Blue/Orange by Joe Penhall (2000). Methuen Drama

Key words 

London, psychiatry, mental health, slang, White City, swearing, Africa, oranges, Coke, freedom, Borden, Idi Amin, egos, progression, pride, rivalry, racism, judgement, race, class.

Play Length 1 hour 45 mins

Time Late 90’s, early 00’s

Accents London, well spoken, slang

Place London, modern NHS psychiatric ward

Set and props A consultation room. A transparent water cooler. A round table with a large glass bowl containing oranges. (Penhall, 2000, pg5)

Specificity The play is simple in its set, therefore it could be toured or workers almost anywhere. However there are many geographical references to London, but this doesn’t mean that it couldn’t work elsewhere. The play does feel gender specific but it might add an interesting take to it if the characters were played by females.

Characters (3 males)

Christopher-24

Bruce-25-30

Robert-50s

Synopsis

Joe Penhall's Blue/Orange, a 3 hander, set in a psychiatric hospital in London, The premise is simple, set in a room with a bowl of oranges at the heart of it. The plays offers a journey of the truth behind right and wrong, professional ego's the questions of sanity and misunderstanding of different cultural backgrounds

Penhall wanted to write a play about his surroundings in West London, an area of life that wasn't being represented within theatre and on stage.

The play has fast paced dialogue exchanges between the characters Bruce (a training Psychologist), Christopher (a patient with questionable schizophrenia)  and Robert (an experienced psychiatric Consultant).

I would describe the play as a dark comedy. The content is very serious and reflects the reality of certain cultures and perceptions of life, yet within it there are clever exchanges of comedy, namely Christopher's claim to be the son of the former Ugandan Dictator, Idi Amin.

Monologues and Duologues 

Pages 5-14

Key words doctor, patient, swearing, casual, banter, borderline  personality disorder.

Length 7 mins 30 secs

Character(s) Bruce, Christopher 

Type Duologue

Synopsis

Training psychiatrist Bruce and his patient Christopher, discuss Christopher's reasons for being there. 

Snippet

Christopher: Its all that,  innit.  ‘Where’s the drugs man? Oh man these patients giving me massive big headache, what have I got in my doctors bag, gimme some smack...I can’t shag until you gimme the smack darling!...Typical white doctor. This is how white doctors speak drugs: What drugs?

Bruce: It’s not quite like that

Pages 44-56

Key Words Assessment, ego, disagreement, conflict, 

Length 12 mins

Character(s) Bruce, Robert 

Type Duologue

Synopsis Bruce and his superior Robert disagree on Christopher's mental state and whether he should be released from the psychiatric hospital.

Snippet

Robert: OK. All right. Listen. Let me join up some of the dots for you...Schizophrenia is the worst pariah. One of the last great taboos. People don’t understand it. It scares them. It depresses them. It’s not treatable with glamorous and intriguing wonderdrugs...It isn’t newsworthy. It isn’t curable it isn’t heroin or ecstasy...It’s not the topic of dinner party conversation...They make movies about junkies and alcoholics and gangsters and men who drink too much fall over and beat their women...Schizophrenia my friend, is just not in the phonebook.

Bruce: Then we must change that

Pages 57-58

Key Words Life, suicide, advice, lost, opportunity, greed, being human

Length 2 mins 30 secs

Character(s) Robert

Type Monologue 

Synopsis Robert is speaking to Christopher, using his own frustrations of life, to convince Christopher to make better choices, and to prepare him for when he is realised from the ward. 

Snippet

Bruce: We all get these thoughts. It’s perfectly natural. Even I have them...I get in the door and I slump...I think....why am I doing this?...it’s everyone’s right to take steps. But killing yourself? Christopher? Why?...Everyone feels like this... the capacity to feel disappointment. It’s what distinguishes us from the animals...Digs have other talents...thy can lick there balls. A talent for simplicity.

Pages 58-81

Key Words Assessment, confusion, advice, mental health, ego, racism, Football, QPR. 

Length 20 mins

Character(s) Robert, Christopher 

Type Duologue

Synopsis Robert assesses Christopher's mental health, questioning whether he is ready to be discharged from hospital.

