ACT  4 — THE BIGGEST MATCH POINT

Running Time: Approximately 1 minute

Storyboard 13 — The Double Bounce

Time: 15 seconds

Illustration

Extreme close-up.

The green handball lands inside Annie's square.

A tiny puff of dust rises from the concrete.

The painted line is nearby.

Only Annie has a clear view.

Everything else is softly blurred.

Narration

Bo served.

The rally became faster.

Then...

Bo reached for one last shot.

The handball floated towards Annie.

It landed.

Tok...

One bounce.

Annie moved.

Then...

Tok...

A second bounce.

(Long pause.)

Nobody noticed.

(Pause.)

Except...

Annie.

Performance Notes

• Slow your pace dramatically.
  
• Freeze after the words, "Except... Annie."
  
• Resist the urge to continue too quickly.
  
• Let the silence create the tension.

Sound Suggestions

Narrator softly imitates:

Tok...

(Long pause.)

Tok...

Silence.

Storyboard 14 — The Question

Time: 28 seconds

Illustration

Close-up of Annie.

Everything behind her fades softly out of focus.

The handball rests near her feet.

Nobody else has realised what happened.

Narration

For one tiny moment...

the whole playground disappeared.

All Annie could hear...

was her own heartbeat.

Boom...

(Pause.)

Boom...

(Pause.)

Boom...

One quiet thought whispered...

(Whisper.)

"Nobody knows."

(Pause.)

Another answered...

"But you do."

(Pause.)

Annie looked at the handball.

Then she looked at Bo.

One question filled her mind.

(Look slowly around the congregation.)

"Would God forgive me...

...if I pretended...

...it only bounced once?"

(Long silence.)

Performance Notes

• Whisper the question.
  
• Don't overact.
  
• Let the audience hear Annie's conscience rather than your voice.

Sound Suggestions

Narrator softly imitates:

Boom...

Boom...

Boom...

Then...

complete silence.

Storyboard 15 — The Winning Shot

Time: 17 seconds

Illustration

Almost without thinking, Annie returns the handball.

Bo dives but cannot reach it.

Children erupt with excitement.

Only Annie remains completely still.

Narration

Almost without thinking...

Annie returned the handball.

It flew past Bo.

He reached...

but couldn't get there.

The playground erupted.

Children cheered.

Some clapped.

One little Year 3 boy shouted,

"She beat Bo!"

Everyone celebrated.

Everyone...

except...

Annie.

Performance Notes

• Keep the celebration brief.
  
• Annie should remain completely still.
  
• The contrast is more powerful than the excitement.

Sound Suggestions

Narrator imitates:

Children cheering.

Clapping.

Excited voices.

Gradually fade everything into the distance.

Storyboard 16 — The Heavy Feeling

Time: 20 seconds

Illustration

Bo walks over smiling.

He offers Annie his hand.

She looks down at the handball.

The children continue celebrating behind them.

Nobody suspects anything.

Narration

Bo smiled.

He held out his hand.

"Great game."

Annie wanted to smile.

She wanted to shake his hand.

She wanted everything...

to feel right.

But...

she couldn't.

Because sometimes...

the hardest person...

to be honest with...

is yourself.

Performance Notes

• Slow your pace.
  
• Look down at the handball during the final sentence.
  
• Finish quietly.
  
• Let the silence speak.

Sound Suggestions

The cheering fades away.

Only a gentle breeze remains.

No music.

End of Act

Running Time

Approximately 1 minute

Emotional Journey

Suspense → Temptation → Conscience → Conviction