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Nadia Fall

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2015
• eBook ISBN: 9781780016405
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

A powerful, inventive play that mixes real testimonials alongside existing and original music to explore one of the most important social concerns of today: homelessness amongst young people.

Bullet doesn't want to call a hostel home. Eritrean Girl was smuggled here in a lorry. Singing Boy dreams of seeing his name in lights and Garden Boy just wants to feel safe.

In 2013, homelessness amongst young people in the UK is at a record high, so when the big society doesn't work ? where do you go? An inner city high rise hostel, Target East, offers a roof.

Nadia Fall's play Home brings to life the unheard voices of the young residents and staff who live and work behind the anonymous concrete walls. A bold verbatim play that asks what it really means to call somewhere home, it is offers ideal material for youth theatres and young performers.

Home was first staged at The Shed, National Theatre, London, in 2013.

An anonymous inner-city high rise, London. A YOUNG WOMAN has her mobile phone to her ear and is pushing a baby in a buggy back and forth at the foot of the tower block. An OLDER WOMAN is having a cigarette, shivering. Two Young MEN are milling about on the concrete. At pressing a metal button you are buzzed in through the main-entrance door. You notice the glass in the door is cracked and that an argument has kicked off between the boys outside. A poker-faced SECURITY GUARD asks you who you are here to see.

The YOUNG RESIDENTS are having breakfast.

Singing Boy

Enter SINGING BOY. He sits.

SINGING BOY. My mum’s house really… No, I consider my place as a home as well, here as well… but still feel a bit… maybe because I’m NEW I still feel a bit… you know I don’t, I still feel, I don’t feel this is my home YET. But as the months go by and start getting my things together, I can call it more of a home.

Well – (Pause.) well – (Smiling.) what led me to living at Target is basically I got kicked out of home when I was seventeen I didn’t want to go back. So they put me in a hostel and then from there step by step, eventually step by step… I was sent here, they ‘referred’ me here.

Um, no. Because I’m very to m… I keep myself to myself. Because there are a lot of people in this building and you don’t even want to mess about with… There’s people in this building that do drugs and all sorts. I’m a person who wants to keep WELL, well away from that. I keep my head down, because I don’t want anyone to think I’m either giving them a dirty look or what I’ve seen in this building is that people get very – (Clicks fingers.) aggravated so I want to avoid that and that’s why I always mind my own business.

I’ve had problems with my mum for quite a while. And not just because of my mum, I mean Mum played parts obviously, but I’m not saying here that I was an angel because obviously I’m not… her boyfriend as well was getting involved but even before that, even before he came into the picture, there was already issues between us. But then that added on the tension, you know building up, and that made it so… whatever. But I remember the exact day that I left: it was the eighth of January at seven p.m. What I left, well I didn’t leave, I got kicked out, and the police got involved but the police told me that, ‘if your mum wants you to leave have to leave, then you have to leave’. But what they did not know, well they knew my age, but obviously they were ignorant to the fact, that even though I’m seventeen… she can’t ask me to leave by law you still have to be with your mum.

Well my mum used to hit me before but not now. But shouting, swearing at me obviously.

And there was even a point my mum said to me, she said to me, ‘I wish I aborted you.’ (Pause.)

And from that day on I said Okay – (Pause.) I’m going to stop trying to give a damn, I’m going to stop, trying to every time do things for people. Because I’m going to just do me.

What now? My days I wake up in the morning, I feel absolutely great. I get to do what I want, every moment I go to college. I sing I get do this it’s part of my course. I sing, I dance, I act… I do everything. You want me to sing something now? Do you know Beyoncé? Yeah I’ll sing that.

He sings ‘Halo' by Beyoncé.

Thanks. Well what keeps me very motivated is the fact that every song I pick, every song I sing has to have meaning behind it and I feel that with every song I sing I’m here for a purpose, I’m here for a reason, to show the world… I was born. When I was at school, a all-boys school. I went to an all-boys school and it was not the easiest thing to get up on that stage and sing and not have people laugh at you. Or after you’ve finished your performance to say you’re gay because you’re singing or you’re gay because you’re singing a female song… And plus the way my voice sounds I felt every day I walked through those gates, I could have died.

The first time I fell in love, you can ask me that.

Silence.

I will tell you now… One thing, the only thing that I missed is that I have this one issue now in my sexuality… right now I don’t know… where I’m going. I’m not sure what I like. I haven’t told my family and I’m not planning to right now. Not at the moment I don’t think… but that’s one thing actually to tell you, I don’t know. I’m…

I’m still struggling with that. But eventually I’ll get to the bottom of it and hopefully soon.

