Double Feature: Two

Prasanna Puwanarajah, Tom Basden

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2014
• eBook ISBN: 9781780013770
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

Double Feature brings together – in two volumes of paired short plays – four of the most exciting new voices in UK theatre, in their first commissions for the National Theatre.

This volume, Double Feature: Two, contains:

Nightwatchman by Prasanna Puwanarajah

A British Sri Lankan cricketer prepares for the innings of her life for England against Sri Lanka at Lord's. Facing a relentless bowling machine she challenges our preconceptions of politics, sport and national pride as harshly as she challenges her own.

There is a War by Tom Basden

A miniature epic that explores the mad savagery of war with biting black comedy, and takes us into the dark heart of a strange and surreal conflict.

As soldiers, priests and scavengers roam a battle-scorched landscape, a young medical officer finds herself abandoned and useless, unable to locate the hospital or even the war she was promised.

The plays premiered in a specially converted space at the National Theatre in July 2011. They were performed alongside Edgar & Annabel by Sam Holcroft and The Swan by DC Moore, published in the companion volume Double Feature: One.

THERE IS A WAR

Tom Basden

Characters

PERSON ONE

PERSON TWO

PERSON THREE

PERSON FOUR

PERSON FIVE

ANNE

SASHA

MARTIN

COLONEL HUGGINS

FATHER MICHAEL

JOHN

BRANDON

BECKY

DEAN

STEWART DE LUNE

FIELD COMMANDER GOODMAN

LUKE

BIG DAVE

IVERSON

THEO

JOY

GRIFF

OLIVER

KATE

GORDON

NURSE MOSTMEN

DR MOORE

DR HOLMES

MURRAY

Plus MUSICIANS, SOLDIERS, PATIENTS

Scene One

A four-man MARCHING BAND in Blue uniforms process through the space. Once they have left, five PEOPLE run on with megaphones. The noise of a helicopter whirrs. There’s a spotlight on a bush with yellow flowers on the floor.

ONE. Sorry?

TWO. You have to jump!

ONE. We can’t hear you.

THREE. The ground is softer than it looks because it’s been raining.

ONE. We can’t hear what you’re saying.

FOUR. Jump!

TWO. It won’t hurt if you commit to it.

THREE. There’s a fair bit of moss, so it’s springy.

FOUR. Is that a gesture?

TWO. You have to keep your knees bent upon impact.

FOUR. I don’t understand that gesture.

TWO. Don’t jump without your documents.

FOUR. That’s not an official gesture.

ONE. Can you hear us?

FIVE. Try not to land in the gorse bush.

ONE. Can you hear me?

TWO. You have to jump now!

FIVE. The gorse bush has small yellow flowers.

TWO. You have to jump now or you’ll give our position away!

FOUR. Aim away from the yellow flowers!

ONE. Did you hear that?

TWO. Aim away from the yellow flowers!

Scene Two

ANNE, SASHA and MARTIN sit in a waiting room. They wear Blue military uniforms, bags on their laps. MARTIN is anxious and quite pale. ANNE looks around, impatient.

ANNE. Excuse me, have you got the time?

SASHA (checks watch). Oh, er… (Thinks.) Twenty-one hundred and, no, twenty hundred, um –

ANNE. In p.m. is fine.

SASHA. Twenty, um…

ANNE. Minutes stay the same.

SASHA. 8:25.

ANNE. Thanks.

Beat.

SASHA. I think… Were you in the helicopter just now?

ANNE. Yes.

SASHA. I recognise your bag. And your face. I’m Sasha.

ANNE. Anne. Hi.

SASHA. Hi. Are you a soldier then?

ANNE. I’m a doctor.

ANNE gets up and looks around.

SASHA. Oh, wow. I’m a teacher.

ANNE. Oh, right.

SASHA. Thanks.

ANNE. Do you know when the briefing’s meant to be?

SASHA (checks her watch). Oh, um… no. Are you from here?

