Why "20 August" Should be Staged
Though, you know, film would be good too
I have a piece titled 20 August that exists in both screenplay and stage play formats. It has done well in screenwriting competitions, going so far as to be nominated for “Best Role Written for a Leading Man” in Fresh Voices a few years ago. The script reader pictured Joseph Gordon-Levitt in said role, though now—given that the story is about four 20-somethings trying to get their adult lives going—we’d probably look to Tom Holland or Timothée Chalamet instead. Which would be so cool. And yet, I think 20 August in its stage form would have more impact, and here’s why.
20 August centers on four post-undergrad characters, and it’s told from Dixon’s point of view. He’s a wannabe author who ostensibly spends his days as a creative genius in the apartment his parents pay for. He has a “girlfriend” named Charlotte who is a real go-getter in the business world; she’s aiming for the top and to have it all, and Dixon is really just along for the ride, more taking the path of least resistance against Charlotte’s force-of-nature being. Then there is Meghan, a sweet and quiet librarian who sees the best in everyone. And finally, there is Lucky, the college dropout, still living with his parents and having seemingly no ambition or momentum in life. Though he’s perfectly happy not to hustle, everyone keeps telling him he should do something with his life, to the point of Charlotte nagging him and getting him an interview with her company.
The point of the stage version of 20 August is blind casting. And that’s because I feel like different ethnicities in the roles force us to confront biases we have about those cultures. For example, if Charlotte is a white woman, she’s either ambitious or a Karen. But what if she’s Black? Will the audience then see her as “aggressive” and/or “angry”? If she’s Asian, is she a “dragon”?
The same is true of Lucky. A white guy loser is one thing. But if Lucky is Black, how does that change the audience’s point of view? If he’s Asian, is he even more of a loser for failing to live up to the perception of Asians as hard working?
An interesting staging of the play might have the characters change over the course of the show, scene by scene, forcing the audience to face the impact.
What I love about live theatre is that it is live, changing minute to minute. You never see the same performance twice, even in the same run of a show. Film is wonderful—I’ve worked on film sets and loved it—but the result is something static. Permanent, yes, and in some cases definitive. And sometimes we want that. But for a piece like 20 August, the ability to change the cast gives it additional depth, adds layers.
I’m proud of this work, both the screen and stage versions. I’d be happy for anyone to produce it in [almost] whatever way they saw fit. But I’d especially be interested in how a theater director might cast it.
You can find the stage version in the collection Lost Pieces & Things with No Place.