When You Cure Me E-Book

Jack Thorne

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

Seitenzahl: 97

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

A painful – and painfully funny – play about being very young and in love – and coping with serious illness at the same time. Rachel and Peter are seventeen. They have been going out for six months. It's love's young dream. Then Rachel gets ill – seriously ill. She doesn't want her mum to fuss; she doesn't want Alice to pretend she's her best friend; and she certainly doesn't want Alice's boyfriend telling bad jokes at her bedside. The only person she wants is Peter, but Peter doesn't know what it is that he wants. Jack Thorne's play When You Cure Me is a bittersweet and poignant tale of love and misunderstanding – and discovering that what you say and do can be very different from what you think and feel. When You Cure Me was first staged at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2005.

Leseprobe

Jack Thorne

WHEN YOU CURE ME

NICK HERN BOOKS

London

www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Title Page

Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre

Dedication

Original Production

Characters

Act One

Act Two

Act Three

Act Four

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre

Our journey began in 1985 when RASASC (Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre) was set up in a small room above a shop in Croydon, having just two telephone lines and two staff members – all on just £100 donated by a local businessman. The sole purpose of the organisation at that time was to provide a confidential helpline that would support women and girls, fourteen years and over, who were survivors of rape and/or sexual abuse.

There was an overwhelmingly positive response to the service. We began receiving calls from women and girls all over the country, providing us with an understanding about the limited services available to survivors within the UK and Northern Ireland.

Much has changed since then. The Sapphire Units have been set up within the Metropolitan Police, ensuring that every London borough has a specially trained unit dedicated to the handling of rape and sexual abuse cases. The four Havens have been introduced in and around London – these units are ‘one-stop shops’ for survivors where they can go to receive medical and emotional care immediately after the rape or sexual abuse. The new Sexual Offences Bill was passed in May 2004 changing the law in such a way that the rapist now has to prove they had consent. It also expands the definition of rape to include oral and anal penetration.

RASASC has expanded its services considerably and we are very proud to operate the only confidential rape and sexual abuse helpline that is open 365 days a year. We also run a face-to-face counselling service that offers more than thirty-five sessions a week and we have recently set up an advocacy service for women and girls who are courageous enough to report the crime and go through the judicial system.

We have also increasingly become a resource for other professionals, giving talks and training to colleges, police, hospitals, social services, GPs and other support services on the subject of rape and sexual abuse. In addition we are part of an independent advisory group to the Metropolitan Police on rape as well as being a member of other local partnerships and committees. As experts in the field we are also regularly asked to advise on television scripts as well as give media interviews. All of this helps raise awareness about rape and sexual abuse and bring about improved services to survivors.

The extent to which rape and sexual abuse occurs may never be known as the statistics available are only based on reported cases. Our experience tells us that most survivors do not report these horrendous crimes. Government statistics support this as they show that only 1 in 10 survivors will actually come forward and report the rape. Even more upsetting is the fact that of the very limited number that are being reported, only 6% are actually going to court and gaining a conviction.

Equally distressing is the fact that in 2001 there were in excess of fifty support centres around the country and today there are fewer than forty. The reason: there is a desperate lack of government, local and private funding being made available to us. The government continues to believe that services of this kind should remain within the voluntary and charitable sector, limiting our access to government funding.

On a daily basis, our team of professional women are dealing with very sensitive issues that are extremely painful and difficult to hear – and at times hard to comprehend. The devastation that follows rape or sexual abuse does not stop with the survivor – it has serious implications for those that are supporting them. Relationships change, dependencies grow, psychological and physical illness often sets in and suffering for all involved increases. Few can actually comprehend the impact of this heartless and shocking crime and many choose never to think about it at all. But for those whose lives have been touched by it, there is very little that will ever compare to its destruction and pain.

It is therefore our hope that in the next twenty years, through the work that we and other organisations and centres like ours carry out, we will be able to significantly increase the support available to survivors, increase the number of people coming forward to report rape and sexual abuse, increase the number of convictions gained and motivate both the government and the public to take this seriously enough to find ways to make the UK a safer place for all.

*

As a charitable organisation, we exist on grants and donations. If you feel that you would be able to make a donation, however large or small, we would be extremely grateful. This can be done by contacting us on 020 8683 3311 or by sending a cheque to RASASC, PO Box 383, Croydon, CR9 2AW. Thank you.

www.rasasc.org.uk

The author’s proceeds from sales of this book are being donated to RASASC.

For Chris Thorne and Fiona Bleach

When You Cure Me was first performed at the Bush Theatre, London, on 16 November 2005, with the following cast:

PETER RACHEL JAMES ALICE ANGELASamuel Barnett Morven Christie Daniel Bayle Lisa McDonald Gwyneth StrongDirectorDesignerLighting DesignerSound DesignersMike Bradwell Penelope Challen Tanya Burns Nick Manning

When You Cure Me received its first workshops as part of the National Youth Theatre’s Short Nyts season in August 2004, directed by Vicky Jones. The play was subsequently commissioned by the Bush Theatre.

Characters

PETER, seventeen

RACHEL, seventeen

JAMES, seventeen

ALICE, seventeen

ANGELA, forty-two

Set

A teenage girl’s bedroom. The play takes place in Reading over a period of three months, from January to March.

