SCRIPT BREAKDOWN
Summary
Water by the Spoonful is a dramatic play centered on Elliot, an Iraq War Marine veteran. Due to an injury sustained in war he was honorably discharged, however, he still suffers physically (limps) and psychologically (PTSD) from his time in service. Through the course of this play we observe how Elliot has been affected by his PTSD as well as the loss of his closest relative, Aunt Ginny that reared him. It becomes a delicate balance struggling with grief and PTSD. We also observe the strong contrast of his relationship with his biological mother, Odessa. As well as a enriched relationship develop between him and his cousin Yaz, as she becomes the matriarch of the family.
Odessa, Elliot's biological mother, is a recovering addict. Her responsibility to an addiction recovery chatroom helps her keep her sobriety. Within the chatroom she has developed into a matriarchal figure, and encourage the best from others. It is within her online life that she sees her value. It is with this value she makes a strong effort to remain clean.
The conflict rises when these two worlds collide. While meeting Fountainhead (John) in person at a diner, Elliot and Yaz come to collect money for Ginny's funeral. During this scene, through a series of emotional attacks, Elliot lashes out on Odessa. Ultimately, this leaves both of their worlds in some level of disarray. For Elliot, this conflict makes him more brutal towards his mother, but eventually allows him to overcome his hindering demons. The collision is more detrimental to Odessa, she ends up relapsing to the point of overdose.
Fountainhead (John) becomes, to a certain extent, Odessa's caretaker. Yaz also claims a more matriarchal position within the real world as well as online. She exudes the most sympathy and compassion for Odessa.
At the end of the play we see John bathing Odessa while Elliot and Yaz discuss their future. Elliot describes his plan of relocating to California and Yaz describes her plans for becoming the more matriarchal figure. It is eluded that Odessa is left to begin her recovery.
Odessa, Elliot's biological mother, is a recovering addict. Her responsibility to an addiction recovery chatroom helps her keep her sobriety. Within the chatroom she has developed into a matriarchal figure, and encourage the best from others. It is within her online life that she sees her value. It is with this value she makes a strong effort to remain clean.
The conflict rises when these two worlds collide. While meeting Fountainhead (John) in person at a diner, Elliot and Yaz come to collect money for Ginny's funeral. During this scene, through a series of emotional attacks, Elliot lashes out on Odessa. Ultimately, this leaves both of their worlds in some level of disarray. For Elliot, this conflict makes him more brutal towards his mother, but eventually allows him to overcome his hindering demons. The collision is more detrimental to Odessa, she ends up relapsing to the point of overdose.
Fountainhead (John) becomes, to a certain extent, Odessa's caretaker. Yaz also claims a more matriarchal position within the real world as well as online. She exudes the most sympathy and compassion for Odessa.
At the end of the play we see John bathing Odessa while Elliot and Yaz discuss their future. Elliot describes his plan of relocating to California and Yaz describes her plans for becoming the more matriarchal figure. It is eluded that Odessa is left to begin her recovery.
Scene by sceneA complete breakdown of each scene, the location, characters, and synopsis.
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CharactersA detailed character description for each character.
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LocationsThere are several locations throughout the play. Scenes are set at several locations, and there are a lot of places only mentioned. This map marks both.
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