Heart of Hearing Script Analysis

Core Action: The Core Action of Heart of Hearing is to reconnect. Angie begins the play by calling Josh to try and talk to him and reconnect after two years of not seeing each other. She wants to reconnect with him emotionally and physically. The strange staging of this play works because both characters are trying so hard to reconnect with the other person, that even though they are on the phone, it is like they are with each other (and in some parts of the play they do break conventional staging and enter each others spaces). Josh wants to reconnect with Angie in a different, but similar, way. He wants to reconnect with her, but has an obstacle in the way of that happening (his girlfriend, Angie’s previous rejection of him). When they dance it seems as though they have reconnected, but then their past pulls them back apart, and they still have the want to reconnect.

Structure: This play is climactic because it occurs in a restricted locale, two rooms that do not change, covers a short space of time, and the number of characters is severely limited. Time is fluid in this script, but it does play with the idea of space and traveling from one space into another.

Unit Breakdown:

1: Ring, Ring!

The first unit begins with Angie calling Josh. She is talking to herself and rehearsing what she will say while the phone rings. Finally Josh picks up the phone ending this unit.

2: Well this is awkward… This unit begins when Josh picks up the phone. Both characters are caught off guard when Josh answers the phone. They have a bit of awkward interaction here, with

Angie saying that Josh doesn’t sound like he wants to talk to her. This unit ends after

Josh says, “I’m back… so…”

3: Warming Up

This unit starts with Angie asking Josh how he is. They begin to have regular conversation. The ice that was present before seems to thaw. This unit is more pleasant than the one before. This unit ends with Angie asking an interesting question.

4: Let’s Get Down to Business

This unit starts when Angie asks Josh is he is seeing anyone. This is the real reason she called him, and she is not revealing that. The chat about how he is taken, and so is she. Things get pretty awkward in this unit, which seems to be how the majority of their conversation is. This unit is ended when Angie enters Josh’s room.

5: Together Again

This unit begins with Angie entering Josh’s room. We finally see them interact. They talk about how their relationships aren’t as bad as they could be, and how they would be a bad couple. This unit ends when Josh says, “No. I guess not.”

6: Sweatpants

This unit begins with Angie saying, “That’s not what I meant…” They talk a bit about why Josh got back together with his girl friend and why they didn’t work. This is a very small unit.

7: Dancing in the Moonlight This unit begins with Josh taking Angie’s hand and asking her about a song they danced to. They reminisce on the time they danced to that song while the dance on stage. They dance and talk, and eventually they kiss. They continue to dance and kiss and talk until Josh ignores Angie’s question to think about Star Trek.

9: So a Deaf guy walks into a Star Trek convention…

This unit is all about Josh and his Star Trek convention… or is it? His little anecdote shows how he feels about him and Angie. He talks about how the show gave him hope. Angie tries to get Josh to believe that she always liked his hopefulness. This unit ends when Josh turns his back on Angie.

10: Fantasy vs. Reality

This last unit begins with Josh saying he has a test in the morning and has to go. In this unit they talk about the fantasy of being together without really saying it. They say their goodbyes, and say that they will talk later. This unit ends the play.

Character Analysis:

Angie, Late teens-Early twenties. She has a medium build, with long hair. Angie is an aspiring writer. She was in college, but dropped out to become more serious with her career, but ended up with a crappy job. She puts up a hard front, pretending and telling other people that she doesn’t want a long relationship, but longs for something to happen with Josh. She’s a typical commitment phoebe. Angie likes to make people think that she is always the one who cares the least, so that she doesn’t get hurt. She dresses the part of an aspiring writer; skinny jeans, flow-y shirt, very hipster. Josh, Late teens-Early twenties. Josh is a tall typical college-aged guy. He has an on- again-off-again relationship with his high school girl friend. Despite this, Angie would describe him as “Mr. Marriage.” He has the American Dream of settling down with someone and having a family. He tries hard to be a good guy. Josh tends to wear his heart on his sleeve. He’s a bit nerdy; he loves Star Trek.

Language:

The language of this play sounds like very typical. Nothing suggests that they speak with a certain dialect. Angie might sound a bit more refined since she is an aspiring writer, but nothing extreme.

Ground Plan:

AUDIENCE

The floor plan for Heart of Hearing is pretty simple for my production. I wanted the

Core Action to come through in my ground plan, by having their rooms connected in stead of making them far away on the stage. The two characters want to reconnect with each other, and I wanted to show that. Both characters will have a bed, bedside table that hold their phone (indicated by red shapes), and a dresser in their rooms.

They both have doors to their rooms at the top of the set, but I do not think I will have a physical door. Nothing will physically separate their rooms because they enter each other’s spaces during the play. Ideally, the wall colors and flooring would be different in both rooms, but in my production we will not have the means to do that. Props will be strewn around to help differentiate the spaces. Angie will have clothes and shoes lying around her space. She also has papers and notebooks on her bed. I would assume that she would also have a radio in her room, since this is the

1990’s. Josh’s room is cleaner, his shoes are lined up next to his dresser, and he has freshly cleaned clothes folded in a laundry basket on his bed. The downstage area is pretty clear for them to pace as they speak on the phone. I wanted the set to be simple because the script is very interesting, and I do not want to take away from it.

Sound:

The only sounds that are called for in the script are a telephone ringing, and an answering machine with Josh’s voice. I would maybe have some late 1990’s music playing in the background as if it were coming from a radio in Angie’s room.

Environment and Style:

This play is set in 1999 in two cities. One is a college town where Josh is enrolled in school, the other is a busy city where Angie moved to become a serious writer. The apartments are pretty typical of people in their 20’s. The world of these people is full of real life problems, but they seem to live in a fantasy by thinking that they could really reconnect and be together again. Their world is run by hope.