Snippet

Christopher: Other men too. Another man. He throws bananas at me.

Robert: Bananas?

Christopher: ...Big bloke with a long pointy head. Long thin arms trailing along the ground. A real knuckle dragger. Very white skin. Hideous looking bastard... tribe. I don’t like them at all... QPR supporters 

Robert: ... Football hooligans?

Christopher: ...They call me jungle boy

Robert: ...Do you mean skinheads?

Christopher: Zombies. 

Robert: What makes you think these people are the undead?

Pages 85-93

Key Words Ego, authority, pride, accusations, complaint, superiority, PHD, honesty, lies, conflict, disagreement

Length 9 mins 30 secs

Character(s) Bruce, Robert

Type Duologue

Synopsis Bruce and Robert disagree on Christopher's release which ends in a heated exchange prompting Bruce to make an official complaint.

Snippet

Bruce: You want to take over the case... Then you can finish your research? And then finish your book. Is it a good book?... you’ll go to any lengths to finish it.

Robert: Your on very thin ice.

Bruce: ‘The search for the Holy Grail’...’A Cure For Black Psychosis’...You’d become a professor overnight.

Robert: I beg your pardon!

Bruce: You heard

Robert: Are you out of your mind?...Why are you so threatened by my ideas?

Bruce: Because they’re shit, Doctor...it isn’t a PHD. It isn’t a book. A cookbook would be more ground-breaking...and you know it.

Links to writer: Joe Penhall

Pale Horses, The Bullet, Birthday

ISBN 9780413752703

Written by J.J Ash

Edited by Candice Latoche

My Mother Never Said I Should. (1994) by Charlotte Keatley. Methuen Student Edition

Key words

Generations, children, parents, grandparents, mothers, daughters, women, changing times, tough decisions, loss, strong women, tradition, being stuck, 20’s, 40’s, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, single parent, independence, teenagers, art, London, Oldham, Manchester, conflict, secrets, tension, subtext.

Play Length 1 hour, 45 mins

Time 1920s-1980s

Accents South London, Mancunian, Oldham

Place London, Manchester, Oldham, a non specific Wasteground

Set All very minimal, “the setting should be a magic place where things can happen” (Keatley, pg 3, 1994). Each setting should be suggested through light and simple objects and chairs. A wasteground or “other Place” , Cheadle Hulme the family home in Oldham, Raynes Park London, Cheadle Hulme Manchester, backyard Oldham, Office in Croydon, Twickenham hospital, Oldham backyard of house.

Specificity As the play takes in mini map setting it allows the possibility of being performed in various places. It ha s a flexibility about it hat could be interpreted and used in other English city’s, even other country’s. The accents and language are fairly specific to English culture so this must be considered if the play were to placed elsewhere.

Characters 4 females

Note: all the actors playing the characters need to be able to play flexible playing ages. In Doris’s case you would have to play her as a very young girl all the way up to her 87th year. The child parts of the play should be played by adults, with the possible exception of Rosie.

Ages below are suggestive

Doris 25-35

Margaret 25-35

Jackie 25-35

Rosie 15-25

Synopsis

Charlotte Keatley “wrote this play to explore the behaviour and communication of people” (Keatley, pg xxvii, 1994).

The play evolves around the generational lives of four females from the same family, Doris, Margaret, Jackie and Rosie. Scenes are set in different types of 20th century time periods from 1920-1987.

The play is a showing of changing times, family values, society and the pressures of family life/expectations. Each female in the play has moved on from their mothers values, which provides tension and debate. All perhaps are right, all perhaps are wrong, either way the females are subject to the culture and society they grow up in. 

The big secret of the play comes from Jackie's pregnancy of Rosie, whilst she is studying at university. Her mother, Margaret and Jackie agree that she will raise the child whilst she gets an education and a career. This turns in to a long standing tension between them, keeping the secret all the way up until Rosie is 16.

The secret divides the whole family and Rosie eventually decides to live with her Grandmother Doris, who get on very well, despite their obvious differences in generation and values.

There is something very moving about he play, the loss of time, pride, and love strike an accord with the reader and audience member. 

