Challenge: In honor of Martin Sheen entering
the news again
#winning
Don't be a g.d. victim all the time. Wipe
your tears, blow your nose, and go out there and win something.
Think of a time when you've been defeated.
Honor that feeling.
Don't write the REALITY of it but the
FEELING of it. Exaggerate.
Make the audience feel that within half a
page, then start the slow build toward victory.
Hero's Journey? Probably too complicated for
a one day play, but use it if you'd like.
The most important thing here are the
EMOTIONS and not REALITY.
So feel free to be a bit Looney Toons. Drop
shit from the sky. Suddenly raise and lower platforms. Have a beautiful
shirtless man enter the stage from above holding flowers. Whatever your journey
FEELS like.
And then... what does it mean to win? Show
us. And show us what it FELT like to win.
yay winning!
(Author’s note: So I didn’t totally ignore the prompt this
time, as this new play idea the challenge has generated feels like a whole lot
of wins. Here’s another version of a win
- )
TV BOYFRIEND
(continuation
of scene one after Jasper’s arrival)
preceding
lines –
JASPER
So,
you must love this guy.
JAKE
I
do.
JASPER goes in for a brah hug with KEN.
JASPER
Dude!
KEN
Pants.
JASPER
Right.
Wait
a second.
JASPER furrows his brow, maybe even squints.
JAKE
What?
KEN
(to JAKE)
See?
JASPER
Ken.
I
know you.
KEN
Told
you he’d figure it out.
JASPER
We
met at the play.
JAKE
(to KEN)
Technically,
no.
You
said he probably knew I was gay.
Not
that he’d remember you.
JASPER
You
wrote that play.
The
soldier play.
KEN
Yes,
Jasper.
JASPER
I
didn’t recognize you all nude and shit.
KEN
I
did have clothes on the night we met, that’s true.
JASPER
Why
didn’t you say something, dude?
KEN
This. Me and Jake.
It’s a lot to take in. I wanted
to give you a minute.
JASPER’s brow furrows again. Again, the possible squinting.
JASPER
Wait
a second.
JAKE
Another
second?
KEN
He’s
right. You *are* asking for a lot of
waiting, Jasper.
JASPER
We
saw that play, we met you, like, a year ago.
KEN
You
are correct. Almost a year now.
JAKE
One
year anniversary’s coming up!
KEN
And
we said no gifts.
JAKE
No. You said no gifts. I agreed to no such prohibition.
JASPER
You
guys have been together - ?
KEN
Since
that night, yes.
JASPER
Brah!
JAKE
Yeah?
JASPER
You’ve
been banging this guy for a year and nobody knew?
KEN
Well,
I knew, of course.
JAKE
I
should hope so.
KEN
You
were very vigorous and thorough. It was
hard to miss.
JAKE
I
appreciate your paying attention.
JASPER
Dudes!
JAKE
Sorry,
brah.
KEN
We
don’t mean to tease.
JASPER
You’ve
been, like, super crafty.
JAKE
(to KEN)
Told
you.
JASPER
Wait,
so, like – Billy?
JAKE
Not
just a traveling buddy, or my personal photographer who followed us around to
competitions. No.
JASPER
Man. So.
When he, like, dropped off the face of the earth and just kinda
disappeared, that was a – ?
JAKE
Yeah.
JASPER
You
were really bummed for a long time after that.
JAKE
Yeah.
JASPER
You
could be like a master spy or a superhero with a secret identity, brah. You’re a boss at hiding shit.
JAKE
Thanks. I think.
JASPER
So. When you perked up again –
JAKE
About
a year ago.
JASPER
And
you started smiling more again.
JAKE
That’s
mostly down to this guy.
JASPER
(to KEN)
OK,
you gotta put on some pants ‘cause I need to give you a hug, brah.
The doorbell rings.
JAKE
Pizza’s
here!
JASPER
Breakfast! I’ll go, I’m dressed.
JASPER goes to deal with the pizza.
JAKE and KEN grab for some pants or shorts, maybe a
T-shirt or tanktop.
KEN
Saved
by the bell.
JAKE
Aw,
c’mon. Put on some pants. You know you want a hug from Jasper.
KEN
When
did I get comfortable just hanging around here naked? I was never that guy before I met you.
JAKE
About
month two.
KEN
You’ve
been tracking my behavior, have you?
JAKE
It
took you a while to believe me when I said I liked seeing your body in
daylight, that nudity wasn’t just a dimly lit nighttime thing. What really seemed to win you over, though,
was realizing that you showing some skin meant that I would walk around with
less on, too, and let’s face it, you love looking at my ass.
KEN
Guilty.
Just
to be clear, we’re getting all this talking dirty out of our system now because
the second your sister sets foot in this house we’re gonna have to shut all
that shit down?
JAKE
Abso-fuckin’-lutely.
KEN
OK,
just checking. How are you such a master
of detail, though? I’m observant but
even I have to take notes.
JAKE
(suddenly sheepish again)
I
might – possibly – have a journal.
KEN
You
keep a diary?
JAKE
Journal. And you take notes, all the time - you just
said it yourself.
KEN
Any
chance I might get a look at this journal?
JAKE
No,
it’s just for me. You don’t get to read
it.
KEN
C’mon. Just a peek?
JAKE
Nope.
KEN
You
started it after we met?
JAKE
The
day after.
KEN
So,
you keep a Ken journal?
JAKE
A
Jake and Ken journal.
KEN
Japser’s
right. You are super crafty. I had no idea.
JAKE
I
wanted to stop making the same mistakes over and over again. So I figured I’d keep track.
KEN
So
there’s a Jake and Billy journal?
JAKE
I
keep meaning to burn it or shred it, but yeah.
KEN
Don’t.
Like
you say, it’s part of what got you here.
I
like you here.
JAKE
Me,
too.
KEN walks over and puts a hand on Jake’s cheek, or
neck, or hair.
JAKE (cont’d)
What?
KEN
You
gotta stop doing little things that make me love you more. My heart’s gonna burst.
JAKE breaks into a wide grin.
JASPER returns, a stack of three pizza boxes in his
arms.
JASPER
Break
it up.
JAKE and KEN step apart just a bit.
JASPER inserts himself between them by pushing the
pizza boxes into JAKE’s arms.
Right out of the handoff move to JAKE, JASPER
pivots and pulls KEN into a bear hug.
It surprises and moves all three of them.
JASPER (cont’d)
Thank
you, man.
Thank
you for putting the smile back on my friend’s face.
After
Billy disappeared, he was so sad for so long – I was starting to worry about
him.
JAKE
You
had reason to.
JASPER
I
didn’t know it was you at the time, but you’ve been good for him. And he means a lot to me.
KEN
Me,
too.
JAKE
OK,
OK, hands off my man. Let’s eat.
The three men sit on the bed and dig into the
pizza.
JASPER
He’s
warned you about his sister, right?
JAKE
Brah.
JASPER
I’m
just saying she is a formidable woman.
She is relentless in her protectiveness of her little brother. You do not want to mess with her.
JAKE
No
one has any intention of messing with anybody, dude.
JASPER
So
is he going to the airport with you to pick her up?
JAKE
You’re
fuckin’ with me, right? Absolutely
not. That car ride’s going to be awkward
enough as it is.
JASPER
So
she knows about the article that’s about the drop?
JAKE
Yup.
JASPER
Not
a fan of the strategy?
JAKE
Hard
to tell.
JASPER
So
you want me to stay here and prep him while you go to the airport?
JAKE
No. No prepping.
KEN
The
plan was just to speak to her honestly, from my heart.
JASPER
OK. Good luck with that.
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