My key workers the people who advise me, they’re nice guys, if you stay here peacefully, keep your head down, like no warnings – nothing – you’ll get your place one day – not straight away obviously but eventually. I respect everyone, I obey the rules, I do everything like – stay strong.

Breakfast Club One

There is a breakfast table.

Music is playing on a mobile phone.

YOUNG MUM. It’s good you come breakfast club because you can interview everyone. Every Tuesday we do it. Umm… I know it’s a bit cliché but everyone says you know, ‘home is where the heart is’ and that’s kinda what I think as well, wherever you’re comfortable, you feel like you know that you can relax and you don’t have to worry or anything that’s what I think home is.

BULLET. Home would be the land we come from really and truly it wouldn’t be where we are today.

Song – ‘Keys’

I bet it feels warmer with them

Warmer with them in your hands

I bet you feel stronger with them

Pinky finger spin it man.

TATTOO BOY. Home. Is er… it’s whatever you make it really. Whatever you make like, your surroundings, wherever you feel comfortable to lay your head or sometimes wherever you do have to lay your head.

SINGING BOY. My mum’s house really… I don’t feel this is my home yet.

ASIAN YOUNG MUM. To me home is a place where you’re feeling safe, feeling happy… Or just becomes a house if you not happy where you are… it’s just… a house.

SECURITY GUARD. Yes. Well I would say, personally, I would say Target is my home because I spend the majority of my time here.

BULLET (singing).

I feel there’s no place like it

That it’s warm when you feel it on both sides

They say you can’t live without it

So what does that mean for my life?

SHARON. Home is the most important place… for anybody and, for me, it’s a place for, to relax, it’s the safest and most securest place as far as I’m concerned that what you should be and it’s about family and… and enjoying that time at… home.

RESIDENTS (singing).

I’m longing for those keys

Oh how I’m longing for those keys

Somewhere I can call my home

My home

Call the home

My home

Somewhere I can call my home

My home

Call the home

My home

Oh how I’m longing for those.

The RESIDENTS tell us all at once what home means to them.

I’ll find my way home

My way home

My way home

BULLET.

Oh how I’m longing for those keys.

The RESIDENTS leave the space.

SHARON and ASIAN YOUNG MUM are left at the table.

SHARON. Your hair looks nice.

ASIAN YOUNG MUM. Yeah I had it done yesterday…

SHARON. Well it suits ya. I tell you I need mine done. Did you do it across the road?

ASIAN YOUNG MUM. Nah, I went to one of them photoshoot things, where they do your hair and make-up for free and that. Take photos.

SHARON (playing with baby). Ah did you get your photos done with this angel? I’d like to see them…

ASIAN YOUNG MUM. Nah, I don’t think I’m getting them, they were asking loads for ’em.

SHARON. Oh yeah they charge loads. What you up to today then?

ASIAN YOUNG MUM. I’m doing the interview thing a bit later so I’ll just wait here for a bit… (Addressing the interviewer.) No it’s fine. I don’t mind waiting.

SHARON. Right then, shall we go in there?

Sharon’s Office

SHARON. Okay? Right. I work at Target East which is a foyer for two hundred and ten young people in East London, erm… and the young people who live here are provided with accommodation and at the same time we look at their personal needs, their support needs, erm… education, training, so, it’s a very whole-istic erm… view… erm… it’s very holistic so we look at all their needs erm… and we take young people for up to two years.

I was a single mother for quite a while but, so, I didn’t work for quite a while when my children were growing up and then I decided to, that I wanted to do something but I always had a, to be quite honest, my interest was always with working with offenders that was wh… what really, what I really enjoyed doing for some reason I’m not quite sure why… erm… but, so when my children went to junior school that’s when I went to university and I studied psychosocial, and erm… part of psycho-social was around erm, criminology and stuff like that, so I did that for three years and in my last year I did a year’s voluntary work with the probation service, so, and I really enjoyed that but what I didn’t enjoy was, you was getting to meet all these young people who were going through the system but you never got to see any outcomes because… people were coming in, you’d sign them up or you might you might take them to drug rehab, you might take young people out on reparation orders you go with them, make sure they do it and get involved with them and… but you nev...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Introduction
• Original Production
• Characters
• Home
• About the Author
• Copyright and Performing Rights Information