Monologues and duologues etc...

Page 81

Key Words Unwell, hospital, old age, senile, elderly

Length 1 min

Character(s) Margaret

Type Monologue

Synopsis Margaret is lying in a hospital bed under anaesthetic. The scene is surreal as Margaret blurs being under sedation with anaesthetic. However there is something quite moving about her words as if Margaret is trying to say something more meaningful.

Snippet

Margaret: My parents are called, My parents are called...Sticks and Stones...When I have babies, they will be called Sugar and Spice and all things nice...I will give them everything they want and they will love me (pause)...Mother?...Mummy...What happens when you die?

Page(s) 83-84

Key words Loss, regret, teenage pregnancy, lies, mother, daughter, secrets

Length 2 mins

Character(s) Jackie

Type Monologue

Synopsis Jackie reveals how hard it was, giving Rosie away at her birth and seeing Graham, Rosie’s biological father, years later with his family and kids

Snippet

Jackie: How dare you! You’re at the centre of everything I do!...She was the one who wanted to keep it a secret...I wanted you, Rosie.(Angry) For the first time in my life I took care of myself- refused joints, did exercise, went to the clinic. ‘It’s a girl’. After you’d gone I tried to lose that memory.

Page(s) 92

Key words Love, engagement, 1920s, changing times, courtship, naivety 

Length 2 mins

Character(s) Doris

Type Monologue 

Synopsis Doris is in a 1920s dress in her late teens/early twenties. She talks about her courtship to Jack and how she fell in love with him. The speech highlights the changing attitudes and generations within the play, it is fitting that Keatley would end the play with Doris as a twenty year old.

Snippet

Dorris: I felt so shy suddenly. I had to just stare and stare at the tablecloth while he was asking, blue and yellow squares, there was an ant struggling to carry a piece of cress across the corner. These are things you remember, all your life.  I suppose I didn’t think it would be like this and then we just ran and ran, talked, made plans. I felt somehow weedy, sort of silly having given in-to-love.

Links to writer: Charlotte Keatley

If you would like to purchase the play you can do so on Amazon.

Alternatively please follow the link below:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Methuen-Student-Editions-Charlotte-Paperback/dp/B00HK2W4UK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1513869291&sr=8-1&keywords=My+Mother+Never+Said+I+Should.+%281994%29+by+Charlotte+Keatley.+Methuen+Student+Edition

Other works Our Father

Written by Joshua Ashley-Smith 

Key words (State as many Key words that best describes the play, the more the merrier)

Time (When is the play set)

Accents (What accents are apparent in the play)

Place (Where is the play set)

Set (What are the set requirements, Props, furniture etc…)

Specificity (is the play specific to a certain place/dialect/gender/age, or can this be tailored to the actor(s)?)

Characters (State how many characters there are. Then state how many males and how many females are in the play)

(Now state the characters and their age)

I.E

Susan 17-40
Sir Leonard Darwin 40-50
Brock 25-30

Synopsis Write your own synopsis of the play, not to long and not too short. Do not copy any other synopsis, this must be unique and personal to you)


Monologues/duologues/stand out scenes with more than one character

1.
Page (in your play version)
Length (of Monologue/duologue/Scene)
Character(s) (Who is involved)
Key words (that describe the Monologue/scene)
Type (What is it? A monologue/Duologue/3 hander/4 hander)
Synopsis (Write a short synopsis that sums up the monologue/Duologue/3 hander/4 hander)
Snippet Insert a snippet from the monologue/Duologue/3 hander/4 hander, around a paragraph in words. This can be merged dialogue or a paragraph that runs without cuts.)

2.
Page (in your play version)
Length (of Monologue/duologue/Scene)
Character(s) (Who is involved)
Key words (that describe the Monologue/scene)
Type (What is it? A monologue/Duologue/3 hander/4 hander)
Synopsis (Write a short synopsis that sums up the monologue/Duologue/3 hander/4 hander)
Snippet Insert a snippet from the monologue/Duologue/3 hander/4 hander, around a paragraph in words. This can be merged dialogue or a paragraph that runs without cuts.)

