A Dream (NHB Modern Plays) E-Book

Chris Bush

• Herausgeber: Nick Hern Books
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Serie: Multiplay Drama
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Seitenzahl: 122

Beschreibung

Packed with songs, mischief and mistaken identities, this riotous and joyful play transports Shakespeare's most beloved characters to the chaos of a busy modern-day hospital. Romeo and Jules are recovering from an accidental overdose, Antony and Cleo are reminiscing in the waiting room, and Beatrice and Benedict are bickering over the cause of the latter's knee operation. As night falls on A&E, and Pharmacist Puck starts to dole out medicine, a very midsummer madness begins to take root… Chris Bush's A Dream was first performed at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, in a production by Sheffield People's Theatre. The Nick Hern Books Multiplay Drama series features large-cast plays specifically written to be performed by and appeal to older teenagers and young adults.

Leseprobe

Chris Bush

A DREAM

NICK HERN BOOKS

London

www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Introducing Multiplay Drama

Original Production

Dedication

Characters

A Dream

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

Introducing Multiplay Drama

Every year, many original plays are commissioned and performed by drama schools, educational institutions, and youth, student and amateur-theatre companies. Reading them, talking to their writers, seeing them in production, we are often struck by the ambition of their themes, the invention of their storytelling and the calibre of their playwrights.

Some of these plays have gone on to be revived in professional productions – for instance, Blue Stockings by Jessica Swale was first seen at RADA in 2012 before being professionally produced at Shakespeare’s Globe in 2013 – but most don’t usually have further life. It seems like the very raison d’être of many of these plays – the creation of large-scale original pieces for young, large casts – has meant theatre companies, hamstrung by ever-shrinking budgets, haven’t been able to find a way to give the plays the continuing existence that they deserve.

That’s why Nick Hern Books created Multiplay Drama – a series aiming to bring back to the fore some of the best plays for large casts we’ve read. We first launched the series in 2019, with ten high-quality plays that had originated with various drama schools and youth-theatre companies, providing a selection of complex, dramatic and theatrical works with one common factor: large casts of rich, exciting characters for teenagers and young adults to perform.

Launching the series was something of an experiment. Would there be an appetite for this kind of work? Gratifyingly, it has been a huge success. Hundreds of drama schools, youth theatres, student-drama societies, sixth-form colleges and amateur-theatre companies have read, studied and performed the plays we published in the first ‘season’ of Multiplay Drama, and the initiative was nominated for a Music and Drama Education Award.

Now, four years after we made these first plays available, we’re expanding the series with ten more brilliant and imaginative pieces of work. As we sought out this new set of plays, we had a few goals in mind. We wanted to offer more work that would appeal to younger performers, so that a wider group of schools and amateur companies could benefit. We wanted to diversify the forms and genres of the pieces, so that there was a range of theatrical styles available – from naturalistic drama to period comedies, from sci-fi adventure tales to plays packed with music and song. And we wanted to continue to preserve and share work by some of the best and boldest writers working today.

So, if your performance group is looking for a play that builds a post-apocalyptic world and focuses on a large group of identifiable characters navigating through a dystopian vision of Britain – we have the play for you; if you prefer a play where a chorus comes and narrates across time zones and locations, splitting up voices to tell a fragmented story – we have the play for you; if you want to wonder what it’s like to spend every day in a psychiatric unit; traversing London to deliver a message to the Queen herself; or even what it’s like to metamorphose into an animal – we have the plays for you…

Multiplay Drama is a great way for plays with large casts to find even larger audiences. Commissioned by some of the most renowned educational and youth groups in the country, and featuring playwrights whose work has been seen on the most celebrated of stages, the twenty plays now available offer rigorous storytelling, thoughtful and theatrical explorations of the issues that matter to young people, and rich opportunities for big ensembles looking to experiment and play. They are ideal for companies with a lot of performers looking for fresh, exciting work, and we can’t wait to see them staged far and wide.

October 2023

Big new plays for great big casts, specifically written to be performed by and appeal to children, teenagers and young adults.

