Script File
Grief: A Comedy
Cammie's first day back to "normal" after bereavement leave is anything but as she dodges well-intentioned fumbles -- and outright failures -- to connect with someone in mourning. Grief can be a funny thing.
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Kathleen WallaceWriterSettling Up, The Evagelists
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Nancy NagrantProducerMiracle Baby, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Fractal
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Project Type:Short Script
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Number of Pages:8
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Country of Origin:United States
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Language:English
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First-time Screenwriter:No
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Student Project:No
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Digital Cinema Package:Unavailable
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Clutch Productions EmpowHER Reading SeriesNew York, NY
October 22, 2022
Selected
Kathleen Wallace believes to the core of her being that stories shape – and can change – our world. As a storyteller, her work spans both the entertainment and corporate worlds. She began as an actress, moved into writing and producing, and relatively recently moved into short-form narrative and educational videos. Her series SETTLING UP – her first writing for on-camera – is available on Amazon. Her feminist comedy series THE EVAGELISTS about evangelists for feminism was a finalist in the 2015 Raindance Pilot Competition and won a 2020 Made In NY Women’s Fund grant. She also managed video production for the Center for HIV Educational Studies and Training where she worked on projects like a queer sex ed series. Favorite acting roles include Amanda in PRIVATE LIVES (Walnut Street Theatre), Maud and Lin in CLOUD NINE (Denver Center), and Catherine in PROOF (Northern Stage). She brings storytelling into the corporate world through the leadership communications company SNP Communications and has taught storytelling for the Yale Alumni Association. She holds fancy degrees from Yale and The National Theatre Conservatory, and certificates from other hallowed halls like the University of Freiberg, Germany. kathleenwallace.com
GRIEF: A COMEDY was born of personal experience, then refined and developed in the face of pressing social needs.
When Kathleen’s father died, it felt like the tectonic plates of the world shifted. Her world was irrevocably and fundamentally changed, but the deep shift was invisible and/or incomprehensible to most people. This led to spectacularly awkward - yet funny - interactions as well as the realization that our society neither makes the space for nor has the language to discuss grief.
This short looks at the twin dilemmas of how to exist in the world while mourning and how to support those processing loss. It can serve as a catalyst to conversations about loss and mourning, supplying those grieving a needed laugh of recognition, a light-hearted moment of knowing they’re not alone in their mourning experience, and/or a moment of healing.
It’s a tricky balance - making a short about grief that is poignant without being maudlin and funny without being dismissive - and this team is uniquely positioned to find that balance. Collectively, we bring the comedy with work on such projects as The Evagelists and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, the sensitivity that comes with a degree in Religious Studies and Ethnicity, Race, and Migration, and the lived experience to ground the piece in authenticity.
