Excerpt: ‘The Science Project’
In this brief scene from “The Science Project” one of the students learns about weather the hard way:
Professor: (Leads Debra to the stool where she sits.) So, the sun (draws a big circle in the air) shines on the water (makes waves in the air with his hands), the water evaporates (wiggles fingers as he moves his hands up into the air) and shows up as clouds (makes big arcs above his head). (Going right up to Jose.) And what happens when the clouds get enough moisture that it starts to form droplets?
Jose: (Backing away.) It rains?
Professor: You’ve got it! (Grabbing a sprinkler or spray bottle from the table.) When the moisture in the clouds forms droplets it rains! (Sprinkles Debra and hands the bottle to Bill and moves down right.)
Debra: Eeew!
Connie: That’s what’s called precipitation!
Jose: (Excited.) That’s right, I remember that! But it’s not the only kind of precipitation. (He takes a box from the table.)
Bill: True! If it’s cold enough it will snow.
Professor: No, if the clouds are cold enough it will snow. And right now they are! (Jose sprinkles Debra with confetti and backs away.)
Debra: Hey!
Professor: (Dashes toward Debra.) But wait! What if there’s a layer of cold air between the warmer air on the ground and the clouds? What happens? (Rushes back down stage right.)
Samantha: I think that’s when you get icy rain or sleet. (She grabs a box from the table.)
Professor: Absolutely! (Samantha showers Debra with small Styrofoam pellets and puts the box back on the table.)
Debra: Stop! That hurts!
Professor: Got it! What if we mix in a strong wind that keeps sending the drops higher in the clouds so they freeze over and over, forming a ball made up of layers of ice before they fall to the ground?
Connie: (Grabbing another container from the table and coming forward.) That’s hail!
Professor: Right on! Let it go! (Connie pours large pellets over Debra and puts the box back on the table.)
Debra: Now cut it out!
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