Thursday, November 16, 2017

November 2017 Writing Challenge - #16 - Audience of One

Donald Trump is your audience. He will sit and watch the play completely and alone.

Your performers will be thoroughly screened

And he’s behind some pretty severe protection security measures.

Basically don’t just physically attack him if that’s how you were going to angle.

Cool?

Okay.

So.

Unlimited budget.

Audience of one.

What do you write?

My bias.
Facts don’t change minds.
Truth doesn’t move people.
Stories that generate empathy do.

Creating an imbalance that humans - in this case ONE human - feel the need to return to balance.

THAT’s an effective inciting incident that can carry your audience through to the climactic answer by re-asking the same question -
renewing the same imbalance -
until the final release.

*********

As intriguing a challenge as this is, when I look over the bulk of last November's challenge entries, I see the election traumatized me into plenty of rambling dialogues on the subject already. I feel as if 45 has gotten more than enough space in my brain pan.  So I'm going to hold him at arm's length and keep working on the current play - though like all the challenges, I'm probably diving into this one again later when I run out of steam on something else and want to jumpstart a scene or two.  And speaking of rambling dialogues, I'm still trying to get a bead on where Duncan and Jeffrey stand so -

************

                          DUNCAN
There are so many things wrong with this, I can't believe you'd encourage him.

                          JEFFREY
The heart wants what it wants.

                          DUNCAN
That right there is some bullshit.

                          JEFFREY
You haven't seen them together.

                          DUNCAN
I don't need to.  Auggie is straight, and married, and his wife's pregnant.  Jesus, take a hint.
You want him to be miserable?

                          JEFFREY
No, of course not.  Why do you think I gave him the love potion in the first place?

                          DUNCAN
Apparently because you were too chickenshit to use it on the guy you wanted to, a guy who was at least actually gay to begin with.

                          JEFFREY
So that would have been all right?

                          DUNCAN
No, but currently you're just playing into every conservative religious person's stereotypical gay nightmare.

                          JEFFREY
And which nightmare is that exactly?

                          DUNCAN
That we gay men are constantly prowling around, looking to convert unsuspecting straight men.  Enough guys do what Micah did, they set the movement back fifty years.

                          JEFFREY
Not everything is about gay civil rights.

                          DUNCAN
We don't have the luxury of being careless.

                          JEFFREY
Oh, so as long as we're good little boys, stick to our own kind, they'll leave us alone?  You know better than that.

                          DUNCAN
But why provoke people with a stunt like this?

                          JEFFREY
We are actively working to undo this as quickly as possible.
Micah is not taking advantage of Auggie. I'd be surprised to hear he laid a finger on him.

                          DUNCAN
Damage is done, buddy.

                          JEFFREY
Look, I made a mistake, he made a mistake.

                          DUNCAN
Drugging somebody is a little more than a mistake.

                          JEFFREY
So you're going to turn us into the police.

                          DUNCAN
Right.  Because they'd believe this situation was actually happening.

(to be continued)



 

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