Push Up E-Book

Roland Schimmelpfennig

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

Seitenzahl: 69

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Beschreibung

A savage satire on the rapacious nature of office lives and lusts - the British debut from a writer whose work has been seen in prestigious theatres all over Germany. Everyone wants to get to the executive suite. Everyone wants the Delhi job. Everyone wants sex, everyone wants love. So, they push for it. Roland Schimmelpfennig's play Push Up was first performed at the Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz, Berlin, in November 2001. It was premiered in this English translation by Maja Zade at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in February 2002.

Leseprobe

Roland Schimmelpfennig

PUSH UP

NICK HERN BOOKSLondonwww.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Title Page

Original Production

Characters

Push Up

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

Push Up was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, London, on 8 February 2002. The cast was as follows:

HEINRICH

Peter Sproule

ANGELIKA

Sian Thomas

SABINE

Lucy Whybrow

ROBERT

David Tennant

PATRIZIA

Jaqueline Defferary

HANS

Robin Soans

FRANK

Nigel Lindsay

MARIA

Flaminia Cinque

Director

Ramin Gray

Designer / Lighting Designer

Rodney Grant

Sound Designer

Ian Dickinson

CharactersHEINRICHANGELIKASABINEROBERTPATRIZIAHANSFRANKMARIA

A.

HEINRICH. I work for a pretty big corporation. I sit on the ground floor, behind the glass pane in the lobby. Everyone that works in the building walks past me. The building is big, really big, sixteen floors, and next to me there are monitors transmitting pictures from the security cameras.

In the control room we work shifts, usually in twos. On the night shift we also do the round through the building. On the night round we check every room, we unlock and lock every single room. That takes time. The building is extensive, there is everything you would imagine: the executive floor, the meeting rooms that still smell of cigarettes at night, the sectors of the different departments and sub-departments, the administration offices, develop­ment, the creative rooms, the labs and the huge computer control room in the basement. That’s where they save data from all over the world: data from the branches in the US, South Africa, India.

Next to the monitors for the security cameras is my own little TV. It’s not really allowed but no one says anything. Not even Kramer, who lives with the woman who more or less owns the corporation. Kramer basically runs this place. I’m not really sure what she does. But when she walks past, I always turn it off.

Sometimes they even show our company’s ad – in our ad a man in a park carries a woman over a huge puddle. Then there’s a slogan and our logo.

Pause.

It’s strange. It’s like it’s nicked from somewhere. In any case the ad’s been on for over a year and it’s time for a new ad: maybe something completely different – something that has more to do with me – or with our products. I mean – I don’t get the connection.

We usually work shifts in twos. I’m often on duty with Maria. Maria sees the ad very differently. She likes the ad. But I’d like something with more action. I like action films. Or thrillers.

Maria and I talk a lot about the things we watch on TV while we’re doing our shift. About the couples in the films for example. I mean: in real life it’s just different. People don’t just get together. It’s rare that two people meet and then bang, they fall in love. It hardly ever happens. Or that a man in a park carries a woman over a huge puddle like in our ad. When does that happen? ‘Right? Right?’ I say and turn to Maria.‘I mean just look at you and me. I don’t carry you across any puddles either.’ And then she laughs.

1.1.

A top executive’s office.ANGELIKAandSABINEare sitting facing each other.

ANGELIKA. I’m glad you’re here.

Short pause.

I’m pleased. I was very curious how you – I’m sorry you had to wait those ten minutes. I’m really very pleased.

SABINE. You don’t have to reassure me. I’m not nervous.

ANGELIKA. There’s no reason to be nervous.

SABINE. Yes, there is. But I’m not.

ANGELIKA. No? I am, a little.

SABINE. You?

ANGELIKA. Yes, certainly.

Pause.

SABINE. Spare me.

ANGELIKA. What?

SABINE. These pleasantries. We don’t need to make small talk here.

ANGELIKA. Is that what I’m doing?

SABINE. We both know there’s a conflict here.

ANGELIKA. Maybe we assess the – situation differently.

SABINE. You say you’re pleased I’m here.