3.
Page (in your play version)
Length (of Monologue/duologue/Scene)
Character(s) (Who is involved)
Key words (that describe the Monologue/scene)
Type (What is it? A monologue/Duologue/3 hander/4 hander)
Synopsis (Write a short synopsis that sums up the monologue/Duologue/3 hander/4 hander)
Snippet Insert a snippet from the monologue/Duologue/3 hander/4 hander, around a paragraph in words. This can be merged dialogue or a paragraph that runs without cuts.)




Links to writer (State around three other plays that the writer has written. Attach a link form amazon and the publisher, where the reader could purchase the play)

Written by (Your name and date)

A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (1967). By Peter Nichols. Faber and Faber

Key Words 

Cerebral Palsy, 1960's, physical health attitudes, breaking fourth wall, dark comedy,family, old fashion opinions generation gap, difficult mother, molly coddling, teacher, actors, strained relationships, Bristol, marriage, suffering, ignorance

Play Length 1 hour. 45 mins

Characters  6, 2 male, 4 female

Brian 33

Shiela 33

Joe 11

Grace 65

Freddie 40-45

Pam 40-45

Time 1960's

Accents West Country, RP

Place Bristol, England

Set A nineteen sixties living room, junk shop purchases

Specificity. The play could be set in other English settings. The genders are set and should not be changed. The time period is suited to the period as the content was shocking to the 60s/70s era. Cerebral Palsy had never been discussed so openly.

Synopsis 

‘A Day in the Death of Joe Egg’ is a dark comedy based around the lives of Brian, Sheila and their eleven year old daughter Joe. Brian and Sheila’s lives evolve around Joes extreme case of Cerebral Palsy and epilepsy.

As a way of diffusing the struggle of having a daughter with such crippling conditions, they often use controversial humour to make light of the challenging circumstances they find themselves in. Joe is often the butt of their jokes, which would have proved controversial to the 60s audiences. 

Sheila's "actor friend" Freddie and his snotty wife Pam are of the attitude that anyone with a physical disability should be in a home. Grace, Brian's molly coddling mother is very much in agreement.  

The play was ground breaking when it was introduced to the 60s theatre audience. Cerebral Palsy was not discussed so openly and seeing it on the stage whilst being a basis to humour was shocking. The play is ageless, a modern day audience can still relate to the humour and topics on show. Making the play hugely relevant to modern audiences, a revival is surely not far away.

Monologues and duologues

Page 9

Key words School, classroom, teacher, students, comedy, farts, discipline, detention, breaking the fourth wall. 

Length 2 mins

Character(s) Brian

Type Monologue

Synopsis  Brian speaks to the audience as if they were his class in detention, at the end of the school day. He leaves the students stood as he pops out to collect his coat from the staff room. Brian never returns leaving the students stood there.

Snippet

Brian: That’s enough! Another word and you’ll be here till five o’clock...You’re The losses...Right-hands on heads...stand on your seat...who was that? Whoever did that can open the window before we all get gassed...I’m going to get my coat from the staff room now. And you will be as quiet as mice-no fish-till I get back. 

Exits

Page 11-24

Key words Love, relationships, disability, sex, dynamics, daughter

Length 12 mins

Character(s) Brian and Sheila. Note: Joe is present during  the duologue, but does not speak.

Type Duologue

Synopsis This is an introduction to Brian and Sheilas life, how they cope with marriage and having Joe, their severely disabled child. 

Note: Joe is present during  he duologue but does not speak.

Snippet

Brian: Lets go to bed, come on

Sheila: Ow-don’t!

Brian: What?

Sheila: Your hands are cold you’ve just come in 

Brian: Lets go to bed

Sheila: At quarter to five?

Brian: I came home specially 

Sheila: The usual time 

Brian: Yeah, but I was going to keep them in

Sheila: ...Did you say you would?

Brian: Yes

Sheila:...Then why didn’t you?

Brian: I kept imagining our bed, our room, your legs thrashing about-

Page 24-26

Key words Father, daughter, comedy, controversial, sex deprived, frustrated, going through the motions, breaking the fourth wall, love.

