Empty Boxes

Empty Boxes will be in production in May 2013 in Toronto, ON.  For more information, click here.

SUMMARY:
When moving: what are the things that you take with you and what do you leave behind?  Empty Boxes looks at Kevin and Sarah; a couple that has decided to part ways after a long relationship because Sarah's career is taking her to New York and Kevin's remains in Toronto.  We find the couple in the midst of packing up the apartment and dividing the pieces of their past life together.  Throughout the play, Kevin and Sarah's memories take the audience through their first meeting, moving in and the struggles two young professionals face while trying to balance their relationship and careers.  Empty Boxes is a look at two people just trying to figure things out with some sarcasm and laughs along the way.

SELECTED SCENES:

SCENE 10

Kevin – I remember…

Sarah – What?

Kevin – I remember us, then.

Past Sarah – I remember how right it felt, how perfect it was.

Past Kevin – We fit together, I was never awkward or nervous.

Past Sarah – It happened so quickly that I completely forgot about a time that you weren’t part of my life.  It was so natural.

Past Kevin – I remember there were no questions.

Past Sarah – No hesitations.

Past Kevin – No frustrations.

Sarah – I remember too.

Kevin – What?

Sarah – Us, then.

Past Kevin – When?

Past Sarah – When it was all new.

Past Kevin – I remember too.

SCENE 10a

Past Kevin and Baker are walking to their seats at a baseball game.

Baker – Wow, we haven’t been to a game in ages.

Past Kevin – You’re always so busy, man!  You need to slow down.

Baker – Yeah, but work is tough right now and I’m still doing all my training to be a firefighter.

Past Kevin – I still can’t believe you’re going ahead with it.

Baker – Why?

Past Kevin – You’ve got a sweet job and make tons of money. 

Baker – Yeah, but it sucks.  I’m miserable.

Past Kevin – Yeah, but you can still do stuff in the evenings and you get weekends off. ..  That’s why I’m staying where I am.

Baker – I know but I spend the majority of my life wanting to poke my eyes out.  Not worth it, dude!

Past Kevin – Alright, when I’m retired at 50 and you still have 20 years of work ahead of you; we’ll see who made the right choice.

Baker – You’re on!

Past Kevin – Oh yeah, Sarah’s friend keeps asking about you.

Baker – Who’s that?

Past Kevin – Adrienne; she works with Sarah at Sharky’s.

Baker – I’ve seen her around.  She’s cute.

Past Kevin – Sarah has been nagging me to bring you out.  I think she wants to set you guys up.

Baker – Ugh, I hate set ups.

Past Kevin – I know. Just a warning: if you do ever come to a party, be prepared for an attack.

Baker – Thanks!  You’ve always got my back. (they laugh) How are things with Sarah?

Past Kevin – Fine.  She’s pretty awesome.

Baker – A little quirky.

Past Kevin – Yeah, but that’s what makes it fun.

Baker – Really?

Past Kevin – Yeah, she’s not like anyone I’ve ever met before.  I just feel happy around her.

Baker – Hmm, maybe I should check out her friend.

Past Kevin – Adrienne: she’s pretty cool too.

Baker – Fine, let me know when the next party is.  Hey, if you ever do leave your job, you can always have a very fulfilling career as matchmaker.

Past Kevin – Very funny.  Are we going to keep talking like girls or are we going to watch the game? 

Baker – Oh, looks like it’s someone’s time of the month.

SCENE 24

Sarah – Boxes are really weird aren't they?!  It’s funny, they are just folded pieces of cardboard but they symbolize so much.  They are like a filter for life.  I mean, how do you decide what gets to go into the box?  When you’re moving, you take everything of value and put it inside, but sometimes, stuff that you don’t want makes it in the box, or you put stuff in and when you unpack it you wonder why you ever held onto it in the first place, and sometimes things you had wanted to keep don’t make it into the box and suddenly you’re sorry you weren't more careful or wonder what happened.  Then after you move and everything is put away, it’s still all the same stuff as before, some things are even in the exact same place, but everything has changed somehow, nothing feels like it did before it went in the box.  After time, you get used the new way things feel and soon you don’t remember the way they were.  I think people are a lot like empty boxes, just waiting to be filled with the experiences of life.  Some they want to keep forever, some they throw away, some they hold onto for longer than they should and some they don’t hold onto long enough.  Everyone is just empty inside waiting to be filled.

Kevin – Don’t you think that’s a bit pessimistic?

Sarah – Not really, maybe I’m just becoming a realist.

Kevin – I don’t think that’s possible.

Sarah – We’ll see, you never know what I’ll pack in my box.

Kevin – Well, I hope you don’t forget anything.

Sarah – I won’t.

SCENE 32

Past Kevin – It’s amazing how the decline in a relationship always takes you by surprise.  It’s like someone has switched your coffee at work.  You’re going along until one day you realize that you aren’t drinking regular coffee anymore, you are suddenly on decaf and you can’t even remember how long this has been going on.  The kick is suddenly missing, what used to get you going now just leaves a bad flavour in your mouth.  Now, I’m not saying that you still don’t love the experience of getting up and enjoying the aroma filling your nostrils and the feeling you get as you take each sip, but once it’s all done, that’s it, there is nothing left that carries you through your day.  After a while, relationships get kind of like that.  After so much decaf, you just long for a regular cup of coffee.