FULL LENGTH PLAYS

2A/02/001 COME AND GET ME by Michael Law. Scripts £3.00,  Perf £24 for one man and one woman (75 minutes)

Don and Annabelle, married for sixteen years, now separated and living with other partners, meet in their old house which is empty and up for sale. But it seems haunted with echoes of their early courtship, which has a strange effect on them. They quickly slip into the bickering and recrimination which destroyed their marriage, then gradually become reconciled and loving again, but it doesn't last. The real world intrudes via the telephone and outside callers. Whilst Don continues to want a revival of their marriage, Annabelle wants to return to her new life, but, somehow, she can't! Then Don disappears! Annabelle seems to be trapped, as if she cannot leave the house because she is entangled in a network of sad and frightening memories. Characters, both early 40's: Don, old-fashioned; Annabelle, feminist, bitchy.

2A/03/001 A COMPANION FOR CLAIRE by Michael Law. Scripts £3.00,  Perf £24 for one man and two women (70 minutes)

Claire has returned to a derelict mill, once her playhouse, in the grounds of the house she grew up in. With her, as always, is the grotesque Tweedy, the imaginary invisible companion who was 'wished on her' like an alter ego when she was seduced by her adored father at the age of eleven, though the audience is not to understand this for some time. Tweedy's reality for Claire is briefly threatened when Rob pursues her, intent on bringing her back to the 'real world', though she settles down happily to play her dangerous games with him. But her magical evocation of childhood's rhymes and terrors, in which she manages to recall to life her old play-room, with its books and its toys and its dolls, proves stronger. Soon Tweedy achieves total reality for Rob, and for the audience too. He's forced to re-enact with Claire the original incest scene in the form of a stylised and macabre puppet play, which can only culminate in his death at Tweedy's hands. Characters: Claire, 28, odd; Tweedy, a doll; Rob, 47, caring.

2A/05/001 HELEN OF RHODES by Michael Law. Scripts £3.00, Perf £24 for two men and three women (80 minutes)

A modern Greek tragedy, this is the story of Helen, a woman in her sixties, who was once a great beauty desired by men, a la Helen of Troy. Her face is now scarred by disease, but her fiery temperament lives on, as do her memories of a sensual life spent in almost total disregard of convention. She now lives on a Greek island with a defrocked priest and a woman servant, who also function as the classical chorus of the play. Financial difficulties threaten her already frugal existence, but she still has secret dreams of being released from her suffering by another great love. She receives a surprise visit from her past, an artist for whom she once posed as Helen of Troy, and with whom she has had more than one affair. He is now blind, and accompanied by his recent wife, a woman he abandoned for Helen many years earlier. Helen sees their visit as her last chance and tries both to repossess the Helen portrait, which she believes belongs to her, and to seduce the artist in an attempt to regain the passion of her youth. She fails in both, and must face the end of hope. Characters: Helen, 66, romantic; Sir John, 62, blind; Madeleine, 58, upper class, bitchy; Father Demetrios, 50ish, loyal, pervert; Rosie, 30ish, servile, sexy.

2A/04/001 AQUARIUM by Michael Law. Scripts £5.00, Perf £36 for two men and two women (110 minutes)

What holds Monica and Tim together, except their pets, that all die, and their flowers, that all wither? Just habit, cowardice and lack of opportunity? Of the central pair, Tim is the rule-based games player and Monica his more fanciful partner. Monica's excursions, with her 'soul mate', that fantasy merchant Georgie, into a world of their own devising, during the aftermath of a disastrous New Year's Eve party, bring about a near-collapse of her and Tim's relationship. But Tim colludes with this by philandering shamelessly with Sheila, the most down-to-earth member of this quartet of queer fish, though even she never seems quite certain whether Tim is there or not, and nor do the audience. Characters: Monica, imaginative, absent minded; Tim, rule based, unimaginative; Sheila, down to earth, sexy; Georgie, worrier.

