Lungs by Duncan Macmillan, Oberon Modern Play

 Duncan Macmillan, right, writer of Lungs

Key words

relationships, love, couple, heartbreak, life, miscarriage, children, choices

A note from the playwright: “The play should be set in the city it’s being performed in. Any references in the text that suggest another place should be amended.

The letters ‘W’ and ‘M’ are not character names. Any programme materials should simply list the actors and not who they are playing.” (Macmillan, 2016)

Characters 

M

W

Synopsis

Lungs is a one act play which tells the story of a relationship. It’s ups and downs, it’s heartbreak and it’s healing. It deals with the morals of human nature, how we deal with life’s hardships and how we move on.

The two characters within the play are in a relationship. They discuss the idea of having children and the impact that would have on them, the planet and the way in which they live their lives. W falls pregnant but a miscarriage sadly leads to M’s infidelity and the pair going their separate ways.

Some time passes before they see each other again and, with one thing leading to another, a surprise pregnancy brings them back together.

This is a tale of love, things happening for a reason and life not always going to plan.

Monologues and duologues etc...

As the play only has 2 characters the entire play is a duologue broken up with a few monologues.

Pages 18 -20 (W) M has brought up the idea of trying for a baby. W has eventually come around to the idea but in this monologue she shares all of her anxiety and fears about the enormity of what they are trying to do – create life.

Pages 63 – 65 (M) In this monologue M basically says what’s on his mind. W is asleep next to him. He talks about his fears, his love for her, his hopes for the future and his regrets from the past.

Pages 93 -94 (M) In this final monologue M makes W aware that he will be there for her no matter what. He accepts and understands that their current circumstances are not ideal, but he is going to make it work for them.

Other works

People Places Things, Monster, Every Brilliant Thiing

Written by

Olivia Seaton-Hill, 24^th October 2017

Monster by Duncan Macmillan, Oberon Modern Plays

Closest: Writer Duncan MacMillian. picture courtesy of WikiMedia

Key words

teenager, angst, abuse, family, school, suicide, family, love, relationships

Time

Although not specified by the author it can be deduced that the play takes place sometime between 2003-2007 as references are made about both Tony Blair being Prime Minister and the war in Iraq.

Place 

Deducing from the text it seems that this play is set in the suburb of a major city, most likely, in this case, London. Darryl’s language has a strong influence of London “street talk”/slang

Specify/accent

Tom is from Surrey and should be played by a black actor. It is assumed that Darryl is, in opposition, white.

Characters 

Tom (30-35)

Darryl (14)

Jodi (30-35)

Rita (55-60)

Synopsis

After leaving a good job in advertising in “the city” Tom is retraining as a teacher. His only pupil, or project, is Darryl: a hyper-active and disruptive 14-year-old boy who has been taken out of mainstream classes.

Darryl’s mother has recently committed suicide leaving him to live with his Grandmother and her partner. This means that Darryl has not had the supervision that a boy of his age requires and has developed a fascination with violence and torture.

Tom struggles during his one-to-one classes with Darryl and we begin to learn of Tom’s past. The pressure of working for a big corporation in the city was too much for him to deal with. This lead Tom to act violently towards his girlfriend Jodi and in turn become depressed.

Jodi is pregnant and so proposes to Tom on the basis of a previous agreement that they had about marriage and pregnancy.

Monologues and duologues

The play is broken up into 10 scenes with two characters in each and so is rich in duologues. The only exception to this is the final scene, in which we briefly see three characters on stage at one time.

Page11 (duologue – Tom and Darryl) This is scene 1 where we meet Tom and Darryl. We learn that Darryl is no longer in classes with his peers and we find out about what happened to his mother.

Page 37 (duologue – Tom and Jodi) We are introduced to Jodi. Throughout this scene Tom discusses his work whilst Jodi has an ulterior motive. By the end of this scene we know that Jodi is pregnant and she is engaged to Tom.

Page 51 (duologue – Tom and Darryl) Darryl continues to face Tom with challenging behavior and we learn that everyone has a breaking point. Tom is pushed to aggression and Darryl’s disruptive behavior becomes worse than ever.

Page 65 (duologue – Tom and Rita) This is the pair’s first meeting. They discuss Darryl’s behavior and the influence that Rita’s partner may have on this. Rita reveals that a large kitchen knife is missing from her home.

Page 75 (duologue – Tom and Darryl) Darryl is now taking medication to regulate his behavior. His interaction with Tom in this scene is a stark contrast to what has come previously. Darryl’s disturbing, yet descriptive piece of writing for English continues to raise concerns about his state of mind.

Page 80 (duologue – Tom and Jodi) It is the evening of their wedding. The conversation still revolves around Tom’s work at school with Darryl, much to Jodi’s displeasure. We see that both are trying to make the relationship work but things are definitely fraught.

