The making of SURF'S UP

Jim Stapleton, director Jack Mendoza, Julia Arian

Okay, yesterday I posted the ten-minute play I wrote on the fly for the one-day-play event. If you haven’t read it, check it out. Today I discuss my ersatz thought process.

The first question I always ask is what is the relationship? Who are these characters and who are they to each other? In this case I decided on a father and daughter. Could have been a teacher-student, could have been a boss-employee, but that’s what I chose. Partly because I wanted a history between them.

So now what? You want some conflict in the scene otherwise it’s just two people jabbering. There had to be an issue between them. What if the summer was over and the daughter decided not to enroll in college for the fall? The dad could be upset with that.

But I thought that’s a little on-the-nose. What if I flipped it? What if he was the one who wanted to go off and see the world and she was the conservative one? I liked that better.

Now to construct the scenario. Who was he? Why did he want to change his life? For this I turned to the theme. What does “the end of summer” represent? Well, it means different things to different people. I love summer. It’s my favorite time of year. So for me the theme is “loss.” Summer meant “vacation.” The rest of the year was “work.”

So what if dad wanted to recapture his youth? What if he quit his job to go surfing? Years ago I saw this movie, ENDLESS SUMMER about two young surfers who traveled the world in search of the perfect wave. This dad is starting to see his summers dwindle and he wants to do something about it. All that I liked.

And for added fun I had him banged up, having wiped out on numerous occasions. That makes the daughter’s case for opposing this nonsense even stronger.

So that’s the start. Dad, in a Hawaiian shirt and shorts comes to his daughter, who is wearing a suit, to announce that he’s changing his life. Just by their wardrobe you get a strong sense of who they are.  Use everything at your disposal.

I get a certain amount of mileage out of that initial conflict, but ultimately the daughter is not going to change his mind. It’s his dream, he’s earned the right to go, and I think you’d hate her if she spoiled his plan. At some point the daughter has to wish him well.

But now what?

At this point I thought I’d turn the tables. What if dad asked her to join him? It’s a chance for them to bond, a way for her to be less inhibited. I would also have the chance to delve more into the theme and what the end of summer represents.

All that was nice, but how to convince her – in only a few pages… and without the benefit of any big speeches? (Not allowed since the actors had to memorize this play in only a couple of hours.)  At this juncture I really had to delve into her character – who she was and what she really wanted? And needed? I thought maybe she should have a creative side she was afraid to really reveal. What if she wanted to be a writer? I figured she wasn’t a surfer so what would she do on beaches around the world? She could write. She could also experience life, which is essential for a good writer. So there was her motivation. She had a job she hated, no boyfriend, a dad she wanted to get closer to, and a chance to flex her creative muscles. The turn is still a little quick but I sort of buy it.

And finally, I wanted this to be a comedy. And yet, in the whole breaking of the story, you’ll notice I focused very little on the comedic aspects. Character, theme, conflict, emotion – those are more important. If I create interesting characters with clear attitudes the comedy will come (hopefully).

So that was my attack. You might want to go back and read it again. The audience liked it. Now that I have time I’m going back and making adjustments. As always, it’s a process, and the process continues.

My thanks to Mike Myers, the Ruskin Group, my actors – Julia Arian and Jim Stapleton, my director – Jack Mendoza, and Steve Mazur. And Chip for the bagels.