Gwen Sour

Scriptwriting I
Ben Cromwell
17 August 2020

1. One of my favorite jokes to make is that I have been onstage since the womb. Literally.
My mother was a pregnant nun in a production of The Sound of Music, which, in
hindsight, seems a little sacrilegious, but is HILARIOUS. Theatre has been something
that I have just been so deeply embedded into my entire life – my first real production
was at the age of 5 and I haven’t stopped since. Now, at the age of 22 I’ve been in over
40 shows, which like, wow, that’s basically two/three a year since I was a super little kid.
Theatre is just something that makes me want to communicate with others, I truly believe
it is an art form that allows for the closest amount of intimacy to replicate the human
experience. Being in the room and watching a performance is just so much more real
than watching a pre-recorded and heavily edited movie or tv show.
2. How does theatre make me a writer?
It forces me to get in touch with the human condition, as an actor I literally face how to
replicate actual humanity/living in the moment/showing vs. telling nearly every single
show. This repeated exposure I believe makes for more authentic and, namely, more
human writing. What is a story if it isn’t, in some way, about the human condition or
about trying to connect with other people?

(the other part of this is on the next page I wanted to format it so it would look better!!)

Scene 1

AT RISE: Evie, 20, manic-depressive – her personality is something you

could cut your teeth with, she is sitting on the counter of the bathroom in
her dormitory. She’s been crying. The room is about as clean as you can
 expect a communal bathroom to be, mystery stains coat the walls, there’s a
piece missing out of one of the mirrors, and Carmen, 21, strong-willed like
black coffee, walks into the bathroom in a panic. She catches Evie. She
looks relieved.

Carmen
Why are you hiding in the bathroom?

Evie
(hurriedly)
I’m not.

Carmen crosses to sit next to Evie on the sink counter.

Carmen
So, if you’re not hiding, what are you doing? Ev, you can’t run off like that. You
could get yourself hurt.

Evie
What and stay there and watch you make fuckin’ doe eyes at Rosie all night?

Carmen
Evie, that’s not fair.

Evie
Oh, so you want me to sit there and act like I’m fine with you just ignoring me.