!

1
BARK
Scene 1: 10 Years

The living room of a small apartment. An old coffee

table is in the center, holding a few empty cups and a
bowl of half-eaten cereal. A broken reclining chair
sits haphazardly near one of the corners, across from
a larger couch that shows signs of age... and
children.
The floor is littered with various debris: toy trucks,
blocks, a NERF gun, another bowl of some lunch item
that has been forgotten. The walls are bare and mostly
dusty.
BEN comes storming on from stage right, followed by
two of his friends, BILLY and CHIP. They are playing a
game of tag that involves a lot of screaming and
running. They laugh and cajole each other for a few
moments, until a loud voice from offstage prompts them
to stop:

!
DENISE:
BOYS!
!
The boys all freeze momentarily, and then duck behind
the couches to hide. BILLY tries to crawl underneath
the coffee table, but his belly gets him stuck halfway
through. He lays there uncomfortable but resigned.
DENISE comes on from stage left, stumbling, and
holding her cell phone to her ear. She slurs some of
her words.
DENISE:
Theyve been running around all day and this is the
first time theyve come inside... Ben! Where are you?
Your dads on his way to pick you up and you need to
clean up this room before he gets here.
She spots BILLYS legs sticking out of the end of the
coffee table. She hangs up the phone and walks over to
help pull him out.
DENISE:
Come on, Billy...

!
BILLY:
Sorry... I always forget that I dont fit. It looks a
lot bigger than I am.
BILLY pats his belly. DENISE looks behind the couches,
but the boys have already left their hiding spots.
They look at her silently and she glares at each of
them in turn before speaking.
DENISE:
Five minutes, Ben. Pick up all of these toys.
BEN:
But... but Im not done playing with them! Dont make
me put em away yet, please!
DENISE:
(walking offstage)
Your father is almost here. Four minutes!
BEN hangs his head as she leaves.
CHIP:
Your mom doesnt look very happy.
BEN:
I know. I dont think she is.
CHIP: Why dont your mom and dad live together?
BEN shrugs and starts to kick at the toys on the
floor.
BILLY:
Your mom is so pretty, Ben. I wish my mom looked liked
her.
BEN:
Maybe we can trade moms for a week! Your mom lets you
eat whatever you want! And she never yells at you when
Im over!
BILLY:
(patting his belly again)
Yeah, but I think thats why I dont fit under your
table like I used to.

CHIP laughs lightly and throws a NERF dart at BILLY.

Their game isnt over.
CHIP:
Tag! Youre it!
The three boys whip around the room in a frenzy,
calling at each other and knocking the toys around.
There is a knock from stage right, and SCOTT walks
into the room. He looks around the apartment
cautiously, holding a box that has holes near the top.
He smiles at the scene, and when the boys notice him,
they gather around him and chatter.
BEN:
Dad, dad, dad! Whats in the box? How come youre here
so early? I thought I was supposed to stay with mom
until tomorrow!
SCOTT:
I thought we could spend the whole weekend together,
starting tonight! Why dont you come sit over here and
see the surprise I got for you?
SCOTT sits in the dirty reclining chair and places the
box gently on the table. The boys gather around and
stare intently at the box.
SCOTT:
Okay, bud, I was gonna wait until your birthday, but
when I saw this I just had to get it for you.
CHIP:
(whispering to BEN)
Maybe he got you a baby sister! I think my parents
brought mine home in a box like this one!
A soft, high-pitched bark comes from the box.
The boys freeze.
SCOTT opens the lid and lifts a small puppy from
inside.
The boys gasp and begin jumping up and down.

BILLY:
I wanna hold him!
CHIP:
No, let me do it!
BEN:
Hes my dog, I want to hold him!
They clamor around the dog, petting it and letting it
lick their hands with its tiny tongue. BEN finally
takes the dog from SCOTTS hands and cradles it
tenderly in his arms. It licks at his arms and BEN
beams at the other boys.
BEN:
Can I name him, dad?
SCOTT:
Hes your dog! What did you have in mind?
BEN stares intently at the puppy in his arms for a
moment.
BEN:
Im gonna name him Bark!
DENISE enters the room abruptly and hovers on the
edge. She is more unsteady on her feet than she was
before. She looks over at SCOTT with a scowl that she
tries to hide unsuccessfully.
DENISE:
What is that? It smells.
SCOTT:
Denise... hi. Its a dog, an early birthday present
for Ben-DENISE:
Get it out of here.
BEN:
But mom, look at him-BEN tries to move closer to DENISE but she grows
increasingly upset.