Page 92 (duologue – Tom and Rita) It is the middle of the night and Rita has been injured by her grandson. Fearing what would happen to Darryl if she called the authorities she has opted to call Tom instead. Both are concerned for Darryl’s wellbeing. However, with a baby on the way and his new wife at home Tom is reluctant to intervene fearing further provocation of violence or aggression from Darryl.

Page 97 (duologue – Tom and Darryl) Today is Darryl’s last day with Tom before moving off to a residential school. The pair say their goodbye’s and the overall mood is fairly optimistic.

Page 102 (duologue – Jodi and Darryl) Jodi is home alone and heavily pregnant with Darryl pays her a visit. Knowing what he can be like Jodi does not feel comfortable being alone with Darryl. When asked to leave he refuses and in doing so antagonizes the situation.

Page 111 (monologue – Jodi) Backed into a corner by Darryl’s refusal to leave Jodi unleashes her feelings about the boy. She tells him that he is to blame for his father leaving, his mother’s death and her unstable relationship with Tom.

Page 113 (duologue – Tom and Rita) The pair meet by Rita’s daughter/Darryl’s mother’s grave. They discuss Darryl’s progress at his new school.

Page 117-118 (monologue – Tom) Tom tells Rita exactly how he feels about Darryl. In this bleak speech, he tells of the emotional strain this young boy has had on his wife, who now barely leaves the house.

Other Work by Duncan Macmillan

People Places Things, Lungs, Every Brilliant Thing

Wrritten by Olivia Seaton-Hill

I would like to announce that we have just met our first goal at Theatre Gateway.


We now have written content for 20 plays

Thanks to Olivia Seaton-Hill for your support with this

The Big 20!!

I would like to announce the fact that we have our third member of Theatre Gateway on Board. 

Welcome Scott Lawrence, one of the new founding members and new Web Developer.

We are excited to have you on board and looking forward to working with you

Thanks

Josh (Creative Director)

Fleabag by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. NHB

Key words

Twenties

Women

Comedy

Brash

Sex

Alone

Insecure

Wild

One-woman

Honest

Up front

Characters (1. 1Female)

Note from the writer: "Other characters can be recorded voices, played by other actors or played by Fleabag.

Pauses and beats are indicated by the space given between lines.” (Waller-Bridge, 2014, pg2)

Fleabag - 26

Time and setting

The location of the play is not specified and the dialogue does not suggest any necessary dialect. The time of the play seems to be modern day, give or take a few years either way.

Synopsis

Written and starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge this comedic play is perhaps better known for its TV show counterpart of the same name.

Fleabag is not your average lady. She likes sex, she likes to talk about sex, she likes a good drink, she says what’s on her mind and runs a failing guinea pig café. Yes, really.

The play opens with Fleabag completely flunking a job interview as she accidentally exposes herself in front of her potential employer. She goes on to tell the audience that her on-again, off-again boyfriend has recently broken up with her, again.

As the play goes on we learn of Fleabag’s dead best friend, Boo, with whom she opened the guinea pig café. We get an insight into her fraught relationships with both her sister and father after her mother’s death and her willingness to engage in sexual activity with, well, anyone.

This hilarious play gives an audience a brief insight into the life of a mid-twenties woman trying to get it together when everything is crumbling apart. Being a one woman show this piece offers a whole host of monologues for a female actress to showcase a range of emotions: brash and bold, comedic and spunky, sensitive and real.

Monologues and duologues etc...

All of the monologues within the play from Fleabag and there are lots to choose from. However, that does not rule out the option of exploring some of the other characters in a little more depth in the name of scene work. Below I have highlighted some of the monologues which I feel have the most performative value

Pages 5-6. Fleabag’s opening monologue depicts her average night to herself. She talks about ordering a “very slutty pizza”, Zac Efron, Obama and having a “horrible wank” on YouPorn. This piece ends with the revelation that her boyfriend, Harry, has once again broken up with her.

Pages 6-7. She goes on to describe a threesome she once had with Harry in detail and how she plans to get over their break up. This somehow leads her to reveal the circumstances surrounding Boo’s death.

Pages 12-13. Here Fleabag gives us an insight into her family background. She tells of her mother’s death, her father’s Lothario response and her sister’s uptight nature.

Pages 21-23. As a drunk Fleabag is poured into a cab by her fathers she attempts to find a way to not spend the night alone. She tells of a girl she fooled about with and a man she met at a festival, both whilst she was still with Harry.

Pages 25-25. This monologue highlights a more sensitive side to Fleabag. She voices her concerns for others around her, such as her sister, and discusses how Boo had a favourite guinea pig that got her through her hardest times.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Other Work

Unsure as I cannot seem to find her own website.