2A/05/002 JUST A MATTER OF TIME by Derek Parkes. Scripts £5.00, Perf £36 for three women and two men (120 minutes)

Miles is a strong-willed, cantankerous man, difficult to live with at the best of times. Now, he is dying. He is continuing to live at home and being cared for by his loving wife, Jessie, with the help of their son, Peter, who lives nearby but, to the annoyance of his wife, Marion, makes daily visits to Miles' house. Peter and Jessie make light of Miles' illness in the mistaken belief that he can't bear the thought that death can be only a matter of time. In truth, it is Jessie who cannot bear even to think of life beyond Miles. Peter has a sister, June, who, after a violent argument with her father, when he refused to countenance her marriage to an American, left to live in the USA. Despite Miles' explicit instructions to the contrary, Marion keeps in contact with her and has written to tell her of her father's illness, for purely selfish reasons. She wants June to assume some of the responsibility of caring for Miles. But June has problems of her own and she and her father fall out once again. When she has gone, back to America, Peter gives Miles her telephone number. The trauma of forcing himself to pick up the phone and try to make peace with his daughter is finally too much for him. Characters: Miles, mid 60's, cantankerous; Jessie, early 60's, determinedly cheerful; Peter, early 30's, caring but weak; Marion, early 30's, brittle; June, early 30's, determined.

2A/05/003 LOOKING FOR ALICE by Peter McKelvey. Scripts £4.00, Perf £30 for two women and three men (100 minutes)

Scene is a Country house 'somewhere in Suffolk'. Neil has broken in but is surprised by Albert and Greta. At first they tell him to go but when he says he is 'Looking for Alice' they change their minds and tie him up. Neil wriggles free during the night and at first grabs Greta when she comes in but soon lets her go again. There seems to be something odd about this place. There is a girl, Miranda, who doesn't fit with the other two who are strangely frightened when he plays a tape recording of Alice's last message to him. Hoopoe arrives, looking for Neil who doesn't want him there and tries to get rid of him. It transpires they are both escaped convicts -one a rapist, but which? It becomes clear that Alice has been here, but where has she gone? And who are these two strangely unalike people? Albert clearly has an unsavoury past but what is he doing now? And who is Dorothy? Greta appears to be trying to cheat Miranda out of her inheritance by keeping her drugged and confusing her about her age. Then 'Dorothy'is found raped and left for dead -Who could have done it? The 'plot' complicates still further when Miranda falls for Neil and decides to go away with him. Characters: Neil, young, well-spoken; Albert, old, rough, Ukrainian accent; Hoopoe, young, common; Greta, mid-40's, trim; Miranda, young, attractive; Alice, young (voice only).

2A/06/001 THE MAGIC MAN by Michael Law Scripts. £ 4.00, Perf £30Scripts. £ 4.00, Perf £30 for five men and one woman (100 minutes)

It is impossible to summarise the action of this play for it is at the same time too simple and too structurally complex. Essentially, it is about violence, and some possible roots of violence and social malaise, through staging, and commenting on, an imaginative re-enactment of the historical, though as yet unexplained, Huddersfield riot of 16th September 1961. It uses lighting and sound effects for maximum impact. Much of the dialogue is written in the Huddersfield dialect. It is essential that three actors/actresses play more than one part. Characters: Prologue/Sam, charismatic; Milligan, down to earth, bluff, northern; Midgley, meek; Ben/Milligan's henchman, tough, loud mouthed; Judy/Anne, a slut/house proud, bourgeoise; Dave, timid, treacherous.

2A/06/002 SEA BREEZE by Derek Parkes. Scripts £5.00, Perf £36 for five men and four women (120 minutes)

