Shadows of Madness – A Play by Mykyta Ryzhykh

Shadows of Madness

**Act One: The Clown's Entrance**
An old clown rolls a huge wooden box into an empty arena and starts cutting it in half with a saw.

*Scene 1: An abandoned circus. The Clown sits on an old chair, surrounded by rusty props. The air is filled with a sense of madness.*

**The Clown:**
(with a smirk)
Once, this place was full of laughter… Now it’s just shadows. And I will bring back that laughter, but not the kind you want to hear.

*He puts on an old clown hat, his eyes gleaming with malice.*

—

**Act Two: Family Conflicts**
The old clown opens the box from the top and we see a corpse, which the old clown ending
to cut in half.

*Scene 2: The kitchen in the Clown's home. His parents are arguing at the table, while the Clown hides in the corner, watching them with a smirk. Loud shouts fill the room.*

**Mom:**
(shouting)
You never listen! How are we going to pay the bills?

**Dad:**
(angrily)
I work 12 hours a day, and you don’t appreciate it!

*The Clown, clutching a toy, smiles as he revels in the family discord. He stands and approaches them.*

**The Clown:**
(challenging)
How pleasant it is to see everything around me crumble. No joy without suffering!

*His parents fall silent, turning to him in confusion. His mom looks at him in despair.*

**Mom:**
(sobbing)
What are you going to do, dear?

**The Clown:**
(ominously)
I’m going to show everyone that laughter can be terrifying.

*He leaves, leaving his parents bewildered and scared.*

—

**Act Three: Bullying at School**
The old clown cuts off leg.

*Scene 3: A school corridor. The Clown walks toward his class when he notices some bullies and decides to approach them. He looks confident, even provocative.*

**The Clown:**
(mockingly)
So, guys, are you going to bully someone again?

*The bullies laugh, but the Clown picks up their malicious game, as if he’s their leader.*

**Bully:**
(with disdain)
You’re a clown, and we’re real men!

**The Clown:**
(challenging)
Maybe that’s why you’ve never learned to laugh.

*He walks past them and suddenly shoves one of them. The bully stumbles and falls to the floor.*

**The Clown:**
(mockingly)
Oops! Looks like someone can't keep their balance.

*The bullies, confused, back away, and the Clown walks off with a smile, feeling powerful.*

— **Act Four: Loneliness**
The old clown cuts off the 2nd leg.

*Scene 4: The Clown's room. He looks at photographs of friends who have rejected him and starts destroying them. A light bulb flickers dimly.*

**The Clown:**
(menacingly)
You don’t deserve my laughter! You left me alone, now I’m the king of loneliness.

*He throws the photographs into the fire, relishing how they burn.*

**The Clown:**
(triumphantly)
What joy to see your friendship go up in flames!

*He starts laughing, his laughter growing more maniacal. He approaches a mirror and makes a grimace.*

**The Clown:**
(to himself)
You’re the only one who understands you. No one else can grasp your genius.

*He exits the room, leaving behind ash and remnants of memories.*

—

**Act Five: Work and Failures**

The old clown listens to the corpse's breathing with a stethoscope, cutting off pieces of the body with a saw in between.

*Scene 5: The Clown at a job interview. The employer looks at his resume with skepticism. The atmosphere is cold and tense.*

**Employer:**
(skeptically)
Do you really think your experience as a clown fits our company?

**The Clown:**
(with a grin)
Laughter is an art. I’m a master of manipulation.

*The Clown steps closer to the table, arms crossed, his voice becoming more confident and grim.*

**The Clown:**
(challenging)
I can make your team funny and vibrant, or you can remain boring.

*The employer sighs, clearly unsure how to respond. The Clown revels in the moment, feeling powerful.*

**Employer:**
(ending the conversation)
You don’t have the required experience. I’m sorry, but we can’t hire you.

*The Clown, disappointed, leaves the office with a smirk on his face.*

—

**Act Six: The Problem of Prostitution**
The old clown cuts off arm.

*Scene 6: City's street, a dark corner. The Clown watches a woman standing on the corner, with light makeup and a short dress. She looks tired and lost, hope flickering in her eyes as men pass by. The Clown decides to approach her.*