ANGELIKA. Yes –

SABINE. You say you’re sorry I had to wait outside in the corridor with your secretary. But none of that’s true. You’re not sorry. To make someone wait for more than five minutes is a subliminal act of aggression. You know that very well.

Pause.

ANGELIKA. Ok. I hope my secretary explained why you had to wait. I still had to –

SABINE. You’re trying to establish a certain climate of conversation here. You’re trying to establish an atmosphere of friendliness, helpfulness and warmth which is completely inappropriate. You say you’re nervous although that’s probably not true. You’re only doing that to relax the situation.

But the situation can’t be relaxed. No matter how you ‘assess the situation’. There are obviously two different interests at stake here, and they don’t meet.

ANGELIKA. Just a moment. Hang on.

SABINE. No –

ANGELIKA. Yes –

SABINE. It’s completely –

ANGELIKA. Stop.

SABINE. So far the whole course of this conversation –

ANGELIKA. Stop.

SABINEstands up if she was sitting.No –

ANGELIKA. Sabine!

Short pause.

Can we begin to talk now?

Short pause.

SABINE. As you like. Go on.

1.2.

ANGELIKA. To throw the coffee in her face was a gaffe. A lapse in control. But she didn’t deserve any better. That piece of shit didn’t deserve any better.

She sat there and tried to make a statement by being impertinent. Tried to pretend. Wanted to show strength. Self-confidence. Fake, but it wasn’t bad. In her stupid blue suit. She probably has four just like it hanging in her ward­robe. Tasteless but pretentious. And successful. She sat there and didn’t touch the coffee. Upset because she had to wait outside for ten minutes.

Actually I knew when she walked in through the door. I just wanted to see her one last time. She was sitting facing me and I was surprised by her cheek. The unbelievable cheek to even ask for this appointment.

How does she do it? How did she manage to seduce him – looking like that? With that pitiful air of expert knowledge and ambition.

1.3.

ANGELIKA. You’re twenty-eight. That makes you the youngest head of department in the whole corporation.

SABINE. I know.

ANGELIKA. I trust you completely. Even though you’ve only worked here for one and a half years. Without supervision.

SABINE. That’s not true.

ANGELIKA. No?

SABINE. No. Kramer regularly co-ordinates the department work output with the demands, expectations and needs of the board. That means there’s constant quality control.

ANGELIKA. Yes. Correct. The demands and needs of the board. How could I forget? He does that. Kramer. Are you happy with this procedure? Doesn’t sound like it.

SABINE. I am.

ANGELIKA. Are you happy with Kramer?

SABINE. Yes. I –

ANGELIKA. You can be completely honest. The fact that I live with Kramer shouldn’t stop you in any way.

SABINE. There’s no friction between Kramer and me.

ANGELIKA. No friction. Good.

SABINE. I’d like to talk about you turning me down for –

ANGELIKA. Just a sec, just a sec. I just want us both to be up to speed. So there are no misunderstandings. After all we don’t know each other.

SABINE. I hardly think that there’s a –

Interrupts herself.

All right.

ANGELIKA. You did a degree in America and then worked for two companies that sent you to Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Today you have your own team of twenty people in-house, some of whom are twice your age, and you get the best results. Correct me if I’m wrong.

SABINE. No, no.

ANGELIKA. You’re a highly qualified woman. Kramer says you’re efficient, reliable and innovative. Very impressive. Very.

SABINE. Yes. And that’s why I don’t understand why you –

ANGELIKA. Yes, yes.

SABINE. What?

ANGELIKA. Yes I know – of course. Let’s take it slowly. Coffee?

SABINE. No thanks.

ANGELIKA. You don’t drink coffee?

SABINE. No thanks –

ANGELIKA. You’re sure?

SABINE. No thanks.

Nonetheless,ANGELIKApours two cups.SABINEdoesn’t touch hers.

Please –

Pause.

ANGELIKA. You think I just sit here and do what I feel like.

SABINE. Isn’t that what you do?

ANGELIKA. No. Forget that.

SABINE. I wouldn’t know how to.

ANGELIKA. Stop it.

SABINE. No –

ANGELIKA. Forget the old hierarchic structures. We’re flexible and unorthodox. Like you. Quality wins. Don’t you agree?

Short pause.

Then you’re not being fair.