1st Scene Reading of GIVE ME A REASON by Theresa Drew (plus interview)

Watch the December 2016 Winning First Scene Screenplay Table Reading.

Watch GIVE ME A REASON:

 

CAST LIST:

NARRATOR – Matthew Di Leo
ANDY- Kerrie Lamb
JEANMARIE – Val Cole
DR. TREMMEL – Leo Choy
REAGAN – Minh Le
PATIENT – Angelica Alejandro

Get to know writer Theresa Drew:

1. What is your screenplay about?

Give Me a Reason is a dark comedy about two of the funniest subjects: suicide and cancer. Hilarious, I know.

Goodhearted but facetious, Andy, has decided to kill herself, but first she gives the universe a deadline to grant her some kind of cosmic reprieve. The universe answers and tells her she has cancer. She takes the hint. But instead of killing herself, she decides to stick around a little longer and cross a few things off her bucket list, like becoming a pro wrestler and finding a Unicorn. She does this while allowing the cancer to kill her, you know, so she won’t have to become a ghost. Ghosts can’t eat.

This does not sit well with Dr. Reagan Ronald, Andy’s uptight, humorless, oncologist, whose family history of breast cancer has made her so paranoid about death that she barely lives.

She cannot accept Andy’s decision. In an act of desperation, Reagan agrees to pay for Andy to do the reasonable things on her list. In exchange, Andy must allow Reagan to show her that death is not the answer, which will be extremely difficult since Reagan’s fear of death and Type – A personality make her about as entertaining as a hemorrhoid.

These two polar opposites develop an unlikely friendship, like one of those videos where a monkey spoons with a tiger. And exactly like those videos, Give me a Reason provides heartwarming moments with the tension that comes from feeling someone could get eaten at any moment.

2. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

There just aren’t enough comedies about cancer, except 50/50 and Funny People and he Bucket list and American Splendor. Ok, that’s actually a lot. But there are hardly any comedies tackling suicide, except,About a Boy, Little Miss Sunshine…Perhaps I should stop making these lists. It seems there are already comedies that deal with these topics and it’s not nearly as groundbreaking as I thought.

The fact is, this should be a movie because sometimes life is a pile of garbage and it’s nice to laugh about it. Laughter is the best medicine since anti-depressants can cause weight gain and a low sex drive.

3. This story has a lot going for it. How would you describe this script in two words?

Joyful Death

4. What movie have you seen the most in your life?

I’m tempted to lie and say something like Citizen Kane or Casablanca and pretend like I’m cultured, but I’ll be honest, It’s Big Daddy with Steel Magnolias coming in a close second. Don’t judge me.

5. This is a very tight, emotionally engaging and fun screenplay. How long have you been working on this screenplay?

I came up with the title and the general premise over a year ago but only got the nerve to start writing it a few months ago. I finished it recently.

6. How many stories have you written?

This is the first feature I’ve finished. I also have a pilot completed, a similarly dark, work place comedy. Now I’m currently working on a children’s animated Holiday movie, because I’m fresh out of cancer material.

7. What motivated you to write this screenplay?

I had some personal experiences which got me thinking about these heavy topics. However, my defense mechanism in serious situations is to crack inappropriate jokes. I am not very popular at funerals. While I realize this is a personality trait that I should probably be working on in therapy, I felt like writing a script where I could deal with and respectfully make light of these subjects would be the better and cheaper way to go.

8. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?

 My biggest obstacle was myself. I can’t believe I actually finished this thing.

I have a very rigorous writing procedure. First, I write. Then, inevitably, I get stuck on something. Then, I take a break and see how many levels of candy crush I can beat. Then, I tell myself I’ll figure it out tomorrow, let three months go by, and finally give up. This may be hard to believe but these past habits have not served me well. I know, crazy.

So I decided to pull a George Costanza and go against all my natural instincts. I gave myself a deadline, a writing contest that I wanted to enter, not because I thought my first draft would win, but because I needed a time to keep myself accountable.

Then I got over my need to write a script in order and instead, tackle it like a puzzle. Instead of focusing on what I didn’t know, I wrote the pieces that I did know. Eventually, by working on all the parts around it, the part that I was stuck on got smaller and eventually disappeared. And I was able to finish the script in under three months.

I’m sure this is common sense to most other writers but considering by nature, I’m a procrastinator and a quitter, these small steps were like some kind of mystical epiphany to me.

9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

I was excited to find out I was passionate about writing. I have to be passionate about something else? DoesThe Walking Dead count? I get seasonal depression when it’s on hiatus.

10. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?

I had just finished the first 30 pages of my screenplay and I was unsure if it was working. Everyone always says the first 10 pages will make or break you. I really liked the idea of a contest that would give feedback on the first part so you can decide if you’re heading in the right direction before you’ve finished an entire script.

I was surprised at how thorough and insightful the feedback was. It really helped me to decide what changes I would need to make moving forward.

11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?

I think the answers to these previous questions prove that I am the last person who should be giving advice.

But if pressed, I guess I would, say keep writing no matter how many episodes of How to Get Away with Murder you’re behind on. You can finish it when you’re done with your script. That’s why God invented DVRs.