Reunion E-Book

Mark O'Rowe

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

Seitenzahl: 106

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

A family gathers for a celebration on an island off the west coast of Ireland. When an unexpected visitor drops by, tensions begin to surface. Over the next twenty-four hours, scores will be settled, beliefs challenged and truths disclosed, ultimately jeopardising their entire future together. Mark O'Rowe turns his laser focus on the deep currents of family life with a masterfully orchestrated drama which resonates with biting humour, profound insights and extraordinary authenticity. An exhilarating, high-wire ensemble piece, Reunion was first produced by Landmark Productions and Galway International Arts Festival in 2024, directed by O'Rowe himself.

Leseprobe

Mark O’Rowe

REUNION

NICK HERN BOOKS

London

www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Production Details

Original Production Details

About the Producers

Dedication

Characters

Reunion

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

Reunion was first performed at the Black Box Theatre as part of the Galway International Arts Festival on 15 July 2024. The cast, in order of appearance, was as follows:

ELAINE

Cathy Belton

FELIX

Stephen Brennan

MARILYN

Valene Kane

HOLLY

Simone Collins

CIARAN

Leonard Buckley

MAURICE

Robert Sheehan

GINA

Catherine Walker

JANICE

Venetia Bowe

STUART

Desmond Eastwood

AONGHUS

Ian-Lloyd Anderson

Director

Mark O’Rowe

Set Designer

Francis O’Connor

Lighting Designer

Sinéad McKenna

Sound Designer

Aoife Kavanagh

Production Manager

Jim McConnell

Stage Manager

Brendan Galvin

Assistant Stage Manager

Ciara Gallagher

Hair and Make-up

Tee Elliott

Fight Director

Ciaran O’Grady

Costume Supervisor

Nicola Burke

Sound Engineer

Mike Nestor

Scenic Artist

Sandra Butler

Chief LX

Susan Collins

Carpenter

Martin Wallace

Crew

Danny Hones, Gus McDonagh

Set Construction

TPS

Producers

Anne Clarke | Landmark Paul Fahy | GIAF

Associate Producer

Jack Farrell | Landmark

Marketing

Sinead McPhillips

Publicity

Sinead O’Doherty | O’Doherty Communications

Photographers

Production | Marcin Lewandowski Rehearsal | Shane O’Connor Publicity image | Kris Askey

Videography

Gansee

Graphic Design

Gareth Jones Hilda Reid | Wish Design Solutions

Landmark Productions

Landmark Productions is one of Ireland’s leading theatre producers. It produces wide-ranging work in Ireland and shares that work with international audiences.

Led by Anne Clarke since the company’s foundation in 2004, its productions have received multiple awards and have been seen in leading theatres in London, New York and beyond.

It co-produces regularly with a number of partners, including, most significantly, Galway International Arts Festival, Irish National Opera and the Abbey Theatre. Its 30 world premieres – and counting – include new plays by major Irish writers such as Mark O’Rowe, Enda Walsh, Marina Carr and Deirdre Kinahan, featuring a roll-call of Ireland’s finest actors, directors and designers.

Numerous awards include the Judges’ Special Award at the Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards, in recognition of ‘sustained excellence in programming and for developing imaginative partnerships to bring quality theatre to the Irish and international stage’; and a Special Tribute Award for Anne Clarke, for her work as ‘a producer of world-class theatre in the independent sector in Ireland’.

In January 2021 it established Landmark Live, a new online streaming platform which enables it to bring the thrill of live theatre to audiences around the world.

Producer

Anne Clarke

Associate Producer

Jack Farrell

Marketing Manager

Sinead McPhillips

Publicity

Sinead O’Doherty | O’Doherty Communications

landmarkproductions.ie

X/LandmarkIreland

Facebook.com/landmarkireland

Instagram/landmarkireland

Galway International Arts Festival

Galway International Arts Festival is a major cultural organisation, which produces one of Europe’s leading international arts festivals; develops and produces new work that tours nationally and internationally; and presents a major discussion platform, First Thought Talks. The Festival takes place each July in Galway, Ireland with attendances in excess of 400,000.

