Cockroach E-Book

Sam Holcroft

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

Seitenzahl: 80

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

A dark and compelling vision of a world infected by violence. A seemingly normal detention in a seemingly normal modern-day comprehensive school. A teacher valiantly battles on with biology revision. She believes only education will set her pupils free. For outside the classroom, the world is in the middle of a long and bloody war. Despite her best efforts, the tide of conflict is soon lapping at the school gates and, one by one, pupils and teacher are pulled under as their hopes and dreams float away from them. Sam Holcroft's play Cockroach was first staged at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, in a co-production with the National Theatre of Scotland in 2008. 'Sam Holcroft is uncompromising in her ideas and deeply ambitious for the power of theatre. It's a long time since a young writer has thrilled me this much' Vicky Featherstone, director of the National Theatre of Scotland's production of Cockroach

Leseprobe

Sam Holcroft

COCKROACH

NICK HERN BOOKS

London

www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Title Page

Original Production

Characters and Thanks

Cockroach

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

Cockroach was first performed at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, on 23 October 2008, in a National Theatre of Scotland / Traverse Theatre co-production as part of the Traverse Debuts season. The cast was as follows:

MMOMA  

Frances Ashman

DAVEY  

Ryan Fletcher

BETH  

Meg Fraser

DANIELLE  

Laura McMonagle

LEAH  

Helen Mallon

LEE  

Owen Whitelaw

Director

Vicky Featherstone

Designer

Naomi Wilkinson

Lighting Designer  

Lizzie Powell

Sound Designer  

Matthew Padden

Characters

LEE

LEAH

DANIELLE

MMOMA

DAVEY

BETH, their teacher

Thanks

Thanks to Mel Kenyon, Kirsty Coombs, Vicky Featherstone, Dominic Hill and all at the National Theatre of Scotland and the Traverse Theatre. And my family, Elizabeth Humphreys and Emily Lowe.

S.H.

A classroom.

The stage is bare but for desks, a door and a window.

The stage is in darkness.

The door slams.

The light opens on LEE.

LEE (shouts). Leah.

LEE bangs on the door.

Open the door.

LEE bangs harder.

Leah, open the fucking door.

The light extends to LEAH on the other side of the door.

LEAH. Go away.

LEE. Let me in.

LEAH. Stay. Away from me –

LEE. Let. Me in.

LEAH. You.

LEE. Open up.

LEAH. You.

LEE. Open up this –

LEAH. Cunt.

Beat.

I hate you.

LEE. She was nothing to me.

LEAH. I hate you.

LEE. Nothing to me.

Less than nothing: nobody.

She is dead to me, Leah.

Dead.

Beat.

LEAH. I never want to see you again.

LEE throws himself at the door.

Lee, stop it!

The wood splinters.

Stop it, Lee, you’re breaking the door!

LEAH backs into the classroom.

LEE hurls himself at the door again and again.

DANIELLE enters.

DANIELLE. Leah? Leah, you in there?

LEAH. Danielle? Danielle, help! Help me!

DANIELLE runs off.

LEE continues to throw himself at the door.

LEAH goes to the window and tries to open it.

Somebody help me, please!

DANIELLE comes running back in with their science teacher, BETH.

BETH. Lee! Lee, stop it!

DANIELLE. Stop it, Lee!

LEE thrashes about and almost hits BETH. She reels backwards.

Miss? You all right?

BETH. Stand back, Danielle.

Lee. Stop this now. Do you want me to call for help?

LEE ignores her.

You’re getting yourself into a lot of trouble, Lee. The longer you continue, the worse it will be. You remember the last time you did this, Lee.

LEE bangs the door in frustration.

Lee, if you show me that you’re listening to me then that will improve your situation right now.

Lee!

LEE continues to beat the door.

Not only are you now in trouble for the original offence, Lee, but now you are not following a teacher’s instructions. I’m going to have to call for help.

BETH raises her walkie-talkie to her mouth.

LEE tears himself away from the door.

BETH lowers the walkie-talkie.

Well done. Well done, Lee; that was the right thing to do. That was the right choice. Thank you for listening to me.

LEE thrashes about.

Now you’re to stand still there. Right there, Lee, then we’re going to go straight to Referral Base, okay? You know what will happen if you don’t stand still there. Don’t make this any worse for yourself. I don’t want to hear a word from you. Understood?

LEE is silent.

Thank you.

BETH raises her walkie-talkie to her mouth and patches in. W11C to Referral Base, receiving?

‘Karen, receiving’ is heard back over the walkie-talkie.

I’ll be coming down from the Science Corridor to Referral Base with Lee Donegal, 11C. Can you have someone to meet us please?

‘Got it, on standby at Referral Base’ is heard back over the walkie-talkie.

BETH fits her walkie-talkie back into its holster on her hip.

She motions to LEE to stay where he is. She takes a key from her pocket and unlocks the shattered door. She steps inside. DANIELLE follows.

DANIELLE. Leah?

LEAH. It weren’t my fault, Miss. I didn’t do nothing.

BETH. Are you all right?

