Sorry for a lack of formatting, I'm tired and busy.
As you can see, the play has transformed into something completely different than before, now it is going to be more a series of connected vignettes tied together with the comic strip of action.
My Advanced Playwriting Workshop class likes where its going, though I'm still having trouble getting the scenes to connect, or knowing where to start, or finish, or if there is going to be a major conflict throughout the play... Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Also: I don't have a title yet.
On with the show!!!
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Setting:
A soundstage type set up in Joel’s living room, an expensive camera, lights, and sound system are on one side of the stage pointing towards a backdrop with three panels- One a swirly blue color, One a dirty street scene, and one a Mexican wrestling ring.
At Rise:
Eli is wearing a pair of tight wrestling type nylon pants, a Mexican wrestler’s mask, and a championship belt that says ‘I Can Haz Cheeseburger’
Josh is setting up a camera and testing signals and connections
Eli
Tell me again why I have to wear this getup? I feel … [Fingers his mask and tight wrestling pants] Exposed…
Josh
You’ll thank me when we’re on the Dvd extras for Dr Horrible! Joss Whedon said he would include a fan’s submission video for the Evil League of Evil in the commentary of Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog, and my friend lent me his camera for helping him on his porno shoot!
[He Sets Up the camera and checks the music for their submission song through the sound system]
Besides, us gays are extremely creative and skilled in costuming and music writing… our submission is going to be the best of all of them.
Joel enters from the bathroom dressed in a swirly black cloak type thing, and carrying both his Macbook and has his iphone clipped to his belt. He sees Eli and breaks out into a raucous laugh.
Joel
Good god Eli! I think Lol Luchador is you, not the other way around. Way to go on these costumes Josh. Think we’ve got enough practice on the song?
Josh
Oh… I kinda thought we’d just use the voices on the tape… you guys are kinda… not good at singing… you guys can lipsync right?
Eli and Joel look at eachother quizzically and shrug.
Eli
How hard can it be?
Josh
Alright… I’m going to go put on my costume, you two… just… don’t touch anything.
Joel
[at Josh’s retreating back]
Hey! Its my apartment! … [After a moment’s thought and hearing the bathroom door open] Don’t destroy my bathroom!
Joel plays with his laptop, getting it to emit various sounds and projecting colors.
Eli adjusts himself in the pants and mask and plays with his championship belt
Josh returns, dressed in tight leather pants, leather studded straps crossing his chest crosswise, carrying an airsoft rifle painted black, an HRC sticker type tattoo on his left arm, he has shaved his beard into a friendly button chop style beard
Josh
Alright, lets do this! The Evil League of Evil, here we come!
They all go and stand in their respective stuff- the sign over Joel’s head reads “The Macromancer” Josh stands in the middle, his sign says “Bear Arms”, and Eli stands on the right, his sign says “Lol Luchador” The music starts to play and the lights fade out. As the lights fade out, the comic of this scene is projected on the back wall while the scene changes.
Setting:
Joel’s living room, it’s a party. Everyone is drinking, playing Wii sports, and spilling drinks on the floor which angers Joel who is frantically trying to clean up everyone’s messes.
Joel
Everyone! Could you please manage to not spill everything on the floor?
As Joel turns away to get more paper towels, Denise and Josh start pouring their beer on the floor, they are VERY VERY drunk.
Denise
Drinky drinky floor, you’re VERY thirsty. Yes you are… drink my beer!
Josh
Oh… its alright. Its alright to drink the beer, we won’t tell anyone
Joel returns from his paper towel quest, finds them doing this and forces them to stop. Then he turns and is confronted with a bloody stranger
Bloody Stranger
Yesh, yesh…. What do you have that gets hooker blood out?
Joel
[Frightened]
Uh… I’m not sure… are you a friend of Eli’s?
He looks frantically around for Eli who is nowhere in sight, but when he turns back, the bloody stranger is gone.
Joel (Con’t)
Weird…
The Setting:
Joel’s apartment, a large drawing table is center, there are stacks of papers everywhere, crumpled failed drawings, as well as successful completed strips which are tacked on the wall. On Stage Right is a Computer desk where Joel’s Mac and several microphones are set up, next to the table is his amp rack and his electric guitars and basses which have their own stands. Stage Left is a large comfortable yet worn couch.
At Rise:
Joel is sprawled on the couch, he looks disheveled, like he hasn’t slept well in a couple of days, on top of him is a large sketch pad and several crumpled pieces of paper. There is detritis of a few weeks’ lack of cleaning and takeout scattered over the floor and on virtually every flat surface. The doorbell rings- shocking Joel awake.
Joel
Startled, just waking up
Wha? Wasn’t sleeping!
Recognizes that there’s no one there, that it’s the door that woke him-Loudly yet groggily
Joel (Con’t)
I’m coming! I’m coming… hang on!
He crosses to the door Stage Left and opens it to reveal Eli, Denise, and Josh- they push past Joel and enter his apartment.
Eli
Good God Man! What have you been doing here? It smells like the inside of a gym locker that’s been left out in the sun for a couple weeks!
Joel
Well I’m sorry its not cleaner, I wasn’t exactly expecting visitors… I’ve been kinda busy.