The Festival tours its own productions and exhibitions nationally and internationally, and with its co-producing partners has recently toured to London, New York, Edinburgh, Chicago, Washington, Adelaide and Sydney.

The Festival commissioned and produced John Gerrard’s Mirror Pavilion during Galway European Capital of Culture 2020 which following its premiere in Galway toured to the Gwanjgu Biennale, South Korea 2021 and Sydney Biennale Spring 2022.

Other notable productions include Misterman, Ballyturk [Best Production at the Irish Theatre Awards], Arlington and Medicine [Galway, Edinburgh Festival, New York 2021], all by Enda Walsh [all co-produced with Landmark Productions]; and Incantata by Paul Muldoon which toured to New York in 2020. The Festival’s productions of the immersive theatre installation series Rooms, created by Enda Walsh and Paul Fahy, have toured to New York, Washington and London.

Galway International Arts Festival would like to acknowledge the support of its principal funding agencies the Arts Council and Fáilte Ireland; its Drinks Partner Heineken; and Education Partner University of Galway.

Chief Executive

John Crumlish

Artistic Director

Paul Fahy

Financial Controller

Gerry Cleary

Communications and Development Manager

Hilary Martyn

Administrator

Jacinta Dwyer

Marketing Manager

Tracey Ferguson

Head of Production

Adam Fitzsimons

Fundraising Manager

Aisling O’Sullivan

Digital Media Manager

Mary McGraw

Volunteers and EDI Manager

Elena Toniato

giaf.ie

X/GalwayIntArts

Facebook.com/GalwayInternationalArtsFest

Instagram/galwayintarts

For my dad

Characters

ELAINE

GINA, Elaine’s sister

JANICE, Elaine’s daughter

MARILYN, Elaine’s daughter

MAURICE, Elaine’s son

STUART, Janice’s partner

CIARAN, Marilyn’s partner

HOLLY, Maurice’s partner

FELIX, Holly’s father

AONGHUS, Marilyn’s ex

Setting

The kitchen / living room of a house on an island off the coast of Ireland.

Front door, a large window, exit left, exit right, stairs.

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

ACT ONE

ELAINE peels potatoes over the sink. MARILYN stands at the window, looking out.

FELIX enters from outside.

ELAINE. All right, Felix?

FELIX. Yeah, do you mind if I get another beer?

ELAINE. Of course not.

He goes to the fridge and gets one.

FELIX. Pretty wild out there.

ELAINE. Sorry?

FELIX. The water. Pretty choppy.

ELAINE. Right.

Beat. He exits again. Beat.

MARILYN. It is.

ELAINE. Huh?

MARILYN. It is pretty choppy. (Beat.) Come over and have a look. (Beat.) Ma.

ELAINE sighs, then joins her at the window.

Look at the height of those there!

ELAINE. Jesus. (Long pause.) Would you say they’ll cancel the ferry?

MARILYN. Ah, yeah. You couldn’t let people cross in those kinds of conditions.

ELAINE. I suppose.

Beat. She returns to the sink and resumes peeling. After a moment:

I hate when there’s someone who doesn’t fit in.

MARILYN. Felix?

ELAINE. Yeah.

MARILYN. No, I know what you mean. You’re always worrying if they’re okay…

ELAINE. Exactly.

MARILYN.…if they’re feeling left out or whatever… (Beat; then, turning away from the window.) Can I do something?

ELAINE. No.

MARILYN. Are you sure? You don’t have to be the martyr, now.

ELAINE. I’m not being the martyr. Put these skins in the bucket, then.

MARILYN. What?! I’m messing.

She starts moving potato skins from the sink to a bucket. HOLLY enters from upstairs.

ELAINE. Well?

HOLLY. No.

MARILYN. You can use mine, Holly.

HOLLY. Ah, sure we’ll see if Maurice has any luck.

