The Magic Machine Play

A one act play for 5 students to perform in class.

Cast
The gender of the characters is interchangeable
 * 1) Entrepreneur
 * 2) Engineer
 * 3) Scientist, Professor Lau
 * 4) Accountant
 * 5) Workshop Supervisor

Scene
An office


 * Props:
 * Desks, chairs, some sheets of paper as drawings of a machine


 * Sound effects:
 * Supplied off stage as appropriate


 * Conventions:
 * Full caps text is SHOUTED; italicized text is spoken with emphasis

The Entrepreneur, the Engineer and the Accountant are standing around the desk looking at the plan laid out on the desktop.

ENTREPRENEUR: I’ve been working on this idea for weeks and finally come up with these plans.

ENGINEER: This looks great. Do you really think it will work?

ENTREPRENEUR: I’m sure it will. There’s still a couple of little problems we’ll need to iron out.

ACCOUNTANT: That shouldn’t be too hard. Just get the right people to find the solution.

ENGINEER: I’ll need a bit of time to study the concept but, I think we can handle it.

ACCOUNTANT: This is going to be a real money spinner when we get it to market.

ENGINEER: Oh; I can see that. This will be a marvellous machine. It should work like magic.

ENTREPRENEUR: (Rolling up a plan and giving it to the Engineer) Here you are. Take this and have a close look at the idea then let me know what we need to get into production.

ENGINEER: Not a problem. I’ll get back to you shortly. (The Engineer goes off stage)

ENTREPRENEUR: I sent a copy of my plans to the University for their scientists to have a look.

ACCOUNTANT: When do you expect to hear from them?

ENTREPRENEUR: They were sending one of their people over today.

(There is a knock on a door off stage)

ENTREPRENEUR: That must be our scientist now.

ACCOUNTANT: I’ll go and see. (The Accountant goes off stage and comes back with the Scientist.)

ACCOUNTANT: (Introducing the Scientist to the Entrepreneur as they shake hands) This is Professor Lau from the University.

SCIENTIST: Nice to meet you. So, you are the inventor of this new machine?

ENTREPRENEUR: That’s right Professor. What do you think of the idea?

SCIENTIST: The idea is good except; it won’t work.

ACCOUNTANT: What do you mean; it won’t work. Of course it will work. It’s a marvellous invention.

SCIENTIST: It might be on paper but, have you actually built it?

ENTREPRENEUR: Not yet. Our Engineer is looking at it now to work out how we can get into production.

SCIENTIST: Well; according to Newton’s first law of motion; for every action there’s an equal and opposite reaction.

ENTREPRENEUR: What’s that got to do with my machine?

SCIENTIST: It just means it won’t work.

ENTREPRENEUR: That’s impossible. I’ve spent weeks working out the design and drawing all the detail plans.

SCIENTIST: And a nice lot of drawings they are, but that doesn’t mean the machine will work.

ACCOUNTANT: Is that the best you can come up with? That’s not very positive.

SCIENTIST: Sorry, but facts are facts.

ACCOUNTANT: I’m not sure we can accept that. I think we’ll have to get a second opinion.

ENTREPRENEUR: Yes; good thinking. We’re not interested in all that sort of negative stuff. We want positive facts; not negative ones.

SCIENTIST: The only positive fact I can give you is; it won’t work.

ACCOUNTANT: You mean to say you are going to charge us to tell us the idea is no good.

SCIENTIST: My word. This advice will save you a lot of money in research and production.

ENTREPRENEUR: No, that’s not what we want to hear. We’ll get another opinion.

ACCOUNTANT: You can send us your account but don’t expect an early payment.

SCIENTIST: That’s not very businesslike. Another opinion is going to give you the same answer and you’ll just waste more money.

ENTREPRENEUR: That’s our problem. Thank you for what you’ve done. Our Accountant will show you to the door.

(The Scientist shakes hands with the Entrepreneur and walks offstage with the Accountant. The Accountant then comes back to the Entrepreneur.)

ACCOUNTANT: Well, that was a bit of a waste of time.

ENTREPRENEUR: It was. but I guess you can’t expect much else from those scientific types. They get too wound up in facts and don’t have enough vision.

