Degree Type
Honors Capstone Project
Date of Submission
Spring 5-1-2014
Capstone Major
Television-Radio-Film
Capstone College
Public Communications
Audio/Visual Component
no
Capstone Prize Winner
no
Won Capstone Funding
no
Honors Categories
Creative
Subject Categories
Creative Writing | Fiction | Film and Media Studies | Playwriting | Radio | Television
Abstract
Elsie is a 57 page, one-hour screenplay. A modern adaptation of a true story, Elsie tells the tale of Elsie Whitman, a young housewife unhappy in her marriage and looking for a way out. When her estranged sister arrives, she finally finds the strength to do the unthinkable.
Our story opens with the arrival of Elsie's sister, Marianne, and the departure of her husband, John. Alone in the house together, the sisters relationship grows complex. Marianne begins to see Peter, a young man with a mysterious past. However, when Elsie is wronged by John, she jumps into bed with Peter.
The interweaving plot comes to a close as Elsie and Marianne finally decide to take matters into their own hands. The story explores the theme of women's independence in a modern world. While women’s equality has progressed drastically in the last 50 years, major disparities still exist, especially in the way media portrays gender norms.
Elsie seeks to engage in this discussion by portraying strong, modern women in oppressive situations and by deviating from traditional gender portrayals in modern media.
Recommended Citation
Spath, Eileen M., "Elsie: A Screenplay" (2014). Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All. 719.
https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/719
Final Screen Play
Elsie Reflective Essay Works.docx (32 kB)
Reflective Essay
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Included in
Fiction Commons, Film and Media Studies Commons, Playwriting Commons, Radio Commons, Television Commons