"Make a Movie" - An Acting Workshop for Teenagers

CHARACTER LIST
Mary - Quiet, reserved and artistic, Mary likes to be far, far away from the spot light. Independent and reliable, she's always there to help out when things go wrong. Mary wants to be a writer. She owns a little black diary and writes all her ideas and thoughts in it, escaping into another world full of drama and different characters. She lives with her single working mother so always comes home to an empty house, abiding by her mother's rules not to bring anyone over while she's not there.

Catherine "Cat" - Cat is an extravert and Mary's best friend. She's loud-mouthed, bossy and a complete control freak. People either like or hate her. She's out-spoken, but only because she's interested in so many things and how everything works. Cat aspires to rule the world and make it a better place.

Drew - Chatty, social and friendly, Drew is Mr. Popular. Everyone likes him. He's always around different people - guys think he's cool because he is straight forward and plays football while girls swoon because he's charming and listens to them. The only problem is that he's so sociable that it's hard to get him alone. And when he is, he doesn't really open himself up and puts the attention on the other person. This is because his confidence isn't really that great and he wants to please everyone.

Lenny - A technological wizz kid, and a pretty trendy guy, Lenny's a typical nice guy. He's a part-time DJ and loves mixing music. The only problem is, his grades are failing and his parents aren't too happy. He's also totally in love with Lizzie but Lizzie already has a boyfriend and doesn't even know he exists. He's quiet and unassuming but very creative.

Joe - A comedian in the making, life is a joke and a few laughs with Joe. He likes to have a good time and sees the best in everyone. People mistake him for being a bit stupid, but he's far from it. In fact, he's wants to be a doctor.

Lizzie - Born to be a star, Lizzie lives in the limelight. She adores attention and is very good at attracting an audience. Very much like Cat, people either love or hate her but Lizzie thinks that it's only because they're jealous of her intelligence and beauty. She is very business savy and is happy just as long as she's in the lead and gets credit for anything. She also has a boyfriend a few years older (which she reminds everyone about) and dislikes Cat. They have had a rivalry since they started school.

Jessica - Friendly and out-going, Jessica is a budding reporter. Her dream is to read for the news and takes it very seriously. However, Jessica isn't very graceful and her clumsiness tends to be her downfall. Plus she is a bit of a scatter-brain. She's not stupid, but mixes things up because of her disorganized nature.

Tomalia "Tommy" - She's the first girl on the school's football team, loves the sport and is really good at it. The thing is, she's still very girly, loves dressing up and make-up. She jokes around with the boys and is very easy going.

THE STORY

Mary comes home to her empty house and goes through her usual routine of emptying her bags and putting her diary on the table to write her stories. Knowing that her mother doesn't like her bringing her friends over when she's not there, Mary is surprised when Cat arrives, complaining about Lizzie and the worst day she had because of her.
The phone rings and Mary knows it her mother checking up on her. While Mary answers the phone, Cat sees the diary and thinking that it's just a normal note-book, begins to read it. She sees that it's a collection of stories that Mary is writing and this gives Cat an idea. When Mary comes back, she isn't happy that Cat is reading her notebook but Cat pounces and says that they could turn her writing into a soap opera. Maybe a network might buy it. Mary likes the idea but knows it wouldn't work. She thinks her work isn't that good. Cat still thinks that it's a good idea and gets Mary to think about it a bit more.
After school the next day, Cat visits her again - this time with Jessica in tow. With the home video camera rolling they talk Mary into agreeing to make a TV show based on her stories. And they have proof of the agreement on tape. As soon as Mary agrees, Drew, Tommy, Lenny, Joe and Lizzi arrive. They're the actors Cat has organised to be in the production.

But, everyone has their own ideas on how they should act and what they should do. It is suggested that Mary's interviewed agreement could be the beginning of a documentary on the making of their show. Ideas come thick and fast. Chaos breaks out. Mary begins to wonder what she has got herself into. No one is listening to her and everyone seems to have their own problems. More importantly - how is she going to get rid of everyone by the time her mum gets home?

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