Length 4 mins

Character(s) Brian

Type Monologue

Synopsis Brian talks of his admiration for his wife Shiela, for her patience and love of their daughter, Joe, highlighting his lack of connection with her.

Note: Much of Brian’s dialogue is with Joe in the room. This needs to be considered by the actor.

Snippet

Brian: ...you look pale , Joe. Is it those nasty fits? Never mind...we’ll have a bit of a chinwag round the oil heater...Joe and Daddy have a lovely cup of tea then Joe have a nice hot bath...what am I doing talking to you? Might as well be talking to the wall... Sheila embraces all

Living things...i get my hug somewhere in between the budgerigar and the stick-insect...

Page 26-27 

Key Words Jealousy, frustrations, relationships, marriage, husbands, points of view, breaking the fourth wall.

Length 2 mins

Character(s) Shiela

Type Monologue

Synopsis Shiela discusses her annoyance of Brian, his childish behaviour, his lack of trust and jealousy of her and Joe’s relationship.

Snippet

Shiela: One of these days I’ll hit him. He thinks because he throws a tantrum I’m going to stay home and comfort him...I blame his mother. She gave him the kind of suffocating love that makes him think the world revolves around him...it makes my blood boil...a grown man jealous of poor Joe.

Pages 44-45

Key Words Love, hope, anguish, faith, belief, frustration, false hope,  memories, breaking the fourth wall. Daughter, Disability, Cerebral Palsy, epilepsy.

Length 3 mins, 45 secs

Character(s) Shiela 

Type Monologue

Synopsis  Sheila is heartfelt and touching as she discusses her love and struggles with her daughter Joe. 

Snippet

Sheila: I join in the jokes to please him. If it helps him live with her, I can’t see the harm...I’d made a little tower...I got on with my dusting and when I looked again I saw she’d knocked it down...soon as Bri came home, I told him. I think he said something stupid like-you know-“That’s great, put her down for piano lessons.”

Page 62-63

Key Words Disability, ignorance, opinions, judgmental, class, Nazi’s, breaking the fourth wall.

Length 2 min, 30 secs

Character(s) Pam

Type Monologue

Synopsis Pam discusses her snooty and ignorant views on Joe and her disability.

Snippet

Pam: (Talking about Joe) ...once Freddie’s set eyes on a lame dog , you might as well talk to the moon...I can’t stand anything N.P.A. Non-Physically Attractive. Old women in bathing suits-and skin diseases-and cripples....if you knew...they had a cure in the Nazi laboratories , would you refuse to let them use it?...

Pages 65-66

Key Words Disability, ignorance, opinions, old age, loneliness, knitting, cinema, breaking the fourth wall.

Length 3 mins

Character(s) Grace

Type Monologue

Synopsis Grace, Brian's mother gives her opinion on her granddaughter disability and discusses her lonely life as an OAP

Snippet

Grace: ...there’s nothing much to fill in the afternoons and no one wants to sit about like a mutt...knitting passes the time and if you didn’t have some diversion , you’d sit around like a blooming nun...the poor mite dribbles...she can’t seem to regulate the flow. Her garments after a few hours on, they’re stiff with saliva...she should wear a plastic bib, it would be such a saving on wool...

Pages 78

Key Words Nagging, talking to yourself, old people, elderly, no filter, complaining, selfish, rude, breaking the fourth wall.

Length 2 mins 

Character(s) Grace

Type Monologue

Synopsis. Grace talks comedically about  being old

Snippet

Grace: ...Going out of the warm on a night like this is the best way if you want a o catch a cold...if I’ve got to stand about waiting for buses in this, I shall catch my death...Talking to myself. no but it’s an old car with no heater and dragged from all directions...

Links to writer:

If you should wish to purchase the play you can do so at Amazon or Faber and Faber

Alternatively please follow the links below:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Day-Death-Joe-Egg/dp/0571083692/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1512238790&sr=8-2&keywords=A+Day+in+the+death+of+Joe+Egg

Or

https://www.faber.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?order=date_of_publication&dir=desc&q=Peter+Nichols

Other plays by the author:  The Freeway, The National Health, Lingua Franca

ISBN 0-571-08369-2

Written by Joshua Ashley-Smith