Plays

One Act Plays

The Funeral of Macie Loverett – 6M, 7F

*Winner of the Geoffrey Whitworth Award 2009 for best new UK Play*

Macie Loverett’s family gather for her funeral, and it is a fairly sorry and absurd sight. Her husband is determined to bring his mistress to the funeral, and her eldest children can’t seem to feel anything. The devoted mother is little mourned, it seems. But as the funeral approaches, a whole life they knew nothing about comes to light.

This is a play about love, loss, grief, wilful blindness and secrets. Told in part through a variety of fonts, it draws out as much laughter as it does sadness at the absurdity of the lives we make for ourselves.

 

Otherwise –  3M, 4F

*Winner of the New Writing South Award for best new play 2010*

*Awarded 4*s by 3 weeks and FringeGuru*

*Sell-out at Brighton Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe and Leicester Square*

DARKLY COMIC PSYCHOLOGICAL DRAMA

Harry Holland wakes up the morning after in a police interview room with no memory of the night before. Unsure what he is suspected of but determined to make himself seem innocent, he begins to reconstruct fragments of memory under the watchful eye of Detective Seymour. But the characters he brings in to recreate his scenes begin to rebel against his glossing over certain events, and the situation begins to spiral out of control.

When Harry at last realises that he is being questioned over a murder, the attempt to remember becomes a race against time to save his perfect woman and everything he believes in.

 

The Death of Arnold Balham – 7M, 7F

COMIC/DRAMATIC COUNTRY HOUSE MURDER MYSTERY

Sir Arnold’s bitter wife, his future sister-in-law and the man who is in love with Arnold’s new bit on the side plot to kill the baronet. But all is not as it first appeared, and after a series of mishaps, the witless Lawrence seems to have inadvertantly shot the man of the house instead of playing Arnold’s own game.

Events quickly spiral out of control as each of the other conspirators attempts to seduce Lawrence for their own ends, and more is observed by outsiders than it should have been.

Two Act Plays

The Moonstone – 10M, 10F approx. (some doubling of parts possible)

DETECTIVE STORY/DRAMA

A clever adaptation of the Wilkie Collins novel. An enormous diamond left to Rachel Verinder by her infamous Great Uncle goes missing the night she first wears it. Franklin Blake, for whom Rachel seemed to have felt some attachment, finds himself suspected and sets out to discover the truth of the matter. He gradually realises what really happened, but not before three people have died, the true legacy of the moonstone.

The story of the diamond itself and how it came into the family’s possession, together with the mystery, is told through re-enactment and intricate staging so that the pace of the piece is always kept up. A great choice for larger societies with varied ages.

The Life of Lucrezia Borgia – 6M/10M, 6F/10F (optional doubling of parts throughout to accommodate smaller or larger cast sizes)

DRAMA

A re-telling of Lucrezia Borgia’s story from the point of view of the woman herself. The play takes Lucrezia from childhood up until her eventual death in childbirth, and through all the extraordinary events of her life. Born into the infamous Borgia family, Lucrezia is unable to stand against her father’s wishes, and finds herself thrust into three consecutive marriages against her will. Her escape was to find lovers of her own, but her family’s machinations, and particularly those of her unbalanced, obsessive brother Cesare, were to rob them from her.

A sumptuous, seductive historical piece with all the murder, lust, love and betrayal of the Borgia story.

 

The Art of Death – 7M, 9F (cast can be reduced)

COMIC/DRAMATIC MURDER MYSTERY EVENING

Ideal for use at fundraising events, this Victorian-era play is set at the launch of a new exhibition by artist Etienne Demarais. Kicked out of the French School of Art for an indiscretion, Etienne is now involved with the beautiful young model Eloise. When she is found dead, however, and the central painting of the exhibition is revealed to be missing, the gallery owner turns to his guest Dorothy Lovage, an amateur detective of some renown.

The structure gives opportunities for the audience to guess the correct result at three intervals, with the prize intended for those who guess the correct suspect and the correct reason early on. The characters are also of a wide age range and no part is singularly large, so this is perfect for societies with wide memberships and new members.