Blue E-Book

Joe Ward Munrow

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

Seitenzahl: 56

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

A disquieting and darkly funny play which shines a light on the state of mental-health services in modern Britain. Set in a psychiatric unit, Blue looks at both sides of mental-health care – those who receive it, and those who give it. It explores the difficulties and complexities of life under observation, and shows how beautiful moments can be found even in the most fragile of circumstances. Joe Ward Munrow's play Blue was first performed at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, in collaboration with the Royal Court Theatre, before performances at the Gate Theatre, London. The Nick Hern Books Multiplay Drama series features large-cast plays specifically written to be performed by and appeal to young people.

Leseprobe

Joe Ward Munrow

BLUE

NICK HERN BOOKS

London

www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Introducing Multiplay Drama

Original Production

Thanks

Dedication

Characters

Setting

Blue

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

Introducing Multiplay Drama

John O’Donovan

Every year, a great number of 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 always struck by the complexity of their themes, the invention of their storytelling and the calibre of their playwrights.

Some of these plays are revived in professional productions – for instance, Growth by Luke Norris was first seen at the Royal Welsh College before being revised and produced on tour by Paines Plough in their pop-up theatre, Roundabout, and winning a Fringe First Award in Edinburgh – but most haven’t yet had a further life. It seems like the very raison d’être of many of these plays – the creation of large-scale complex 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 has created Multiplay Drama – a new series aiming to bring back to the fore some of the best plays for large casts we’ve read. Offering ten high-quality plays that originated with various drama schools and youth-theatre companies, it provides a selection of ambitious, complex, dramatic and theatrical plays with one common factor: large casts of rich, exciting characters for teenagers and young adults to perform.

No one-person shows. No knotty two-handers. No triptychs. These are plays with big ideas and need big companies to put them across. From the relatively modest seven-hander Blue to the 75+ speaking characters in katzenmusik, these plays offer multiple perspectives and clamorous takes on some of the most important issues of today.

In making these plays available to read and perform, we’re hoping to see a legion of other drama schools, youth theatres, student-drama societies, sixth-form colleges and amateur-theatre companies gaining ready access to the kinds of plays that interrogate both theatrical storytelling form as vigorously as they question the world we live in today. In every play in this first ‘season’ of the initiative, actors will find roles that are fleshed out and demand self-reflection, that justify their time on the stage and find their place within a larger set of characters.

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; or in mourning for a loved one; 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 illustrious educational and youth groups in the country, and featuring playwrights whose work has been seen on the most celebrated of stages, these ten plays offer rigorous storytelling, unflinching explorations of contemporary issues, and a willingness to experiment with theatrical form and invest even the smallest of roles with significance and dignity. They are ideal for companies with a lot of performers looking for fresh, modern and dramatic stances on the world we live in today.

John O’Donovan is Consultant Editor at Nick Hern Books.

An exciting new series of large-cast plays, specifically written to be performed by and appeal to older teenagers and young adults.

Blister

The Red Helicopter

Laura Lomas

Robin French

Blue

Skunk

Joe Ward Munrow

Zawe Ashton

katzenmusik

Spooky Action at a Distance

Tom Fowler

Eve Leigh

Landmines

THREE

Phil Davies

Sophie Ellerby

The Real Estate

VS09

Freddie Machin

Hayley Squires

‘Some of the freshest and most relevant theatre being made today is when dynamic next-generation playwrights collaborate with young companies and drama schools. Making these plays available will continue to bring them to life in new and exciting ways. A brilliant initiative.’ Sarah Frankcom, Artistic Director of Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre, and Director Designate of LAMDA

www.multiplaydrama.co.uk

Blue was commissioned and first performed by Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, in collaboration with the Royal Court Theatre, London, at the Bute Theatre, Cardiff, on 22 March 2016. The cast was as follows:

JON

Jack Archer

BOBBY

Sean Elliott

MATTY

George Fletcher

SARAH

Charlie Gillette

RICKY

Nickcolia King-N’Da

ANNA

Hannah Millward

LUCY

Bianca Stephens

CARL

Connor Vickery

Director

Jude Christian

Set & Costume Designer

Anke Lambrechts

Lighting Designer

Sam Smith

Sound Designer

Sam Jones

Assistant Production Manager

Alex Johnson

Stage Manager

Anastasia O’Sullivan

Deputy Stage Manager

Lucy George

Assistant Stage Manager

Hollie Voice

The production was subsequently performed at the Gate Theatre, London.

Thanks

Louise Stephens

Dave Bond

Heather Davies

Jude Christian

For Joe Abel

Characters

ANNA, a new support worker, band three

BOBBY, an experienced support worker, band three

CARL, nurse, band five

JON, diagnosed with depression

LUCY, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia

MATTY, diagnosed with bipolar disorder

RICKY, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia

SARAH, a clinical psychologist

Setting

An inpatient mental health unit in the UK.

Note on Text

A dash (–) at the beginning of the line indicates a change of speaker.

A slash (/) indicates when the next line should begin.

Speech in [square brackets] is intention and not to be spoken.

1.

– Sits between

– The broken thighs

– Of a pretty song’s

– Attempts

– To fuck itself together.

– Meanders

– Gone

– Went

– Left

– Wending

– Through

– The basin and the river.

– And me and myself

– And the

– Child-proof safety catch.

– That rose

– And rises

– Left and went

– Upped and gone

– And went and left.

– But mainly gone.

– / Of rule words

– Rude worlds

– and weeps and breaks

– And breaks again.

– Shining spinning / sinning upwards

– Singing / upwards

– And sinning / upwards

– But singing / upwards

– And sinning / upwards

– Singing / upwards

– And sinning / upwards.

– Sits there

– A gleaming empty loss

– Crouched and hard

– Spinning

– As