elevatorman
so it's been a nice break from livejournal. i felt that i was pouring too much of my soul into the internt, and that i should chill a bit. i won't bother filling in on what you've missed. just trust me, it probably wouldn't interest you.
i re-wrote elevatorman, the one act play i wrote for playwriting in high school. i did it for my new playwriting course. this time its very different from the original. our assignment was to write a story first, and then turn it into a script for a play. so i took my old script, tore it to shreds, and then wrote a story with some of the elements. pretty soon i will be starting the script. here is the revised story.
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ELEVATORMAN
His name is Earl. Earl is a lonely man. He lives in a hotel in New York City. It’s not a particularly fancy hotel, but it isn’t a shit hole either. It certainly isn’t a hotel that would employ an elevator man. But Earl has lived there his whole life. Nobody who stays at the hotel is ever there long enough to bother to talk to him. The few other employees of the hotel have accepted his residence. Ever since his family died in a fire in their hotel room on vacation 30 years ago, they have allowed him to stay in the hotel, living his quiet, lonely life. Everyone ignores him. EVERYONE. His long, unkempt black hair and generally scruffy appearance may be the cause of people’s ignorance. But Earl has become accustomed to loneliness. His only companion is the man in black at the back of the elevator. The man is not very nice to Earl, but he talks to him, and that is all Earl really needs.
Earl is depressed. Earl’s glass is not half full or half empty. It is completely empty. Every day Earl repeats the same routine. Wake up, get dressed, stand in the elevator for 10 hours, and press buttons. The only words Earl ever hears from passengers are the floor numbers that they want to go to.
Today is Wednesday, the most depressing day for Earl. Wednesday is not at the beginning of the week or at the end of the week. It means nothing. It’s right in the middle, undecided. Today is different though, because today is the anniversary of his family’s tragic death. Earl takes a couple passengers up and down the elevator. Then, a woman steps on from the lobby. Earl falls in love at first sight. She is a young woman, in her Early 30’s with brown hair. She is wearing a black pea coat and thick-rimmed glasses. As she steps on she politely asks Earl to take her to the 15th floor. He presses the button, his heart fluttering. He thinks about saying something to her, but the man in the back of the elevator talks him out of it. But today is different. She breaks the silence, asking Earl his name. He tells her. She tells him that her name is Janet.
This is the first time someone has said anything to Earl other than his or her floor number in a long time. The two get into a quick casual conversation on the way down to the lobby. Earl learns that Janet is only in town on a business trip, and will be leaving tomorrow. At first Earl is disheartened by this news. He realizes that his chances of being with Janet are very low. As she steps off the elevator onto her floor, she turns around and waves goodbye to him as the doors are closing on him.
But Janet’s kindness changes something within Earl. The next day, the last day of Janet’s trip, Earl has a surprise for his new found love. He cut his hair, shaved his beard, cleaned his uniform, and he is sporting a beautiful white flower in his breast pocket. When he sees the number 15 light up above the doors, his heart nearly skips a beat. As the elevator climbs the floors making its way toward Janet’s floor, Earl paces about the elevator frantically trying to figure out what to say. He and the man in the back of the elevator argue. Before he can figure out what to say, the doors open to reveal Janet looking as stunning as Earl has ever seen her. After picking his jaw up off of the floor, he stammers out a nervous “hello,” and gives her his flower. On the way down to the lobby he talks to the man in the back of the elevator about whether or not he should ask her to lunch. The man says he shouldn’t but for the first time ever Earl ignores the man. He not so gracefully extends an invitation to Janet for lunch later that afternoon. Janet gladly accepts, and then leaves the elevator.
Janet returns on her lunch break and the two enjoy a meal, prepared by the hotel chefs, in the comfort of the elevator. Earl explains that he hasn’t left the hotel in 30 years. He has spent his whole life there. The hotel supplies everything he needs, so he’s never found a good reason to leave. When Janet asks why Earl has spent his whole life at the hotel he begins to cry. The man in the back of the elevator tells Earl he is showing just how weak he is by crying. When he responds, Janet asks Earl whom he was talking to. He tells her that he was talking to the man in the back of the elevator. Janet asks him what he’s talking about. And then at once, she understands everything. She thanks Earl for the lunch. She turns to him and says, “I think you should go.” Earl protests saying that this is his elevator. Janet then tells him that she has to leave. Earl brings her back down to the lobby and she exits the elevator without another word to him.
Earl is furious at the man in the back of the elevator. How could he ruin the one thing that’s ever gone right for Earl? He rides the elevator all day long, depressed and angry, but not saying a word to the man. Then finally, when he can’t stand it any longer, he wheels around to yell at the man, but he’s no longer there. Earl is baffled. He’s always been there, ever since Earl’s family died thirty years ago. He doesn’t know what to do, so he just sits, and waits.
That night, the light for the 15th floor lights up again. This time, his heart aches, and with every floor, it sinks deeper into his chest. Janet steps onto the elevator with her suitcase, smiling. Earl asks her why she left earlier without saying anything. She tells him that she didn’t like what the man in the back of the elevator said to him, so she asked him to leave. Earl doesn’t understand. He never saw the man leave. The doors of the elevator open to the lobby. Janet leans over and kisses Earl on the cheek, and then exits without another word. Just like the first time, she turns around and waves goodbye with a smile as another young woman steps on to the elevator. The young woman asks Earl whom he is waving to. He tells her that he is waving goodbye to the woman who just saved his life. The young woman looks at Earl confused and asks him “what woman?” The doors close.
