seeds

Mel Pennant

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781848429451
• eBook ISBN: 9781788503327
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

'What would you do to save your son? Everything? Anything? Lie?'

It's Michael Thomas's birthday. A cake sits in his mother Evelyn's living room, its candles burning undisturbed.

On the fifteenth anniversary of Michael's fatal stabbing, Jackie wants to clear her conscience, whilst Evelyn's got a big speech to deliver. Are some things better left unsaid?

Mel Pennant's play seeds explores the human story behind a tragedy, through the eyes of those left behind: two mothers united in sorrow, and sharing the hardship of protecting their sons – one in life, and one in death.

seeds was shortlisted for the Alfred Fagon Award, and first produced on a UK tour in 2020 by tiata fahodzi and Wrested Veil, in association with Leeds Playhouse, Soho Theatre and Tara Finney Productions.

A living room. Modestly decorated with at least a sofa, coffee table, bookcase, and a clock. On a wall, a framed painting of MICHAEL (black, fourteen).

On the coffee table: birthday cake candles and a cooker lighter.

EVELYN selects heavy books from the bookcase and lets them fall to the floor.

She comes across a bible. She wipes the dust from it. She places her hand on it, looks at the floor, places it back on the bookcase.

She gathers the books on the floor into a pile. She stands on the pile, tests them with her weight.

She gets off the books.

She consults A5 speaking notes.

She goes to the sofa, sits briefly, gets up, walks slowly and graciously to the books, stands on them.

She looks out.

EVELYN. ‘I am the mother of Michael Thomas.’

Clears her throat. Louder.

‘I am the mother, of Michael Thomas.’

She looks at the clock.

She gets off the books, puts the cards down, leaves the room.

She enters with a birthday cake and two saucers. She puts them on the coffee table.

She puts the candles on the cake.

She pauses after the fifteenth candle.

Then continues.

(Shouting out of the room.) It’s quarter to. I’m doing the cake now, Jas.

Silence.

You coming down?

A thumping noise is heard from upstairs.

EVELYN waits for the thumping to finish.

EVELYN begins to light the many candles on the cake.

The doorbell rings.

EVELYN continues lighting the candles.

The ringing becomes insistent.

The thumping starts up again.

EVELYN goes to the window. Looks out. Comes back into the room.

EVELYN goes back to the window and looks out.

The ringing of the bell is continuous and shrill.

She puts the chain on the front door.

She opens the front door partially. The thumping stops.

On the door step is JACKIE.

JACKIE.…I thought you was out, love. I was ringing and you weren’t answering.

Beat.

I wouldn’t have been ringing so hard if I’d of thought you was in…

Beat.

…I’d like to talk.

Silence.

Shall I come in then?

EVELYN shuts the door.

She goes into the front room and stares at the candlelit cake.

A long beat.

She blows the candles out.

She picks up an ornament from the bookcase. Holds it at her side.

She goes back to the front door. She releases the chain.

JACKIE enters.

She looks around, pensive.

The two women stare at one another.

Well, this is a lovely home, isn’t it?

(Looking around.)…and… is there anyone else at home, with you?

EVELYN. Why wouldn’t it be?

JACKIE. Sorry?

EVELYN. You sound surprised. Why wouldn’t my home be ‘lovely’?

JACKIE. No. I was just saying, love.

EVELYN. What were you saying?

JACKIE. I don’t know.

(Looking around.) I suppose it’s all very neutral and…

JACKIE sees the cake.

Oh. God. Sorry, love. You was celebrating. I didn’t think you’d be celebrating, not today.

EVELYN. I wasn’t celebrating.

JACKIE.…but you’ve got a cake, with candles?

EVELYN. I wasn’t celebrating.

JACKIE. I could always come back another time. When it’s a better time.

EVELYN. When would be a better time?

JACKIE. I couldn’t rightly say. I guess… I wouldn’t want to put you out… So, I probably wouldn’t be coming back?

EVELYN. Well, you’d better stay, then, hadn’t you?

JACKIE sees the ornament in EVELYN’s hand.

JACKIE raises her own hands.

JACKIE. I’m not looking for no trouble, love.

Beat.

EVELYN puts the ornament down slowly on the table.

JACKIE turns away, looks to the window.

Well, it’s lovely outside, isn’t it? So lovely when you get a bit of sunshine after all that rain. You’d never think you could have a day like today after such an awful morning, but here it is.

EVELYN. Yes?

JACKIE. Well, you remember me, don’t you, love?

EVELYN. Why would I remember you?

EVELYN looks straight at JACKIE.

JACKIE. It was… you know?

EVELYN. No. I don’t know.

JACKIE. Come on, love. You must know.

EVELYN. What must I know?

JACKIE moves her hair from her face.

JACKIE. D’you remember me now?

Beat.

Really…?

Pause.

Well, I suppose I have changed. Got older. Put on a bit of weight as you do and these lines. Bags. Hair thinner. You still look the same though. You don’t look like you’ve changed.

EVELYN. Don’t I?

Beat.

JACKIE. It’s a compliment. Anyway, it was years ago. We were both…

EVELYN. We? You and I?

JACKIE. We were both…

EVELYN. Together?

JACKIE. Well it wasn’t exactly ‘together’. It was. We were…

EVELYN. We were?

JACKIE. No. ‘We weren’t’. It was you and it was me? But –

EVELYN. It was us, then?

JACKIE. No. No it wasn’t ‘us’.

EVELYN. Who was it then?

JACKIE. It was years ago…

Beat.

JACKIE takes a deep breath.

…I’m –

EVELYN. I remember you.

JACKIE nodding, a nervous smile.

There’s something about that voice and that face has something about it too, but like you say you’ve probably aged. Quite a lot in fact, because I can’t quite place you. But there is something. I just can’t put my finger on it.

JACKIE leaning in.

I’ve got it. It’s the eyes. They remind me of someone else’s eyes. Whose eyes could they be, I wonder?

JACKIE.…

EVELYN. But the thing is, I can’t know you very well, if at all, because anyone who knows me at all would know not to come knocking on my door. Today of all days. But of course, you can’t know what today is, ca...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title page
• Contents
• Original Production
• Characters
• seeds
• About the Author
• Copyright and Performing Rights Information