Superhoe E-Book

Nicôle Lecky

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

Seitenzahl: 67

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

The hit stage play behind the BAFTA-winning BBC TV drama series Mood. 'I'm a singer-slash-rapper. I'm not the sort of girl that will be working in fucking Wetherspoons for eight pounds an hour.' Sasha Clayton is twenty-four and living with her mum, stepdad, and irritating little sister, in Plaistow, East London. She's gone from being the most popular girl at school, to spending most of her time on her own in her bedroom scrolling through social media. She may not have a job or a flat, and, admittedly her boyfriend's not answering her calls – but she's got talent and a dream. When she releases her first EP everything's going to change. Nicôle Lecky's play Superhoe was first staged in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in January 2019, performed by its author and directed by Jade Lewis. It was the first collaboration between Talawa Theatre Company and the Royal Court. The play was adapted by Nicôle Lecky into the six-part BBC television drama series Mood, first broadcast in March 2022. The series went on to win the award for Best Mini-Series at the 2023 BAFTA TV awards.

Leseprobe

Nicôle Lecky

SUPERHOE

NICK HERN BOOKS

London

www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Original Production

Epigraph

Acknowledgements

Characters

Note on Text

Superhoe

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

Superhoe was produced by Talawa Theatre company and presented at Talawa Firsts in June 2018. It was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, London, on Wednesday 30 January 2019, with the following cast:

SASHA CLAYTON

Nicôle Lecky

Director

Jade Lewis

Design Consultant

Chloe Lamford

Costume Designer

Kiera Liberati

Lighting Designer

Prema Mehta

Music

The Last Skeptik &

Nicôle Lecky

Sound Designer

Emma Laxton

Graphics & Video Designer

Ewan Jones Morris

Movement Director

Sara Dos Santos

Dialect Coach

Hazel Holder

Costume Supervisor

Lucy Walshaw

Production Manager

Marty Moore

Stage Managers

Nic Donithorn, Olivia Roberts

‘After darkness, there must always be light.’

Acknowledgements

Thank you to my agents Elinor Burns and Rachel Taylor at Casarotto, what a year it’s been! You have both been a constant source of support, joy and guidance. To my agents Femi Oguns and Jonathan Hall at IAG, thank you for all the positive energy and for giving me time and space to work on this project.

Thank you to Hamish Pirie, Vicky Featherstone, Lucy Davies, Michael Buffong, and Jane Fallowfield for believing in this play and me! You put my debut play on the Royal Court stage, and for that I’ll be eternally grateful and probably won’t leave any of you alone. Thank you to all the people at Talawa, the Royal Court and beyond for making this play possible. Jade Lewis, who would have thought that less than a year after meeting up in that coffee shop, that we’d be here. Thank you for your directing magic, girllllll. Corin aka The Last Skeptik, you are a G. Thank you for the music and the chats.

This play is dedicated to my mum, who I think of always. Mum, thank you from the depths of my heart for believing in me, and encouraging me to feel like I could achieve anything.

Joanne, you truly are the best sister in the world. It is I, who loves you more. It is in print now, so it cannot be disputed.

To my family, thank you for always supporting me whether it be words of encouragement, travelling to watch my shows or just making me laugh lots.

To my adopted family. Osy, you championed me from day one, even when I couldn’t see it myself. Your friendship is immeasurable. Zack, my brother, thank you for showing up always. In so many ways. Stella, your encouragement never fails to uplift me. You are a Queen. Jason, you go out of your way for me. Thank you for pushing me, and for having such belief in me. Kiell, thank you for your time and help, and for always being a dear friend to me.

To all the women I spoke to and who shared stories with me, thank you. Thank you for your honesty, passion and openness. Thank you for your courage, to be able to share your most intimate memories with me – good and bad. You are forever powerful.

Nicôle, let this be a reminder that you can, even when you think you can’t. Thank God for the strength, and breathe deep always.

Characters

SASHA CLAYTON, twenty-four, mixed race, East London accent, aggy

All other key characters

LAURA CLAYTON/MCBRIDE, Mum, white, early forties

KEVIN MCBRIDE, stepdad, white, forties

MEGAN MCBRIDE, half-sister, white and blonde, fifteen

CARLY VISIONZ, escort friend, white, early twenties

ANTON SPENCER, boyfriend, Black Caribbean, late twenties

DELROSE, Anton’s neighbour, Jamaican, late fifties

ALI, regular client, Middle-Eastern, forties

SALEEM, acquaintance, Somalian, twenties

LUCY DAVIS, old friend, white, twenties

Note on Text

This is a play for a single performer.

