Dustin Graham Whitehead
by Dustin Graham Whitehead
(Chicago, IL)
Dustin Whitehead
(321) 266-8542
whiteheaddustin( at )gmail.com
Writing Experience:
24 Hour Play Festival -- Depaul University 2009
10 Minute Play Festival -- Depaul University 2009
Campus Movie Festival -- Depaul University 2009
UNO Writing Contest for Study Abroad -- 2009
Training:
B.F.A., Theater 2006 (Jacksonville University)
M.F.A., Acting 2010 (the Theatre School, DePaul University)
Writing- Carlos Murillo, Mike Repicci
Acting- Dexter Bullard, Jane Brody, Catherine Weidner, Trudie Kessler, Nick Jon, Deborah Jordan
Voice- Phil Timberlake, Phyllis Griffin, Claudia Anderson
Movement- Betsy Hamilton, Patrice Egleston, Natalie Turner-Jones
Combat- Nick Sandys, Chuck Coyle, D.C. Wright, Stephen James Anderson, Jamie Stires
SKILLS- Multiple dialects, some guitar, hand drumming, juggling sticks, some Spanish, fake lazy eye, basketball, football, soccer, baseball, lacrosse, pool, ping pong, tennis, volleyball, swimming, surfing, skateboarding, rollerblading, biking, running, snowboarding, skiing, Indo boarding, water skiing, sailing, cooking, sewing, free style rap, beat boxing, hip hop dance.
Writing Example: (From the DePaul 24 Hour Play Festival)
Pierre and the Sun
By Dustin Graham Whitehead
Silence
Lights
An innocent little girl sits on stage
She is participating in a staring contest with her bobbing-head stuffed animal Pierre
After a few moments the music starts
As the music gets more intense, the competition also grows in intensity
She struggles to keep from blinking
The music fades
She can’t contain it anymore
She blinks
Little Girl-- Damnit!
Blackout.
Lights
A woman sits on a park bench drinking a can of Coca-Cola Classic
A man is nearby reading a newspaper
She takes a sip of the soda and as a reaction makes the sound that the first sip of Coke often causes.
He hears and turns to look
He smiles
She smiles
Blackout
Lights
A man wearing a suit
Opening a McDonalds cheeseburger
Notices that they didn’t give it to him plain like he wanted
Looks at the burger in disgust
Gives the man behind the counter a “look”
Begins to say something, and just can’t
Looks at the burger, looks at the man behind the counter, and again holds his tongue
This happens a couple more times, then….
Man—AHHHHH!
Throws the burger and gives the man behind the counter a blank stare.
Blackout.
Woman sits reading a magazine on a park bench
Man sits near by
He peeling a banana
She notices him and his banana
Woman-- Excuse me….
Man-- Yes.
Woman-- Did you know…. Um….
Man-- …. Yes? (he laughs slightly)
Woman-- (she laughs sightly) Well…. Did you know that all bananas split evenly down the middle in to three parts
Man-- ya?
Woman-- Sure, I’ll show u….
She shows him
He smiles
She smiles
Blackout
Lights
Woman looks at the audience
To the audience
Woman- Hey, how are you?
Waits for a response
Woman- I don’t understand communication today. What is wrong with people? We avoid eye contact and then when it happens by accident we say things like, “hey, how are you?” How are you?!? What does that mean, how are you. I know what it means it means, “oops, I didn’t mean to make eye contact with you, but I did so I guess I’ll say something. I can’t just say nothing…. so I’ll say, how are you. And then I won’t wait for a real response because god forbid we actually be present for five seconds and communicate with each other. Whatever.
So then if I wait for a response what is it usually?
Waits for a response
Woman- Let’s try…. (she picks an audience member) How are you?
The audience member probably says “good” or something close to that like “well” or “fine” depending. In the rare occurrence that someone says “fine” or “well”, just substitute that word for “good” in the next section.
Woman- Good?! What does that mean, good? ….
Assuming that I really care after I accidently make eye contact with you and then fumbly ask you how you are, what the heck does “good” mean? If I really want to know then I don’t want to hear you say good. It is fake, and most of the time, not true…. Don’t get upset, you’re not alone. Everyone says something boring when asked this question
But when I ask, I want to know the truth. That, deep down truth, that a question like “how are you doing” requests. Like, you wish you were in another universe fighting wizards with star power, or you want to crawl inside yourself and see what a snail feels like, or you feel like having sex in the park where everyone can see it. I think that we as people owe it to ourselves to speak truthfully when someone asks us how we are doing. I don’t know. Maybe I’m crazy….
