Little Revolution

Alecky Blythe

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2014
• eBook ISBN: 9781780014951
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

An explosive verbatim play about the 2011 London Riots, by the author of the award-winning London Road.

In the summer of 2011, London was burning. Alecky Blythe took her Dictaphone to the streets… From the helicopters circling overhead to the burnt-out buildings on the street, Little Revolution records the voices and stories of a community from when the riots happened up to their present-day aftermath.

Little Revolution premiered at the Almeida Theatre, London, in August 2014.

SECTION 1 – Riots and Steering Group

1. Riots Part 1

The real audio plays over the PA. Helicopters can be heard in the distance.

ALECKY (PA). Okay. Hackney.

Hackney.

On Monday the 8th.

After…

Tottenham.

Half-lines heard from people in the street in the background:

VOICES (PA). Someone’s put uh…

…ah yeah.

Have you been out?… No I haven’t… yeah.

…three that they smashed up actually and took the…

The clock is boarded up.

Laughter.

ALECKY (PA). I don’t s’pose I can speak to any of you? I make documentary plays, and I record conversations on here.

GIRL WHO SAYS NO (PA). I don’t wanna be on TV it’s / alright.

ALECKY (PA). / No it’s not a TV.

GIRL WHO SAYS NO (PA). Oh.

ALECKY (PA). Oh it’s just your voice would I be able to record your voice no names no pictures no I b–… What I do I is I – speak to people – no? Okay.

Half-lines heard in the soundscape:

I’m / – make documentary plays, can I talk to you for two // minutes.

GASMAN. / I’m. // I’m the gas board. I’m gas board, I’m not police.

ALECKY (PA). Ah ha.

GASMAN. I’m just ’ere, I’m just ’ere doing a gas job.

More voices and helicopter are heard.

ALECKY (PA). Can I talk to you? I make plays. I’m a writer.

ROMANIAN MAN (PA). Sorry?

ALECKY (PA). I’m a play– I write for the theatre –

ROMANIAN MAN (PA). Yeah.

ALECKY (PA). – And I record conversations on here with people.

ROMANIAN MAN (PA). Ahh so for interview… / Like that.

ALECKY (PA). / Yeah. Can I do interview with you? // (Beat.) No?

During the course of the speech the PA fades and the actor playing the ROMANIAN MAN is left speaking, unassisted.

ROMANIAN MAN. // I’m foreigner I don’t know honestly, I don’t know. I’m so sorry. I’m – amazing some time because, in my life I don’t see like dat. Ha I don’t know why but, no never like dat, I don’t see in my life like dat, honestly, it’s the first time for me. I’m coorious honestly – Yes-yes. I’m little bit scary-ed but, I dunno because in my country, never like dat. Never like dat. Honestly I-I want to buy one pack of cigarette but all the-the shops is closed so I dunno where…

WELDER JOHN. The clock is boarded up. Alright mind how you go because they just done Tescos down Well Street alright? (Short pause.) No I dunno where else it’s spreading to but BE CAREFUL. If you get caughted up in it ya dunno what they’re fucking doing do ya. Just a matter of money. See ya later. Alright. Mind how you go.

Sirens.

TURKISH SHOPKEEPER. Looka dat. Looka dat. What happened you tink, what happen there?

ALECKY. I think it’s kicking off up there. I think there’s / a problem.

TURKISH SHOPKEEPER. / Okay today closed. What happen tomorrow? What happen other day? Police very soft. Police should be close de road. Why traffic – still traffic working? Two van close there, two van close there, dat’s it everyfing finish, nobody coming in.

ALECKY. I know, I don’t know.

TURKISH SHOPKEEPER. Dis is-dis is not Turkey, dis is not U-Africa, dis is United Kingdom, democrat’s country, okay dis is democrat’s country, closa dis road, closa dis road, nobody coming in dat’s it, clos it der… that’s it finish!

