31 Plays in 31 Days, #1 - “Welcome Home”
Aug. 1st, 2024 08:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
breakinglight11And we’re off! Starting things off with some noodling on an early scene for Mrs. Hawking part 8. As I mentioned yesterday, I don’t have that show as fully outlined as I usually like when I start drafting, but we have a fair number of elements we’re trying to piece together. I want to use 31P31D ‘24 to make actual progress, so I’m using the drafting process to figure some of this stuff out. The below is a bit bare bones, but getting the bones is my primary goal at this stage.
We do know that in this show, Mary and Arthur are drawn back to London for his job; right now I’m setting it in 1892, meaning they spent four years away. That means a major part will be Mary and Mrs. Hawking confronting where they left their relationship, what they’re going to do about it, and if there’s any possibility of rebuilding it. That will be the major thread, though there are a number of other things to negotiate, such as a case for them to work on… and what to do about the fact that they’ve got like a three year old by now.
Will figure that out later. But full credit to Christian Krenek for the last bit in here.
Photo by Jacob LaRocca
Day #1 - “Welcome Home”
From Mrs Hawking part 8
By Phoebe Roberts
London, 1892
MARY SWANN, society avenger, early thirties
ARTHUR SWANN, her husband in British intelligence, mid thirties
NATHANIEL HAWKING, Mr. Hawking’s right hand man, late thirties
~~~
(MARY and ARTHUR sit down to rest upon moving into their new home.)
ARTHUR: There shall be a gout of unpacking to do. But that’s the last of it in.
MARY: Good job of a day.
ARTHUR: Well, it ain’t Second Avenue no more. But what do you think of the place?
MARY: It’s ours, and that’s more than all Manhattan as far as I’m concerned. We’ll have it feeling like home in no time.
ARTHUR: I’ll miss New York, but must say, there’s something about being back to Blighty.
MARY: It’ll be nice to catch up with old friends.
ARTHUR: Talking of that… I wanted to ask again, now that we’re back. Have you decided? If you want to see her?
(Pause.)
MARY: You think that I should?
ARTHUR: It’s only… the city’s only just so big, love. If you’re back to work here… it might keep things cordial like.
MARY: (Sighs) I know. There’s sense in it. But I’ve been thinking it over, and… I don’t know if I can.
ARTHUR: Even now?
MARY: We left things so badly, Arthur. The things we said… the hurt we did. I can’t do that again. And I can’t let her do it to me.
ARTHUR: All right, Mary. If you’re certain.
(They embrace. The bell rings.)
MARY: At this hour? Who—? Oh! Oh, Arthur— is it—?
ARTHUR: As it happens, there’s someone who couldn’t wait.
(ARTHUR exits to show in NATHANIEL. They look at each other for a long moment.)
MARY: Oh. Oh, Nathaniel.
NATHANIEL: My dear Mary. My very dear girl Mary.
(He rushes to her and swings her around in a hug.)
NATHANIEL: Welcome home.
MARY: I have been counting the moments until I saw you.
NATHANIEL: I would have been waiting on the dock if I could.
MARY: Oh, Nathaniel. How I’ve missed you. It’s been too long.
NATHANIEL: Oh, there’s so much to catch up on! But first thing’s first…
(He steps out for a moment, and comes back with a large teddy bear.)
NATHANIEL: There is someone I have been aching to meet.
We do know that in this show, Mary and Arthur are drawn back to London for his job; right now I’m setting it in 1892, meaning they spent four years away. That means a major part will be Mary and Mrs. Hawking confronting where they left their relationship, what they’re going to do about it, and if there’s any possibility of rebuilding it. That will be the major thread, though there are a number of other things to negotiate, such as a case for them to work on… and what to do about the fact that they’ve got like a three year old by now.
Will figure that out later. But full credit to Christian Krenek for the last bit in here.
Photo by Jacob LaRocca
Day #1 - “Welcome Home”
From Mrs Hawking part 8
By Phoebe Roberts
London, 1892
MARY SWANN, society avenger, early thirties
ARTHUR SWANN, her husband in British intelligence, mid thirties
NATHANIEL HAWKING, Mr. Hawking’s right hand man, late thirties
~~~
(MARY and ARTHUR sit down to rest upon moving into their new home.)
ARTHUR: There shall be a gout of unpacking to do. But that’s the last of it in.
MARY: Good job of a day.
ARTHUR: Well, it ain’t Second Avenue no more. But what do you think of the place?
MARY: It’s ours, and that’s more than all Manhattan as far as I’m concerned. We’ll have it feeling like home in no time.
ARTHUR: I’ll miss New York, but must say, there’s something about being back to Blighty.
MARY: It’ll be nice to catch up with old friends.
ARTHUR: Talking of that… I wanted to ask again, now that we’re back. Have you decided? If you want to see her?
(Pause.)
MARY: You think that I should?
ARTHUR: It’s only… the city’s only just so big, love. If you’re back to work here… it might keep things cordial like.
MARY: (Sighs) I know. There’s sense in it. But I’ve been thinking it over, and… I don’t know if I can.
ARTHUR: Even now?
MARY: We left things so badly, Arthur. The things we said… the hurt we did. I can’t do that again. And I can’t let her do it to me.
ARTHUR: All right, Mary. If you’re certain.
(They embrace. The bell rings.)
MARY: At this hour? Who—? Oh! Oh, Arthur— is it—?
ARTHUR: As it happens, there’s someone who couldn’t wait.
(ARTHUR exits to show in NATHANIEL. They look at each other for a long moment.)
MARY: Oh. Oh, Nathaniel.
NATHANIEL: My dear Mary. My very dear girl Mary.
(He rushes to her and swings her around in a hug.)
NATHANIEL: Welcome home.
MARY: I have been counting the moments until I saw you.
NATHANIEL: I would have been waiting on the dock if I could.
MARY: Oh, Nathaniel. How I’ve missed you. It’s been too long.
NATHANIEL: Oh, there’s so much to catch up on! But first thing’s first…
(He steps out for a moment, and comes back with a large teddy bear.)
NATHANIEL: There is someone I have been aching to meet.
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