LIT E-Book

Sophie Ellerby

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

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

'I'm making him work for it! Got him to buy me a pack of Tangfastics and a can of Lilt before I showed him my tits.' The problem with love is that it's different for everyone. For Bex, love is a handjob in detention and the promise of a date at a Chinese buffet. She doesn't even like Chinese. Sophie Ellerby's play LIT explores the turbulent teenage years of a Nottingham girl looking for love in all the wrong places. It premiered at the HighTide Festival Aldeburgh, Omnibus Clapham and Nottingham Playhouse in 2019, co-produced by HighTide and Nottingham Playhouse.

Leseprobe

Sophie Ellerby

LIT

NICK HERN BOOKS

London

www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Original Production

Dedication

Author’s Note

Characters

Note on Text

Lit

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

Lit was first performed as a co-production between HighTide and Nottingham Playhouse at HighTide Festival, Aldeburgh, in September 2019. The cast was as follows:

BEX

Eve Austin

DILLON

Josh Barrow

RUTH

Tiger Cohen-Towell

SYLVIA

Maxine Finch

LEE

Kieran Hardcastle

MARK

Jim Pope

Director

Stef O’Driscoll

Designer

Minglu Wang

Lighting Designer

Peter Small

Sound Designer

Dominic Kennedy

Movement Director

Hayley Chilvers

Fight Director

Jonathan Holby

Casting Director

Vicky Richardson CDG

Production Manager

Jill Robertshaw

Stage Management

Amber Jane Taylor

For Mum, always. Thank you for giving me faith.

And for the mums inside, currently serving time.

We must not forget you.

Author’s Note

LIT is set in the East Midlands, Nottinghamshire. The story takes place in various locations during Bex’s teenage years; semi-detached houses, comprehensive school, village halls, a few fields, a shitload of hormones and a lot of boredom to fill.

This piece explores the grey areas surrounding love and sex. It’s important that the characters are neither portrayed as ‘victims’ or as ‘perpetrators’. I have purposefully left a few unknowns in the text, however there are some important facts you need to consider when performing this play:

Bex just wants to be loved.

Lee isn’t sexually attracted to Ruth.

Ruth doesn’t remember what happened.

Dillon falls in love with Bex.

Bex tries to kiss Mark. Mark rejects Bex. At some point during that moment though, he did indeed ‘think about it’.

Dillon and Lee are scarred for life.

The baby is Lee’s.

Bex is convicted for arson with intent to endanger life, she pleads guilty. She is held on remand whilst awaiting sentencing. Taking into account the aggravating and mitigating factors – predominantly her age, the guilty plea and the impact of the rape (supported by a statement from Dillon) – her sentence is reduced from six years to four. With good behaviour Bex could serve fifty per cent of her sentence and be out in two years. At that point, she would be eighteen years old.

When producing this play, the safety of the actor playing Bex is paramount. Please be aware you have a duty of care for the actors, the creative team, and the audience.

S.E.

Characters

BEX, fourteen to sixteen, bold, full of energy, vibrant, fearless, gobby, captivating, cheeky and restless. She may seem insensitive and brash but it all masks a very sensitive interior.

RUTH, fourteen to fifteen, guarded, intelligent, reserved, astute, sheltered, self-assured, measured, contemplative, sensitive and thoughtful. She becomes enamoured by Bex.

SYLVIA, forties, Bex’s new foster mum. Scatty, well-meaning, airy, passionate, loving, a worrier, intense, warm, lonely, caring and insecure. She has a huge heart; sees Bex as her own.

DILLON, fifteen to sixteen, at school with Bex and Ruth, in the year above. Attempting a hard exterior but a complete softie really. Desperate to be accepted. The ‘bad boy’ at school, duty-bound to his family.

LEE, late twenties, Dillon’s older brother. Cheeky geezer, filthy mouth, funny, intimidating. He could charm his way out of a bin bag. Makes himself known to everyone but really he’s lonely as fuck.

MARK, forties, Ruth’s dad. Reliable, trustworthy, charming, attractive, well-meaning but awkward. His daughter is his world.

Note on Text

A dash (–) indicates either being interrupted or someone stopping their own thought (a full stop can also indicate this).

An ellipsis (…) indicates a trailing-off or searching for words.

A forward slash (/) indicates the point at which the next character starts speaking.

A new line communicates a new thought.

Words encased in square brackets […] are not spoken.

The play should be performed without an interval.

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