Bird E-Book

Katherine Chandler

• Herausgeber: Nick Hern Books
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Serie: NHB Modern Plays
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 65

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Beschreibung

Ava and Tash are up on a cliff, looking out at the flocking birds – and at their future. On the cusp of adulthood and about to leave the care home they've shared, the two friends road-test their impending freedom and living in the outside world. Ava must confront the mother she left behind. Tash will have to look for a new home. And both girls will go on living dangerously with the men who surround them. Raw, delicate and bold, Katherine Chandler's play Bird is a story of growing up outside a family but inside the fiercest of friendships. It was the winner of a Judges' Award in the 2013 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting, and premiered at Sherman Cymru in 2016 before transferring to the Royal Exchange, Manchester.

Leseprobe

Katherine Chandler

BIRD

NICK HERN BOOKS

London

www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Title Page

Original Production

Director’s Note

Rehearsal Photographs

Thanks

Dedication

Characters

Bird

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

Bird was co-produced by Sherman Cymru and Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, and first performed at the Sherman Theatre, Cardiff, on 17 May 2016 with the following cast:

AVA

Georgia Henshaw

CLAIRE

Siwan Morris

DAN

Connor Allen

LEE

Guy Rhys

TASH

Rosie Sheehy

Director

Rachel O’Riordan

Designer

Kenny Miller

Lighting Designer

Kevin Treacy

Composer and Sound Designer

Simon Slater

Assistant Director

Elgan Rhys

Deputy Stage Manager

Charlotte Unwin

Head of Wardrobe

Deryn Tudor

Casting Director

Sophie Parrott CDG

Fight Director

Kev McCurdy

Vocal Coach

Patricia Logue

The production then transferred to the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, on 8 June 2016.

Director’s Note

Katherine Chandler, the Sherman’s Playwright-in-Residence, received the Judges Award in the 2013 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting for Bird, so I am delighted that the Sherman is now presenting this production with the Royal Exchange Theatre.

Bird is a play that achieves something vital. It puts the voices of vulnerable young women at the centre of the narrative. It makes us, as the audience, acknowledge that we allow the disadvantaged young to be ignored, marginalised and disregarded. Bird makes us listen. Bird asks us to think. I am proud to be producing this play with the Royal Exchange Theatre as we try to keep the stories of those who live on the margins of a safe society, front and centre.

Rachel O’Riordan

May 2016

Thanks to:

The young people of Yellow, Bridgend.

Rachel O’Riordan, Suzanne Bell and Sarah Frankcom.

Georgia Henshaw, Siwan Morris, Guy Rhys, Connor Allen, Rosie Sheehy, Keiron Self, Lowri Palfrey, Claire Cage, Rehanna MacDonald, Oliver Morgan Thomas, Laura Elsworthy, Beatrice Scirocchi, Harry Attwell, Owen Whitelaw, Leah Walker.

Róisín McBrinn, Imogen Knight and the National Theatre Studio.

Guy O’Donnell, Mali O’Donnell and Mathonwy O’Donnell – always for you.

My Grampy, for whistling deaf aids and pipes that are dummies and donkey beach, and hard-boiled eggs that put hairs on your chest and sausage, beans and chips in Rabiotti’s.

K.C.

For my family

Characters

AVA, fifteen

TASH, thirteen

CLAIRE, thirty-three

DAN, seventeen

LEE, forty

This ebook was created before the end of rehearsals and so may differ slightly from the play as performed.

AVA and TASH.

A cliff.

A large stretch of water.

AVA stands at the tip of the cliff, the end of the earth, breathing it in.

Arms outstretched like wings.

Breathing.

Closes her eyes.

Breathes.

A rumble of noise begins.

Look up.

The sky.

Noise and movement through the sky.

Wonder.

Giggling behind her.

Noise and movement through the sky.

Giggling increases.

TASH grabs AVA.

The swell of noise increases.

Movements in the sky, shadows. Birds.

Fly over randomly.

Increasing in numbers.

TASH and AVA look at each other.

Hold each other’s gaze.

TASH grabs AVA’s hands.

They giggle.

Hold hands spinning together.

Looking at each other, laughing with each other.

Spinning together, they watch the birds with delight, still holding hands.

Birds.

AVAWhat do you think they are?

 Watches the sky.

 Watches.

TASHFree.

 They let go of each other and fall to the floor.

 CLAIRE in a café.