Vicky inherits a seaside guest house. Her boy friend Edward seems not to be committed to the idea of running a guest house or indeed to Vicky. Winnie, the owner of a nearby guest house can explain some odd things like why there's a mysterious wine bottler at work in the cellar. Her first guests, Tommy and Doris, on the face of it classic British holidaymakers with strange, secretive habits, afford some amusement. But are they quite as crashingly dull as they seem or have they a particular reason to be here, regular as clockwork, twice a year? The arrival of two hearty Americans, who don't agree about anything, livens the guest list considerably and when Joe, the comedian at the local theatre, arrives, the list is complete. But Joe has an inquiring mind. Bobbie, the American wife, seems to know a thing or two about pictures, especially those in the local gallery, some of which may have been stolen by some very clever art thieves. Why does Tommy spend every afternoon in his room? And why does the home-made wine bottled in the cellar smell so much like brandy? Characters: Vicky, 25,dishy; Edward, 37, fastidious; Winnie, 56, jolly, country accent; Horace, 47, timid, country accent; Tommy, 55, quiet and dull; Doris, 53, small and dumpy; Herb, 57, American, brash and boring; Bobbie (his wife), 35, American, quietish; Joe, 45, slim, cockney accent.

2A/06/003 NAKED THROUGH THE NETTLES by Peter Vincent.Scripts. £ 4.00, Perf £30 For five men and three women (100 minutes)

The play charts the history of the Arrowsmith family from 1977 to 97 and we see how each character changes. When old Russell Arrowsmith dies, will the family realise their dreams for his beautiful old house?
In time, some grow weaker, some stronger, some acquire more regrets, one escapes, one finds happiness, one finds the courage to stand up for himself, one learns who his father really is...We visit a Christening, a wedding, a family Christmas and a funeral. There is tension, drama, laughter; the bitterness of memory and the hope for a new and braver beginning, all put together with the deft and skill of this highly experienced comedy writer. The ten characters can be played by a cast of seven. The actor playing Bernard also plays his son, Daniel. The actor playing George can also play Victor. Russell is bedridden upstairs and not seen.
Characters: Douglas 59-79
Philip 25-45
Rev George 60-80 and Victor 40-47
Bernard 19-39 and Daniel 20
Alice 53-66
Bidey 22-42
Anita 17-37
Voices only, Russell 80-100
Nurses.

2A/06/004 GEORGE'S SECRET by Francis Beckett.Scripts. £ 4.00, Perf £30 For three men and three women (100 minutes)

It's 1978. George,a tough-talking, heavy- drinking old-style trade union leader, thinks he has local politics sewn up, until he comes up against young left-wing firebrand Esme. As her career advances, his crumbles. Esme rises fast in Labour Party politics and joins the Cabinet after Labour's 1997 victory. But she has not finished with George. He finds, to his horror, that she wants to force out into the open the secret of his unexpectedly comfortable retirement. Characters:
Esme Macdonald (ages from early 20s to early 40s)
Meg (mid 20s to late 30s)
George (late 40s to late 60s
Dick Merchant (early 30s to early 50s)
Gus the caretaker (early 40s to early 60s)
Judy (early 20s to early 40s
2A/06/005 CHRISTMAS CRACKERS by Peter Briffa.Scripts. £ 5.00, Perf £36 For three men and three women (100 minutes)

It's Christmas Eve and Noel has just split up with his wife Carol. He tells everyone that he's going to spend the whole time alone in his Earls Court flat, but he's miserable. Is he suicidal? His friends Nick and Ivy think so. They are reluctant to leave, afraid he might do something. They do, however, have family; and Noel seems to want them to go. But then Robin turns up. Robin isn't welcome. He it was who ran off with Carol. And then Carol turns up. And then, finally, so does Holly. Who is Holly? Holly is Noel's new, secret, girlfriend. Believe it or not, CHRISTMAS CRACKERS is a comedy. Characters:
Three men and three women who are all 27-32.

2A/06/006 MAGGIE by Dean Dougherty. Scripts. £ 5.00, Perf £36 For three men and three women (120 minutes)

The play is the story of the Johnson family. It is based on an 1893 novel by the American Stephen Crane. Set in the slums of lower Manhattan, we see the steady decline of Maggie and the slow rise of her brother Jimmie. The characters are not idealized. Jimmie is the anti-hero, who could have done more to save his sister. Mother is cold, hard-drinking and selfish. The play is full of visits to music halls, gossip by neighbours and includes a comic scene by a ventriloquist (set upstage centre so the actor's skill is not too sorely tested). It was written to be performed by six actors on a minimalist set. The accents are a blend of Irish, English and American. The play can be performed in two hours, but if all the lyrics are sung it would take longer.
Characters: Jimmie Johnson early 20s 59-79
Maggie Johnson younger sister of Jimmie
Father (also waiter, ventriloquist etc) late 30s
Mother late 30s
Pete mid 20s
Nell (also Hattie and Mrs Smith)late 20s

