Harry & Thick Skin

Two Plays

Caitlin McEwan

• Publisher: Oberon Books
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781786822758
• eBook ISBN: 9781786822765
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

Poor Michelle presents Harry – a play about friendship and fandom, exploring the impact on young people of a celebrity-obsessed, Twitter-fuelled culture where fantasy and reality are dangerously close. Thick Skin is about millennials, but don't let that put you off. They're just trying to become decent people in a city so disorientating that you can end up telling your biggest fears to a stranger on the bus.

THICK SKIN

Peter’s making a film about his girlfriend Naomi. His best mate Jess tells jokes to half empty rooms, and Oli is trying to distract himself from the fact that he has The World’s Most Boring Job.

They’re millennials, but don’t let that put you off. They’re just trying to become decent people in a city so disorientating that you can end up telling your biggest fears to a stranger on the bus.

In a generation that couldn’t be more liberal and accepting, Thick Skin looks at who really controls the conversation, and whether good intentions are always enough.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thick Skin wouldn’t have been possible without the input of the actors and certain individuals who have contributed to its development. In writing a play that explored the nuances of microaggressions and the experiences of people of colour, I’d like to extend gratitude to Kwami Odoom, Pippa Mosley, and Hannah Azuonye, who have been central to the creation of Naomi in particular, a character whose experience of the world I could never have fully captured without their clarity, openness and generosity throughout the rehearsal process. I’d also like to thank all at the National Student Drama Festival (particularly Ella McLeod) who engaged with the play and, in many cases, pushed me to make it better.

Thanks to the incredible Poor Michelle team (Ellie Gauge, Sophie McQuillan, Jo Langdon, Callum Kenny) for their unending support and for actually putting these words on a stage. Also to Alasdair James McLaughlin, James Phillips, Tom Lodge, and my mum and dad.

Characters

(in order of appearance)

NAOMI

PETER

OLI

JESS

Notes on the Text

A forward slash (/) indicates the next line is to interrupt the current one.

Line breaks in the text are to denote a pause or silence.

Thick Skin was performed as part of LATER at Paines Plough Roundabout at Summerhall, Edinburgh, on 12th August 2017, with the following cast:

PETER	Harvey Comerford
NAOMI	Hannah Azuonye
JESS	Caitlin McEwan
OLI	Kwami Odoom
DIRECTOR	Ellie Gauge
PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS	Callum Kenny & Jo Langdon

*

CAITLIN MCEWAN is a writer and actor, originally from Edinburgh. She is a co-founder of Poor Michelle, a theatre company committed to creating new work with female stories at the centre.

NAOMI sings into the microphone (the song is ‘Cranes in the Sky’ by Solange). There should be no accompaniment.

*

PETER: Excuse me –

NAOMI: Yes?

PETER: I just wanted to say, um… Wow.

NAOMI: Oh. Um. Thanks?

PETER: Sorry, that was amazing. You were amazing. God, not doing very well at this, am I?

NAOMI smiles, doesn’t answer.

PETER: Do you – come here often?

NAOMI: Um –

PETER: Oh god, not like a, I didn’t mean… Not, you know, ‘do you come here often?’

Sing. Do you sing here often?

NAOMI: Yeah, I do. Every Tuesday.

PETER: Wow. I never knew. I live just down the road.

NAOMI: Cool.

PETER: Just popped in because my wifi isn’t working.

Need wifi for work stuff, you know.

NAOMI: It’s nearly midnight.

PETER: Yeah I – prefer working at night. Bit of a night owl.

NAOMI: Okay.

PETER: Sorry, you didn’t really need to know that. So you’re a – professional singer?

NAOMI: Yeah. Among other, more boring things that help me pay my bills. The not-so-glamorous stuff.

PETER: Sure, yeah.

NAOMI: But hopefully I’ll be doing it full time soon.

PETER: God, yeah, I’m sure you will, you were – great. So great. Honestly.

NAOMI: That’s really nice of you to say.

PETER: Well, I really mean it.

NAOMI: What was your name?

PETER: Peter. Pete.

NAOMI: I’m Naomi. Nice to meet you.

PETER: You too.

NAOMI: I’ve got some friends waiting on me, actually, I should probably –

PETER: Would you like to make a film with me?

NAOMI: Would I – ?

PETER: I know we’ve only just met and it might seem a bit weird…

NAOMI: What kind of film?

PETER: Seriously nothing weird. Not like a. You know. Like a.

Like a snuff film or anything.

If that’s what you were thinking.

NAOMI: What’s a snuff film?

PETER: It’s. Um. Never mind, it was a weird joke –

I’m a filmmaker. I should have really opened with that, I – I make films. Documentaries, mainly – I mean not proper ones, not yet, just little ones at the moment, but –

NAOMI: That’s cool.

PETER: Yeah?

NAOMI: Yeah. Are you like Louis Theroux?

PETER: Um – I don’t know, a bit. Probably a bit less awkward and weird.

Beat.

NAOMI: I love Louis Theroux.

PETER: Oh yeah, yeah, me too.

NAOMI: Have you seen that one where he meets people addicted to meth?

PETER: I don’t… Think so.

NAOMI: Yeah, in American trailer parks. It’s really good.

I mean, it’s really sad. But… It’s good.

PETER: Well, anyway. I’ve been wanting to make a new film for a while, but I just – I don’t have a subject. But listening to you tonight, and – you’ve got this presence, I really think there’s something in that. In the life of a musician, trying to establish themselves in London, just… Does that sound interesting / to you?

NAOMI: I think so. Yeah. I’ve never been in a film, though, does that matter?

PETER: No, that’s better, really.

NAOMI: I’ve always sort of wanted to be in one, though.

PETER: Look, I’ll give you my number. If you wake up tomorrow and think I’m a total psychopath, then that’s fine, but if not… I’d be really keen to work with you.

He gives her his card.

NAOMI: Thanks.

*

OLI: I went to Magaluf last year, yeah.

Lads holiday. You get it.

It was me and my mates. Terry, Jam and Jonty. Jonty’s a bit of a cunt, to be honest, but we hardly ever see him and he’s the kind of friend who’s bearable if you keep your interactions with him to a minimum. He’s bearable for a week tops. He’s really posh, super entitled, he works in the city – obviously – and sometimes he says stuff that’s really posh and super entitled and everyone looks at him like, you are a total arsehole mate. But he’s totally oblivious to it, he is truly one of the leas...

Table of contents

• Harry
• Thick Skin