ANNE. Well… where are we?

SASHA. I don’t know. I mean… the war zone?

ANNE. Oh, yeah, I’m from, you won’t know it but, it’s off Junction 90.

SASHA. Oh, lovely. I don’t know it.

ANNE. How about you? Are you – ?

SASHA. Oh, no, I’m from more the north, thank God. So do your family still live where you’re from?

ANNE. My parents have gone north.

SASHA. Good. Good idea. And do you have children or – ?

ANNE. No. You?

SASHA. No, but I am engaged.

SASHA holds out her hand. There’s no ring.

ANNE. Oh. Sorry, there’s nothing there.

SASHA spots this and has a mild panic attack. She then regains composure.

SASHA. Oh, I took it off! I forgot I took it off cos I didn’t want to wear it here. With all the soldiers.

ANNE. Right. Sorry, do you mean as in, wanting people to think you’re single or – ?

SASHA. No, God no. I meant it might get stolen.

ANNE. Right. I don’t think it would.

SASHA. Well, it’s a beautiful ring, so –

ANNE. It wouldn’t get stolen.

SASHA. Well, you haven’t seen it. It really is massive.

ANNE. Right. Lovely.

ANNE stands up again.

SASHA. Apparently some soldiers are from quite difficult backgrounds, so –

ANNE looks at MARTIN. SASHA sees him and stops speaking.

I didn’t mean… I know most soldiers are… good and…

(To MARTIN.) I’m sure you don’t steal.

MARTIN smiles.

Do you?

MARTIN. Sorry?

SASHA. Steal?

MARTIN. I didn’t hear the whole thing.

SASHA. Do you steal?

MARTIN. No.

SASHA. It was a joke.

MARTIN. Oh. (Laughs.)

SASHA. I’m Sasha.

MARTIN shuffles along the bench to shake her hand.

MARTIN. Martin Reece.

ANNE. Anne.

MARTIN. Hi. Martin Reece.

MARTIN shakes her hand, then slides back to his original place.

SASHA. What kind of soldier are you?

MARTIN. Oh. Just, you know, general, um –

SASHA. A General?

MARTIN. No, just a general soldier. Like a Private.

ANNE. Do you know where anyone is?

MARTIN. Oh, no. Dunno. I was just, I haven’t got one of the forms so I was told to wait with the NCPs.

SASHA. With what?

ANNE. Non-combat personnel. He means us. Which form haven’t you got?

MARTIN. Um… well, I don’t know cos I haven’t got it.

SASHA. You’re very brave.

MARTIN. Oh. Yup. Well. I’m fucking terrified, but, sort of –

SASHA. To make the sacrifice, I mean –

MARTIN. Yeah. I mean, I’m hoping I won’t have to… make the sacrifice, but –

SASHA. No, completely –

MARTIN. Ideally.

SASHA. A lot of soldiers don’t, of course. Die. I’m sure you won’t.

MARTIN. Thanks.

ANNE. It’ll be fine. Statistically.

SASHA. Bet your mum’s proud.

MARTIN. Oh, yeah. I mean, she’d be proud of me if I’d, you know, shit myself, but –

SASHA. Oh.

MARTIN. She’s always been very proud. That’s what I was trying to…

SASHA (to ANNE). I suppose they expect doctors to… recruit. Do they?

ANNE. Um… no, not really. I mean, I could get a job in the north pumping stomachs every Saturday night, but, you know, what’s the point? They need people here. Blue soldiers are dying who shouldn’t be. And people outside the war zone just ignore it, it’s… a friend from med school went north to open a Botox clinic.

SASHA. Oh.

ANNE. It’s a fucking disgrace.

SASHA. Oh, I see. You meant it like that. Yes it is. It’s very bad for you. The injections. You can’t smile, can you? Afterwards. Or during.

ANNE. What do...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Original Production
• Nightwatchman
• There is a War
• About the Authors
• Copyright and Performing Rights Information