ACCOUNTANT: It’s a bit the same in my profession. Some accountants are too tied up with figures and can’t see the creative side of Accounting.

ENTREPRENEUR: Oh, I agree. One always needs to be creative and, especially so, with accounting.

ACCOUNTANT: I’ll go and get the Engineer and we can see what he thinks.

ENTREPRENEUR: Yes; do that. I’ll have a look at the plans again.

(The Accountant goes off stage and the Entrepreneur goes to the desk and studies the plans. There’s a knock on the door.)

ENTREPRENEUR: Come in.

(The Accountant comes in with the Engineer and the Supervisor)

ENTREPRENEUR: (Addressing the Engineer) Well, have you had a chance to study the drawings?

ENGINEER: Yes, and I have gone over them with the Workshop Supervisor.

ENTREPRENEUR: And, what do you think?

ENGINEER: As you pointed out before, there are a couple of small problems that need to be sorted out.

ACCOUNTANT: Yes, we know that. But, what do you think about the machine?

ENGINEER: It’s a fine machine and they are really beautiful drawings.

ENTREPRENEUR: (Addressing the Workshop Supervisor) So, when can we get into production?

SUPERVISOR: Well, we’ll need to build a prototype first.

ACCOUNTANT: Why? You have the plans and you say they’re good plans. Why do we need a prototype?

SUPERVISOR: Well, there’s a couple of small problems that need sorting out.

ENTREPRENEUR: Yes, we know. That’s what we pay you for; to sort out the problems and find the solutions.

ENGINEER: Yeah, we know that. We just think we need to build a prototype first to make sure everything is operational.

ACCOUNTANT: The Scientist from the University said there was a problem with some guy named Newton.

ENGINEER: I think he may have been referring to Newton’s Law.

ACCOUNTANT: Why; is Newton a lawyer?

SUPERVISOR: No, he’s not a lawyer. He was a scientist.

ENTREPRENEUR: What do you mean – was? Is he dead?

SUPERVISOR: Yes. He died a couple of hundred years ago.

ACCOUNTANT: You mean he’s some old fogey who’s dead and gone?

ENGINEER: Well; yes. He’s dead and gone but, he was quite a brilliant man in his day.

ENTREPRENEUR: Well; there’s been a lot of water under the bridge since then so; brilliant or not; what’s he got to do with modern day inventions?

SUPERVISOR: He did a lot of experiments and came up with some basic laws.

ACCOUNTANT: So, he is a lawyer?

ENGINEER: No! What he worked on was Physics.

ENTREPRENEUR: We’re not into physics; we’re talking about a machine.

SUPERVISOR: Well, Physics includes the Laws of Motion.

ACCOUNTANT: But our machine is stationary.

ENGINEER: Yes; that’s true; the machine will be stationary but, it will have moving parts.

ENTREPRENEUR: So; what’s the problem?

SUPERVISOR: There seems to be a small problem with the way the various moving parts move!

ACCOUNTANT: That’s ridiculous! Moving parts move and that’s all there is to it.

ENGINEER: Not exactly.

ENTREPRENEUR: What do you mean – not exactly?

ENGINEER: Well, whenever something moves there’s an equal and opposite reaction.

ACCOUNTANT: That’s what the Professor said. What’s that got to do with our machine?

SUPERVISOR: Well; what we think is; the design won’t really work efficiently the way it is drawn.

ENGINEER: And that’s why we suggest building a prototype first; to sort out these little problems.

ENTREPRENEUR: So, you think you can improve on my design and make it better?

ENGINEER: No. That’s not exactly what we meant. You’ve got a wonderful design here and some really great drawings.

ENTREPRENEUR: But; there’s a few little problems with it?

SUPERVISOR: Yes – exactly. You’ve hit the nail on the head.

ENTREPRENEUR: Be careful I don’t hit you on the head.

ACCOUNTANT: So: what’s it going to take to solve these problems?

ENGINEER: Once we build a prototype, and do some research, we’ll be in a better position to see what needs to be done.

ACCOUNTANT: How much research are you talking about?

SUPERVISOR: That’s hard to say. It may take a while.