Season One

Season Two

BlisterLaura Lomas

As We Face the SunKit Withington

BlueJoe Ward Munrow

A DreamChris Bush

katzenmusikTom Fowler

HORIZONKwame Owusu

LandminesPhil Davies

The Multiverse is Gay!Lewis Hetherington

The Real EstateFreddie Machin

The Playhouse ApprenticeJessica Swale

The Red HelicopterRobin French

Sea ThingsHassan Abdulrazzak

SkunkZawe Ashton

smallHolly Robinson

Spooky Action at a DistanceEve Leigh

Space GirlHelen Stanley

THREESophie Ellerby

The VillageAbi Falase & Tatenda Shamiso

VS09Hayley Squires

Wellington 24Rachel Harper

www.multiplaydrama.co.uk

A Dream was first performed by Sheffield People’s Theatre at The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, in July 2016, directed by Emily Hutchinson. The music was composed by Russell Hepplewhite and is available to license from Nick Hern Books.

For Emily Hutchinson

Characters

BAND

BERRY

BENEDICK

FESTIVAL-GOERS

VINE

ORLANDO

VALERIE

IVY

CORIN

LIAM

ROSE

AUDREY

SARA

POPPY

JACK

JULES

HAZEL

CHARLOTTE

HIPPOLYTA

LAUREL

HODGSON

THESEUS

ROWAN

RICHARDS

MIRANDA

ASTER

HUGHES

FERDINAND

LOGAN

SEBASTIAN

RITA

PUCK

ANTONIA

OLLIE

O’BRIEN

ANTONY

HARRIET

TATIANA

CLEO

KITTY

RAJESH

DORIS

ROB

CELIA

DAPHNE

LYSANDER

ROSALIND

DAVE

HERMIA

DEMETRIUS

JIM

DEAN

ABIGAIL

JEN

PATIENT

ERIC

JON

HELENA

NURSE

PROSPERO

VIOLA

ROMEO

ARIEL

DIRECTOR

BEN

EGEUS

ASSISTANT

MOLLIE

MATRON

ORSON

DOCTOR

MEDIC 1

SEAN

.

Prelude

An outdoor concert – somewhere like Don Valley Bowl. A festival atmosphere. At the back of the stage, a BAND on a raised platform. The rest of the stage is flooded with as many FESTIVAL-GOERS as will fit. They swoop on with a great rush of energy. These revellers wear general festival gear, with perhaps a few fantastical signifiers – more faeries present than you might normally expect. We’re aware that most of the CROWD consist of couples – lovers of all ages and sexes, celebrating together.

The BAND plays. The CROWD roars. It’s an uplifting, upbeat number full of heart and life. The CROWD might well sing along with the chorus, as if they know it well. To one side, we see VALERIE, a police officer, with LIAM, a paramedic. They shout over the continuing music.

LIAM. If music be the food of love –

VALERIE. Then this lot need more than earplugs for protection.

LIAM. Where’s your romance?

VALERIE. Back home with a hot bath and a nice cup of tea.

They’re joined by SARA, another paramedic.

SARA. Liam? Need you out front – got one to take in.

LIAM. On it. (To VALERIE.) Hang in there.

SARA and LIAM go.

Song: ‘Kiss Me Tonight’

BAND. OH KISS ME TONIGHT, WON’T YOU KISS ME TONIGHT AND ANYTHING ELSE CAN WAIT

KISS ME TONIGHT, BEFORE IT’S ALL TOO LATE

OH KISS ME TONIGHT, WON’T YOU KISS ME TONIGHT AND ANYTHING ELSE CAN WAIT

Through the throng comes JULES, fifteen, calling out in some distress.

JULES. Romeo! Oi, Romeo! Where are you? Romeo!

He pushes through the crowd and leaves.

BAND. OH YOU’VE BEEN DANCING THROUGH MY MIND IN STEEL-CAPPED DOC MARTENS I DON’T THINK THAT IT’S VERY KIND YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE STARTIN’

COS YOU KNOW I CAN’T COMPETE WITH ALL YOUR AIRS AND GRACES STOOD HERE WITH MY TWO LEFT FEET AND STARING AT MY LACES

OH KISS ME TONIGHT, WON’T YOU KISS ME TONIGHT AND ANYTHING ELSE CAN WAIT KISS ME TONIGHT, BEFORE IT’S ALL TOO LATE

Focus now shifts to THESEUS and HIPPOLYTA – a couple dressed as a very Bohemian bride and groom – think Glastonbury wedding chic – flowers in hair, floaty skirts and welly boots. They are drunk and in love. Again, they have to shout over the music.