2A/06/007 ROCKET MAN by Ritchie Smith. Scripts. £ 4.00, Perf £30 For four men and two women (85 minutes)

The play is a dark drama with comic elements, set in the North of England. Jimmy Pride is an ex-steel worker, a rocket-firing, black-hearse-driving non-conformist, who uses his redundancy money to build a house on the moor. It is his land but he doesn't have planning permission. His confrontation with the local authority turns to violence, in spite of interventions from his old friend Mickey, up from London, and the wonderfully lyrical Shirley who has a child of whom Jimmy may, or may not, be the father.
Characters: Jimmy Pride (craggy, tough, tragic) 30 or so
Jimmy's Mam (motherly, unwell) 50s
The Chief Planner (dry but not a bad man)40 plus
Mickey Lassiter (sharp business type, but a good man) 30 or so
Beer-Belly a hard-drinking wide boy, a comic figure who could be played by whoever plays the Chief Planner 40
Shirley Jimmy's ex-girlfriend and mother of a child who may be his: both sensitive and tough with intense feelings 30

2A/06/008 QUIZ NIGHT AT THE BRITANNIA by Stuart D. Lee. Scripts. £ 4.00, Perf £30 For five or six men and five women (90 minutes)

The play is set in the saloon bar of a pub. Every Thursday night a Quiz is held in the back room. It is regularly won by a team called The Faceless Bureaucrats. Tommy, Joe and Berne, the pub's working class regulars, are determined to beat them one day. The pub is run-down. Brenda, the hard-working but tolerant and perceptive manager, is apprehensive about the expected visit by the Area Manager. Meanwhile the pub is becoming the regular resort of journalists and political advisers. They are attending a Public Inquiry in the new hotel round the corner, where another little drama is unfolding about building contracts, back-handers, politicians and faceless bureaucrats. Interweaving the Quiz, the Inquiry and the characters' lives QUIZ NIGHT AT THE BRITANNIA presents a comic view of life and politics in the 21st century.
Characters: Brenda Manager of the Britannia early 50s
Tommy an opinionated regular at the pub 50s
Berne (50s) and Joe (early 30s) are also pub regulars but quieter
Helen a journalist late 20s
Carol a TV reporter late 20s
Ruth (mid to late 20s) and Stephen (40s) are political advisers
Mary girlfriend of Joe, also early 30s
Trimble Area Manager from the Brewery early 30s
Voices of Quizmaster, two TV presenters, Lord Crosby, Andrew Marshall and a policeman to be read by an additional male member of cast (40s) or shared amongst the rest of the cast

2A/06/009 LOVE AND DEATH IN WHITECHAPEL by William Gordon and Peter Vincent. Scripts. £ 4.00, Perf £30 For four men and two women (85 minutes)

Passion, murder, suspence and deadly wit! What else can you expect when Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle, both on the brink of literary success, meet clandestinely in a house in Whitechapel? This is the macabre residence of Jason Cleave, a handsome but unstable young man who shares their unhealthy obsession with the stories of Edgar Allen Poe. In the dark streets outside, The Ripper lurks but there is greater danger within. In a foolhardy experiment, meant to reproduce the hypnosis of a subject near to death and even beyond death, Jason's beautiful fiancee dies. But then, why is her mutilated body found in a dark alley in Whitechapel? As in the class film "Rashomon" each witness to the event has a self-justifying version of what happened. Will a seance resolve the question and identify the guilty? The play is for six actors. It takes place on one set. The year is 1889. Characters: Oscar Wilde (34)
Dr Arthur Conan Doyle (29)
Sir Victor Cleave (40)
Jason Cleave (33)
Hettie (19)
Miss Florence Bellweather (32)