The Affair

Setting the Scene

Gustave Bonnay was a well-known French Director who often wrote plays on mundane life. What made them engaging, though, were the characters. They were vibrant, expressive, and authentic. How they dealt with their struggles on stage felt so real that they made you feel like you had walked in on a stranger mid-confrontation. He never personally chose actors; even amateurs could shine brightly on his stage. He was that good. This theatre season, he aims to focus on just three characters. 

"This story will be about an affair; the three of you will do your best to bring out incredible emotions from subtle to exaggerated. I chose two male actors and one female actor because I wanted to focus on why a woman cheats and how she judges her actions- Who she decides to be with at the end will be yours to decide. I want it to be an emotional choice, not a scripted one."

As Gustave explained, three actors listened intently. The youngest was the woman, shorter than the other two. Her eyes were wide and focused as if she were taking notes in her head. She looked to be around her late twenties, dressed in business casual. The next in age would be the man to play her husband; he was in his late thirties, but his hair was already graying. Still, he had a youthful-looking face, so you wouldn't be able to guess that he was his age. He listened with his arms crossed, slightly reclined, and his right hand holding his chin, dressed quite casually. The oldest was in his late forties; he skimmed through the script as he listened. He was the most dressed out of the three, wearing a button-up tucked into slacks, a loosened tie around his neck, and his hair slicked back with gel. 

"I advise not pouring too much of yourselves into these characters. Otherwise, you'll find yourself facing your demons out on that stage in front of hundreds of people. I'm not sure you understand how damaging that can be for a person." 

Gustave ended the meeting with that. 

The Characters: 

Kara Cole - Wife of Oliver Cole, has an affair with Damon Fox

Oliver Cole - Husband of Kara Cole, wants to work things out despite Kara's affair.

Damon Fox - The man Kara Cole had an affair with and wants to work things out with her despite her marriage. 

The first scene is set at a cafe where Kara and Damon sit across from each other as they eat. Damon's posture is relaxed and slightly hunched over while he eats. His focus is on Kara as she quietly eats her meal. Her posture is more awkward as she struggles to sit upright and fidgets. They exchange glances here and there; Damon patiently but eagerly waits for Kara's voice, yet Kara doesn't want to be the first to speak. They sat in silence for a minute more until Damon decided to break it. 

Damon: " Are we going to talk about it?"

Kara: " Do we have to?"

They look at each other, hoping for unspoken words. Damon gives a subtle smile, trying to show his care for her and to ease her anxious demeanor, but Kara stares quietly back at him, unchanging. His smile drops, and he nervously looks at the window beside them. Kara continues to eat, looking down until she rests her fork down and looks back up at Damon. 

Kara: "I'm sorry..." 

Damon: "Don't apologize; I know this is hard... Are you going to tell him?"

Damon looks back at Kara, who now has a sad expression. Her glances go from his eyes to her phone and then back to him. She brings her hand to her mouth, resting her index finger on her lip, and looks down again. 

Kara: " I don't know how... It's going to kill him. I didn't want to think about it; every time I do, I feel sick, and my body becomes heavy."

Kara begins showing her discomfort in her body language as she moves her hand to her abdomen. 

Damon: " What do you feel when you think about me? Surely, I must bring some relief despite everything." 

The waitress passes by and asks if they are done with their plates. They both nod, and she picks them off the table. Before leaving, she tells them she'll bring the check. Silence returns, and they once again stare at each other quietly. 

"Cut!" Gustave says. "We'll take 5." He sets a clipboard on the table before him, and the actors walk away from their markers. They sit on the floor, and the actor playing Oliver joins them, handing them a water bottle. He sits beside them. They quietly while they rest before Damon's actor turns to Kara's actor and asks: 

"Are we going to talk about it?"

"Do we have to?" She replied and took another sip of water. They paused for a moment. 

"I'm sorry..." She said to him as she set her water down. 

"Don't Apologize; I know this is hard... Are you going to tell him?" He asked. 

She looked at Oliver's actor and then back at Damon's. 

"I don't know, should I?" She teasingly asked. 

Damon's actor laughed and then looked back at the script. 

"Do you think I did okay?" She asked Olicer's actor. 

"I think you were wonderful." He replied, smiling at her gently. 

"I think this will be where you break my heart in the next scene after you finish." He teased her, pointing at a part in the script. 

"A shame I have to break your heart so soon; we hardly know each other... Think it'll hurt?" 

"If I play it right, then yes, it will hurt. It will hurt a lot." 

"Will you hurt me as much as I hurt you?"

"I can. Do you want me to?"

Damon's actor looked up from his script. Kara's actor stared at Oliver's for a moment. 

"I think it's only fair. Don't you think?"

"Wanting to hurt someone because you are hurt is not right. However, I suppose it would be important to express that on stage. The audience shouldn't feel that either deserves the hurt, though. Our goal isn't to create sides but to show that all three characters lose something. At least from what I can make of the script." Damon's actor interjected. 

"We all lose something, huh?" Oliver's actor replied. 

"Have you ever been cheated on before?" Kara's actor asked. 

"No, have you ever cheated?" 

"No, but I have been cheated on." 

"You don't want to bring that to your character. You don't know why Kara cheated, and you won't get a direct answer from her either. It would be best if you didn't judge and willingly accept the punishment she receives. That's not fair to either of you." Damon's actor said. 

"You're right. I'm sorry..." 

"Don't apologize. Shall we go again? I know it's hard. Are you going to tell him?"

"I don't know how." 

End Scene.