ELAINE. Is your da all right, Holly?

HOLLY. What do you mean?

ELAINE. No, I’m just saying, he’s welcome to hang out with us in here.

HOLLY. He’s fine.

ELAINE. Are you sure?

HOLLY. Yeah, no, there’s nothing he’d rather now than what he’s doing. Sit with his beer…

MARILYN. Right.

HOLLY.…looking out at the sea…

MARILYN. There’s tea there, Holly.

HOLLY. Hm? Oh, cool. (Going to the table.) No, he’s grand, Elaine.

ELAINE. Okay.

She continues to peel the potatoes. HOLLY pours herself a cup of tea, sits down, takes a sip. Pause.

HOLLY. So, what was the story with Janice and Stuart?

ELAINE. Agh. His mother was meant to mind the kids, but then the dates conflicted with a trip she wanted to go on…

MARILYN. A hiking trip.

ELAINE. Is that what it was?

HOLLY. And would they not have just brought them?

ELAINE. I think it’s a break from them they were looking for.

HOLLY. Okay…

CIARAN (offstage; from outside). Hey, Felix.

MAURICE (offstage; from outside). All right, Felix?

FELIX (offstage). Lads.

HOLLY (to ELAINE).…but if they’re stuck with them now in any case…

ELAINE. Hm? I know.

HOLLY. … then…

ELAINE. Listen: your guess is as good as mine, Holly. I’d love to have had them all here.

MAURICE (as he and CIARAN enter from outside). Who?

ELAINE. Janice and Stuart…

MAURICE. Oh, right.

ELAINE.…the kids.

MAURICE. Is your da okay out there, Holly?

HOLLY. Yeah, he’s fine.

MAURICE (of ELAINE and MARILYN). And have they been abusing you?

ELAINE. What?!

MAURICE. I bet you you have.

HOLLY. They haven’t.

MARILYN. And she can hold her own in any case. Right, Holly?

HOLLY. Exactly.

MAURICE. Right. Anyway…

He puts a plastic bag on the table. Then, taking each item out:

…bananas… cereal… biscuits… eggs…

ELAINE. They didn’t have digestives?

MAURICE. No. Or Chef Sauce, so… (Takes out a bottle of YR sauce.)

ELAINE. Ah, no!

MARILYN. Ah, you’re joking!

HOLLY. Did they have a charger?

MAURICE. You didn’t find yours?

HOLLY. No.

MAURICE (beat; then, taking one out of the bag). Well then, you’re lucky they did.

HOLLY. Oh, brilliant!

MARILYN (of the bananas). Can I have one of these?

MAURICE. No.

She picks one up and starts peeling it while HOLLY plugs in her phone.

MARILYN. Bit obsessive about your phone, Holly, are you?

HOLLY. Yeah, I suppose.

MAURICE. If it goes below sixty per cent, she gets very anxious.

HOLLY. It’s like a security thing. I dunno…

MARILYN. Right.

HOLLY. … or an insecurity thing.

MAURICE. So, when are we eating, Ma?

ELAINE. Emm…

MARILYN. I’m already eating.

ELAINE.…say, around seven…?

MAURICE. Cool.

ELAINE.…half seven? (To CIARAN and HOLLY.) Is that okay for you guys?

CIARAN. Yeah, whenever.

HOLLY (simultaneously). Absolutely.

ELAINE (beat). Nice traditional dinner.

MAURICE. Exactly.

ELAINE. Bit of chicken…

MARILYN. Mmm.

ELAINE.…some roast potatoes…

HOLLY. I actually love YR sauce on roast potatoes.

ELAINE. Oh really!

HOLLY. Mm.

MAURICE. Well, that worked out well for you, didn’t it.

MARILYN (to CIARAN). Did you call your folks?

CIARAN. I did, yeah.

MARILYN. And…?

CIARAN. Yeah, no, everything’s fine.

ELAINE. Of course it is, Ciaran. And what do you think of the island?