LEAH. It weren’t my fault. It were that bitch, Mmoma.

BETH. How did you lock this door, Leah?

LEAH. I don’t know, Miss.

BETH. Give me the key.

LEAH. I don’t have a key, Miss.

BETH. Give me the key, Leah.

LEAH takes the key out of her pocket and hands it to BETH.

What is going on here?

LEAH. I told you, it weren’t my fault. I was trying to get away from him. (Raises her voice so LEE can hear.) Protect myself. I was only trying to take myself out of harm’s way.

DANIELLE. He was going to come in here, Miss –

LEAH (pointing). He was going to come in here and…

The window smashes and something flies into the room.

The girls scream.

BETH. Everybody get down! Get down. Now, get on the floor!

The girls fall to the floor.

LEE flees in the commotion.

Stay down, girls. Stay. Down. Is everyone okay?

Are you okay?

Stay on the floor.

BETH moves around on her belly until she finds the offending article, a ball.

She stands and marches to the window and looks down into the playground.

Davey! David Lowe, you come up here now. Now. Davey…

You girls stay here. Don’t touch the glass or the wood. Just stay where you are.

LEAH. On the floor, Miss?

BETH. No, get up, everybody get up. Are you hurt?

LEAH. No.

BETH. Is anyone hurt?

ALL. No.

BETH. Good okay. Stay where you are.

BETH exits the classroom and sees that LEE is gone.

Lee? Lee!

BETH unholsters her walkie-talkie and raises it to her mouth, she patches in.

(As she walks back down the corridor and off.) W11C to Referral Base, receiving?

‘Karen, receiving’ is heard back over the walkie-talkie.

We have a broken window and door in classroom W11C on the Science Corridor, Lee Donegal has fled the scene and David Lowe should be on his way up from the playground. Can we get a search out for Lee Donegal, please? He is not to leave school grounds.

‘Got it’ is heard back over the static.

LEAH and DANIELLE remain in the classroom. They brush themselves off.

MMOMA enters and walks down the corridor. She walks past the classroom, LEAH clocks her.

LEAH. Mmoma! Bitch!

MMOMA spins on her heels.

You bitch-whore, get back here!

LEAH races out and pulls MMOMA back into the classroom. MMOMA struggles out of her grip. They face each other.

Skank.

LEAH spits on the ground in front of MMOMA’s feet. MMOMA. I didn’t know he was your boyfriend.

LEAH. Everybody knows he’s my boyfriend.

MMOMA. I didn’t know.

LEAH. You are a liar.

MMOMA. Why would I want your boyfriend?

LEAH. What are you saying?

MMOMA. I want my own boyfriend.

LEAH. Liar! You’re just lying right to my face.

You are boyfriend-stealing, lying little whore.

MMOMA. I am not.

LEAH. Yes you are. That’s what you are. That is exactly what you are.

MMOMA. That’s not what I am.

LEAH. You’re nothing. He said that, you know?

He said you were dead to him.

Dead.

Beat.

MMOMA. Then what are you?

What are you then if he’d cheat on you with a corpse?

LEAH goes for her. They scrap amongst the glass and splintered wood, biting and scratching and kicking. With the help of DANIELLE, LEAH pins MMOMA to a desk and pulls a clump of hair extensions out of her head. She stands back holding them triumphantly aloft.

LEAH. Look at that. Look at the whore’s fake hair.

What are these? Pubes?

MMOMA breaks free of DANIELLE’s grip and launches herself at LEAH. They struggle in front of the window until MMOMA grabs a thick shard of glass and presses it against LEAH’s neck. They all freeze. MMOMA looks down at the glass pricking blood from LEAH’s neck. She drops the glass. She staggers back.

BETH can be heard coming down the corridor with DAVEY.

DAVEY. But, Miss –

BETH. Davey, you will look at this broken window and you will see what you have done.

DAVEY. But it were an accident, Miss! I didn’t do it on purpose.

BETH enters the classroom with DAVEY.

BETH. It’s about taking responsibility for your actions, accident or not.

BETH sees the girls in disarray, MMOMA’s hair on the floor. She tries to catch her breath.

DAVEY. We were just playing, Miss. No harm meant.

LEE creeps back down the corridor towards the classroom and tries to get LEAH’s attention.

It were just a ball, Miss.

What did you think?

Did you think –

BETH (shouting over DAVEY to the girls). What are you, a bag of cats?

The girls look at the floor.

BETH tries to catch her breath.

LEE (whispers). Pst. Leah?

BETH walks her desk and opens her handbag.

BETH. This is not acceptable.

All of you are in a lot of trouble.

There is uproar.

BETH pulls an asthma inhaler out of her handbag.

Be quiet!

And don’t think I can’t see you out there, Lee Donegal.

LEE turns to scarper.

And you know full well that if you run away again you’re only going to make it worse for yourself. Now get in my classroom, please.

LEE moves into the room.

BETH sucks on her inhaler.

LEAH. Miss –

BETH holds up her hand to silence them all.

They all wait the obligatory ten seconds in silence.

BETH breathes out.

BETH. You are all in detention for the foreseeable future.