HIPPOLYTA. Dance with me.

THESEUS. Almost our first dance.

HIPPOLYTA. What?

THESEUS. It’ll be our first dance – in just a few hours.

HIPPOLYTA. So what’s this?

THESEUS (thinks). Our last dance. Our last dance in sin.

HIPPOLYTA. I like the sound of that.

They come together and the BAND kicks in.

BAND. I SWEAR THERE’S MAGIC IN THIS DRINK BEEN SLIPPED SOME HOCUS-POCUS THE ROOM IS SLIDING OUT OF SYNC IT’S ONLY YOU IN FOCUS

AND I’M TRYING HARD TO DO THIS RIGHT BUT I’M STILL HAVING TROUBLE WHO LOVED WHO LOVED NOT AT FIRST SIGHT DESPITE STILL SEEING DOUBLE?

OH KISS ME TONIGHT, WON’T YOU KISS ME TONIGHT AND ANYTHING ELSE CAN WAIT KISS ME TONIGHT, BEFORE IT’S ALL TOO LATE

Another couple – FERDINAND finds MIRANDA.

FERDINAND. Miranda!

MIRANDA. Ferdy! Over here.

FERDINAND. I lost you for a minute.

MIRANDA. All these people – they’re like a sea – like an ocean.

FERDINAND. Here – get on my shoulders.

MIRANDA. Yes, Captain.

She starts to clamber on his shoulders.

BAND. AND WHEN THE MORNING COMES AND MY HEAD’S SO SORE AND I’LL STILL BE LOST AND I’LL STILL BE POOR AND THE RENT IS DUE AND THE MILK’S GONE SOUR AND THE BOILER’S BUST

SO CAN’T EVEN SHOWER THEN I’LL THINK OF YOU AND IT’S ALL ALRIGHT BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WE KISSED LAST NIGHT

SO KISS ME TONIGHT, WON’T YOU KISS ME TONIGHT AND ANYTHING ELSE CAN WAIT KISS ME TONIGHT, WON’T YOU KISS ME TONIGHT BEFORE IT’S ALL TOO LATE

We focus in on HIPPOLYTA and THESEUS again, now right by the BAND.

HIPPOLYTA. Do you trust me?

THESEUS. What?

HIPPOLYTA. Do you trust me?

THESEUS. Of course. Why?

HIPPOLYTA. Then get ready!

THESEUS. For what?

HIPPOLYTA clambers up onto the raised stage, preparing to dive.

No – hold on –

HIPPOLYTA. It’s okay – I trust you! Catch!

BAND. KISS ME TONIGHT, WON’T YOU KISS ME TONIGHT AND ANYTHING ELSE CAN WAIT

KISS ME TONIGHT, WON’T YOU KISS ME TONIGHT BEFORE IT’S ALL TOO BEFORE IT’S ALL TOO BEFORE IT’S ALL TOO –

HIPPOLYTA

ACT ONE

Scene One

The waiting room of the A&E department at Northern General Hospital. The stage is filled with dozens of people waiting to be seen (as many as seems feasible). THESEUS and HIPPOLYTA are at the reception desk (manned by OLLIE and RITA). With them, a few other members of their wedding party – HARRIET, KITTY and ROB. THESEUS has some blood on him and his arm in a makeshift sling – HIPPOLYTA limps and has a bloody nose. Clearly her stage-dive didn’t go as planned. The whole wedding party are a little woozy and worse for wear.

As the lights come up, THESEUS and HIPPOLYTA are trying to register themselves at the desk. In this waiting area there are also two PATIENTS who are recording HIPPOLYTA’s drunkenness on their mobile phones and sniggering to each other. [These actors will later become our DIRECTOR and ASSISTANT.]

