🎭 Absurd One-Act Play #1
“The Queue That Never Ends”
By Faraz Parvez
Professor Dr. (Retired) Arshad Afzal
Retired Faculty Member, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, KSA
(Pseudonym of Professor Dr. Arshad Afzal)
💡 What is an Absurd Play?
For our readers: an absurd play is a theatrical form that defies conventional storytelling. It presents a world that appears illogical, circular, or meaningless — yet holds a mirror to the human condition. Think of life’s most repetitive frustrations and unanswered questions — now imagine them as theater.
🕰️ Setting:
A dimly-lit corridor in Lahore’s mythical “Ministry of Unfinished Affairs.” A worn-out sign reads: “Please Wait. Change Is Under Review.”
🎭 Characters:
- Old Man with a Broken File
- Young Woman with a Vanishing Token
- Government Clerk Who Never Blinks
- Silent Child Who Has Aged Waiting
- The Queue (yes, the line itself speaks)
📜 Plot Summary:
People stand in an endless queue. They’ve forgotten what they came for — yet they can’t leave. Time is suspended. The corridor smells of dusty paper and unresolved hope.
Each person steps forward to the counter but is turned away, missing bizarre documents like:
- “Certificate of Existential Clarity”
- “Form Z-Infinity: Declaration of Futility”
- “No Objection Certificate from the Self”
Occasionally, the Queue whispers ominously:
“You are not the first. You will not be the last.”
The Silent Child, now visibly aged, walks to the counter.
“You were called yesterday,” says the Clerk.
The child smiles, turns into dust, and vanishes.
A revolution is discussed at Counter 13, but that counter has been “under renovation” since 1993.
🔚 Ending:
A loudspeaker crackles:
“Due to technical difficulties, progress has been postponed indefinitely. Thank you for your cooperation.”
Everyone nods. No one moves.
🔍 Themes and Reflections:
This play critiques bureaucracy, blind obedience, and the futility of external validation. It’s a haunting metaphor for waiting endlessly in life, obeying without questioning, and forgetting why we started our journey in the first place.
📢 More compelling stories and reflections await you at:
🟢 [farazparvez1.blogspot.com] – Literature, Fiction & Poetic Explorations
🟣 [mysticwisdomhub.blogspot.com] – Mysticism, Psychology & Reflections
🟡 [themindscope1.blogspot.com] – Modern World Issues, Essays & Insights
By Faraz Parvez
Professor Dr. (Retired) Arshad Afzal
Retired Faculty Member, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, KSA
(Pseudonym of Professor Dr. Arshad Afzal)
