Jazzy's Journal: A short screenplay without a name.........

Dear Reader:

Last semester I had to write a screenplay for my creative writing class. I had never written one but it was a lot of fun to do, I loved writing it. I got an A- on it, I was proud of me!

I wrote it in sort of the same format of a real play we read in class, called "God's Ear" which I really enjoyed reading. My professor was a pretty awesome guy who is also a screenwriter/director. One of my favorite classes ever!

Enjoy!

Scene 1 - A woman and a man are sitting at a restaurant. The restaurant is small and cozy. The actors will be having a late lunch, however, the lights on the stage should be dim so that it would appear as though they are having dinner. The reason for the restaurant to look dark is so that it gives the audience the impression that the two people are having this dinner in the evening, however, in scene two, they will be outside and it will be sunny out.

Scene 2 – The man and the woman leave the restaurant and will be taking a walk at a near by park. There should be what looks like a “brick road” which should circle around the inside of the stage. There should be trees in the back ground and sounds of birds chirping, there should also be a bench placed somewhere, where the actors can walk long enough to play out all of scene two, but where they can end the scene sitting on the bench, so they can walk past the bench a few times, but ultimately end back at the bench where they can sit to end the scene. The actors should stroll not walk fast, but rather should walk and talk, but at a point they both stop and Joanna walks to the front of the stage facing the audience to recite the poem.

Scene 3 – An elderly woman is laying on a bed. A younger woman should be sitting beside her. The bed should be big and the woman should be sitting on the bed close to the older woman. The ethnic background of the actors can be any, however, the elderly woman and the young actress should resemble one another in hair type or anything to give the audience the impression that they are related.

The male characters voice should be low and shy, the female characters voice should be a bit louder to demonstrate that he is introverted she is extraverted.

Characters: Ben, Joanna, waitress, Elderly Woman, younger woman (younger woman characters should also be played by actress playing Joanna).

Scene One -

Ben - You look really really good. I can't believe that I have not seen you now in over 10 years, yet you look just as I remember you. Pause… You don’t change.

Joanna – Nothing has changed (smiles) nothing but the weather (giggle) and it’s Spring!

Ben – Yes, (smiles) Spring, Your favorite.

Joanna – (smiling) It still is.

Ben - Remember the philosophy classes? Those were amazing

Joanna – totally!

Ben - (staring at her) Pause… you look as pretty as I remember you that day at the train platform, when you hugged me and said you wouldn't be going back to the classes the following fall.

Joanna - you thought I would go back the next fall didn't you?

Ben – (looks down as to not have eye contact) I did.

Joanna - I'm sorry, I couldn't handle it anymore, seeing you every week was torture, there were times I wanted to hug you, times I wanted to slap you, times I wanted to punch you, times I wanted to shake you. It was such a hard thing to control every single week. But I kept going back because the classes (sigh)…philosophy my second passion next to you. But you, you didn’t love me, you didn’t want me, you had not spoken to me in 2 years and although you would talk to me during the classes, you spoke to me as if I was one of the strangers that were attending the classes as well, as if we had never been friends, as if everything that had happened prior to that class, all those letters I had sent you and you had ignored, as if they had never been sent. I know that you and I had never had a romantic relationship, but we had been friends, we would communicate daily for a little over a year, that was something wasn’t it?

Ben – (looks down at his cup then looks back up)... I'm really sorry, I’m terribly sorry, I was so young and stupid, so young and stupid then.

Joanna - I still online date you know...I know that what happened between us was not online dating, I mean after all I did meet you in person before we started interacting virtually. Remember that building where we met? That place was crazy! but still, our interactions after that initial meeting became virtual so I will always blame the virtual world for what happened between us. I know in my heart that is where everything went wrong. If only… (she pauses) If only we would of hung out from time to time, if we would have hung out, it would have never been so awkward. Yet here I am 10 years later and I’m still part of that world… (actress raises her hands and with her fingers does the quotes sign) “virtual world.” But I don’t ever bother meeting anyone in person, I just mostly chat.

Ben – I agree, you are so right. (he looks down as he says) I was so young, so young and stupid then, I’m so sorry. (looks back up) but why is that? why don’t you meet anyone in person?

Joanna - useless waste of my time, I rather stay in and write. At least the words on a paper are all mine and they are all true, no lies being told to me for no reason at all, other than to get into my pants. Don’t men know? don’t they know they could just get it, you know, my pants, if they asked? Silly men!

Ben - yeah, I know what you mean, I apologize for all of them or should I say, all of us.

Joanna - I talk to this one guy who lives out west, he's younger though, you know me, me and my younger men, I don’t know why I still do it, they just bring trouble, maybe I like the challenge? (Giggles) I mean I had some relationships in the last few years. But I don’t know, they didn’t seem real, and now, now I just don’t care to keep trying, what’s the point.

Note: the next few lines should be said loud and clear and both actors should be staring straight at each other, very mechanical like.

Ben – (staring at her) what's so scary?.... pause….

Joanna – (staring at him) Time