Written by: Olivia Seaton-Hill

Gizmo by Alan Ayckbourn. Faber and Faber

Time unspecified 21st century 

Accents general English

Place unspecified, but the dialogue references suggest London

Set hospital lecture room, hospital bedroom, a park, an apartment, 

Specicify this is a very flexible  play. There is no reason that the play could be done in any country, within the technological era, with any accent and in any language.

Characters (11 males/ 6 females)

Note: GIZMO has been written with a flexible cast in mind

Ben Mason 20-35

Professor Raymond Barth  35-50

Dr Bernice Mallow 30-40

David best 35-45

Nery’s Potter 35-45

Ted Wilkins 25-35

Rust, Dazer, Fritzo, Hezza, Dart, Tiz 13-20

Manny 35-45

Rudi 25-35

Keith 25-35

Cevril 20-30

Lando 35-45

Key words

Medicine

Connections

Trauma

Violence  

Gangs

Barmen

Hitmen

Gangsters 

Doctors 

Physician

Science 

Circumstances

Research 

Synopsis

The story evolves around Ben, who has lost feeling in 90% of his body. His problem is not physical, but emotional. Ben witnesses a Murder whilst working as a Barman, he is almost killed himself and as a result he locked in emotional trauma.

The GIZMO project is based on scientific research and technology in the form of a micro chip which is placed inside Bens Brain. The chip is then connected to a watch that a nurse wears. Once turned on the chip allows Ben to replicate the movement of whoever is wearing the watch, with the theory that Ben will one day learn how to move again and get over his trauma.

The play is short and has tension and comedy throughout. Ben finds himself in the tricky situation of the watch being placed in the wrong hands of nuggets and then gangsters who use the watch to their advantage.

Whilst being supposedly looked after by Gangster, Manny, it becomes clear that Manny was the person who ordered the hit on the two people murdered in front of Ben. Ben comes face to face with Lando, Manny’s hitman, the man responsible for the murder and the reason for his paralysis in the first place.

Ben is rescued by undercover detective Cervil who saves him from Lando, using the watch as a weapon, but in the darkened nelly she is hit by a bullet and paralysed herself.

In full circle Ben has learnt to walk again after his experiences and decides to wear the watch to help Cevril learn how to walk again. They kiss at the end, suggesting that they have fallen in love.

Monologues and duologues etc...

Pages 17-22 (5 mins). Ben and Ted are discussing Bens condition in a duologue, Ted resents the fact that he has I sit all day with Ben, wearing the watch to help him move. The scene progresses and they become closer. Ted begins to understand Bens troubles. Having heard Bens speech about how he came to be in his position.

Pages 20-22. (2 min). In this monologue (cut together) Ben talks about his traumatic experience of working in a bar one night and witnessing a couple being gunned down right in front of him. 

Links to writer: Alan Ayckbourn  

The Norman Conquest, Absurd Person singular, Absent Friends, Bedroom Farce, Plays: 1

Written by Josh Ashley-Smith

Top Girls by Carly Churchill. Methuen

Writer Caryl Churcill. Image free on Flickr by Huntington Theatre Company 

Key words

Feminist, Feminism, Socialist, Socialism, Capitalist, Capitalism, 
Eighties, 80s, 1980s, Thatcher, Changing times, Equality, Inequality, Class, History, Women, Women's independence Time Early 1980s

Accents London, East Anglian, 

Place London, Ipswich, Purgatory

Set A restaurant, Office of ‘Top Girls’ 

recruitment agency building, a family home

Specificity Act one is flexible as it could be in any restaurant anywhere there are geographic reference to London but the play has a flexibility to it in terms of accents and setting because the message content is written to be heard by many types of audiences.

Characters (7 female)

Note: 7 females are to play 16 characters 

Marlene 30-40

Isabella Bird, Joyce, Mrs Kidd 38-45

Lady Ninjo, Win 30-40

Dull Gret, Angie 16-20

Pope Joan, Louise 25-35

Patient Griselda, Nell, Jenine 20-30

Waitress, Kit, Shona 16-20 (must be young looking to play Kit, a 12 year old)

Synopsis

“The play world of Top Girls is a world of women’s experience shown from a modern point of view...They all speak the language of today” (Churchill, pg xxiv-xxv,  1982 student edition)

The play is an exploration of changing times and attitudes towards women, about women and through women, making it feministic in content.

The play starts in a restaurant but the company are all dead which suggests it’s in heaven/hell/purgatory or some other unspecified place. We are introduced to six influential historical figures, all women, Pope Joan, Isabella Bird, Lady Ninjo, Dull Gret and Griselda. The figures proceed to swap testimonies about there live and journey, specific to their own struggles as women. 

As the play progresses it is brought right up to the present time in which the play is mainly set, the 1980s. 

The play focuses on strength, independence, empowerment, class, choice, aspirations, power which many of the women were deprived of in the previous scene with the historical figures.

