Shay is a young woman who, in presentation is living her life as it should be. But there is another person there with a remote that has the power to pause, rewind and intervene in her life’s decisions. As we see Shay’s life unfold we also see the mistakes that she made play out. The things she wishes that she could change with the relationship with her sister. The child that she thinks in the present that she kept but in real it she never had the baby. Eventually, she finds herself waking up in a haze trying to figure out what has happened. He soon realizes that she is in a center that allows you to go back and for a given amount of time relive specific moments in your life, changing them, fixing them but it is only for that span of time. She has to wake up, return back to reality, but she can now take with her seeing what would have happened had she made a different choice in that moment. For Shay this isn’t the outcome that she expected. She wanted to relive it and change history; in essence she wanted to leave the memories in the dream and wake up with her past changed permanently. It is a difficult and disappointing reality she must accept; the bad decisions, the people she disappointed and a lasting theme that we cannot change what has already come and gone. We must accept the past and build ourselves up to handle the present and move into the future.
A Moment to Relive
(An adult Shay stands in front of us. Her eyes are closed. She is waiting for something or someone. A woman stands beside her. She puts something on her head, fits it properly and takes out a remote, she whispers something into Shay’s ear, Shay responds by nodding her head. The woman pushes a few buttons and the scene comes to life. For the duration of the performance the remote comes in and out but is never controlled by Shay.)
Mom: (Yelling off)Shay! Shay you’re going to be late for school.
Shay: (Off) Stop yelling at me Mom. (Entering)Here I am! Do you think that it makes my life easier when you yell at me?
Mom: Do you think yelling at you is at the top of my ‘must do list?’ I yell at you because you’re always late to everything.
Shay: I’m not late; time doesn’t matter in my generation we show up late, it’s an expectation.
Mom: That doesn’t make it right. I supported you quitting cheer because you said you were going to do other things, not realizing “other things” was code for absolutely nothing. (Shay goes to exit until-)When your father was alive you never would-
Shay: Never would what? Be late? Quit cheer? Talk back? What-(Mom takes out he remote, freezes the scene for a moment.)
Mom: Shay take this opportunity to take a moment and apologize. Your mother will not always be here. (She presses a button.)
Mom: Be so disrespectful. Yell at me. Cut your eyes at me like I’m the enemy. We were always friends. (She tries to comfort Shay but she moves away.)I used to be able to just… I know it’s been hard but-
Shay: Don’t do the daddy orphaned little girl thing with me mom I can’t today. (Beat)I can’t any day. Look I’m sorry. Him being an asshole- (Mom gives her a look)a not smart father figure is not your fault. Who needs him anyway? With you yelling at me I feel like I have a mom and a dad. And the support is pretty amazing too. (Smiles)
Mom:(She stops her from leaving.) I wish I could change this, stop him from leaving, make him realize that he could be a father to you without being a husband to me.
Shay: But you can’t mom. (She exits, then returns)I wish you could too.