I Lost My Heart Searching for the Gooseman Preview

I Lost My Heart Searching for the Gooseman by Brian Dang

Excerpt from a play in one act.

CHARACTERS

Jake—16, male. Asian. Hopeless romantic.

Lynn—16, female. Asian. She’s on the debate team and thinks she has logic in the bag.

Waitress—25, female. Any race. She’s just trying to make it through a day in the city.

PLAYWRIGHT’S NOTE It can sometimes be alienating to be an Asian American in love. I’ve struggled with the concept and I’ve wrestled with its importance in my life. I’m never fully sure if I am ready to love anyone. However, throughout my tumultuous existential crises, I always have a friend waiting to support me.

FORMATING NOTES A hyphen ( - ) denotes an abrupt stop, and interruption of the next line. An ellipses (…) denotes a trailing off of thoughts and speech. A slash (/) denotes where the next line should start and interrupt. The original line should be finished.

SUMMARY OF PLAY Jake and Lynn, best friends, enter a diner right before closing to the closing waitress’s chagrin. Jake and Lynn start talking about love and their crushes, and secret desires come to the surface and threaten to break their friendship.

JAKE: I DON’T LOVE RYAN FOR SUPERFICIAL REASONS.

LYNN: Ryan is twenty years older than you and you haven’t even met him.

JAKE: Yes. I know that. And he’s straight. And he’s with Eva Mendes… But that doesn’t mean I can’t fall in love with him. I feel like I really know him. I’ve listened to him tell stories. I’ve heard that one about his Turkish massage like four times. I don’t know! I look at him and for some reason I feel happier.

LYNN: Explain.

JAKE: Oh, so now I have to explain my emotions to you. That’s typical.

LYNN: HE’S AN ACTOR. YOU DON’T KNOW HIM.

JAKE: I’ve watched every single movie of his and I’ve watched hundreds of his interviews. I KNOW ENOUGH TO LOVE HIM.

LYNN: He will never meet you. And there is no chance that he will fall in love with you. And there’s no chance that I will condone a relationship between a 40-year-old and a 16-year-old.

JAKE: … You don’t… know that. I mean, YOU’VE loved a celebrity. You had a K-POP phase.

LYNN: Completely irrelevant! It’s not even close to what love is. But this is some messed up fantasy of yours.

** Read the rest of the play by purchasing the Pilot Issue of New Theatre Magazine on issuu.com **