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23 January 2023

Posted by Tabby Hayward

What Characters Want...

This week, the group were exploring scriptwriting. After discussing favourite theatre productions, they wrote short dialogues where a character (A) wants something from another character (B) - objects varied from a passport to a stapler! 

Next, we explored the first scene of Far Away by Caryl Churchill and used this as inspiration for continuing or starting a new scene - where this time the thing which Character A wants from B isn’t a physical object, but information - the truth about something!

Here are 2 scenes, written by group member, Charlotte:

1

Osbourne: Give it to me

Edwards: Or what?

Osbourne: Or I get all of the paper out of the printer so you can’t use it.

Edwards: That’s the whole point of me having the mug. If I don’t hold on to it, I won’t have anything to throw at you.

Osbourne: It’s my mug.

Edwards: You broke mine!

Osbourne: And I keep telling you it was an accident.

Edwards: I wouldn’t call throwing a mug with a large amount of tea in it against a wall as a certain boss walked out of the room an accident.

Osbourne: Okay maybe it wasn’t an accident but that’s still no reason to take mine.

Edwards: You wasted a perfect cup of tea! Now I have my revenge by taking your mug.

Osbourne: You shouldn’t have kept the mug so close to my side of the room.

Edwards: Oh we have different sides now do we. Then you can’t get this mug back can you?

Osbourne: I can’t take it back, no.

Edwards: And I can’t lean over that line to give it to you?

Osbourne: No.

Edwards: Then I’m very inclined to keep this mug.

(Osbourne thinks for a moment. Looks at Edwards and then looks back at the door.)

Osbourne: Marvin! Get me a new mug whilst you’re out will you.

--

2

(Winter sits by the fire in his office. He looks down at his watch and counts something down with his fingers. Elizabeth comes bursting in and angrily marches up to the somewhat peaceful Winter.)

Elizabeth: Was that it?

Winter: What?

Elizabeth: You’re gone for two years without warning or any news of where you’re going and now you just suddenly return?

Winter: Yeah got a problem with that?

Elizabeth: Unless you haven’t noticed or have been hiding under a rock, we’re at war! I… We were worried about you.

(Winter doesn’t respond.)

Elizabeth: Where were you Winter? At least tell me that or something so I can put these past two years of worrying and waiting behind me.

(Winter folds his right leg over his left but still says nothing)

Elizabeth: Winter….. Winter!

Winter: What do you want me to say? Tell you all I’ve been up to even though you have nowhere near high enough clearance to know! Do you know what kind of trouble I would be in?

Elizabeth: All I wanted to know is that you were safe.

Winter: I couldn’t.

Elizabeth: Winter, I know there are some things you have to keep from us but leaving us in the lurch like that certainly deserves some sort of explanation.

(Winter looks at Elizabeth for the first time in the conversation.)

Winter: I’d love to. I really would.

Elizabeth: You don’t even have to tell me everything.

Winter: You have no idea what I was up against.

Elizabeth: Then tell me. Let me in and we can deal with it together. With what you’re describing it sounds like you need someone to talk to.

Winter: No Elizabeth.

(Elizabeth passes him a folder.)

Elizabeth: Thought you might need filling in. See what we’ve been up to since you’ve been gone. Even if we don’t hear what you’ve been doing.

Winter: Elizabeth…

(Elizabeth slinks away leaving Winter to his file.)

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