Rachel’s Injuries

Rachel has a long inflamed scar down the side of her face. Surrounding the scar is severe bruising that puffs her eye. The cut gets less inflamed as the play progresses and by Act Four there’s no bruising at all, just the scar. Stiffness in the rest of her body also gradually dissipates. In particular, in Act One she has trouble with her left hand and wrist but by Act Three she’s moving it as if normal. But the main damage sustained is that Rachel can’t move her legs, and has very little movement in the base to the middle of her spine. She is bedbound and moving her body is very painful because the rest of her spine is forced to take a weight and pressure it’s not used to, but she does have some movement and some control of her bowels.

ACT ONE

1.1

17th January.

In the blackout.

PETER (soft, so soft). You awake . . .

The lights rise gently. She’s not awake, she’s just sort of stretching her mouth, so he sits back. This takes forever. She moves again.

Rach . . .

Pause.

Rach . . .

Pause.

(Louder.) Rachel . . .

Pause. The lights are at full brightness.

Rachel, you awake . . .

RACHEL. Wha . . .

PETER (reaching out and touching her arm again, his hand rests on the side of the bed). Hi.

Pause.

Rachel?

RACHEL. Uh . . . Di’ you?

She retches like she’s about to throw up, but stops herself.

Pause.

PETER. Bad dream, or . . .

RACHEL (she takes his hand in hers). No.

Pause. He tries to take his hand away, but he doesn’t know how.

I need to pee . . .

PETER. OK.

RACHEL. I, uh . . .

PETER. Shall I call your mum or . . .

RACHEL. No. Don’t call her.

PETER. OK. Are you . . .

RACHEL. Can you do it?

PETER. Really? Sure.

RACHEL. There’s a pan under the bed.

PETER. OK.

He grasps under the bed, which is pretty cluttered, for the bedpan.

(Desperately casual.) What does it look like?

RACHEL. Blue.

PETER. Yeah.

He re-emerges with it.

RACHEL. There should be a, there’s a insert under there too – just cardboard – there’s a stack of them – they just slot in – the insert should . . .

He finds the cardboard insert.

PETER. Is this . . .

RACHEL. Yeah. Pass it here, it sort of clips in.

PETER. No. I can do it . . .

He inserts it clumsily and then he goes to the end of the bed and lifts her legs, quite roughly. He’s improvising and being slightly rough with it, so that when he attempts to slide the bedpan underneath, she immediately falls off.

RACHEL (warning). Peter . . .

PETER. Am I . . . What?

RACHEL. You’re being rough . . . a bit . . .

PETER. Oh . . .

Beat.

RACHEL. Um. My knickers . . .

PETER. Yeah.

He does so gently, and blindly, sliding them off her by the knicker straps, and being careful not to look. Then he holds the knickers, unsure of what to do with them.

RACHEL. Do you want to . . . get Mum . . .

PETER (he puts the knickers in his pocket with confidence). It’s OK.

He hesitates and then gently lifts her legs and slides the bedpan on.

RACHEL. You have to keep hold of me, so I don’t – Sorry, I don’t want to slip off.

PETER. No. No. It’s fine.

RACHEL. I just don’t want Mum sniffing . . .

PETER. It’s fine. I’m pleased.

He holds her by the hips, trying to keep this as non-sexual as possible. From the floor below we faintly hear the sound of The Archers theme music kicking off.

Pause. She hasn’t started peeing yet, she’s sweating slightly, this is very difficult.

OK?

RACHEL. Yeah.

Pause.

I’m slipping, grip tighter . . .

PETER. Like this.

RACHEL. Yeah.

PETER tightens and doesn’t know which way to look, so he just looks at her, and she stares at him and they’re stuck like this and it’s perfect and horrible. Then, finally, she starts to pee. It’s hard for her to pee, and she only gives up a pathetic amount, but it seems to make a huge clattering noise as it dribbles into the cardboard bedpan. PETER doesn’t breathe until she finishes.

You need to get me the toilet tissue.

PETER. Is that . . . ? Are you balanced?

RACHEL (she moves her own hands in order to steady herself). Yeah.

He gently lets go, leaving her balancing on the bedpan whilst he finds the toilet paper. He finds it.

PETER. Do you . . .

RACHEL. Yeah. Give it here.

He hands her the toilet roll, she wipes herself whilst looking precariously balanced. He moves as if to help at one point, but holds back. She deposits the tissue in the bedpan.

You empty it in the toilet – and there’s a bin in there – for the, uh, insert.

PETER. OK . . .

He reaches in again, helps her balance herself, and then slides her off the bedpan.

RACHEL. Don’t look at it – there’ll be blood . . .

PETER. OK.

He takes the bedpan out of the room, carefully averting his eyes. We’re left with just her. She shifts on the bed and winces. She touches the scar on her cheek, she traces it with her fingers. She tries to shift up on the bed, but she winces again and gags, this really hurts.

(Re-entering.) OK . . .

RACHEL. Yeah.

PETER sits by her bed. They sit in silence, then she takes his hand.

PETER. There wasn’t much blood.

RACHEL. Wasn’t there?

PETER. I thought you’d want to know – there wasn’t . . .

Beat. She watches him.

RACHEL. You need to give me my knickers back . . .

PETER (he laughs through his nose). Yeah. Um . . .

He finds the knickers in his pocket and starts putting them on her legs. He’s rough again, like he was with the first attempt at the bedpan. She waits until he finishes and then moves her own hands down to straighten up his attempts.

They sit in silence for a moment.