Burying Your Brother in the Pavement E-Book

Jack Thorne

• Herausgeber: Nick Hern Books
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

A play about grief and looking at someone that little bit more closely. Tom's brother Luke is dead. This has upset a lot of people but it hasn't upset Tom. Or, rather, it has upset him, but in ways he can't explain and other people can't understand. You see, Tom and Luke were never friends. In fact, Tom didn't really like Luke at all. So it's an odd decision - to try and bury Luke in the pavement of the Tunstall Estate where he was killed. But to Tom, it sort of makes sense, in a stupid-weird kind of way. As he sleeps out on the pavement, he comes across planning officials, tramps, undertakers, police officers, sisters, mothers, estate agents, ghosts, pavement elephants, sky dragons and a strange lad called Tight who wants to sell him a Travelcard. Written specifically for young people, Burying Your Brother in the Pavement was part of the 2008 National Theatre Connections Festival and was premiered by youth theatres across the UK.

Leseprobe

Jack Thorne

BURYING YOURBROTHER IN THEPAVEMENT

NICK HERN BOOKS

London

www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Title Page

Original Production

Characters

Production Notes

Burying Your Brother in the Pavement

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

Burying Your Brother in the Pavement was commissioned as part of the 2008 National Theatre Connections Festival and premiered by youth theatres across the UK, including a performance at the National Theatre in July 2008.

Each year the National Theatre asks ten writers to create new plays to be performed by young theatre companies all over the country. From Scotland to Cornwall and Northern Ireland to Norfolk, Connections celebrates great new writing for the stage – and the energy, commitment and talent of young theatremakers.

www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/connections

Characters

TOM

MR WILKINS

COURTNEY

BOY SOPRANO

AUNTIE HELEN

FRIENDLY PHIL

UNCLE GERRY

TIGHT

MARTIN

LUKE

BILL

SIMON

SANDRA

LEO

LIBBY

RICKY

JK

DRUNK BILL

DAVID McPHEE

MISS HANDS

PUSHCHAIR MUM

BABYFATHER

ESTATE AGENT

STAN

CLIENT

PC BOB

PC BILL

UNDERWEAR MAN

And MOTHERS, FURNITURE PEOPLE, SCHOOLKIDS

Production Notes

The cast can be as large as a stage can contain, or as small as five.

Aside from Tom, Tight, Luke and Courtney, the parts are non-gender specific. No parts are racially specific.

There is no score, and so be encouraged to do and try everything with the music. It would be brilliant to have either live music or have someone mixing sound live onstage with the actors. The more the musicians or the sound guy can be bought into the action, the better.

The most important thing is that this play is kept scruffy – nothing is beautiful – everything is quick and swiftly accomplished. This should look like a piece of theatre achieved on the bounce and stuffed full of life. This means two things – one, if you happen to have a brilliant rollerblader in your cast, then use her – and add a triple-Lutz somersault to the Dairylea song number. Equally, don’t let the technical overwhelm: I specify a lot of spotlights in the first few pages, but these could easily be torches held up to people’s faces, and, in fact, might work better like that. Scene changes should be incorporated into the action. All the stage and auditorium should be used.

Production References

Robbie Williams was a popular entertainer in post-war Britain. Jesus Christ was less popular, but equally entertaining in prewar Galilee. Planning Law is both popular and entertaining.

One

It’s dark. Very dark indeed.

TOM lights a torch. A pathetic torch. But it’s almost blinding in this darkness.