Karissa Murrell Myers is a Filipino American theatre artist based in Chicago, where she works as an actor, playwright, producer, and casting director. She serves as the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Bramble Theatre Company. As a playwright, her work has been developed and/or produced at Strawdog Theatre, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, A Red Orchid Theatre, American Blues Theatre, The Gift Theatre, Silk Road Rising, Avalanche Theatre, Broken Nose Theatre, Our Perspective: Asian American Plays, and Bramble. Karissa received an "Outstanding New Work" Jeff Awards nomination for the world premiere of her play, On the Greenbelt. She teaches at University of Illinois Chicago as an adjunct faculty member and has guest lectured at DePaul University and Utah State University. MFA in Performance from University of Hawaii, BA in Directing and Acting from Boise State University, and proud graduate of The School at Steppenwolf 2019. Member of SAG-AFTRA and The Dramatist Guild. More at www.kmurrellmyers.com

Search for an Ending

Characters:.

Shawn: he/him, 30s. A screenwriter.  Benny: he/him, 30s. A screenwriter.
Ginger: she/her, 30s. A screenwriter.
Pam: she/her, 20s. She’s new.

Setting:

A writer’s room with video conferencing equipment. SHAWN and BENNY are arguing. GINGER is stirring her coffee irritably.

SHAWN
I’m sorry, but it doesn’t make any sense!

BENNY
Of course it / does!

SHAWN
Why would Madison leave everything behind when it’s-

BENNY
Why wouldn’t she?

SHAWN
If it were me -

BENNY
Well, this isn’t about you -

SHAWN
I didn’t say it was -

BENNY
She’s a free woman / with free will -

SHAWN
You always / try to turn it around on me -

BENNY
And if she really, and I mean really wants to change her life, then of course she has to leave! And isn’t that the story we’re trying to convey here? How if you’re a badass bitch, a feminist fertility corporate goddess, sometimes you have to get radical when it comes to changing your own life!

SHAWN
Is that the story we’re trying to convey, though?

BENNY
Oh my god, you cannot / be serious -

SHAWN
I thought this was a story about a strong woman being able to get exactly what she wants and the empowerment that comes from being able to pull herself up by her own bootstraps!

BENNY
That’s exactly what this ending does!

GINGER
Guys -

SHAWN
Just listen listen listen listen, okay?
Let’s say she does -

BENNY
She has to!

SHAWN
Okay, let’s say she does. But then she’s spent the entire movie, like the whole time just talk, talk, talking about how she’s gotta fight to have it all - the boss babe career, the kids, the social media clout -

BENNY
And the Devil Wears Prada wardrobe don’t / forget the -

SHAWN
Right right right -
So if she just leaves it all behind in the end, it completely undercuts the entire story -

BENNY
No, it doesn’t -

GINGER
Guys -

BENNY
How doesn’t it? Because I’ve read this ending you’ve concocted / and I feel like I’m in a 1950’s -

SHAWN
Concocted!?! You are such a drama queen!

BENNY
I’m the drama queen? Um, okay -

SHAWN
And I can’t believe we’re having this argument now when they want the draft by end of day -

GINGER
Guys!

BENNY
Huh? Oh my god, is that the time?

SHAWN
Wow, lunchtime already. Do you wanna -

BENNY
Oh yeah, I’m hungry.

SHAWN
Ginger, you’re hungry, right?

GINGER
I mean, yeah, but -

SHAWN
Let’s get those orders in. Who do we -

BENNY
Oh, that’s right. Ginger, do you know who we’re supposed to give these to now? I wasn’t paying attention when what’s-her-name -

GINGER
You mean Pam?

SHAWN
Pam? Is her name Pam?

BENNY
I’m pretty positive she said it was Sam..

SHAWN
No, it’s Cam.

BENNY
Cam? Are girls named Cam?

SHAWN
Like Cameron Diaz?

BENNY
Oh! Hot.

GINGER
Her name is Pam.

SHAWN
Are you sure?

GINGER
Yes.

BENNY
Okay, well, we trust you.
So glad you can keep track of all of that shit for us.

SHAWN
That’s why we really need you at the table with us.

BENNY
We’re kind of bad at remembering stuff so it’s suuuuper helpful that you’re here.

SHAWN
Yeah, we’re really glad you can keep us on task.

BENNY
Keep our noses to the grindstone.

SHAWN
Exactly! And this is way better than having to fetch shit and run errands for cranky writers and stuff, I bet. You get to be the cranky writer now!

BENNY
Do you guys know what you want?

BENNY starts banging away on the video conferencing telecom system.

BENNY
How do you work this stupid -

GINGER
Oh my god, here -

GINGER takes over and presses a button, PAM comes on screen.