MARILYN. They only went to the shop, Ma.

ELAINE. Well, what does he think of that part of the island.

CIARAN. Beautiful, yeah.

MAURICE (to the women). Did you see the waves?!

MARILYN. I know!

MAURICE. Bloody boat was like this! (Demonstrates with his hand.)

MARILYN. The ferry?!

CIARAN. Mm.

MARILYN. They didn’t cancel it?

MAURICE. Would we have seen it if they’d cancelled it?

ELAINE. And was Sheila there, Maurice?

MAURICE (to HOLLY, as he reaches for the teapot). Anything left in this?

HOLLY. Yeah.

MAURICE (picks it up). There’s isn’t.

ELAINE. Maurice…

MAURICE. No, some other woman.

MARILYN (to CIARAN). Sheila had a thing for Maurice – (To MAURICE.) didn’t she?

ELAINE. No, she didn’t.

MARILYN. Well, she always gave him more attention than anyone else. ‘A litre of milk, is it, Maurice…?’

MAURICE (looking around). Where’s the, uh…?

MARILYN. ‘…A ride, is it, Maurice?’

ELAINE. A what?!

MARILYN. She was about a hundred, Holly.

MAURICE. Where are the teabags?

ELAINE (gesturing to the counter). There.

MAURICE. Ah, right.

MARILYN. Used to drive Janice mad. ‘Why does he get special treatment?’

CIARAN. And would you never go anywhere else, Elaine?

ELAINE. On holidays?

CIARAN. Yeah.

ELAINE. Ah, once or twice, we did. But here was…

MARILYN. Absolutely.

ELAINE.…Wasn’t it.

MAURICE. Here was like a tradition, Ciaran.

MARILYN. Exactly.

HOLLY (to MARILYN). And what would you do?

MARILYN. For fun, like?

HOLLY. Yeah.

MARILYN. I dunno. Explore…

HOLLY. Uh-huh.

MARILYN.…hang out with other kids… When we got older, we kind of hung out a lot together, didn’t we.

ELAINE. Mm.

HOLLY. Just here?

MARILYN. Or in Lynch’s.

HOLLY. Right.

ELAINE.…or go for walks…

MARILYN. There’s some beautiful walks, Holly.

HOLLY. Really?!

ELAINE. That reminds me, I need to air my runners out.

MARILYN. You need to buy a new bloody pair. (To MAURICE.) Have you seen her runners?

HOLLY. And are there beaches?

MARILYN. Yeah, but they’re tiny.

HOLLY. Right.

MARILYN. And stony. Like you wouldn’t be sunbathing on them or anything.

HOLLY. Can you swim?

MARILYN. Can I swim?

HOLLY. No, like…

MARILYN. Oh, can you swim. Ah yeah.

HOLLY. And would you?

ELAINE. When they were kids, they did.

MARILYN. Yeah, when we didn’t know any better. It’s freezing, Holly.

HOLLY. I don’t mind the cold. What do you think, Maurice?

MAURICE. Hm?

HOLLY. Do you wanna come for a swim with me maybe tomorrow morning?

Pause.

MARILYN. Maurice, your girlfriend’s asking you a question.

MAURICE. Yeah, if you want.

ELAINE. Jesus, you don’t sound too enthusiastic, Maurice… Ah no, Marilyn!!

MARILYN. What?!

She is about to drop her banana skin into the bin.

Oh, right.

She throws it into the bucket instead. Then:

(To HOLLY.) For the birds tomorrow.

HOLLY. The birds?!

MAURICE. Ah, it’s just something my da used to do.

ELAINE. He’d bring all the leftovers down to the turn in the mornings…

MAURICE. You know the turn, just…?

HOLLY. Yeah.

ELAINE.…from the previous day, like, and dump them out on the rocks.

CIARAN. And would that be allowed?

ELAINE. ‘Allowed’?!

CIARAN. You know, in terms of the natural habitat…

ELAINE. The…

CIARAN.…interfering with it, or…