Stuff E-Book

Tom Wells

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

Seitenzahl: 44

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

Vinny's organising a surprise birthday party for his mate, Anita. It's not going well: his choice of venue is a bit misguided, Anita's not keen on leaving the house, and everyone else has their own stuff going on. Maybe a surprise party wasn't the best idea?  Tom Wells's Stuff is a play about friendship and loss – and the way people try to do the right thing for their mates when there isn't really a right thing to do. Written specifically for young people, the play formed part of the 2019 National Theatre Connections Festival and was premiered by youth theatres across the UK. It offers rich opportunities for an ensemble cast of teenagers.

Leseprobe

Tom Wells

STUFF

NICK HERN BOOKS

London

www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Original Production Details

Dedication

Stuff

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

Stuff was commissioned as part of the 2019 National Theatre Connections Festival and premiered by youth theatres across the UK, including a performance at the National Theatre in June 2019.

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

For Ros Terry, with love and thanks

Characters

VINNY, fifteen, organising the party, has liked Anita for ages

FRANKIE, fifteen, Anita’s best mate

MATT, sixteen, quiet, gay

MAGDA, fifteen, plays guitar a bit

STACE, fifteen, trying to be helpful

KATE, sixteen, actually helpful, doesn’t say much but her facial expressions are priceless

DANI, seventeen, Stace’s cousin, just visiting

AJ, sixteen, aspiring graffiti artist, trouble

TEZ, thirteen, aspiring Ravenclaw, not trouble

1.

A hall.

It’s scruffy – cardboard boxes, half-broken furniture hidden underneath dust sheets, that sort of thing – in need of a lick of paint and a good tidy-up, but welcoming too.

VINNY, MATT, KATE, MAGDA, STACE and DANI are waiting in the dark.

FRANKIE walks in.

VINNY turns the lights on.

EVERYONE APART FROM FRANKIE. SURPRISE!

A moment.

VINNY. What d’you think?

FRANKIE. Yeah. No it was good. Yeah.

VINNY. I thought so.

STACE. Not scary?

FRANKIE. Not scary no. You could probably sound a bit more joyful.

MATT. We will.

VINNY. And we’ve got party poppers as well, but just, not for the practice run.

KATE. I did mime.

FRANKIE. Ace. Mega.

And maybe, also, you know…

FRANKIE gestures at the general surroundings.

Make this a bit less bleak.

VINNY. That’s what we’re doing now, while you’re picking Anita up.

FRANKIE. Right. Well. Best of luck. And I’ll see you in like twenty minutes?

VINNY. Keep in touch, keep texting, so we know what you’re up to.

FRANKIE. I’m literally just walking to Anita’s house then turning round and walking back with Anita.

VINNY. Still though.

FRANKIE rolls her eyes.

MAGDA. Is there more of a plan than that?

VINNY. The plan is: Frankie’s off now, to pick Anita up, get her to come here but not explain why.

MAGDA. How?

FRANKIE. I’ll think of something.

STACE. D’you think that’s enough?

VINNY. Good point actually.

FRANKIE. What d’you mean?

VINNY. Like you don’t think it’d be good to have a ready- prepared reason.

FRANKIE. I think you’ve got bigger stuff to focus on, Vinny.

VINNY. Like what?

FRANKIE looks round at the hall.

Fair enough.

FRANKIE. Laters.

FRANKIE leaves.

VINNY. So, everyone else is getting here for half-past, if they’re coming, I don’t know if they’re coming.

MAGDA. Who else?

VINNY. Loads of her mates from other stuff, as in not school, stuff she just does.

MATT. Cool.

VINNY. Made a secret Facebook event, fifteen people have said ‘maybe’.

MATT (less convinced). Cool.

STACE. That’s amazing.

VINNY. She’s amazing.

KATE. Shall I check the big door’s open then, through there? Not just the side door. In case they’re early and they don’t know about the side door.

VINNY. Good thinking.

VINNY looks at lots of keys.

It’s probably, well, I don’t actually know but it’s one of these.

KATE looks at the keys for a moment.

A little sadly.

KATE. I’ll try them all.

She leaves.

STACE. So it’s us, Frankie, Anita…

MAGDA. And a load of randoms off Facebook we don’t even know.

VINNY. And maybe AJ, actually, still waiting on AJ.

MAGDA. AJ’s coming?

VINNY. If he can get away. He’s in a bit of trouble so, grounded actually so –

STACE. Again?

VINNY. His mum caught him practising graffiti in her garage.

MAGDA. Shit.

VINNY. Yeah it’s properly bad.

MATT. Who practises graffiti?

VINNY. Not AJ, not any more. His mum’s not letting him near aerosols ever again.

STACE. What about deodorant?

VINNY. He’s got to use roll-on.

STACE. What about squirty cream?

VINNY. Banned.

STACE looks shocked.

But, she’s got work this afternoon, left him at home with Tez, reckons he can, fingers crossed anyway, reckons he can slip past him, get here in time, bring a load of booze to make some sort of punchy cocktail thing, like a proper high-school party, like in films. I got red plastic cups in case.

MAGDA. And he’s definitely coming?

VINNY. Should be.

MAGDA’s not keen.

MAGDA. Right. Great.

VINNY. What’s up with AJ?

MAGDA. He’s a dick.

VINNY. Yeah, obvs, but apart from that.

MAGDA and STACE look at MATT.

MAGDA. Matt?

VINNY. Oh shit, course, cos of…

MATT. Shall we start doing party stuff?

VINNY. Mate, honestly, just don’t worry about it, don’t give it another thought.

MATT. Where’s the balloons?

MATT looks for the packet of balloons.

VINNY. He said that actually.

MATT. Thought they were here somewhere.

VINNY. Said tell Matt it’s totally fine, you don’t need to feel awkward or embarrassed or anything.

MATT stops looking for the packet of balloons.

MATT. Um. What?