Westminster College senior Madyson Treharne is using comedy to challenge traditional portrayals of women on screen—creating characters who are unapologetically loud, flawed and fiercely loyal. 

Treharne, a creative media production and English literature major from Burton, Ohio, recently earned international recognition as a Top 10 finalist in the Best Student Screenplay category at the Indie and International Film and Screenplay Festival, part of the Ardélion European Film Association in Graz, Austria. Her original television comedy, “Bad Habits,” pushes back against sanitized depictions of women and explores faith, freedom and identity through an unconventional lens. 

Developed under the guidance of communications faculty member Bradley Weaver, the half-hour pilot follows a group of unruly nuns who escape their mandatory convent retreat for one adventurous evening, forcing them to confront what devotion means to them — and how holiness translates through the lens of being human. 

“As a female writer, I created ‘Bad Habits’ to push back against the narrow, sanitized way women are expected to speak, behave and relate to one another on screen,” said Treharne. “The show embraces women who joke without apology, bond through vulgarity as much as vulnerability and exist beyond the expectation of likability. It’s about reclaiming comedic freedom for female characters and allowing them the same range, messiness and irreverence long afforded to male characters.” 

Treharne said submitting her work to festivals proved well worth the risk of rejection. Advancing to finalist status placed her screenplay among the top student submissions selected by the festival’s judges and provided an opportunity to showcase her work on an international stage. 

In addition to submitting “Bad Habits” to more festivals, Treharne hopes to see the project professionally produced for wider distribution. Her long-term goal is to sell the script and serve as showrunner. 

“Being named a finalist and recognized internationally for my screenplay—which I wrote as an ode to my mother’s vocation as a nurse in a convent—strengthened my confidence in my creative vision,” she said. Treharne has outlined additional storylines for future episodes. 

The pilot was developed over a two-month preproduction schedule and produced by Treharne from script to screen. The episode was created with a 22-person crew and a seven-member ensemble cast. She maximized a limited budget by securing cost-free locations through institutional partnerships, leveraging equipment rentals and relying on professional networks. The team completed principal photography over an accelerated four-day shooting schedule. With support from Westminster’s Drinko Grant and supplemental crowdfunding, the pilot achieved production value at just over 7% of the industry standard. 

Treharne said her writing was shaped by years of watching comedies in which women were often cast as moral anchors or supporting characters rather than the source of chaos and humor. Drawing from her experience attending an all-girls Catholic high school, she said the nuns who taught her were among the funniest and most unexpectedly rebellious women she had known—an influence that helped shape the spirit of “Bad Habits.” 

“I wanted to write about the women I know—women who are loud, flawed and fiercely loyal without softening their edges,” Treharne said. “Faith isn’t about constraint. It’s about humanity, humor and honesty.”

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By Kristen Aleprete
Kristen Aleprete is a staff writer in Westminster College’s Office of Marketing and Communication. 

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