8th December 2008 – Platform THEATRE503
The best new writing of complete short plays from the current writers’ group as selected by Theatre503:
Producer: Gina Knox
ADDICTION / 4 plays by 4 writers:
Worse by Jenny Klein
Salad by Yvonne Smith
Remote by John Baker Brown
A Space Between Us Where Honesty Could Be by Lee James McDonnell
This season’s plays were based on the theme ‘addiction’ endemic of today’s modern age and society in ever increasing variations. The theme was inspired by our host venue Theatre503’s motto ‘fearless writing’ giving the writer a bold gateway to step out of their usual writing style and challenge their creativity in creating a totally new piece of writing.
Salad by Yvonne Smith
DIRECTED BY: Yolanda Ferrato
CAST: Curtis Jordan, Chloe Metcalfe & Colin Howdle
Rodolphe has some bad news to break to Julia as they wait for their new ‘safe’ dealer. All he can think about is salad, all she can think about is the perfect family she watches from their window. Maybe the perfect family could be the answer…
Curtis Jordan & Chloe Metcalfe
ROCCO
Why can’t we do normal things? Why don’t we go to Asda and get food, not crates and bottles and tins,… We could go look round some garden. We could go Ikea and get curtains. There’s a blanket over our window! That room could be… well, better. JULIA STARES
JULIA
You… you capitalist. We said we wouldn’t be like that, shops and stuff and money.
ROCCO
You’re stealing money off kids to buy drugs from scum!
JULIA
They’re just like you and me.
ROCCO
Exactly!
JULIA
You’re upset. I’m upset. It’s upsetting. You can cry if you… you know. Just… like, have a cry.
Remote by John Baker-Brown
DIRECTED BY: Francis Watson
CAST: Samuel Lewis, Louise Ashcroft & Tim Mirza
A newly arrived neighbour strikes up a friendship with a dysfunctional married couple. But when this threesome start to interact deep seated problems emerge. Each can see signs of obsession and addiction in the other two but are blind to their own failings. It leads to the inevitable crisis and each is faced with hard truths… but do they confront them and move on…?
Samuel Lewis & Louise Ashcroft
DAN
What’s your problem? Why can’t we have friends?
ANGIE
I don’t need other people getting into my business.
DAN
They are real people, with ideas, they say things. You know… Conversation? Not like these phonies you’re obsessed with on TV all the time.
ANGIE PICKS UP THE REMOTE AND FLICKS THROUGH CHANNELS.
They’re real people.
DAN
They’re images, little dots of light. Dancing in the plasma.
ANGIE
And… somewhere there is a real person in front of a camera.
DAN
Performing! You don’t see who they are.
ANGIE
I know who they are.
Worse by Jenny Klein
DIRECTED BY: Vicky Graham
CAST: Matt Addis, Charlotte Medcalf & Brendan Murphy
How should you react when you realise that all is not well in your family? What matters most? How your son feels? How you feel? Or what everyone else thinks? Is it really as bad as it seems? After all – things can always get worse.
Charlotte Medcalf & Brendan Murphy
QUESTIONER
Alright, lets talk about your son. Tell me about him.
MOTHER
My son? He’s a boy. You know boys, teenage boys? He’s all elbows and knees and clothes on the floor and uncombed hair and eating straight out of the fridge and ipods and xbox and football and teachers he likes or dislikes and hanging out with his mates and kind of grunting. He’s all that. Do you want to know his favourite food, his favourite colour, his favourite TV programme? Because to be honest, I’m not sure I can tell you that. But I do know he is a person, like me, like you, with thoughts in his head. With feelings. His own person. Trying to put one foot in front of the other, to move forward, to fight his way forward away from all the shit and find a life. And somehow he got the impression he could find it at the bottom of a bottle, God, if it was only that simple.
A Space Between Us Where Honesty Could Be by Lee James Mc Connell
DIRECTED BY: Hanna Wolf
CAST: Felicity Davidson & Oliver King
Cities are large imposing places. Sam, ignores the “No Talk” rule and talks to complete strangers in the park. One of those strangers is Jane, who is the last person to chit chat whilst jogging. Their chance meeting becomes an improbable love. Will they stay together when they realise how different they are?
Felicity Davidson & Oliver King
SAM:
Feelings are powerful things.
JANE:
You are well over the line.
SAM:
I hope we can suspend the line.
JANE:
I created the line.
SAM:
I wish the line didn’t exist.
JANE:
The line is there for security.
SAM:
When will we know that the line is obsolete?
JANE:
When I feel safe.
SAM:
When will that be?
JANE:
Who can tell.