ALECKY. Do you think – where do you think the fighting is now? Up there? / Where do you think?

TURKISH SHOPKEEPER. / I think somebody tell me, somebody tell me Clarence Road. Looka dat.

ALECKY. Ah, oh my God, oh my God that’s pretty exciting.

Dozens of mounted police come past and head up towards the epicentre of the riot.

TURKISH SHOPKEEPER. I like, I like, I like police now. I like police, police, good good. (Beat.) Good police boy. (Beat.) Good police boy. (Beat.) Good police.

ALECKY. Phew.

She takes a photo of the horses. A man passes heading up in the direction of the horses.

TURKISH SHOPKEEPER. Okay. He going there…

ALECKY. I’m gonna look too, / thank you, bye.

TURKISH SHOPKEEPER. / Okay.

Bumping into another onlooker as she goes.

ALECKY. Ooh I’m sorry, sorry.

2. Steering Group Part A

TONY. I saw you absolutely fantastically on er on on on Monday night standing, / we came out at midnight.

ALECKY. / Hello, hi, hi. Good to see you. Hi.

FATHER ROB. It was extraordinary.

TONY. Yeah, well it was that thing of erm… yeah no my im… I’ve just been interviewed and somebody said to me if y-yyou’ve got an image that you would take away… alright, it was-it was the fact that it was coming down, uh coming out at midnight ’n’ walking down to erm… uh I hadn’t been, sort of, bold enough to sort of go outside too much… been in and out a bit and we’d seen neighbours had things hurled at them / an’ things // ’n’ so it was… it… so we sort of wandered down the end of the road ’n’ sort of saw our neighbours ’n’ things like that ’n’ you were sort of like there i-in full cassock I just thought that was, kind of, y’know… as I say – I’m not, not, ya know I’m not a member of the church or anything but, y’know, I just thought it was a very uh powerful image ’n’ sense of witness ’n’ sort of proclamation of er-er-who you were in a very controversial situation so yeah…

FATHER ROB. / Yeah… // yeah.

TONY. So I sort o– / respect you for that though.

FATHER ROB. / Oh thank you –

ALECKY. Amazing.

TONY. – yeah. (Giggling.)

FATHER ROB. It is. Eez it’s quite scary standing there for some of it all, but uh – it really was.

TONY. How l– someone said you were there nearly all night or?

FATHER ROB (nods). Yeah…

TONY. Wow…

FATHER ROB. I mean it stopped about three o’clock.

TONY. Yes… we peaked at two we had a sort of this car on fire and sort of exploded out of the / front window until at about two. // And at that point Sarah and I literally had all our bags packed and n-the back door open ready to get out the back door.

FATHER ROB. / Yeah… // Yeah.

ALECKY. Were you really?

TONY. Oh yeah both –

A knock at the door. SARAH walks through to let in ALAN DEIN. She can be heard in the background talking to him.

SARAH. Come in folks. / (To FATHER ROB.) Hi. Thank you for coming.

TONY. / I-I will um…

FATHER ROB. That’s okay.

SARAH. Come in people.

FATHER ROB. Hi Siva!

SIVA. How are you?

FATHER ROB. I’m good. How are you?

SIVA. I’m not bad. Not bad.

FATHER ROB. Gosh, I’m so pleased you’re here. That’s really good news.

SARAH. Um. Can I have a show of hands for cups of tea please?

FATHER ROB. Me, me, me.

SARAH. One, two, thr/ee.

FATHER ROB. / Me, me.

SARAH. Four. Five. / Six.

SIVA. / Everybody want.

SARAH. Does everyone want normal builders’ tea?

ALL. Yeah.

ALECKY. Yes please.

SARAH. / Anyone want sugar?

ALECKY. / No thank you.

SIVA. / Yes of course...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Interview with Alecky Blythe
• Original Production
• Characters and Note on the Text
• Little Revolution
• About the Author
• Copyright and Performing Rights Information