It’s good to care deeply about the work that you do.
In the drama scene from the one-act eplay The Bear, Tiffany talks to her teacher Mr. Vance about how she can’t seem to focus on her studies.
MR. VANCE: It’s good to care deeply about the work that you do. (beat) Can you recall what made you want to think about astronomy?
TIFFANY: It’s the mystery of the unknown. There’s this sense of so many things yet to be discovered.
MR. VANCE: Is it possible to point to a single episode from your life that made you realize that exploring astrophysics was what you imagined yourself doing?
TIFFANY: Hmmm, I don’t know…my father played a big part in my life when it comes to space…he would always give me books to read by Ray Bradbury, Asimov, Philip K. Dick, or Arthur C. Clarke…the list goes on, and I would read all of them. I’d get these cheap comic books at the local 7-Eleven, and I’d imagine myself playing a part in the story. It must have been an accumulation of everything all together, like it just became my existence… No, I can’t put my finger on any one thing that happened; all I could say is that I kind of just grew up with studies of the universe and quantum physics all around me.
MR. VANCE: What does your father do?
TIFFANY: My father was a sanitation worker… He was killed on the job…hit by a car, and, well, the insurance policy is what partially allows me to come to this school to study.
MR. VANCE: …I’m terribly sorry to hear that. Sounds to me like he was an intelligent, hardworking person.
TIFFANY: He was special.
MR. VANCE: Yes, I believe he was. I must say that motivation doesn’t seem to be your problem. You have enough motivation to get to Mars.
(Tiffany laughs.)
MR. VANCE: Listen, now that I am aware of your situation, if there is anything I could do to help you along, if you need an extension here or there, just talk to me. You have my support.
TIFANY: I hope you don’t look at me differently.
MR. VANCE: Not at all. In fact, I credit your courage and willingness to talk to me.
TIFFANY: I don’t want to fail.
MR. VANCE: Failure is part of the process, Tiffany.
TIFFANY: It’s hard to believe that.
MR. VANCE: I cannot convince you one way or the other because that would not be fair. It must come from you. This is your life, but please note that failure is part of success.
You need to accept that failure is what we specialize in, because without it, we will never make such fantastic discoveries. It’s the probing, the curiosity, the experiments…they all lead to possibility.
TIFFANY: What if I fail my whole life? What if I never get to where I want to be?
MR. VANCE: We’ve already diagnosed the problem, have we not?
TIFFANY: Yes.
MR. VANCE: Therefore, by developing the right solutions and strategies to combat those problems, you will persevere. You can only do one thing at a time, yes?
TIFFANY: Yes.
MR. VANCE: There is a time and place to go to work, yes?
TIFFANY: Yes.
MR. VANCE: There is a time and place to help take care of your sister, yes?
TIFFANY: Yes.
MR. VANCE: There must be a time and place for you to focus solely on your studies…yes?
TIFFANY: Yes.
MR. VANCE: Do you have a physical place to work in for your studies?
TIFFANY: No, I work when I can in between things.
MR. VANCE: Ah. So! You need to find that space. The school library, for one. Find your space and own it. A place that is quiet, inviting, and allows you to concentrate. Make it your domain. Time and place, Tiffany, time and place.
- To read the full one-act ePlay, find purchase link below:
In this one-act play, Tiffany talks with her teacher to try and gain clarity on the stresses she has in her creative work.