There are no men in the play. Women interview women, women want to advance, women get jobs over men, women are single parents,  some are left behind with kids whilst others want a career, families, love and relationships aren’t important anymore.

It becomes apparent that Marlene single and ambitious women gave her child, Angie away to her sister, Joyce in order to have a career. As a result Joyce never feels like she is Joyce’s mother, Angie suspects that Joyce isn’t her real mother and Marlene is deemed as the cool Auntie because of the exciting lifestyle she lives. 

The play is an important piece of writing, highlighting the fight for and development of equality. The play still holds huge relevance today showing Churchill’s innate ability to cut to the heart of issues surrounding social inequality.

Monologues and duologues etc...

Note: in the opening Act there are many interruptions of natural conversation that break up potential monologues. With the cutting of other characters dialogue, there is there potential for some excellent female speeches.

Pages 27-28 (3 mins). In this monologue Gret discusses her experience after she died. She discusses her experience of Hell “ We come in to Hell in a big mouth”.

Pages 33-41 (5 mins) Angie, 16 is playing with her younger friend Kit, 12. In this duologue the girls tease each other, play fight, but mostly it highlights Angie’s lack of respect for her “mother” Joyce, representing the changing times. Angie at times talks very negatively about Joyce and praises her Auntie. 

Angie knows that Joyce isn’t her mother saying “I think I’m my aunts child, I think my mother is really my aunt” 

Pages 51-52 (3 mins). Louise is stuck, her monologue reflects the inequality as a woman in the workplace. Adding that there are men less bright who she trained who have risen above her purely because of their gender. Note: the Monologue needs merging, but works really well.

Page 63 (1 1/2 mins). Louise gives a monologue about her amazing and successful  life. This of course is a lie, turning in to the worst interview spiel anyone has heard for a while.  It is comedic and when discovered that it’s lie would produce laughter in the audience 

Page 65 (1 1/2 mins). Win is a babbler, her monologue discusses her advancement in life, her relationship woes and her impulsive woes. It’s comedic

Other Plays

Love and Information, Escaped Alone, Cloud 9

Written by Josh Ashley-Smith

Bibliography: Top Girls?

The Straits by Gregory Burke. Faber and Faber

Characters (3 males/1 female)

Doink 16 (aggressive, violent and unpredictable) 

Darren 15 (Naive, easily led and won s susceptible to bullying)

Jock 16 (Scottish decent)

Tracy 16 (Darren's older sister, she is intelligent, but promiscuous)

Time 2nd May 1982

Accents  Various English accents

Place Gibraltar, Rosita Bay

Set A beach, water, a bay for diving and crabbing 

Specicify This play has significant historical references such as Falklands 80s British music and Culture. It is only suited for the time, set and place it is based.

Key words

Falklands

Conflict 

80's

Gibraltar 

Army

Navy 

Marines

Paras

Friendship 

Bullying

Racism

Tension

Argie's 

Argentina

Boredom

British 

Promiscuity

Violence

Teenagers

Friendship

Naivety  

Synopsis

The Straites is set in Gibraltar, at a time of high tension between Spanish Main land, Gibraltar, Britain, Argentina and the Falklands.

The play reflects tensions between the British Natives and the Spanish "Spics" who cohabit the island of British, Gibraltar. The play is about growing friendships and boredom in such a place but is also written to parallel the growing tension in the Falklands and the eventual conflict that broke out. Doink losing his older brother Steve, a British marine stationed on the 'Sheffield' destroyer that was attacked by the Argentinian Navy on 4th May 1982. 

Darren aims to impress as he settles in to life in Gibraltar, he meets Doink and Jock and does his best to befriend them. They are from military families and Darren struggles to keep up with them in violent conduct and army training. 

Tracy looks out for Darren but makes strange choices, one being sexually arrive with Doink who had just beaten up Darren.

Darren in his desire to be liked by the others murders a "Spic" with a speargun. The boy dies but Darren gets away with it because he is 15 and under age. The play ends Ina very anticlimactic way with the boys going diving. 

Monologues and Duologues etc...

Page 12 (2 mins). Doink delivers a simplistic Monologue based on his views of "Spics" in Gibraltar and his claim to Rosita bay being British owners, for British based residents. This includes the sea and the octopus that swim near by.

Doink discusses how he caught an octopus and sold it for "twenty quid" a lot of money for the 80's and a 16 year old. It's a comedic speech with a racist and ignorant message.

Page 33 (2 min)  In this Monologue Jock talks about how his Granddad survived a piece of Shrapnel during war that split his face in half, knocking out all his teeth. A German taking pity on him, giving him a smoke and then leaving him alive. Once stitched up his Granddad had a constant smile and was unable to speak properly.Pages

Links to writer: Gregory Burke

Garagarin Way, Black Watch, Hoors 

Written by Josh Ashley-Smith