DENISE:
I said get it out of here. Now.
BEN is visibly hurt, but he retreats and holds the
puppy tighter to him as if to shield it from his moms
glare.
SCOTT:
Okay, boys, why dont we take the puppy out to the
park? Huh?
BILLY and CHIP hurry excitedly for the door, seemingly
unfazed by the tense exchange that just took place.
BEN follows closely behind them, not looking back at
his parents.
DENISE and SCOTT stand facing each other. DENISE turns
away from him and as she turns to leave:
DENISE:
Get out.
Blackout.

6
Scene 2: 30 Years
Low lights up on a mid-range loft. The light appears
to come from a floor lamp that has been left on. A
futon couch/bed is in the center of the room, covered
with mismatched pillows and a thin blanket.
Rows of shelves are lined with books and paperweights.
The decoration is minimalist, with just a few posters
scattered on the walls.
BARK lays on the floor of the apartment, sleeping
quietly. He is considerably older than he was in the
first scene. He leads a simple life. There is the
sound of keys, a door opening, and two figures stumble
into the room, kissing and fondling. BARK wakes up and
opens his eyes slowly to watch their traipse across
the room to the futon.
The lights come up a little more.

DANA:
Ouch.
BEN:
Oh, shit. What did I do?
DANA:
You just... you pulled my hair a little, thats all.
BEN:
Oh. Okay. Sorry.
DANA:
No, no, its fine. Sometimes I like my hair pulled.
BEN laughs and kisses DANA. He jumps up from the
futon.
BEN:
Do you want anything? Like water, or...
DANA:
(smiling)
No, Im fine. Thank you.
BEN:
Okay. Ill be right back. Dont move.

He kisses her again and heads offstage to the

bathroom.
DANA rearranges herself on the couch, patting down her
dress and her hair. She looks around the dark
apartment and tries to read some of the posters on the
wall.
BARK has slowly moved closer to the futon and lets out
a very deep, old bark. DANA screams.
BEN:
(running into the room)
What? Whats wrong?
DANA:
Omigod, I dont... what is that?!
BEN turns on another light and smiles at BARK.
BEN:
Oh! This... Im sorry this is-- my pup! His name is
Bark! Hes old, he wont hurt you!
BEN rubs BARK behind the ears tenderly. BARK growls
with satisfaction. BEN sits on the couch next to DANA.
DANA:
Im sorry I screamed-BEN:
Its fine. He only barks to say hello anymore. Theres
no more bite left in him. And I mean that literally.
He lost all his teeth a couple of years ago.
DANA:
How old is he?
BEN:
Oh, gosh. Ive had him for like twenty years or
something!
DANA:
Are dogs supposed to live that long?

BEN:
I dont know. I dont think so. But Bark just keeps
going. Huh, pup?
BARK barks. BEN and DANA laugh.
BEN:
My dad got him for me around my tenth birthday.
Definitely the best gift Ive ever received, but Im
pretty sure he did it mostly to piss off my mom. They
had just gotten a divorce, and my mom was living in
this shitty apartment, and I think he just wanted to
rub it in her face. He knew it would make me happy.
And my mom... I dont think she wanted to see me
unhappy, but buying me a dog was like a slap in the
face. He was always kind of like that. But my dad
ended up in bankruptcy, my mom was an alcoholic, and I
got Bark here, and hes been everywhere with me since.
DANA:
(kissing him gently)
Wow. Thats... Im sorry. I didnt know your parents
were divorced.
BEN:
(smiling wryly)
Well Chip does most of the talking when were out, so
I didnt exactly get the chance to slip you the old I
come from a broken home card before I brought you
here. Did it still work the same, though? Am I
suddenly... irresistible?
DANA laughs and stands up. She wanders around the room
and peers at the shelves, looks through some papers.
She is being nosy, but BEN thinks its cute so he
doesnt stop her. He leans back on the futon and lets
his hand hang off the edge to run along the back of
BARKS head.
DANA:
This is a nice apartment. Im surprised that you can
afford to live on this side of town. And Chip doesnt
seem like the kind of guy that would dig a place like
this.
BEN:
Chip and I have been friends a long time. I indulge
drunken karaoke and stripper bars, and he... tries not

9
to call me out me for selling my soul to corporate
America.
DANA takes a picture from a pile on a counter and
brings it over to the futon. She sits next to BEN with
her legs underneath her and rests her head on his
shoulder. BEN takes the photo.

