Precious Toddler Sleepy Time Daycare

Act I

Precious Toddler Sleepy Time Daycare

By JaLeel M. Porcha

Characters
Louise, 2 years old,
Wednesday, 2 years old,
Charleston, 2 years old,
Mandy, 2 years old,
Ms. Lucile, Precious Toddler Sleepy time Daycare teacher

Act 1

The stage is black and the curtains are closed. There is a small oval rug center stage. LOUISE waddles out onto the carpet and a spotlight comes up. Behind the curtain is a diaper changing station, storage cubbies with diaper bags, multiple cribs; inside each are WEDNESDAY, CHARLESTON, and MANDY. There is a block station, sand station, music station, and paint station.

Louise. Welcome ladies and gentlemen, to a play.
My name is (Struggles). Louise.
But know that on this specific day,
that things may get (Crouches and whispers). Extreme.

As you can see, I'm clearly a baby,
I seem to be forgetting someone.
Oh we also have one very, very old lady.   
She is one of us when you give her a hot cross bun.

Today you will view funny and graphic stuff,
like stealing another baby's bottle,
because enough is never enough.
Which is terribly awful.

And the violence just seems to grow.
Now please enjoy the show. (Waddles offstage).

[Curtains open. The stage lights up as MS. LUCILE walks over to each crib lifting each individual baby out of his and her crib.]

Ms. Lucile. Okay guys. Go to any play area you want. Or the number mat. You have 15 minutes. I'm gonna be watching from this chair over here.

[MS. LUCILE walks away to a distant chair in the corner of the stage and pulls out a magazine. There is a pause and MS. LUCILE falls asleep in her chair. LOUISE crawls center stage. The other babies are having their own inaudible conversation.]

Louise (Stands upright). C'mon guys what should we do today? Ms. Lucile fell asleep so it's whatever.
Wednesday (Follows behind). I don't know Catherine Obvious. Y--
Louise. Whose Catherine? (Turns around). My name is (Struggles).  Louise not Catherine.
Wednesday. My brother told me it's a name you call someone. Something about obvious stuff. I wanna go to the blocks. (Starts to waddle away).
Charleston (Crawls center stage). Wednes', you know what Ms. Lucile says (Didactically). We're not supposed to play with the blocks when she's taking her nap. (Walks overs and pinches WEDNESDAY). It causes boo-boos.
Wednesday (towards CHARLES). She thinks everything causes boo-boos. I still want to play with the blocks though.

[MANDY crawls center stage and WEDNESDAY crawls to the block station.]

Mandy. There is no stopping her, is there?
Louise. I know what would. A child leash. (Braggingly). My mom just bought my brother a child leash.
Charleston (Envious). I want one!
Louise. All you need is to run away multiple times. That's all my brother did. It works like a charm. He can't even get five feet away from her.

[The lights dim out and there is a spotlight on WEDNESDAY. She is struggling to get a hold of the blocks until she finally collapses covered in them, beginning to cry. MS. LUCILE wakes up startled and confused.]

Ms. Lucile. Oh my god! What happened? (Gasp). Wednesday you precious toddler. (Crouches). Are you ok? Give me your hand. (Reaches out for WEDNESDAY).

[Lights fade out.]