But, next time someone asks you how you are doing, think a little bit before answering, you know?
Directed to the same audience member as before
So, how are you doing?
Blackout
Man is on his cell phone
Holding a bill
Man— English….
What?.... I said English
Breaths impatiently.
Man- English.
English. English! Are you kidding me!
Ok..ok….
Listening to his choices.
Frustrated, he pulls out an orange and squeezes it to calm himself down
Man- Two…. Oh shit…
No no… Go back…. Ya ya go back.
Okay… billing… what?..... billing……
…….. oh my god….. no no go back…..
Billing….. What ….. English!
Operator. ….. I’d like to speak with an operator.
Obnoxiously articulating
I would Liikkkke to speeeeaaak with an operaaaatooor.
What… Operator… an operator… a real human being!
An operator!!!!!!!!!!
Blackout
Bench in the park
Woman sits reading her magazine
Banana peel on the edge of the bench
Man is standing
Stretching and staring in to the distance
Man—do you think, um….
Woman—( she laughs slightly) Huh?...
Man—(he laughs slightly) Huh…
Woman—do I think what?....
Man—well, do u think, I mean, how much do you think those pilots get paid?
Woman-- I don’t know…. Mellow job huh
Man— ya…. mellow job
Woman-- Congratulations Martha and Steve!
Man— Ya, congrats Marsha and Steve.
He smiles
She smiles
Blackout
Lights
Woman makes a phone call
Woman— Hello, I was just calling about…. Ya, I’ll hold, but I just wanted to…. Ok.
She waits
Music on the phone annoys her
Holds away from her ear
She fiddles with something in her pocket
Woman- Oh yes, you can transfer me but…rrrrrr!
She takes a string of grapes out of her pockets and picks one off
She then pulls out a plastic knife and peels the grape
This calms down her frustration
She waits
Woman- Hello, yes….. no no I can’t…..rrrrrr!
She hangs up
Blackout
Lights
Man addresses the audience
Man- Hey, how you guys doing?
Wait, don’t answer that….
Anyone got a dream they’d like to share?...
Well, please don’t because I don’t want to hear it. Even if I’m in it…..
I hate when people tell me about their dreams. Why? because it is never interesting.
Why is it never interesting, because it didn’t freaking happen.
I think that people should respect the beautiful, sacred, exciting, moving, revealing, PRIVATE, occurrence that a dream is. I don’t want to hear that you walked into a garden that was filled with naked babies with chicken heads and found a door in the floor that looked like your grandmothers toe and took you on a carpet ride into a keg party that you went to four years ago with a guy named sis that I’ve never met. Ok?
Please, next time you have an amazing dream, share it with the mirror and see if you can stay awake all the way through it. Or better yet tell it to yourself when your lying in bed trying to go to sleep. You’ll kill two birds with one stone.
Sorry, was I mean just then….
Blackout
Park Bench
Woman-- Don’t you work over at the, uh….
Man—ya, ya and you’re across the street at the, um
Woman—ya, I…
Man—Ya, I knew that I knew you from somewhere… (he laughs slightly)
Woman—small world. (She laughs slightly)
Man—ya…. But it’s not….
Woman—huh…
Man—small… the worlds not…
Woman—ya, small… the worlds not small…
Man-- no…. but it’s nice
Woman—ya, it’s nice
She smiles
He smiles
Blackout
Lights
Woman is holding a salad
She walks up to the counter
She starts to speak and then stops
She picks through the salad
Woman— Excuse me what kind of dressing is this…
Excuse me ….
Excuse me …. Whatever…
She throws the salad
Blackout
Park bench
Man is standing
Folding his newspaper
Woman watches
Woman—are u, um….
Man—huh…
Woman—oh, nevermind…
Man—ya…
He starts to leave
She starts to say something and doesn’t
Man—are u, um….
Woman—huh—
Man—are u like, doing, um…
Woman—Sure, lets go….
Man—ya
Woman—ya
He smiles
She smiles
Man—Ya
Woman-- Ya
Lights
A young innocent boy stares at the sun
He pulls away and covers his eyes
He starts again and the music begins
He counts the seconds moving his lips with no volume
He stares as long as he can
It is hard
Staring at the sun
He pulls away
Boy-- Damnit
Music fades
Blackout
