In 1998, just after arriving in Singapore, I wrote a play. I never tried to produce it so it’s been sitting on my hard drive waiting for me to get back to it. Finally, it’s seeing the glare of the CRT again. I’ve decided to take a shot at turning it into a screenplay.

Stage plays and screenplays are entirely different. Characters do a lot of talking in a play. Actors have to describe events that take place offstage. The audience at a distance can’t read their subtle expressions so they even talk to themselves from time to time. But in film, you can get close. The actors show their emotions instead of telling them.

Another difference is locations. My play takes place on one set. In the film version Annie and Fran eat lunch in a restaurant, instead of Annie’s apartment. Annie and Rob will argue have their argument in a car. Sean flashes back to an embarrassing moment in his childhood. Fran delivers flowers for a living, now you’ll get to see her do it.

It’s quite an interesting exercise to adapt from one form to another. One downside is that the budget increases with every change I make!