Thread: Doggy(bad language)

This is something I wrote for my playwriting class. The objective was to create two characters, and one must want something from the other character. I chose two teeenagers and the want in this situation is a dog. Yes I realise that there are no stage directions, but she just said to write a page of dialogue.Here it is.








Alex: Oh! Matt…what are you doin ere?

Matthew: Yea wassup Alex, I was just in the area visiting my sister, cos you know she lives around the corner init. N I thought I’d give you a buzz. That alright?

Alex: Yea that’s cool. You can come in, but don’t make too much noise cos my mum’s in a mood.

Matthew: Why what happened?

Alex: Kasey made a load in her room.

Matthew: I thought your mum was used to taking loads in her room.

Alex: Fuck off you prick. Why don’t you get a haircut it looks like you got a mop on your head?

Matthew: Piss off. I was just joking man. Anyways you guys should be watching that dog instead of letting her run wild all day.

Alex: Yea well my mum works, and me and Josh have to go school. So she just gets bored and does whatever she likes when we’re gone.

Matthew: You know my mum doesn’t have a proper job right now. Maybe she could help watch over her.

Alex: What? Your mum would come to my house to look after Kasey?

Matthew: No! Like, you could bring your dog around mine for weeks days and we’ll give her back to you on the weekend.

Alex: Haha, that don’t actually sound bad. So do you think I should sit next to Laura tomorrow in class? She keeps looking at me and grinning.

Matthew: Yea maybe, but what do you think of my idea?

Alex: About what?

Matthew: About letting me ave your dog during the weekdays.

Alex: I wasn’t serious. How can I let you have my dog?

Matthew: But you just said no one looks after her during the day.

Alex: Look matt, stop acting stupid. You can’t have my dog OK?! Why don’t you get your own dog?

Matthew: But I love Kasey. You know I love pets and you don’t even take good care of her anyway. You leave her alone all day and your mum even beats her.

Alex: I’m gonna beat YOU if you don’t move from my doorstep.

Matthew: Whats going on here Alex? Oh Matthew, I didn’t know you were coming around today. You guys will have to stay outside for a bit while I get this house cleaned up and-Kasey! Shut the hell up! I swear I’m gonna have to put her in a dogs home one of these days.

Matthew: Well my house has some space Ms Robertson.

The purpose of this exercise was probably to get you to give the characters personality through dialog only. To give them their own identifiable "voice." These two characters don't seem too distinct to me. If I closed my eyes and just listened to the lines being read, I doubt I could tell one character from the other.

Keep in mind that plays are not real life. Sure you know lots of people that say similar things in similar ways, but that does not make for interesting drama. Think of identifying characteristics that could effect their way of talking or what they say and thus make them different and interesting.

Maybe one could be a deep philosophical thinker and always talk over everyone's head, or maybe one could have a learning disability and be in single minded pursuit of getting a doggy while the other is hesitant to turn him down, but the dog is his. Just a few possibilities that could make for a more dramatic exchange.