PAM
Hi, hi everyone! Can I help you with something?

BENNY
We need lunch, Sam.

GINGER
Pam.

BENNY
Pam! Pam, we need lunch! We’re starving. Our brain cells just aren’t working right without sustenance. And Shawn here is almost pre-diabetic so if he doesn’t get any food in him, he shakes and convulses and is bad at his job.

SHAWN
I’m always bad at my job.

BENNY
That’s true! He doesn’t know how to write a resolution to save his life.

PAM
Oh!

BENNY
Okay, so for lunch, we need a turkey with a Diet. Actually, just make that two, make it easier on ya - and then Shawn’s regular.

PAM
Okay, um…I’m sorry, I don’t know what Shawn’s regular is.

SHAWN
Oh! What is my regular?

BENNY
You don’t know what your regular is?

SHAWN
I just say, “the regular,” and then Ginger always orders it. Ordered it.

They all look at GINGER.

GINGER
Shawn takes a sprout and avocado spinach wrap, with a cherry kombucha.

SHAWN
Is that what my regular is?

GINGER
Yes.

SEAN
Oh god, it’s kind of gross, isn’t it?

PAM
Do you want something else?

SEAN
No, no, if that’s what I get, then that’s what I get.

BENNY
(to SHAWN) You’re an idiot.
Thanks, Sam.

PAM
Okay, um, it’s Pam -

BENNY turns the video conferencing off.

BENNY
Okay, I’m going to take a leak.

BENNY exits. SHAWN starts texting.

GINGER
Hey, Shawn. I had an idea about the resolution.

SHAWN
Huh, what?

GINGER
The story resolution. Madison’s ending. I had / an idea.

SEAN
Oh! Um, okay?

GINGER
I was just thinking about what Madison really wants.

SHAWN
Uh-huh.

GINGER
Like, not what she says she wants, but what she actually truly wants

SHAWN
Uh-huh.

GINGER
And what I think she just wants is some respect -

SHAWN
Respect?

GINGER
Yeah.

SHAWN
Mmm, okay? I mean, I disagree, but you’re the woman here so I totally get that you’ve got the life experience on this so tell me more about what you’re -

GINGER
Well -

SHAWN
Oh shit, do you mean like, self-respect?

GINGER
No.

SHAWN
Because she’s gotta hella lotta self-respect, doesn’t she? I mean, that’s exhibited pretty well through the whole rest of the film, isn’t it? Or wait - do you feel like that’s not clear enough?

GINGER
I mean, I -

SHAWN
Because if it’s not clear enough, that’s totally Benny’s fault. He talks a big “I’m a big bad feminist” game, blah blah blah, even wears that funny little feminist pin on his blazer, but like hello? Who is he kidding, am I right? He’s a total closet misogynist.

BENNY enters.

BENNY
Who’s a closet misogynist?

SHAWN
Ginger doesn’t think Madison has self-respect.

BENNY
What?

GINGER
I didn’t say that -

SHAWN
Which is why she can’t leave before she’s finished what she started. What kind of self-respecting boss babe would do that? I mean, come on -

BENNY
She leaves because she has self-respect! That’s the whole / point!

GINGER
Oh my god -

SHAWN
Well, she doesn’t agree.

BENNY
Ginger, I know you’re new here and all but I thought that was pretty obvious.

GINGER
Oh my fucking god, will you two please just shut up?! You know, I was really excited to start working here and when I got assigned to this film, I was like, this is just what I’ve been waiting for. No more fetching your stupid lunch orders or picking up your dry cleaning or buying your wives AND your mistresses gifts for the holidays, but finally - this was a real seat at the table. Or so I fucking thought. But we’ve been working on this script for three weeks now and neither of you two have asked me my opinion once about the female lead of this film or story construction or hell, really anything at all, which is just wild to me because out of everyone here, I am the only one with a lifetime of experience being a woman in this world. But you know what? That’s fine. That’s totally fine. I don’t need this shit in my life and so while I thank you from the bottom of my broken little heart for the opportunity, I thank you even more for the real life insight into what the next thirty years of my life could have been like if I stayed any longer in the hellhole that is this industry. I’m glad I found out now instead of when I was old. So bye. And fuck you.

GINGER grabs her shit and leaves.

Beat.

BENNY
Wow.

SHAWN
That was so good.

BENNY
Right? Can you write that down?

SHAWN
Dude, I fucking recorded it as soon as she said the first “fuck.”

BENNY
Awesome. We’ll need to tweak it some -

SHAWN
Like a lot -

BENNY
Right, but I think we can use most of it for Madison’s ending monologue.

SHAWN
Also, you’re right. She needs to leave at the end.

BENNY
I told you. Come on, we need to get this draft to them by the end of the day.

Lights out.

End of play.