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leave comments if you want. i dont care if you like it or don't, i just wanna hear what people think.
yea, it might not be original, but its all been done before.
i re-wrote elevatorman, the one act play i wrote for playwriting in high school. i did it for my new playwriting course. this time its very different from the original. our assignment was to write a story first, and then turn it into a script for a play. so i took my old script, tore it to shreds, and then wrote a story with some of the elements. pretty soon i will be starting the script. here is the revised story.
*************************************
ELEVATORMAN
His name is Earl. Earl is a lonely man. He lives in a hotel in New York City. It’s not a particularly fancy hotel, but it isn’t a shit hole either. It certainly isn’t a hotel that would employ an elevator man. But Earl has lived there his whole life. Nobody who stays at the hotel is ever there long enough to bother to talk to him. The few other employees of the hotel have accepted his residence. Ever since his family died in a fire in their hotel room on vacation 30 years ago, they have allowed him to stay in the hotel, living his quiet, lonely life. Everyone ignores him. EVERYONE. His long, unkempt black hair and generally scruffy appearance may be the cause of people’s ignorance. But Earl has become accustomed to loneliness. His only companion is the man in black at the back of the elevator. The man is not very nice to Earl, but he talks to him, and that is all Earl really needs.
Earl is depressed. Earl’s glass is not half full or half empty. It is completely empty. Every day Earl repeats the same routine. Wake up, get dressed, stand in the elevator for 10 hours, and press buttons. The only words Earl ever hears from passengers are the floor numbers that they want to go to.
Today is Wednesday, the most depressing day for Earl. Wednesday is not at the beginning of the week or at the end of the week. It means nothing. It’s right in the middle, undecided. Today is different though, because today is the anniversary of his family’s tragic death. Earl takes a couple passengers up and down the elevator. Then, a woman steps on from the lobby. Earl falls in love at first sight. She is a young woman, in her Early 30’s with brown hair. She is wearing a black pea coat and thick-rimmed glasses. As she steps on she politely asks Earl to take her to the 15th floor. He presses the button, his heart fluttering. He thinks about saying something to her, but the man in the back of the elevator talks him out of it. But today is different. She breaks the silence, asking Earl his name. He tells her. She tells him that her name is Janet.
This is the first time someone has said anything to Earl other than his or her floor number in a long time. The two get into a quick casual conversation on the way down to the lobby. Earl learns that Janet is only in town on a business trip, and will be leaving tomorrow. At first Earl is disheartened by this news. He realizes that his chances of being with Janet are very low. As she steps off the elevator onto her floor, she turns around and waves goodbye to him as the doors are closing on him.
But Janet’s kindness changes something within Earl. The next day, the last day of Janet’s trip, Earl has a surprise for his new found love. He cut his hair, shaved his beard, cleaned his uniform, and he is sporting a beautiful white flower in his breast pocket. When he sees the number 15 light up above the doors, his heart nearly skips a beat. As the elevator climbs the floors making its way toward Janet’s floor, Earl paces about the elevator frantically trying to figure out what to say. He and the man in the back of the elevator argue. Before he can figure out what to say, the doors open to reveal Janet looking as stunning as Earl has ever seen her. After picking his jaw up off of the floor, he stammers out a nervous “hello,” and gives her his flower. On the way down to the lobby he talks to the man in the back of the elevator about whether or not he should ask her to lunch. The man says he shouldn’t but for the first time ever Earl ignores the man. He not so gracefully extends an invitation to Janet for lunch later that afternoon. Janet gladly accepts, and then leaves the elevator.
Janet returns on her lunch break and the two enjoy a meal, prepared by the hotel chefs, in the comfort of the elevator. Earl explains that he hasn’t left the hotel in 30 years. He has spent his whole life there. The hotel supplies everything he needs, so he’s never found a good reason to leave. When Janet asks why Earl has spent his whole life at the hotel he begins to cry. The man in the back of the elevator tells Earl he is showing just how weak he is by crying. When he responds, Janet asks Earl whom he was talking to. He tells her that he was talking to the man in the back of the elevator. Janet asks him what he’s talking about. And then at once, she understands everything. She thanks Earl for the lunch. She turns to him and says, “I think you should go.” Earl protests saying that this is his elevator. Janet then tells him that she has to leave. Earl brings her back down to the lobby and she exits the elevator without another word to him.
Earl is furious at the man in the back of the elevator. How could he ruin the one thing that’s ever gone right for Earl? He rides the elevator all day long, depressed and angry, but not saying a word to the man. Then finally, when he can’t stand it any longer, he wheels around to yell at the man, but he’s no longer there. Earl is baffled. He’s always been there, ever since Earl’s family died thirty years ago. He doesn’t know what to do, so he just sits, and waits.
That night, the light for the 15th floor lights up again. This time, his heart aches, and with every floor, it sinks deeper into his chest. Janet steps onto the elevator with her suitcase, smiling. Earl asks her why she left earlier without saying anything. She tells him that she didn’t like what the man in the back of the elevator said to him, so she asked him to leave. Earl doesn’t understand. He never saw the man leave. The doors of the elevator open to the lobby. Janet leans over and kisses Earl on the cheek, and then exits without another word. Just like the first time, she turns around and waves goodbye with a smile as another young woman steps on to the elevator. The young woman asks Earl whom he is waving to. He tells her that he is waving goodbye to the woman who just saved his life. The young woman looks at Earl confused and asks him “what woman?” The doors close.
*************************************
leave comments if you want. i dont care if you like it or don't, i just wanna hear what people think.
yea, it might not be original, but its all been done before.