**The Clown:**
(with sarcasm)
Do you still believe someone will love you? There’s no place for romance here.

*The woman, slightly wary, looks at him with annoyance.*

**Woman:**
(desperately)
I’m just trying to make a living. It’s not as easy as it looks.

*The Clown smiles, his eyes gleaming with malice as he steps closer.*

**The Clown:**
(provocatively)
So you chose this life yourself. Everyone gets what they deserve.

*The woman clenches her fists, feeling the chill seep into her heart.*

**Woman:**
(sadly)
I never thought I’d end up here. I had dreams.

*The Clown laughs, leaning in closer to her.*

**The Clown:**
(with a grin)
Dreams? They’ve long burned away here. You’re just one of many.

*He begins to circle her, watching her reaction.*

**The Clown:**
(ominously)
Do you really think anyone will pity you? We’re all just meat for entertainment.

*The woman tries to step away, but the Clown, with a smile on his face, stops her.*

**The Clown:**
(with contempt)
Don’t leave. I want to see how you pay for your mistakes.

*She attempts to pull away, but the Clown continues to laugh, enjoying her suffering.*

*The lights slowly dim, leaving only shadows and a sense of hopelessness.*

—

**Act Seven: The Problem of Homelessness**
The old clown cuts off the 2nd arm.

*Scene 7: A park where homeless people gather. The Clown approaches them, laughing at their miserable existence. The homeless look at him in confusion.*

**The Clown:**
(mockingly)
What’s it like to be nobody? You’re all so amusing in your suffering!

*One of the homeless, with disgust, responds.*

**Homeless Man:**
(angrily)
You don’t understand what real life is.

*The Clown leans closer, his smile becoming grim.*

**The Clown:**
(ominously)
Maybe, but I know how to use your suffering. It’s entertainment for me.

*He starts laughing, and the homeless look at him with contempt and hatred. One of them stands up and walks toward the Clown.*

**Homeless Man:**
(threateningly)
Do you think you can laugh at us? We’re not your show!

*The Clown simply smiles in response, feeling his dark influence seep into the souls around him.*

—

**Act Eight: Realization**
The old clown cuts off the head.

*Scene 8: The Clown stands on an empty stage of the abandoned circus, lost in his dark thoughts.*

**The Clown:**
(aloud)
I am the king of chaos. I’ve learned that laughter is a weapon, and I will rule this world, even if it means stepping on others.

*He looks at the emptiness around him, his eyes filled with a cold fire of madness.*

**The Clown:**
(determined)
I will bring back laughter, but only in my own style.

*The lights slowly fade, leaving only shadows of his wicked schemes.*

The old clown lies in a box next to the mutilated corpse and self-cuts his throat.

**Curtain.**

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Author’s Note: The concept and content of this text was developed a long time ago, but as an author I constantly did not have enough strength or time to work out the details. Then I decided to ask the AI ​​for help, asking it to create dialogue options as well as circumstances for each scene separately. In this way, artificial intelligence was delegated  tasks within the framework of global work.

Shadows of Madness: A Play by Mykyta Ryzhykh (PDF version)

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Mykyta Ryzhykh has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and has been published many times in the journals Dzvin, Dnipro, Bukovinian magazine, Polutona, Tipton Poetry Journal, Stone Poetry Journal, Divot journal, dyst journal, Superpresent Magazine, Allegro Poetry Magazine, Alternate Route, Better Than Starbucks, Littoral Press, Book of Matches, TheNewVerse News, Acorn haiku Journal, The Wise Owl, Verse-Virtual, Scud, Fevers of the Mind, LiteraryYard, PLUM TREE TAVERN, ITERANT, Fleas on the Dog, The Tiger Moth Review, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Angel Rust, Neologism Poetry Journal, Shot Glass Journal, QLRS, The Crank, Chronogram, The Antonym, Monterey Poetry Review, Five Fleas Itchy Poetry, Ranger magazine, PPP Ezine, Bending Genres Journal, Rat’s Ass Review, Cajun Mutt Press, minor literatures, Audience Askew Literary Journal, Spirit Fire Review, The Gravity of the Thing, Ballast Journal, Star 82 Review, The BeZine, A Thin Slice of Anxiety, Synchronized Chaos, boats against the current, The Decadent Review, Corvus Review, American Diversity Report, Unlikely Stories, Triggerfish Critical Review, The Moth, Ripple Lit, Rock & Sling, Meniscus, Rabid Oak, ZiN Daily, Stone of Madness, The Cortland Standard, Quarter Press, Schredder, Wilderness House Literary Review, Poetry Porch, Chewers & Masticadores, The Big Windows Review, Journal of Compressed Creative Arts, Third Wednesday, Cosmic Double, Dialogist, Consequence, Cool Beans Lit, Poets Choice, BarBar, and Ice Floe Press.

Art: Accordion Splendour, a visual poem by Robert Frede Kenter (c) 2025.