The April People’s Choice Award goes to…

The people have spoken… The April People’s Choice Award goes to Tanuja Devi Jagernauth for her short play, Oral History, presented as a staged reading live at Theater Wit and Simulcast on April 1st. Congratulations, Tanuja!

Courtesy of Tanuja, we’re pleased to share the first few pages from the award-winning script. Enjoy!

Oral History
by Tanuja Devi Jagernauth

Characters:
MOM: Phoolan’s Mom.
PHOOLAN: A child of immigrants and self-styled oral historian

Setting: Mom’s kitchen in Phoolan’s childhood home.

An active, yet immaculate kitchen. MOM hums lightly to herself as she washes dishes. Pots bubble and steam on the stove as bowls filled with vegetables adorn the counter tops. It smells heavenly, and she is just getting started. PHOOLAN enters with a tape recorder and a notebook. MOM spots PHOOLAN and the items they are carrying and suddenly needs to pivot and head in the opposite direction.

PHOOLAN
Hey Mom.

MO
MOh! HEY, Phoolan. What are you – what’s up?

PHOOLAN
Oh, nothing much…it smells amazing in here.

MOM
Oh, just making a little dinner before your brother and the kids come. Thank you for helping me clean. When you’re not here, I have to prep the house all alone. It’s nice to have some help.

PHOOLAN
It’s the least I could do before I have to head home.

MOM
Your brother still taking you to the airport in the morning?

PHOOLAN
No, I’ll just Lyft over.

MOM
Why? He offered! You know how rare that is.

PHOOLAN
I know – I feel like he’s just being nice after the argument we had.

MOM
Having regrets for speaking your mind now?

PHOOLAN
No – just feeling like I maybe want to quit while I’m ahead – for now – but if he offers again at dinner, I’ll accept.

MOM
That sounds like a good idea.

PHOOLAN
Yeah, and speaking of good ideas, I was wondering if—

MOM
Can you stir the curry? I don’t want it to stick in the pot.

PHOOLAN
Oh! Er – sure.

PHOOLAN puts down the tape recorder and notebook and does as they are asked. The kitchen is silent as PHOOLAN stirs and MOM putters in the corner. Finally, PHOOLAN breaks the silence.

PHOOLAN
It really does smell amazing.

MOM
Your grandmother’s recipes. All of them.

PHOOLAN
I wish she was here. I would love to be able to interview her. You know, for the oral history project.

Join us for Best of PlayGround(Chicago) ’24, live and in-person, on Monday, May 6 at 7pm CT at Theater Wit and simulcast! Click here for more info and tickets.