Absurd one-act play#2

 


🎭 Absurd One-Act Play #2

"The Interview for Nothing"

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?

Absurdist plays reflect the strangeness and irrationality of existence, challenging logic and order. Inspired by the likes of Beckett and Ionesco, such plays embrace chaos, circular dialogue, and metaphysical confusion to explore life’s deeper absurdities.

🕰️ Setting:

A soundproof, windowless corporate interview room in an unknown Pakistani city.
A digital clock on the wall blinks “00:00” eternally. A blinking sign reads:

“Applicants must know what they are applying for. No clarifications will be provided.”

🎭 Characters:

  • The Applicant (Man in a Suit With No Resume)
  • The Interview Panel (Three Identical People with Different Voices)
  • The Peon Who Replaces People Randomly
  • HR Robot With a Broken Smile
  • A Revolving Door That Talks

📜 Plot Summary:

The Applicant enters for an interview he doesn’t remember applying for.
He is told to sit on a chair that disappears every five minutes, forcing him to stand and reapply for the same seat.

The Panel questions him in paradoxes:

PANELIST 1: “Can you prove your existence without using language?”
PANELIST 2: “Have you ever been where you were supposed to be?”
PANELIST 3: “Why are you here if you don’t know what you want?”

The Applicant tries to answer but is interrupted by The Peon, who replaces him with another Applicant who looks exactly the same but is left-handed.

The HR Robot malfunctions and begins reading verses from a cooking manual.
The Revolving Door laughs ominously:

“Every exit is just a louder entrance.”

🔚 Ending:

The final question is asked:

“Are you willing to commit to a lifetime of undefined responsibilities for a salary that will never be disclosed?”

The Applicant pauses.
He nods.

A rubber stamp appears mid-air and hits his forehead:

“SELECTED FOR NOTHING”

The room resets. A new applicant walks in. Clock still blinks: 00:00

🔍 Themes and Reflections:

This play explores the absurdities of corporate life, the loss of identity in institutional processes, and how society traps individuals in meaningless cycles of performance, without ever explaining the why. It echoes the struggles of job-seekers and thinkers alike — those trying to find purpose in a world of procedures.

📢 More literary explorations, essays, and thought-provoking reflections await 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)


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