DANA:
(pointing)
Thats Chip... And thats you... but I dont recognize
the chubby guy on the right.
BEN:
Oh. Thats Billy. All three of us were pretty good
friends all through high school. This was taken right
before he went to the military academy. God, that was
like fifteen years ago. I havent seen or heard from
him since. Huh. If you look there, in the corner, you
can even see Bark. I think wed just finished giving
him a bath.
BEN stares at the picture sadly. DANA watches him.
BARK lets out another bark and jumps BEN out of his
reverie.
BEN:
(clearing his throat)
Anyway. Like I said, Im from a broken home. Do you
wanna help fix me?
He smiles
out. BARK
drops the
lays DANA

mischievously at DANA, and they start making

lies on the floor and watches them. BEN
photo to the floor in front of BARK as he
on her back.

BARK heaves a sigh and puts lays his head on top of

the photo.
!

Lights fade to blackout.

10
Scene 3: 80 Years
A room in a retirement home. The wallpaper is a gaudy
floral pattern, and the linen on the sturdy bed with
metal guardrails is a blinding white. A TV is on in
the corner of the room playing a reality show of some
sort.
An older BEN, looking much like
previous scene, is sitting in a
flipping through articles on an
glances up at the television. A
and BARK hangs above the bed.

BARK did in the

chair next to his bed,
iPad. He occasionally
framed picture of BEN

A nurse, ROBERT, enters from stage right. He pushes a

cart into the room. BEN smiles at him.
BEN:
Is it time already?
ROBERT:
I know, I know, it feels like I was in here only an
hour ago. But this is the kind of treatment you pay
for!
ROBERT prepares a needle and syringe. BEN puts down
his tablet and rolls up his sleeves, turning his
attention to the television. ROBERT searches for a
vein in BENS arm, inserts the needle, and when hes
finished, waits a moment to put pressure on the
puncture spot. BEN hardly moves at all.
ROBERT:
How much of this show have you seen?
BEN:
Enough to know that I havent missed out on anything.
ROBERT:
Then why keep watching? Im sure there are hundreds of
other programs to watch.
BEN:
This one has the prettiest girls.
BEN winks slyly at ROBERT, who laughs, rolls his eyes
and hands BEN a cup of water and a few pill capsules.

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ROBERT:
All right, take these and Ill be out of your hair.
BEN:
Of what I have left...
BEN swallows the pills without the water. He sets the
cup next to his chair.
BEN:
Robert. Sit down with me a minute and talk with an old
man. Just for a minute.
ROBERT sits at the edge of the bed.
BEN:
Did you always want to be a nurse?
ROBERT:
No... not always. I was pretty good at baseball in
high school. I always thought Id play in college and
then professionally. But my mom got sick my senior
year. She was alcoholic. So I spent a lot of time
taking care of her.
BEN:
And is she still alive?
ROBERT:
She fought for a couple years. But I think she was
ready to go when she did. At that time Id spent so
much time at the clinic and talking with doctors about
her health that I felt like I knew her liver better
than I knew my mom.
BEN smiles at ROBERT: a big, wide, happy grin.
BEN:
Youre a good boy, Robert.
ROBERTS pager goes off and he preps the cart to
leave.
ROBERT:
Thanks, Ben.
As he leaves the room, ROBERT turns back.

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ROBERT:
Oh, Ben. The friend youve been talking about, the one
who said shed visit? She called today and had to
reschedule. Just thought I should let you know. See
you soon, Ben.
BEN resumes watching his television for a few moments.
A very small smile lingers on his lips. He looks up at
the photo of BARK. The lights on stage grow brighter.
The sound of a dogs bark is faintly heard. BEN does
not react to this until it starts to get louder and
closer to him. He looks out at the audience as if
seeing something in the distance. We hear one final,
triumphant bark that rings clear through the room, and
then:
BEN:
I hear ya, boy! Im comin. Be there soon, pup.
BENS smile fades from his face and his head falls
forward very gently.
Lights fade to black.
END