31 Plays in 31 Days: #17 - "Not as Hopeless as They Say" from Mrs. Loring

So, so behind. Bad Phoebe. But here's a scene from Mrs. Loring, which is having a staged reading on the last Thursday of the month, that I have substantially edited. This is the most problematic scene in the piece, one I have struggled with a lot to convey the meaning I want. It's supposed to deal with the fact that part of the failure of the mental institution the characters are in is that it enforces a helpless idleness on all the patients that render them useless to see themselves as having agency. This scene is supposed to show how someone believing that they are capable gives them back a lot of their agency, and with it, their ability to improve their own condition. It's been tough to get it to work the way I wanted to, so I edited it today. It's a bit better. But I don't know if it's quite where I want it yet.

And, hey, this is a weakest scene in the play. If you like it, come to the reading, because literally every other scene is better than this one!

( From Mrs. Loring - Day #17 - "Not as Hopeless as They Say" )