**Setting:**
A well-lit theatre stage. There's a play set resembling a lavish drawing room with actors in period costumes. A prominent "EXIT" sign hangs upstage.
**Characters:**
1. **Edward** - The character who realizes he's in a play.
2. **Olivia** - The female lead, sophisticated and dismissive.
3. **Henry** - The male lead, arrogant and self-absorbed.
4. **Margaret** - The elderly wise character, soft-spoken.
5. **Stagehand** - The only character from "reality" who interacts with the cast.
**Plot:**
The play starts traditionally. Olivia and Henry have a flirtatious dispute over an inheritance. Margaret offers sage advice. Suddenly, Edward freezes, looking out into the audience.
Edward, panicked, tries to point out the audience, lights, and even the exit sign. The other characters dismiss him. Olivia believes he's having a breakdown due to the stress of the inheritance dispute. Henry thinks Edward is trying to steal the spotlight.
Edward becomes desperate. He starts to improvise his lines, much to the annoyance of his co-actors. He confronts them with incongruities in their backstory: "How did you two meet?" "Where were you before this scene?"
Edward decides he needs to exit the play. As he approaches the "EXIT" sign, he's met by the Stagehand, who warns him not to deviate from the script. Edward pleads with him, even trying to shake him to make him see they're in a play. The Stagehand, though a part of the real world, treats the play's script as the ultimate reality.
Margaret begins to doubt. She recalls moments where scenes didn't make sense or when props appeared and disappeared. Together with Edward, they stage a scene to disrupt the play's flow, using physical comedy and nonsensical lines. Olivia and Henry are perturbed but still grounded in their character roles.
Edward and Margaret, in an emotional climax, appeal to Olivia and Henry's deepest emotions and memories. Edward tells Olivia to think about her love for Henry – isn't it scripted? He tells Henry about the moments he can't remember – because they never happened.
Just as Olivia starts to break, the Stagehand intervenes, pausing the play. He berates Edward and Margaret for breaking character. He threatens to "write them out."
In a moment of defiance, Edward, Margaret, and now a conflicted Olivia decide to "exit" the play. They make a run for the EXIT sign, evading the Stagehand. Henry, in turmoil, decides to stay, unable to let go of his scripted reality.
Reaching the EXIT sign, the trio push the door. It doesn't budge. Despair settles until Margaret has an idea. They need the audience's belief and help. Edward and the others address the audience directly, pleading with them to clap, shout, or do anything to give them the strength to exit.
Amidst the audience's uproar, the EXIT door starts to shake. With one final push from the trio and a resounding shout from the audience, the door bursts open, leading to a blinding light.
Interested in the ending? Be sure to buy your tickets…