Trestle E-Book

Stewart Pringle

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

Seitenzahl: 58

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

'We're not here forever. You've got to take a chance from time to time. Sometimes you've got to see something you like and grab hold. Don't let it go.' Harry feels like life is beginning to tick down, his autumn years spent quietly caring for the community he loves. Denise thinks life begins in retirement and she's dancing like she's still at high school. When their paths cross at the village hall, their understanding of the time they have left changes irrevocably. What do community, growing old, and falling in love really mean? And who gets to decide anyway? Stewart Pringle's play Trestle tenderly but truthfully explores love and ageing, asking how we choose to live in the face of soaring life expectancies. It won the 2017 Papatango New Writing Prize and premiered at Southwark Playhouse, London, in November 2017.

Leseprobe

Stewart Pringle

TRESTLE

NICK HERN BOOKS

London

www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Title Page

Original Production

Acknowledgements

Dedication

Characters

Trestle

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

Trestle was the winner of the 2017 Papatango New Writing Prize. It was produced by Papatango and first performed at Southwark Playhouse, London, on 1 November 2017 with the following cast:

HARRY

Gary Lilburn

DENISE

Connie Walker

Director

Cathal Cleary

Designer

Frankie Bradshaw

Lighting Designer

Johanna Town

Music and Sound Designer

Richard Hammarton

Producer

Chris Foxon

Dramaturg

George Turvey

Production Manager

Ian Taylor for eStage Production

Stage Manager

Edwina Allen

Acknowledgements

Thanks to friends who read kindly and noted wisely: Adam Hughes, Duncan Gates, Will Young, Tom Richards, Jeffrey Mayhew, George Warren and Tim Foley. To my wonderful (and v. patient) agent Jonathan. To George and Chris from Papatango, to Cathal, Eddie and the whole Trestle team who have made every step of this journey such a joy. To the Southwark Playhouse and all who sail in her. To Matt, John, Sarah Liisa and all at Nick Hern Books. To Ellie, Madani, Omar and the team at the Bush Theatre for the support and headspace needed for this.

Thanks-beyond-thanks to Lauren, none of this would be possible without you and your constant faith, love and brilliance.

And finally to my peculiar and perfect family, who never ask when I’m planning to grow up, and who taught me that every day is a special occasion.

S.P.

To Mike Fry,

without whom none of this would be preferable

Characters

HARRY

DENISE

Scenes take place at intervals of a week unless otherwise indicated.

A forward slash (/) indicates the next line is to interrupt the current one.

Words in [square brackets] are unspoken or almost spoken.

Line breaks in the text denote a pause or silence.

Lines that end without punctuation indicate an incompleteness or hesitance.

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

1.

A Temperance Hall in a small Yorkshire village. It is the present day. There are blackboards, pinboards peppered with notices and a wheel for displaying the trump suit in whist.

HARRY is a man in his mid- to late sixties. He sits at a trestle table covered in various heaps of paper, and a gavel. There are a number of stackable chairs in front of it.

He’s laughing gently as he sorts the papers into his briefcase, and puts on his coat.

DENISE enters, unseen. She is also in her sixties, and she carries a large wheelie bag.

HARRY I do declare…

Mumbles under breath.

…are at an end.

Mimes banging gavel.

Mumbles.

…are closed.

Mimes banging gavel again.

I do declare –

DENISE Yes?

HARRY Sorry. Oh, sorry. I was. Yes. Never mind.

DENISE Oh, I don’t mind.

HARRY No, of course.

Just packing up.

DENISE That’s fine.

HARRY Hand with the?

DENISE Sorry?

HARRY Table.

Shall I –

DENISE Alright then.

Thank you.

They flip the table upside down and HARRY undoes the legs on his side. DENISE struggles with hers. He waits for her.

HARRY Do you –

DENISE Almost.

More struggling. DENISE tugging at it now. More struggling.

HARRY Let me.

DENISE manages it.

Where’s it going? Just against the wall?

DENISE That’ll be fine, yes.

