31 Plays in 31 Days, #5 - “Park Moms”
Aug. 5th, 2020 12:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
breakinglight11I’ve been having fun doing episodes of Dream Machine, my idea for a sitcom about the crew of a tiny women’s cable network. I write them in screenplay form, then some lovely actor friends perform a staged reading over Zoom, which I record and edit. It’s been a nice change of pace, and gives me something to look forward to producing during social distancing. We just released the third episode if you want to check it out.
This scene will be the cold open of a future installment, possibly even the next one, episode four. It is loosely based on something that happened to me when I was running in the park recently. Even as I was going through it, I thought it was definitely adaptable into something that would happen to Leah. It was an amusing reminder that, as much as Leah is all of my negative qualities cranked up to eleven, the characterization definitely comes from somewhere real.
Catch up on previous episodes of Dream Machine here on YouTube.
Day #5 - “Park Moms”
From Dream Machine:
“1.04 - The Opposite of People”
By Phoebe Roberts
~~~
LEAH LUCCHESI, a vain TV writer, mid thirties
A bunch of MOMS with middle-school-aged boys
Los Angeles, 2020
~~~
EXT. LA PARK - DAY
In a grassy park on a sunny day, Leah goes for her morning jog. Dressed in a sports bra and leggings, she runs circuits along the asphalt path, dodging around walkers and playing kids.
She legs it past a basketball court where a bunch of middle school boys play. A ball bounces off one of the boys momentarily distracted by her passing.
Leah chuckles to herself, then looks ahead to where the boys’ mothers are clustered. She is surprised to see they are glaring, staring down their noses as her. She frowns, confused, and runs on.
As she rounds the basketball court on her next circuit, the women are still glaring. Leah is just about to move past them when one leans to mutter to the other.
PARK MOM: Dressing like that when there are kids around. Some people have no class.
Leah stops in her tracks.
LEAH: Excuse me?
She looks back at the moms. The speaker meets her gaze judgmentally.
LEAH: Oh. It’s like that, huh?
Beat.
LEAH: It’s on.
Leah pulls out all the stops. She splashes the contents of her water bottle down her front. She rolls down the waistband of her leggings to 2007 levels.
LEAH: Oh, it’s sooooo hot out here! And I have sixteen more laps to go!
She runs around and around past the moms at the basketball court-- first with high knees, then backwards, then giant gazelle-like strides --all the while refusing to break furious wild-wide eye contact.
LEAH: Good thing this is America and women can wear whatever they want!
The boys watch, agog. One mom yanks her son’s baseball cap down over his eyes.
LEAH: Your hate only makes me stronger!
The mom yells at Leah’s retreating back.
PARK MOM: Fine, go ahead! Nobody stays twenty-two forever!
Leah stops short again and turns.
LEAH: You... think I’m twenty-two?
She sprints back over pulls the mug into a sopping wet hug, all animosity forgotten. The woman struggles as Leah beams.
This scene will be the cold open of a future installment, possibly even the next one, episode four. It is loosely based on something that happened to me when I was running in the park recently. Even as I was going through it, I thought it was definitely adaptable into something that would happen to Leah. It was an amusing reminder that, as much as Leah is all of my negative qualities cranked up to eleven, the characterization definitely comes from somewhere real.
Catch up on previous episodes of Dream Machine here on YouTube.
Day #5 - “Park Moms”
From Dream Machine:
“1.04 - The Opposite of People”
By Phoebe Roberts
~~~
LEAH LUCCHESI, a vain TV writer, mid thirties
A bunch of MOMS with middle-school-aged boys
Los Angeles, 2020
~~~
EXT. LA PARK - DAY
In a grassy park on a sunny day, Leah goes for her morning jog. Dressed in a sports bra and leggings, she runs circuits along the asphalt path, dodging around walkers and playing kids.
She legs it past a basketball court where a bunch of middle school boys play. A ball bounces off one of the boys momentarily distracted by her passing.
Leah chuckles to herself, then looks ahead to where the boys’ mothers are clustered. She is surprised to see they are glaring, staring down their noses as her. She frowns, confused, and runs on.
As she rounds the basketball court on her next circuit, the women are still glaring. Leah is just about to move past them when one leans to mutter to the other.
PARK MOM: Dressing like that when there are kids around. Some people have no class.
Leah stops in her tracks.
LEAH: Excuse me?
She looks back at the moms. The speaker meets her gaze judgmentally.
LEAH: Oh. It’s like that, huh?
Beat.
LEAH: It’s on.
Leah pulls out all the stops. She splashes the contents of her water bottle down her front. She rolls down the waistband of her leggings to 2007 levels.
LEAH: Oh, it’s sooooo hot out here! And I have sixteen more laps to go!
She runs around and around past the moms at the basketball court-- first with high knees, then backwards, then giant gazelle-like strides --all the while refusing to break furious wild-wide eye contact.
LEAH: Good thing this is America and women can wear whatever they want!
The boys watch, agog. One mom yanks her son’s baseball cap down over his eyes.
LEAH: Your hate only makes me stronger!
The mom yells at Leah’s retreating back.
PARK MOM: Fine, go ahead! Nobody stays twenty-two forever!
Leah stops short again and turns.
LEAH: You... think I’m twenty-two?
She sprints back over pulls the mug into a sopping wet hug, all animosity forgotten. The woman struggles as Leah beams.
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