Joel crosses back to his drawing table, seating himself behind it and chugging the contents of one of the open cans while looking frustrated at the interruption. He picks up a pencil and starts drawing again.
What’s going on?
Eli
Well since we hadn’t heard from you in weeks, we started getting worried. Well, Denise got worried, she was fretting something awful… I Told her that you were most likely ok…
Denise
I most certainly did NOT … He was the one who was all “oh no! what if Joel is hurt or lying in a ditch somewhere?”
Eli
Shut up I did not.
Josh
Aww Eli…I always knew that you had a thing for Joel!
[To no one in particular] Two more recruits and I get a toaster oven…
Josh locates a half eaten jar of peanut butter and some crackers. He plops on the couch, placing the peanut butter on a ridge of his belly, props his feet up and starts watching the tv and texting on his iPhone.
Denise
[Ignoring Josh] Despite what these two knuckleheads would have you believe, we were actually worried since we hadn’t heard from you. Is everything alright?
Joel
Yeah, everything’s fine, I’ve just been working on my comic.
Eli
We went by Sportsworld, manager says you left without notice three weeks ago! He never even gave you your last paycheck! What’s going on man? You quit your job?!
Joel
I couldn’t keep working there. I had to get out, work on something meaningful! Sportsworld was killing me, smothering my potential…
Josh
Around a mouthful of peanut butter and crackers
I can see that, you wanted to take control of your life, create your own destiny…make something meaningful out of your life!!!
Eli
[To Josh]God… You’re so gay!!!!
[To Joel] But what about your responsibilities? You’re always bitching about this or that or some such… what made you change your mind?
Joel
I figured I’d give myself a chance to prove to myself that I could make my life what I want it to be… I just… couldn’t stand working at that stupid store for ever if I never tried to make something out of my life, to do what I want! If I’m going to fail at life, I’d rather fail at doing something I’m passionate about than fail at being a minimum wage racquet ball jockey!
Denise
Well, show us what you’ve got at least. What’s your comic about?
Joel
I tried to turn all the shit I encountered at Sportsworld into a full length comic, but it became obvious that I didn’t have enough material, and I had no hope in getting it published at all, so I’ve decided to try to do an online comic, like a weekly type thing.
They move over towards his computer and Joel starts opening picture files. As he opens files, they are projected on the wall behind them.
Joel (Con’t)
And my time at Sportsworld had a couple things happen that I could write about, but for the most part I’m going to write jokes about things I find important, I mean, we all are proper upstanding geeks, and we like to talk all the time about things… I figured, I find us amusing, perhaps other people would think we’re as funny as I think we are…
I can’t explain it very well, just take a look. Its not a complete comic, but just an idea of something I’m thinking of using.
The file that Joel opens is one of a cartoon Josh sitting on the couch next to Joel, a peanut butter jar perched on his belly (as it is on the real life Josh sitting on the couch ignoring what is going on on Joel’s computer screen), eating crackers dipped in peanut butter. Eli and Denise see the picture, look over at Josh, look back at the computer, and shrug at eachother (its nothing new to them).
Denise
That’s really cool!
[Looks over at Josh]
You really captured the essence of Josh, with all of his … Joshness.
Josh gets up off the couch and crosses the stage to see what they’re talking about. He snorts in appreciation at the comic image of himself on the couch, and returns to the couch where he pulls out his iPhone and starts texting people.
Eli
And so true to life! Yet hilarious when seen in comic form. Let’s see what else you have…
Joel clicks through several more files, different poses of Josh, Eli, Joel, and Denise all show up on the projection.
Joel
Well anyway, that’s just a couple of my ideas. I figure that I write and draw the comics based on the geek related things in the world that occur, find a way to make it all about us, and put them up on my own website!
Eli
Sounds like you’ve got it all thought out… but how are you going to make money at this? Advertising?
Joel
Some, but I figured I could also design tee shirts and sell them through either an Etsy or Yahoo store.
[Pause]
Denise and Eli look at each other. Josh continues to eat peanut butter and crackers while texting on his phone.
Joel (Con’t)
Look guys, I don’t plan to become a millionaire doing this, but I figure, there is a market for this kind of stuff! I mean, how many times have you been on a forum somewhere and thought that someone said something funny, or that there was something funny about a news article?
There’s a market for just about anything out there, and since George Lucas can still make millions of dollars off of the franchise he ruined with the prequels and his internalized racism made external by Jar Jar Binks, I figure I can make enough money to live in Texas.
And if it takes off enough, I might be able to do a podcast or something where all of us can participate in talking about things we find amusing, or bad, or whatever!
Joel (Con’t)
We can talk about shitty movie night, and suggest shitty movies for people to watch, or … give suggestions as to what kind of movies to see… the sky is the limit with the internet and what you can do with it.
Josh
[Finally participating in the conversation]
What are you going to call it? Any ideas?
Joel
I was thinking of calling it ‘HijiNKS ENSUE’- the i’s and j lower case every thing else capitalized… that way there’s the three dots right in a row… with this font it looks awesome.
He brings up another file which is projected on the wall of the stage with the logo he’s designed.