ACCOUNTANT: And cost a lot of money?

ENGINEER: Well, all new ideas cost money to prove them.

ENTREPRENEUR: But you’ve got the plans; why do you need research?

SUPERVISOR: It’s those little problems, you see?

ENTREPRENEUR: No, I don’t see. I’ve been working on this idea for weeks and drawn all these detail plans. What else do you need?

ENGINEER: Yeah; the drawings are great but, there’s this little problem with the design.

ENTREPRENEUR: What? Are you saying my design is no good?

SUPERVISOR: No, we’re not saying that. It’s a great design and a wonderful idea but; it needs a little adjustment.

ACCOUNTANT: Why?

SUPERVISOR: To make it wor……… I mean - to make it better.

ENTREPRENEUR: Were you going to say; to make it work?

ENGINEER: What we mean is; to make it work better.

ENTREPRENEUR: OK. What’s this small problem you keep talking about?

ENGINEER: It’s to do with Newton’s Law.

ACCOUNTANT: Not that old fogey again?

SUPERVISOR: I’m afraid so. What he discovered were, what are called, Universal Laws.

ACCOUNTANT: What is that? Like International Law?

ENGINEER: No. He discovered certain Laws of Physics that apply to everything.

ENTREPRENEUR: No Laws can apply to everything.

SUPERVISOR: What we mean is; everything that moves.

ACCOUNTANT: That sounds weird to me.

ENGINEER: Actually, Newton’s first Law is fairly simple.

ACCOUNTANT: How many Laws does he have?

SUPERVISOR: Oh, there were lots of different Laws he discovered.

ENTREPRENEUR: You mean he made them up? He found them somewhere and just wrote about them?

ENGINEER: No, he didn’t just make them up. He discovered them from experiments.

ACCOUNTANT: But you said he found these laws a couple of hundred years ago. They must be old fashioned by now?

ENGINEER: Universal Laws don’t go out of fashion; they’ve been here forever.

ENTREPRENEUR: Nothing last forever. Maybe, we’d better find some new Laws to make my machine work.

SUPERVISOR: It doesn’t work that way.

ENTREPRENEUR: Why not? If you say this old guy found a Law that stops my machine from working; why can’t we find a new Law to make it work?

ENGINEER: You’d need to be a magician to make that happen.

ENTREPRENEUR: That’s what we want; a magic machine.

ACCOUNTANT: That’s right. That’s exactly what we want. Where can we find a new Law to make it work?

ENGINEER: You can’t.

ENTREPRENEUR: Don’t give me that. There’s always a way. What’s this Law you are having so much trouble with?

SUPERVISOR: It’s Newton’s first Law of motion.

ACCOUNTANT: What’s it say?

ENGINEER: It says; for each action there’s an equal and opposite reaction.

ENTREPRENEUR: That’s a pretty simple Law. We should be able to straighten it out.

SUPERVISOR: What do you mean; straighten it out? It is what it is.

ACCOUNTANT: You got to be a bit creative here. Think outside the square.

ENGINEER: What are you talking about?

ENTREPRENEUR: Well, if that Law doesn’t make our machine work what do we need to do to change something?

SUPERVISOR: You can’t just change a Law like that.

ENTREPRENEUR: No. We’ll discover a new one. Now - let’s see.

(The Entrepreneur puts his hand to his chin and walks around thinking)

ACCOUNTANT: I’ve got it. Let’s change the ‘an’ to ‘no.’

ENGINEER: What are you talking about?

ACCOUNTANT: Instead of – for each action there’s an equal and ….

ENTREPRENEUR: That’s brilliant. That’s exactly what we want.

SUPERVISOR: I don’t understand. What do you mean?

ENTREPRENEUR: For each action there’s NO equal and opposite reaction. See; we’ve solved the problem for you.

ENGINEER: Well, if you think you can make your machine work by changing the Law then you will really have a Magic Machine.

ENTREPRENEUR: Come on; let’s get to the workshop and put this new Law into action.

(They all follow the Entrepreneur as he walks of stage – except for the Engineer who stands in the middle of the stage)

ENGINEER: Is this guy a Magician or are we all just plain crazy?

(The curtain comes down)

THE END