Sunrise E-Book

Jessie Cave

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

Seitenzahl: 66

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

'Okay I'm sorry but I don't want to have a meal. I want to talk and find out a bit more about you and ideally have sex. Or maybe not full sex but – I need to be home by 11 p.m.' Dating again after a complex break-up, Jessie is trying to get her personal life in order – before her kids wake up. From actress, comedian, writer and doodler Jessie Cave, Sunrise is an honest, tender-hearted and uproariously funny story about crying in the woods, sexual accidents, Harry Potter conventions and Instagram espionage – but also about motherhood and trying to get stuff done. This published edition also includes dozens of full-colour, never-before-seen doodles by Jessie. She's very happy to (over)share it with you. Sunrise was performed as a critically acclaimed live show at Soho Theatre, London, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and on tour around the UK, and was produced by Soho Theatre. 'Devastatingly honest, wickedly funny… Sunrise pitches us right into Cave's life, and her head' Guardian 'A unique comic talent. Think Lena Dunham's Girls but with far more self-deprecation and jokes' Independent

Leseprobe

NICK HERN BOOKS

London

www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Introduction

Original Production

Dedication

Sunrise

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

Introduction

I wrote the first draft of

Sunrise

in early 2018, in a hotel

room in Liverpool.

I had gone away for four days.

My mum was looking after the babies – she had

encouraged me to go away and have a chance to think

and work.

I thought I would sit down and write some hardcore

straight stand-up comedy. I told Alfie that’s what I was

going to write. I said I would be competing with him

now, on the stand-up circuit. I said that and then sat

down and watched half an hour of strangers’ Instagram

stories and searched for any evidence of Alfie with

other women and then cried for a bit and then

realised… I needed to write about him. And it’s not all

that funny, but it is all true.

I sent him only one bit for his approval. It was a bit in

which he doesn’t come across that well. He approved.

He was creatively generous. He is my biggest supporter

and my fairest critic. I think I broke his heart and he

definitely broke mine but – he is my best friend. This

show in many ways was written, well, just for him. But

it’s turned out to be something for me.

I also needed to write about the man who helped me

(begin) to heal again after the break-up. It was like he

was sent to me. He made me realise I can be fun. I can

be new. I can have secrets too.

But aside from all the crying in the woods, sexual

accidents, Harry Potter conventions and Instagram

espionage, this is a show about motherhood and trying

to get stuff done.

My mum has five children and she does everything for

us and makes everything happen for us.

I wish I was as selfless, giving and as patient.

When me and Alfie broke up, my mum saved me. She

helped me with the babies’ bathtime and bedtime most

nights. She said everything would be okay.

When I came back from Liverpool I said I would like to

have a sunrise backdrop for the shows and she started

sewing immediately. I then said ‘

I think I need to have

their faces sewn on to pillows – Alfie’s face and…

’ and

my mum didn’t say ‘Okay, you need to stop being so

odd.’ She started embroidering their faces into pillows,

in the full belief (or mother’s hope) that it wouldn’t be

odd and people would get it.

I’ve found the backdrop hugely comforting to look at

onstage.

What this little book

is

is now the fourteenth draft of

Sunrise

. And I’m so happy to (over)share it with you.

Sunrise

was first produced by Soho Theatre in

association with Curtis Brown, and performed at Soho

Theatre, London, on 24 July 2018, with the

following creative team:

Writer and Performer

Jessie Cave

Director and Dramaturg

Adam Brace

Designer

Debbie Cave

Composer and Sound Designer

Adam Welsh

Lighting Designer

Sean Hawkins

Puppetry Consultant

Mark Down

Stage Manager

Ella Dixon

Producers

Steve Lock

Sarah Dodd

It was subsequently performed at The Stand Comedy

Club, Edinburgh, as part of the Edinburgh Festival

Fringe, from 3 August; a full-length run at Soho

Theatre, London, from 12 November; and then on tour

around the UK.

Have you had sex with anyone

since we broke up?

Why are you asking this –

I won’t mind. Honestly. In fact I

want you to have had sex with

other people – on both our behalfs. I

can’t have sex at the moment because

I’m guarding our children every night

but you can!

I feel like this is a trap –

Oh my god, it’s so not a trap. Honestly!

I won’t mind! I really won’t mind! I just

want you to be honest.

Okay…

So – have you had sex since

we broke up?

Yes.

Right. How many?

One.

Who?

Sarah.

She was in the audience one night –

Okay.

Okay, it wasn’t a girl called Sarah

and she wasn’t in the audience,

I just wanted to see how you react –

When I was performing I would cover my face with the pillow of Alfie or Him

when they are ‘talking’. I would hold them above my head or hug them to my

chest when I am speaking ‘to’ them.

See!! I’m fine. I’M REACTING FINE!

Five.

Five what?

Five people. I’ve had sex with

five people since we broke up.

RIGHT. Okay. Who –

Just. Random women.

Five one-night stands?

Yep. I didn’t like it,

it didn’t make me feel good.

Okay, you need to leave now –

But you said you would be fine –

I am fine – but it’s bedtime – I

need to get them to sleep, you

need to go.

Okay –

are you sure you’re okay?

Yep absolutely – bye.

I didn’t hug him goodbye because I was breastfeeding.

Then!

As I came onto the stage I selected

someone in the brave front row and quietly

asked them if they would shout out ‘YOU

GO GIRL!’ every time I pointed at them…

Sometimes the person I chose looked

annoyed, sometimes delighted. What they

didn’t know is how well they shouted out

these three words had the power to affect

my entire performance.

I DIDN’T TEXT HIM FOR THREE WHOLE DAYS.

I wanted him to know I was hurt.

This was the longest I’d ever gone (since I told him I

was pregnant) without texting.

I wanted to reclaim some power.

Every minute of not texting I was improving my ‘not

texting’ stamina.

I blocked him… unblocked him two minutes later in

case any loving messages he had sent don’t ever come

through because I blocked him…

I went running in the park, punching an invisible him.

I wrote in my Bullet Journal:

(…

even though I only did it

to teach him a lesson.

)

It turns out I would be the

one who would learn a

lesson!

I now know what ‘REGRET’ means.

Sometimes I feel like I’m waiting for my fisherman to

come back from sea. The sea of pussy.

The fourth day of no texting came. I was in the park

with the babies and my mum and I had this SUDDEN

AND URGENT ITCHING NEED for information and

thought ‘I’ll just call him up and ask him a few vital

questions, in a fun way.’

My mum read about the new Bullet Journal phenomenoncraze online and tried to

get me and my sister involved. If you don’t know what a Bullet Journal is, see my

doodle and don’t watch the YouTube tutorials because you will not be able to

stop watching the YouTube tutorials. Also don’t do what I do and get too

emotionally involved with your Bullet Journal. They can’t hug you back.

I went into the woods bit next to the park.

I called him up and within approximately twenty

seconds, I WAS WAILING IN THE WOODS… as a group

of children came up behind me chanting ‘

We’re going

on a bear hunt

’ as I howl ‘

TELL ME THEIR NAMES –

’

I’d cry and he’d say sorry and then I’d cry some more

and he’d say ‘

I haven’t done anything wrong but I’m

sorry

’ and I’d say ‘

SORRY ISN’T HELPING. NAMES

WILL HELP. GIVE. ME. A. NAME!

’

But he didn’t give me any names, and now I’m truly

grateful for that.

We have a joint iCal so we can work out childcare. He

basically just puts in his gigs. And when he puts in ‘OFF’

I know that Liverpool are playing and so I need to leave

him alone to concentrate. To infiltrate his day

sometimes I add in loads of pretend events so that his