The Morning After

It happened late one night at Wellesley College in the spring of 2010.

My roommate May-Elise paces our floor, contemplating how to attend the six conflicting engagements that she’s scheduled for the following day.  She’s little, blonde, and full of verve – can you see her pacing, worrying away a big hole in our floor?

Now cut to me.  I’m sitting on my pink and lime green bed, staring at my phone, waiting hopelessly for the boy I like to text me back.  I’m not as little, not as blonde, and just now I’m wearing my big Wellesley sweatshirt, almost ready to call it quits and go to bed.

And in the midst of her pacing, my roommate begins chanting to herself:

“I must say no,

I must say no!”

And in the same sing-song tempo, I chip in:

“Answer,

Answer!”

Laughter ensues. We sound like Henry Higgins and Colonel Pickering stressing out before Eliza’s ball in My Fair Lady. 

“We should write a song,” May-Elise says.

“We should write a musical!” I say—impulsively, insanely, impossibly…

Cut to today. We’re writing a musical.  Yes, we’re crazy.  We knew that the morning after, staring at each other over coffee mugs, still convinced that our sleep-deprived idea from the night before was something worth pursuing.  While our 3 a.m. brainstorming session produced many ridiculous plot devices, one theme followed us into daylight.

We wanted to write about the supportive, incredible sisterhood that we were lucky enough to find at Wellesley.  Our connection with the women around us has inspired us to dream beyond the restrictions of the “possible” and to strive toward the impossible.

We’ve struggled with the plot for a year, but I think we’re finally getting to a story that reflects our initial ideals:

It happens one night at an unnamed women’s college while life changing decisions loom over two seniors.  They have wildly different approaches to life, but four years after they were stuck together as freshman roommates, they’re still together—loving, supporting, and staying sane. But tonight the stress of indecision and broken dreams becomes too much, and their friendship begins to crack under the pressure.  Can their relationship survive the night?  Will they have the strength and guts to realize their most impossible dreams?

Well, yes. Let’s face it, we like happy endings.  But come along with us anyway while we figure out how to write and produce the musical that thrived in the morning sunshine.  I’m sure we have a few surprises left.

Wish us luck!

~Rhiannon