boy named Evan Taylor lives in an orphanage, all the while believing that his parents are alive. He believes the music that he hears all around him is his parents communicating with him. He meets a counselor, Richard Jeffries, of the New York Child Services Department. Evan tells him he does not want to be adopted, because he believes his parents are still alive and will come to collect him eventually.
Through a series of flashbacks, his parents are revealed to be named Lyla Novacek, a famous concert cellist, and Louis Connelly, an Irish guitarist and lead singer of a rock band, who spent one romantic night together and don't see each other for a long period of time. Lyla became pregnant, which her father did not approve of, instead wanting Lyla to have a successful career without the obstacle of a child. After an argument with her father, Lyla ran out of a restaurant and was hit by a car. While in hospital, she gave birth to a son. Afterwards, she was told by her father that her child "was gone", unaware that he had actually been delivered successfully and then been sent to an orphanage by her father.
Evan has a strong faith that as long as he follows the music he hears and reacts to it, he will have a chance to be found by his parents. He makes his way to New York City, where he is taken in by a man known as "Wizard"who houses various orphans and runaways, employing them to play music on the streets and taking a large cut of their tips. Wizard enlists him and gives him the name "August Rush", convincing him he will be sent back to the orphanage if his real name is ever discovered.
Lyla only discovers that her son is alive when her father, knowing that he is dying, confesses what actually happened. Lyla immediately sets out to New York to look for her 11-year-old son.
A work he composes is chosen to be performed by the New York Philharmonic in Central Park, but Wizard barges into a rehearsal, and Evan reluctantly follows him back to his life of performing music on the streets. Meanwhile, Lyla has discovered Evan's identity and has decided to stay in New York while searching for her son. While there, she decides to resume her cello career. She is then chosen to play in the same concert, which features Evan's piece. Louis, has a chance meeting with Evan in Washington Square Park and they play music together, although neither knows who the other is.
The night of the concert, Evan finally chooses to run from Wizard in favor of performing at his concert. In the meantime, Louis races to the park when he sees Evan's pseudonym along with Lyla's name on a sign billing the concert. Evan conducts his piece, and at its conclusion, he turns around to see Lyla and Louis standing hand in hand, and he finally makes the connection that they are his parents.
Links to my play August rush links to my play as it shows the disconnected and distant relationship with the boy’s father. This links to my character of Chris who doesn’t want anything to do with Jade and her babies. He is only around long enough to find out she is pregnant, he is selfish and self-centred which links the character of Louis in August Rush.
This play helped me with the development of the character of Chris and helped me imagine how a 19 year old would behave when confronted with his pregnant girlfriend.
The film also shows the strong relationship the mother has with her child even though they are apart. The character of Lyla links to my character Jade in that she cares deeply for her babies and won’t give them up.
This film showed me a devoted mother and son relationship and a disenchanted father and son relationship and the disastrous relationship between the parents.
This scenario is similar to my okay and helped me to develop characters.
