12 Guideposts to Auditioning/Acting Proof Scene

1. Relationship

Catherine always kind of liked Hal. He was around a lot when he was working with her dad. Because

of his relationship with her dad, she trusted him. Her dad trusted him as they worked closely

together. Hal is the only person she felt that she could share her proof with. She opened herself up

to him (emotionally, physically and intellectually) because she felt like he understood her. She

thinks she might love him. But now that hes questioning her, she feels betrayed. It hurts her so

badly because he was the only person in the entire world that she thought would believe her and

instead he sided with Claire. She thought he would be the one to give her a new reason to live but

instead he is essentially calling her a liar. Now it seems like she is alone again.

2. Conflict

Catherine wants Hal to believe that she wrote the proof. But more than this, she wants him to

confirm to her that she isnt going crazy. The fact that he doesnt believe that she wrote it means

that he thinks shes either lying or that shes not all there mentally. She desperately insists that she

did write it, tries to appeal to his sense of reason, begs him not to take it, accuses him of taking it for

his own gain, and insults his intelligence.

3. The Moment Before

For my moment before I want to explore something that happened to me recently a time when I

had to try and convince someone that I was telling the truth. On my last birthday, I went out with

one of my closest friends who I had romantic feelings for. He had been acting strangely the whole

evening and ended up getting very drunk. He got so drunk that he was thrown out of the bar. He

didnt have a phone and I became frantically worried looking for him. I found him round the corner

in a restaurant he used to work in. I told the staff there what had happened and they were shocked.

His behaviour caused us to get thrown out of the restaurant. After this, he pulled me to the side and
accused me of lying about what happened and embarrassing him in front of his old colleagues. He

was convinced that he had told me where he was going and that hed only been gone for five

minutes, when in fact hed been missing for half an hour. I was desperately trying to convince him

that I hadnt been trying to embarrass him, Id just been telling them what had happened. After this,

he told me that I had ruined the whole evening and told me Id better apologise. I became angry at

him because hed ruined it, not me, and we started fighting in the street. I couldnt believe that

someone I was so close with could treat me this way. I was angry and very upset because he

wouldnt believe me when I told him I hadnt intentionally tried to embarrass him.

4. Humour

There is humour in these lines of Catherines: You want to test the handwriting? and Just because

you and the rest of the geeks worshipped him doesnt mean he wrote this proof, Hal!

5. Opposites

Catherine is so upset with Hal because she loves him and she feels betrayed that he does not trust

her when she trusted him. She is angry and upset with him because she has such strong feelings for

him.

6. Discoveries

Catherine discovers that she cant trust anyone. The only person she opened up to has betrayed

her. She has found that putting her heart on the line and trusting Hal has only led to her being

heartbroken. The reason it hurts this badly is because he was the only person apart from her dad

that she has ever trusted this much. Hal was the first person she let herself be vulnerable with and

this has proven to her that not only can she not trust other people she also cannot trust her own

instincts. She thought he was special, but he wasnt.

 7. Communication and Competition

Communication:

Catherine is trying to communicate with Hal that shes not lying and that shes not crazy. She is

trying to make him understand that she is a capable mathematician and that even though it looks

like her dads handwriting, it is indeed hers. His insistence that she is not capable enough, and that

it looks like her dads handwriting makes her feel like he thinks she is either lying or that shes crazy.

Shes trying to communicate that shes neither.

Competition:

Catherine is competing with Hal to prove that she is in the right that she wrote the proof and that

she is not lying.

8. Importance

This is important to Catherine because not only is she trying to prove that she wrote the proof, she is

also trying to prove that she is not crazy. Shes not only trying to prove this to Hal (and Claire), but

also to herself. She is terrified that she will go down the same path as her father.

9. Find The Event

The event is that Hal is accusing Catherine of lying about the proof. This conflict is important as it

changes Catherines opinion of Hal. A change occurs when Catherine believes, rather than Hal

simply not believing her, that he wants to use the proof for his own gain. Another change occurs

when she asks Hal if she was wrong to trust him, as it shows her vulnerability. Another change is

when she begins insulting him, as she is so hurt by his actions that she resorts to hurting him back in

an almost juvenile way.

 10. Place

This takes place on the back porch of Catherines house. It is a place she has lived in all her life,

where she feels most comfortable. This is important as now that her dad has died, she feels like

people are coming into her environment and making her uncomfortable by accusing her of lying, or

by questioning her sanity and ability to look after herself.

11. Game Playing and Role Playing

The game here is to convince Hal that I am telling the truth. The role I assume in order to best play is

his lover and I am imploring him to believe me. When this does not work, I am hurt and resort to

petty insults.

12. Mystery and Secret

Catherine wonders whether or not she is loveable. Does Hal like her simply because of her fathers

brilliance? Is he pretending to like her for his own gain? Or does he truly see something special in

her? She does not see anything special in herself and she is scared that no one will ever love her.