SUSPENDED: a short film

Statement about the project, from Brooke:

I wrote SUSPENDED as a one-woman show for my senior thesis at Dartmouth. SUSPENDED became a space for me to work through my feelings about my brother, Brandon, who passed in 2015- the year that I started college. I had not really taken the time since starting college to reflect on all the ways that he impacted my life and what losing him meant. So, I began writing about everything that our relationship was, what I wished that it could have been, and all the things I wish that I had said. And the best part is that the show became so much more than a sad tribute to a dead sibling- it was a time capsule of hilarious, flawed and precious moments with ex-boyfriends, with my best friends, with my family, and with my brother.

This piece means a great deal to me, and working on this show since my senior year of college has allowed me to maintain a relationship with my brother. The month of October marks the 7-year anniversary of Brandon’s passing. There is not a day that goes by where I don’t think of him. The piece has become a wonderful way to honor him: for all of the greatest parts of our relationship and the not so great parts.

In the original show, I wrote:

“When someone dies, suddenly everything you ever say about them gets stored in this glass vault of precious items that you have to stare at forever, and can never take back, like a shrine, so everyone has to be really careful and nice from now on.”

But that is not what remembering and honoring someone means to me. Especially over time, I've realized that in order to remember someone after they’re gone, we have to recognize the good and the bad. There was plenty of both.

Now, my amazing director Jacqueline and I have reimagined this piece for the screen and created a script for SUSPENDED, the short film. We created a new version of the piece that encapsulates the complicated stages of a sibling relationship, even after the person is gone. One minute you’re obsessed with them, then you hate them, and then you wished you could’ve said a lot more. We’re excited to bring it to life and for you to see it!

Statement from the Director, Jacqueline:

Within the first 5 minutes of watching Brooke's one-woman show SUSPENDED, I knew I had to meet her. From her most embarrassing memories to her hardest moments, she made her audience laugh, cry, and then laugh some more. There are only a few shows and movies that I’ve seen that can do that so expertly. It’s Brooke’s honesty, resiliency, and vulnerability that made me want to adapt this remarkable show to screen.

In this short film, I hope to build on the world Brooke created with set design, lighting, sound, and actors. The tone will stay the same as the show – satirical yet honest. I will help create three distinct life stages and time periods that correctly depict the relationship between Brooke and her brother. Sometimes accurate and sometimes skewed to how Brooke remembers it. We will cast actors to play younger Brooke and Bryson and adult Bryson. We also hope to work with an actor who is diagnosed with Aspergers to accurately portray Brooke’s relationship.

SUSPENDED will speak to audiences across the world. This short is about grieving a loss of a sibling, a relationship, and the person you once were. I want to direct this short not only because of how much I love and believe in Brooke as a writer/actor, but because I know this short will bring comfort to anyone grieving the loss of a sibling or friend. No one should go through this type of grief alone, and I know Brooke will bring laughter to those in pain– just as she did for me.

What we need the money for…

This is where we need your help! Your donation will be going towards our hard-working crew, cast, set design, music, and equipment. We want to create the feel of three memories in Brooke’s life. Not only will your donation be an immense help in getting this project created, but it will also help a group of young artists grow in their careers.