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

Scene One

SASHA enters the space. A microphone stand. She smiles and waves at the audience.

Thanks for coming. I wanna let you all know that my EP is dropping after this Live Lounge. Thank you to my manager, and my label for supporting me. Thanks to my man Anton, for always being there. And lastly thank you to you guys, for showing me bare love.

SASHA performs a track: ‘Picture Perfect’.

Stay,

I’m taking a selfie of us

Look in to the camera, don’t blush

We are flawless, we are

When we’re old

We’ll be reminded of the good times

When we’re old

We’ll see how dope we looked together

Picture perfect under the stars we are

Picture perfect, under the stars we are

[Suggested interruption by SASHA’s mum from page 6, or wherever feels appropriate.]

Stay, just like that

I’m close to falling in love

Over and over, again

I’ll never stop falling, I swear

When we’re old

We’ll be reminded of the good times

When we’re old

We’ll see how dope we looked together

Picture perfect under the stars we are

Picture perfect, under the stars we are

Offstage, SASHA’s mum calls her. SASHA reacts to this.

‘WHAT?! FOR FUCK SAKE! WHAT DO YOU WANT?!’

Beat.

‘I WAS RECORDING A SONG! YOU’VE FUCKING RUINED IT NOW!’

Beat.

‘FUCK DO YOU KNOW? YES I WAS ACTUALLY!’

Beat. Turns off laptop/music. She picks up and lights a half-smoked spliff from an ashtray.

Even though it’s not finished yet, I might send out a few tracks off my EP to a couple of music people. Maybe meet some artists that wanna collab on it, coz I’m not on doing any of that YouTube shi–

‘NO I AM NOT SMOKING THANK YOU VERY MUCH!’

She’s so – (Mimics suffocating.) I thought I’d have my own house by now – not putting up with these fuckers always moaning. Kevin – my stepdad, he’s got all these bastard rules. If you’re sat next to him texting he gets annoyed, and don’t even think about watching anything good on the telly, like Love Island or Kardashians. ‘Reality TV is for idiots which is made to detract us all from the real issues.’

I’m like ‘What real issues?’

Kevin goes on a rant about real celebrities in his day, and how my generation is self-obsessed. ‘If you’re not careful, your generation will end up with rotting brains.’

‘If I’m not careful? Am I responsible for my entire generation then? What’s Loose Women if it’s not a bunch of slags chatting bare shit?’

Beat.

‘That’s daytime telly, that’s a bit different Sasha.’ My mum pipes up.

These two wind me right up the fucking wall.

Beat. SASHA drinks from a can of Red Stripe.

I go downstairs, and they’re all there stood round the fucking kitchen table, with loads of shopping bags. I lean on the doorframe trying to not make it bait that I’m high again, they don’t look at me anyway.

Clears throat.

‘Bought me anything?’

‘Why would they buy YOU anything?’

This is Megan. Megan is my little sister and she’s a bitch. Kevin gives Megan a squeeze on the shoulder, it’s a ‘don’t let Sasha irritate you’ squeeze.

‘Well it’s not your money so mind your business.’

‘Well you’re twenty-four you should buy things for yourself.’

‘Well one: I haven’t got any money so how am I supposed to buy things for myself, and two: Shut your fucking mouth how about that?’

‘Hey hey hey Sasha. Less of that okay. Less of that.’

Beat. SASHA picks up a bag.

‘Since when do we shop at Debenhams.’

‘I’ve always gone to Debenhams.’

‘You’ve always “window-shopped” at Debenhams. You don’t GO to Debenhams Mum.’

SASHA looks in the bag.

‘Sixty pound for a pair of pillowcases?’

‘That’s because you only shop in Primark.’

Megan chuckles and I wonder what she’s gonna do when she actually turns sixteen. I think it’s legal to beat up a sixteen-year-old, she’s got about another seven months until I kick her in her cunt back to her dead dad’s grave…

Beat.