Take Care E-Book

Zoë Templeman-Young

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

Seitenzahl: 56

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Beschreibung

An astonishing, tragic and uplifting verbatim play about the care system in the UK today. Take Care follows the real-life story of Pam, a woman struggling to move her mother into a care home that's closer to her. Along the way we meet other carers, NHS staff, politicians, journalists and MPs all involved in the care system for older people. The text of the play is taken word-for-word from interviews conducted by the authors over a period of five years, together with exerpts from published press releases and public speeches. Darkly humorous, this documentary play shines a light on the hidden voices of carers, and exposes the workings of a care system in desperate need of repair. Zoë Templeman-Young and Sam McLaughlin's play Take Care was first created and performed in 2013, winning the Clive Barker Award (University of Warwick), with runs at both the Edinburgh Fringe and The Courtyard Theatre, London, before being revived at VAULT Festival, London, in 2020.

Leseprobe

Zoë Templeman-Young & Sam McLaughlin

TAKE CARE

NICK HERN BOOKSLondonwww.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Welcome to VAULT Festival

Dedication

Original Production

Thanks

Characters

Take Care

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

Welcome to VAULT Festival

Theatre’s a funny thing, isn’t it? Being in a dark room with a bunch of strangers, being asked to give your time and attention to this moment, here, now. And in return asking for a story, a voice, a perspective on the world. Asking to be moved. To be changed. And then we disperse. To the bar to dissect. Back home to our family or friends. Back to the everyday. But for an hour or two, we have all been a part of something. We have, artists and audience alike, been a community. Part of a story that, while it may be told again, will never exist in that exact way. It’s pretty exhilarating. And at VAULT Festival, there is the opportunity to have that experience, that immediacy, that joy and risk, hundreds of times through thousands of artists. That’s pretty fucking incredible.

Now, more than any other time I can think of, we are questioning whose stories we are being presented with. Who has been left out of the narrative? And why? VAULT Festival is one of the increasingly rare places where artists who are traditionally underrepresented on our stages, whether that be race, background, gender, class or ability, can have their voices heard. Their stories told. Can be seen.

This year, VAULT Festival is welcoming some of the best and strongest new writing in the country. The plays published in this collection represent a fraction of the incredibly varied, raw, vibrant, urgent and playful work across the 2020 Festival. The writers in this collection have delivered unique perspectives on the world and their experiences moving through it. I could not be more proud of this collection, and of all the work presented at this year’s festival. Of the risks artists are taking in this strange and scary world, and of the unfaltering belief from everyone who comes to VAULT Festival, from audiences, staff and the artists themselves in the power of art to change that world.

As always, this collection and the new writing presented in the Festival would not be possible without the ongoing support of Nick Hern Books. Their dedication and belief in writers and their willingness to platform them through the VAULT Festival has been unwavering and we are all so thankful.

So have a read. Go see these shows. Go see the rest of them. And when you’re sat in that room, willing to be moved and changed, being witness to the unique power and transience of theatre, remember we’re all in this together.

Bec Martin-Williams

Head of Theatre and Performance

VAULT Festival 2020

This is the introduction toPlays from VAULT 5, the collection in which this play first appeared.

To all the unheard carers

To Mumma and Mumkins

Take Care was first performed at VAULT Festival, London, on 10 March 2020.

Director

Zoë Templeman-Young

Dramaturgs

Sam McLaughlin, Zoë Templeman-Young

Sound Design

Matt Kirk

Lighting Design

Catja Hamilton

At the time of going to print the play was still to be cast.

A previous, shorter version of the play was performed at the Gielgud Studio, RADA Festival 2019, with the following cast:

Cynthia Emeagi

Hal Geller

Danny Hughes

Charlotte Keith

Zoë Templeman-Young

Thanks

Thank you to all of the individuals who trusted us with their stories, without which this play could not exist. These consist of: informal carers, private/agency carers, care managers, NHS doctors and nurses, NHS officials, psychologists, activities coordinators, activists, security guards, family and friends.

Special thanks to: ARJO, Arts Council England, Caroline Allouf, Carers Network, Carers Support Centre, Carers Trust, Felicity Green, Granny Val, Hannah Tookey, Katharine Farmer, Kentish Town Community Centre, Kerry Irvine, LondonADASS Improvement Programme, Nick Hern Books, Pound Arts (special shout-out to Martin), Sarah Stacey, Upstart Theatre, VAULT Festival, Warwick University.

S.M, Z T-Y.

Characters

in order of appearance

PAM, accent: South-west London

RUTH, accent: Essex

CHARLIE, accent: Estuary/West London

SHARON, accent: MLE

KEIR, accent: Kent

SAM, accent: Kent

GINA, accent: Estuary

GRAHAM, accent: heightened RP/Lewes

SOFIE, accent: Bristol

LYDIA, accent: Russian

ROBERT, accent: Cockney

SARAH, accent: RP/Bristol

PAULINE, accent: Cockney

ROBIN, accent: RP

KATHY, accent: RP

EMMA, accent: Estuary

STEPH, accent: Cork

Note on Text

All the text spoken by named characters is verbatim.

Some names of interviewees have been changed for legal reasons.

All politicians/political commentators are voice-overs.

All voice-overs feature the person’s actual voice.

All text is direct address to the audience.

/ denotes an interruption by the following character.

This production is performed by a maximum of five actors.

This selection of interviews were specifically chosen to feature in the VAULT Festival 2020 production.

Two PERFORMERS stand onstage.

They talk directly to the audience.

NARRATOR. The stories you are about to hear are true stories. This isn’t one of those times a precursor will flash up saying:

NARRATOR 2. Based on a true story.

NARRATOR. Which actually normally means ninety per cent was fictional.

NARRATOR 2. Nothing wrong with that.

NARRATOR. No. But it can be misleading. We want to say, upfront, that our stories are one-hundred-per-cent true. From real people, from all around the country.

NARRATOR 2. And even us.

NARRATOR. Oh yeah, us. We’re doing this because we used to be carers.

NARRATOR 2. We have both worked either professionally or personally as carers of the elderly. And our two voices join the thousands of others from around this country. The voices of people who have reached out to us and felt compelled to tell their stories.

NARRATOR. Because they, like us, feel frustrated, angry, confused – about the state of the care system for older people. And how carers are treated.

And we know that when you look after an older person –

NARRATOR 2. It is bloody hard.

NARRATOR. It is exhausting.

NARRATOR 2. But it’s also hilarious and ridiculous. And sometimes makes you laugh so much a little bit of wee comes out.

NARRATOR. And it’s fine if that happens because the person you’re looking after normally wees themselves all the time.

NARRATOR 2. So you’re in the same boat.

NARRATOR. You’re equals.

Beat.

NARRATOR 2. We’re all planning on growing old right? Which means we all expect to be looked after. So it’s time to sit up and listen to these carers. Time to support the supporters.

NARRATOR. So let’s start.

NARRATOR 2. You probably recognise this voice –