Date of Defense

4-18-2025

Date of Graduation

4-2025

Department

Communication

First Advisor

Becky Cooper

Second Advisor

Steve Feffer

Abstract

This thesis explores the creative adaptation of an original young adult novel into a two-part television screenplay. The story follows Bobbi, a sixteen-year-old girl who is institutionalized after a mental health crisis, as she navigates grief, trauma, and recovery through a voice that is sharp, self-aware, and darkly humorous.

The project consists of eight chapters of prose, totaling 36 pages, and two screenplay episodes comprising 87 pages. The work focuses on how character, tone, and internal voice shift between novel and screen formats. Key themes include mental health, loss, identity, and the use of humor as a survival mechanism. The narrative intentionally avoids familiar tropes in young adult fiction, portraying recovery as a slow, nonlinear process and centering emotional honesty over resolution.

As part of the adaptation, original techniques were developed to preserve the protagonist’s internal monologue. A character named Better Bobbi was introduced in the screenplay as a hallucinated version of the protagonist, giving form to her internal thoughts without relying on traditional voiceover. Dream sequences were also used to translate abstract emotional states into visual scenes, allowing the screenplay to explore grief, guilt, and dissociation in a stylized way.

To bring the script to life, selected scenes were recorded using voice performances by classmates from the playwriting program. These recordings helped evaluate the screenplay’s tone, dialogue, and rhythm, and formed a key component of the thesis presentation. Hearing the work aloud provided insight into how the story functions when performed, as opposed to read.

This thesis is both a written and performed piece, combining elements of prose fiction, screenwriting, and audio storytelling. It investigates the creative possibilities of cross-medium adaptation while aiming to portray mental health with complexity, authenticity, and narrative depth.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Open Access

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