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WRITING PROJECTS updated September 16, 2009
Dig feature-length screenplay Killer con men, a runaway child, an introverted cop, abused trailer trash, a cartoon dog, and an old Indian woman all battle real demons while unwittingly collaborating on a quest to discover a higher power. BACKGROUND: This is my first feature-length screenplay. It was inspired by a short story idea that came to me during a long drive in the fall of 2008. This short story exists within Dig, told from one character to another intermittently throughout the script; it parallels the action and carries a significant part of the theme. NOTE: This is a script for an R-rated film. It contains violence and explicit language. Halva's Secrets novella in verse ABOUT THE STORY: Halva’s Secrets is written entirely in sestinas – 120 39-line poems (wikipedia: about the sestina form). Halva is born under a half-full moon, one of two twins, the other stillborn. At that same moment, the family dog has a litter of puppies, and all are dead but one: Amica. When Halva was very young, her father told her about the “time of secrets.” It is the time of the day when the sun is low in the sky, and because of the askance flow of its beams, dust and bugs and spider webs that can’t be seen any other time of day are illuminated. Halva discovers that during this time, she, and Amica too, sees more “secrets” than what her father or anyone else can see, including a little boy and six dogs – their deceased siblings. As a pre-teen, she wavers from wanting to use her special gift to help people, to deciding not to meddle with other people’s secrets. This rivals her inner turmoil of knowing her mother named her “half” and of always feeling like she is not enough, not complete. A brilliant, knowledge-hungry, conflicted eccentric, she grows up with no friends but her dog and her secret brother, until she begrudgingly befriends Zeksis, a shy girl forced to live with her abusive grandmother. By now, Halva has tasted the misuse of her gift and has decided she will keep her own secret and keep to herself, but Zeksis has a very important secret, one who might save her from her perilous life. Portia's Contest one-hour play ABOUT THE PLAY: Portia’s Contest is an adaptation of Shakepeare’s The Merchant of Venice with an updated setting. Seamlessly combining the Bard’s own words with contemporary language, it takes place at a rural boarding high school around 1970. BACKGROUND: I wrote this play while I was directing the theatre program at a private high school. It was tailored to fit specific guidelines: one-hour show with a large cast. More will come soon, including:
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