, and he shivers from the cold. The wind picks up, and SHY BOY struggles against the blowing gale until he gives up and leaves the overpass.

YAHOO is making wind sounds with his guitar. SHY BOY joins him, picks up his guitar, and starts playing a riff, as if the scene has shifted to YAHOO's lounge room. YAHOO stops the wind sound and picks up the riff as if it is a game. They play an instrumental piece on their guitars, trying all the while to outdo each other with their guitar skills.

When the instrumental finishes they invite applause from the audience, put the guitars down, and come forward to start the story.

Scene 1: Break and Enter

YAHOO and SHY BOY are running as fast as they can. They jump a few fences and eventually reach the side of a large warehouse.

SHY BOY (pointing toward a side door) It's over there . . . cool.

They move over to the door. YAHOO tries opening the door, but it is locked. He tries shaking it open, but the door makes too much noise, so he stops.

SHY BOY It was open before.

YAHOO Well, it's locked now.

SHY BOY You probably locked it.

YAHOO Oh, shut ya face.

SHY BOY Give us a go.

YAHOO Don't touch it.

SHY BOY Why not?

YAHOO You'll set off some sort of stupid alarm or something.

SHY BOY I will not.

YAHOO Yes, you will.

They both laugh nervously.

Hey, look, you stay here, see if the security guy comes, and I'll go around the other side and see if we can get in there. Don't touch the door.

YAHOO moves around to the other side of the warehouse while SHY BOYstands at the locked door. SHY BOY, very impatient, decides he'll try kicking the door open. YAHOOhears the banging sound from the other side of the warehouse and creeps back over to SHY BOY and stops him from kicking the door.

YAHOO Shut up, you dickhead. Why don't you go and call the cops yourself?

SHY BOY Sorry.

YAHOO I said don't touch the door.

SHY BOY I said sorry.

YAHOO And I said don't touch the door.

They laugh nervously again.

Come on, let's go around the other side.

SHY BOY (noticing a window) Hey!

YAHOO What?

SHY BOY Check this out.

YAHOO (very interested) Oh. Hey, get up there.

YAHOO gives SHY BOY a lift up to see through the window. SHY BOY looks a little while, then jumps back down.

SHY BOY (loudly) There's a BMW!

YAHOO (covering SHY BOY's mouth) Keep ya voice down, OK?

SHY BOY (recovering quickly) There's a BMW in there and it's got one of them badge things on it.

YAHOO Great. Did ya open the window?

SHY BOY Na.

YAHOO Well, get up there and open the window, dickhead. Hurry up.

YAHOO lifts SHY BOYup again, and he tries opening the window.

SHY BOY Stand still.

YAHOO Shut ya face.

SHY BOY tries again, then jumps back down. YAHOO thinks he's succeeded.

Excellent!

SHY BOY It's locked.

YAHOO Well, let's go around...