AVAI sent you letters.

 I didn’t have your number.

 No response.

 I would have texted.

 It felt weird.

 Posh like.

 Sending you letters. I put ‘Dear Mam’.

 I thought if it was a text.

 I think I would have put, ‘Alright’ or something

 like that.

 But with letters.

 It’s weird init.

 Did you get them?

 I never knew.

 So I just kept writing them.

 Like on them shows when they gets lost family

 together and stuff they says that don’t they.

 They says ‘For years I got you a birthday card’

 and they shows them a big pile of cards and

 Christmas presents and stuff.

 When is your birthday?

 I was thinking I don’t know when your birthday is.

 I know it’s March some time but I don’t know exactly when.

 Cos we could do something couldn’t we. We could do something nice.

 Did you get the letters?

CLAIREI got them.

AVAI didn’t know.

CLAIREI can’t read much, as it goes.

AVAI didn’t know that.

 I never knew that about you.

CLAIREWell, now you do.

AVAI didn’t think.

 It makes sense.

 Now I’m thinking of it, that makes sense of a lot of things.

CLAIREI’m glad.

AVAForms an’ stuff.

 It makes sense.

 Anything official.

 I can help with that.

CLAIREI get by.

AVAPaul likes his forms.

 Me and Tash. She’s my friend.

 Me and Tash laughs about that.

 But he’s alright is Paul. They’re not all like him.

 Social workers. But he is.

 He’d help you. With your reading an’ that. Forms.

CLAIREI get by.

 I said.

AVAI thought you could come by, you know and or we can do this. Meet. And. Start. It’s a start.

CLAIREYou know what Ava means?

 Bird.

 That’s what you are.

 You’re a little bird.

AVAI thought. I thought it would be.

 Get back to normal.

CLAIREWon’t no one ever cage you in, Ava. You needs to be free.

 You’re like me.

 Plays with her handbag.

 I haven’t got much time so.

AVAGot things to do have you?

CLAIREI have as it goes.

AVAIt’s been three years.

CLAIREHas it.

AVAIt has, yes.

CLAIRESo you’re sixteen? Are you?

AVAFifteen.

CLAIREI thought.

 I knew it was fifteen.

 The numbers gets jumbled. The years.

 Fifteen.

AVAI’m sixteen next month.

CLAIREI had you when I was sixteen.

 Pause.

 We used to come here.

 When you was little.

 On a Friday.

 You’d have sausage, beans and chips and we’d get two forks.

 You could never eat a whole plate of food.

 Pecking away at it.

 And milkshake. You’d have milkshake.

AVADon’t like it now.

CLAIRENo.

 Long pause.

 CLAIRE plays with her cigarette pack.

AVAI need to talk to you. I’ll be sixteen and it all changes. You know.

 CLAIRE offers nothing. Plays with her phone.

 Will you give me your number?

 I could text you.

 CLAIRE puts down her phone.

 You can have mine.

 Send me a message on my birthday. Stuff like that.

CLAIREI don’t know.

AVAYou don’t know?

CLAIREThey worry about contact you know. They have rules.

 I don’t know if I’m allowed.

AVAIt’s a number.

 That’s all.

CLAIRE 

AVAI wouldn’t phone, you know.

 Just emergencies.

CLAIREThen I’d know where you were.

 You could text me.

 Stops.

 We could go for a walk?

CLAIREWhere?

AVAOutside.

CLAIREWhy?

AVAI just thought.

CLAIREYou just thought.

AVAOn the front.

CLAIRENo.

AVAOn the beach.

CLAIREI’m fine where I am.

AVABy the sea.

CLAIREIt’s cold. Too cold. And I hate the sand.

 This place.

 Christ.

 That fair.

 How there’s not been an accident.

 It’s not safe.

 Should be condemned. When the train stopped I thought.

 It’s like a ghost town here.

 Doesn’t look the same. It’s, I dunno, neglected.

AVAYou got the train?

CLAIREYes.

AVANot driving then.

CLAIRENo.

AVAHow long did it take? On the train?

CLAIREAbout an hour, I think.

AVASo you live about an hour away?

 Nothing.

 You moved.

CLAIRE 

AVAWhere do you live?

CLAIREWe wanted a fresh start.

 Somewhere nobody knew about us.

 About all the lies.

AVAThey weren’t lies.

 Pause.

CLAIREWhat do you want, Ava?