Two Short Plays by Ciarán Myers.
Ancestor:
The clown isn't asking too much of you. Only to stabilize his heartbeat. After all, you're capable of so much more, aren't you? After all, your ancestors crossed continents, your ancestors invented music, your ancestors ended wars. Isn't that right? Hey, are you okay? - Ancestor is a post-dramatic poetic direct-address short that builds on the anxiety of not knowing who we are to finding hope in knowing who we are.
Hum-Buzz:
There is a housefly living in your bathroom and she is terribly in love with you. - Hum-Buzz is a breakneck act of desperation that cuts through human loneliness and asks the animal question, what if we procreate? Wait a second, why DO we procreate?.
Keywords: love, sex, loneliness, absurd, direct-address, monologue, short, poetic, history, ancestor, clown, dark, insect, nature,
Hum-Buzz was produced by Informal Upright Theatre Collective, Kitchener ON, February 2020
Ancestor was performed by the author at the Pinch Cabaret in Waterloo Region, October 2022
Number of performers per play: 1
Female roles per play: 1
Run time: 50 minutes (each play is approx. 20 minutes)
Genre: Absurd, comedy, drama, solo
Suitable for students aged 16+
Content note: Both plays have mature themes. Ancestor, in particular, asks for vulnerability from the audience is not suitable for people under the age of 16.