THESEUS. Theseus –

HIPPOLYTA. And Hippolyta.

RITA. Right.

THESEUS. You might’ve heard of us.

RITA. Um, I don’t think…

OLLIE. Can you give us your full names?

HIPPOLYTA. Sorry. Sorry. Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons.

OLLIE. Okay.

HIPPOLYTA. H-I-P-O… no – H-I-double-P-O-L-I –

THESEUS. Y!

HIPPOLYTA. L-Y-T-A.

OLLIE. Uh-huh.

HIPPOLYTA. Amazons as in warrior women, not websites. That’s A-M-A –

THESEUS. That’s enough, love.

HIPPOLYTA. Don’t listen to him, he’s only a duke.

RITA. Okay. Thing is… If we could get your real names, that’s going to make everything a lot –

THESEUS. Who’s to say they’re not?

HIPPOLYTA (very proud). What’s in a name?

THESEUS. Exactly!

RITA. It’s just… Because you’ll be in the system, yeah? You’ll be registered –

OLLIE. Does the Queen of the Amazons know her NHS number?

HIPPOLYTA (to THESEUS). Are you going to let them talk to me like that?

KITTY (to RITA and OLLIE). I’m sorry about them, it’s –

HIPPOLYTA (before KITTY can say her name). Ah ah ah – no –

THESEUS. You should never apologise for… for…

HIPPOLYTA. For love!

THESEUS. For expressing yourself. But yes, love too.

HARRIET (to RITA and OLLIE, by way of explanation). It was a Buzzfeed quiz.

RITA. Excuse me?

HARRIET. Wasn’t some… They weren’t rechristened by a guru or discovered some new, some spiritual, some… It was just a –

ROB. ‘Which Shakespearian power-couple are you?’

OLLIE. Right.

KITTY. And they took it a bit too seriously.

THESEUS. There’s nothing wrong with –

HIPPOLYTA. She’s just jealous because she was Lady Macbeth.

RITA. Okay. Alright. Let’s all just take a breath, shall we? Let’s just try to… Because you are going to be here a little while.

HIPPOLYTA. We can’t stay long.

OLLIE. It’s a busy day for us. With the festival in town, it’s always –

HIPPOLYTA. We can’t.

THESEUS. We can’t, really – we’re getting married tomorrow.

OLLIE. Okay –

RITA. Congratulations, but –

HIPPOLYTA. At the first sight of the sun –

OLLIE. Yeah, see that might be –

THESEUS. Early-ish, anyway. I mean…

HIPPOLYTA. Our love rising with the new dawn.

THESEUS (yawning). A lie-in wouldn’t be the end of the world, actually, but –

RITA. We’ll process you as quickly as we can, but no promises.

KITTY. Great. Thank you. (To HIPPOLYTA.) Come on.

OLLIE. Take a seat. Someone will call you.

HIPPOLYTA. It’s Midsummer.

RITA. I’m sorry?

HARRIET. She means tomorrow. It’s Midsummer.

RITA. Right.

HIPPOLYTA (slurring slightly). It’s a special day.

OLLIE. Uh-huh. Like I say, we do have a backlog, but –

ROB. Of course – we’re sorry.

HIPPOLYTA. It is. It means something. (To THESEUS.) They don’t believe us.

THESEUS. That’s okay.

RITA. Guys, if you could – ?

ROB. Yep, yep, we’re going. Just been a long day. A long few days, actually.

HARRIET. In retrospect, a four-day pre-wedding bender doesn’t sound like the best laid of plans, but…

HIPPOLYTA. It was a brilliant plan. (To RITA.) You don’t believe me, but you will.

KITTY. Alright, Hippogriff. This way.

HIPPOLYTA (still to RITA). Do you believe in love?

RITA. Uh, sure.

HIPPOLYTA. Do you believe in magic?

RITA. Um…

HARRIET. Just don’t engage with her, really.

HIPPOLYTA. You will do. You’ll believe in all sorts by the time the sun rises. Love and magic and everything in between.

HIPPOLYTA steps back from the desk, staggering slightly. Lights shift. She straightens up and delivers the following verse as a boozy sort of invocation.