Thick as Thieves
Page 5
KAREN starts gathering her things frenetically.
In amongst gathering her things she picks up a file.
Finally found it.
KAREN opens the file and reads from it.
On August the 4th and 12th the mother, Gail Palmer, had prearranged meetings that she failed to attend. Both children were obviously upset…
GAIL grabs for the folder. Papers start to fall.
Both KAREN and GAIL grab for the papers.
They scuffle a bit. Starting with GAIL trying to stop KAREN from leaving.
Ending with KAREN getting rough with GAIL.
A shove too hard leads into a slap, a punch, a fight, two kids, sisters scraping lead by KAREN.
KAREN lays into a submissive GAIL, ending with KAREN holding GAIL by the hair.
KAREN stops.
Nina Simone starts quietly.
GAIL moves into KAREN, holds on to her.
Holds her.
Breathes her in.
KAREN doesn’t hold her but maybe relaxes into GAIL, maybe puts her head on her shoulder. They slowly move together, rotate slowly, as if in a slow dance. Some elements from their childish dance might be echoed here.
Give this time for us to feel it, to see them.
KAREN lifts her head, gently pulls away.
Takes a moment and pulls herself together. Brushes down her clothes.
Picks up a sheet of paper from the floor and starts reading.
On August the 4th and 12th the mother, Gail Palmer, had prearranged meetings that she failed to attend. Both children were obviously upset and it was decided that one further meeting would be arranged before action to cease visitation would be taken. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, once again the mother, Gail Palmer, failed to attend. It was decided under some duress to refer the case back to Children’s services for consideration. Although the general consensus was thought to be visitation rights for the mother should cease in order to protect the children from further harm, the head of Children’s Services, Kate Taylor, overruled the decision and made a stipulation for supervised visits to be strongly encouraged and supported as the mother, Gail Palmer, had shown commendable attempts to rebuild her life. Securing accommodation and gaining permanent employment.
KAREN lets the paper fall to the floor.
Starts to leave.
GAIL grabs for her.
KAREN stops.
GAIL slowly lets her go.
KAREN leaves.
Doesn’t look back.
GAIL is alone.
Nina Simone plays.
Taking us into…
Three
The Factory
There is less confusion and chaos in this scene, although it should still be there just less.
A radio can play. On and off. Nina Simone songs still come in and out. Again a variety but without ‘My Baby Just Cares for Me’ within the mix. White noise and levels of louder volume as and when useful to suggest absurdity. A buzz might be helpful. The lights might flicker/dim.
Between her dialogue, which is directed at random members of the audience, GAIL will do all or some of the following:
Wait.
Fidget.
Sit up and down, out and in, of the chair.
Pick at herself.
Drum her fingers.
Jump.
Turn around.
Turn and stand with her back to the audience.
Sniff.
Fuss her hair.
Circle the space.
Sniff again.
Clear her throat.
Be bothered by her nose.
Whistle.
Wipe her nose with the back of her hand.
Look at the back of her hand. Shit, shouldn’t have done that.
Wipe her hand in her skirt.
Look around.
Rub down her clothes.
GAIL is onstage. Alone. Waiting. She paces. Circles. In her own time she finds her place. Directs her dialogue at audience members. Using all of the audience. Moving at the reset.
GAIL I wasn’t sure where to wait so.
I called.
Pardon?
When I got the letter.
Yeah?
You said I could appeal my dismissal.
Sounds break in.
GAIL resets.
Oh.
I didn’t realise.
It’s all there.
In the letter. I wrote it all down.
Like you said.
You said I could appeal.
And that’s what I did.
Sounds break in.
GAIL resets.
I was going to leave it.
But then I thought…
I wrote it all down.
It’s all there.
You said I had thirty days.
It’s all in the letter there.
I wrote that.
Sounds break in.
GAIL resets.
Will you give that to him?
Mr Silver? The boss?
He’s alright, I heard. Kind.
Will you give him the letter?
I need a job.
You’ll tell him, I liked it here. I did.
I swear, I won’t let you down, if you just give me a chance.
Sounds break in.
GAIL resets.
Does it work? When you appeal?
Nobody?
I don’t give up easy.
I’m like a dog with a bone, me, that’s what they say.
No. I don’t say that in the letter.
I say that I’m sorry. That’s what I say. It says in there how sorry I am.
And that I’m going to try.
I’m going to try hard.
Yeah, well I’m sure you have heard it all before but this time it’s different.
Why?
Pause.
Looks down thinks a bit.
Looks up, directly at an audience member.
This time I mean it.
Silence.
GAIL is alone.
Sniffs.
Fusses her hair.
Sniffs again.
Clears her throat.
GAIL stands.
Straight.
Smiles to herself.
Holds her head high.
Confident.
Head held high.
Sniffs.
Looks around.
Blackout.
The End.
KATHERINE CHANDLER
Katherine Chandler is an award-winning writer working in theatre, film and television.
Twice a finalist for the prestigious Susan Smith Blackburn prize with her plays Before it Rains and Parallel Lines, Katherine is also a recipient of the Theatre Critics of Wales, Writers’ Guild Playwright Award and Creative Wales Award.
Katherine was awarded the Judges Prize in the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting for her play Bird.
Bird was co-produced by Manchester Royal Exchange and Sherman Theatre, a first collaboration between the two companies, and received critical acclaim at a national level.
Katherine was the inaugural winner of the BBC and National Theatre Wales, Wales Drama Award and has worked a number of times with both companies. Her adaptation of Terry Jones’ fairy tales The Silly Kings for National Theatre Wales won the Best Show for Young People at the 2014 Theatre Critics of Wales Awards and her NHS70 play Peggy’s Song is currently in production with the company.
BBC iPlayer released Katherine’s first film, Tag, as part of the BBC3/BBC iPlayer drama launch. She has attended BBC Drama shadow schemes for both EastEnders and Casualty.
Katherine’s most recent works have been produced by companies such as Clean Break Theatre Company, National Theatre Wales, National Theatre Connections, Theatr Clwyd, Sherman Theatre, Bristol Old Vic and Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre.
Currently Katherine is working on a variety of exciting commissions with companies such as National Theatre Wales, Sherman Theatre, Clean Break, Nottingham Playho
use, Theatr Clwyd and the BBC.
A Nick Hern Book
Thick As Thieves first published in Great Britain in 2018 as a paperback original by Nick Hern Books Limited, The Glasshouse, 49a Goldhawk Road, London W12 8QP, in association with Clean Break and Theatr Clwyd
This ebook first published in 2018
Thick As Thieves copyright © 2018 Katherine Chandler
Katherine Chandler has asserted her moral right to be identified as the author of this work
Cover image by Sarah Ferrari, www.sarahferrari.com
Designed and typeset by Nick Hern Books, London
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 1 84842 776 1 (print edition)
ISBN 978 1 78850 119 4 (ebook edition)
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