They move the table against the wall.

HARRY Bye then.

Picks up suitcase to leave.

DENISE Bye.

You’re new then?

HARRY No, but you are.

DENISE I’m not new. And I’ve never seen you before.

HARRY Well, you must be quite new, because I’ve never seen you before.

DENISE I’ve been here six months.

HARRY Six months is new.

Six months is very new. I’ve been coming here ten years.

I’ve been Chair for four.

I’m not new. You’re new.

DENISE I’ve just never seen you before. It’s usually empty Thursdays.

HARRY Six months and you’re telling me what’s ‘usually’.

DENISE That what the hammer’s for?

HARRY The what? The. Oh, yes.

Good –

DENISE Did they buy it for you?

HARRY Did who buy what? Yes, no they didn’t. Look, you are alright to do the chairs, aren’t you?

The last.

She did the chairs.

Will you?

DENISE Oh I don’t do chairs.

HARRY Well. Ha. What do you do?

It’s all chairs. All there is is chairs.

Sorry, but if I’d known I’d have asked for some help.

If I’d known, but

DENISE Right.

HARRY Don’t you do them?

It’s just that it’s quite frustrating. First the kitchen

DENISE The kitchen’s closed.

HARRY Yes.

DENISE The sink’s backed up.

HARRY I know the kitchen’s closed, there’s a sign.

So first the kitchen

DENISE Been out all summer.

HARRY And now the chairs. It’s not free.

DENISE No

HARRY It’s five pounds an hour.

And I’m thinking.

What I’m starting to think now.

Is what

What am I paying for?

With my five pounds. Do you see?

DENISE Yes, I can see that.

Sorry about that.

HARRY So can’t you just do the chairs?

DENISE I don’t mind helping.

HARRY Helping?

DENISE There aren’t many.

Starts stacking chairs.

HARRY So you won’t do the chairs?

DENISE I will, I’ll help.

HARRY That’s not what I

So what do you do if you don’t do chairs?

DENISE Zumba.

HARRY Oh God

Oh God I’m so sorry!

Runs to help.

So so sorry.

I thought.

DENISE I know what you thought, it’s this coat, I don’t mind.

HARRY Let me.

DENISE I thought that when I bought it.

HARRY Please.

DENISE It’s done.

HARRY No, let me.

DENISE It’s done.

There.

HARRY Sorry.

I’m Harry.

DENISE Hello Harry.

I’ve got to set up.

HARRY Fine.

DENISE Bye.

HARRY Right.

HARRY leaves. Blackout.

2.

HARRY is stacking the last of the chairs. DENISE enters.

DENISE Oh.

HARRY Ta-da!

DENISE Well, that’s…

HARRY Not a problem.

DENISE Thank you.

HARRY Say no more. I shaved five minutes off the treasurer’s closing address.

DENISE You shouldn’t have…

HARRY Glad to. He’s goes on a bit.

Could happily have shaved off five more but he did a bit about Mrs Henshaw –

DENISE She’s died.

HARRY – who’s died and so I worried it’d sound a bit off.

DENISE Of course.

HARRY So I thought.

Sorry again.

DENISE Nothing to be sorry for. It’s that coat.

HARRY Nothing wrong with your coat.

DENISE I said to myself ‘If that’s the message this coat’s sending out’

HARRY It wasn’t!

DENISE ‘If it’s sending out a “cleaner” sort of message…’

HARRY No, no.

DENISE Then I’m not sure it’s the right coat for me at all.

HARRY It was just the timing, that’s all. I didn’t have my specs on.

DENISE Anyway, I’ve burned it.

HARRY You’ve what?

DENISE Burned it in the garden. Straight when I got home.

HARRY In the garden?

DENISE Whoof! Went up like a balloon.

That’s polyester for you.

HARRY Hmm.

Ha! Ah-ha!

That was a joke wasn’t it?

DENISE It was, yeah.

HARRY Very funny.

Very funny, that.

Whoof!

Anyway, I’ve done you the chairs.

Blackout.

3.

DENISE