The Inconvenience of Wings

Lara Foot

• Publisher: Oberon Books
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781786822680
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: African Drama
• Index: Literature

Set in a landscape of memory and dreams, The Inconvenience of Wings tackles the issues of friendship, dysfunction, addiction and angels. This dynamic new drama was inspired by author Abraham J Twerski`s book Addictive Thinking that examines the notion of compulsion, addiction, denial and abuse of self as well as conversations on bipolar disorder that Foot had with celebrated psychiatrist Dr Sean Baumann. It was further stirred by her own father who has suffered from dementia for more than a decade.

As the audience enter:

1995-1961
THE INCONVENIENCE OF WINGS

Sound.

Fade slide.

Gently an image is revealed of a man… his back, naked.

Painfully he flexes his arms and shoulders.

Like restricted wings – unable to fly.

Slowly PAUL turns towards the audience.

1995
AT THE END.

A small higgledy piggledy room in an old-age-home. A bath, a wingback chair, a wardrobe, an old cardboard suitcase.

A silhouette of a woman, sitting cross legged on the window-sill up stage. SARAH.

JAMES (about 65-70 years old) sits in the old wingback chair, he is dozing off, news-paper on his lap.

An elderly man, PAUL, stands naked in the room.

He realises his nakedness,

He is confused. He thinks about waking JAMES. Decides against it. Flaps his arms half-heartedly, like a bird.

He opens the suitcase. It is empty.

He puts the suitcase on a wooden chair next to JAMES. He opens the case.

The case tipples over onto the floor.

JAMES awakes and looks at PAUL but does not react. He reads his paper.

PAUL picks up the case and puts it on the chair. It topples onto the floor.

JAMES looks at PAUL nonplussed.

PAUL picks up the case, puts it on the chair, opens it. It topples onto the floor.

JAMES ignores PAUL.

PAUL looks in the wardrobe. Finds some trousers, puts them on.

Finds a jacket puts it on. He tucks his jacket into his trousers.

Finds some shorts, puts them on over the trousers.

Finds a vest puts it over the jacket.

JAMES watches PAUL.

PAUL, on a mission, begins to take all the clothes out of the wardrobe and pack them in the suitcase.

JAMES: Leave the clothes, Paul. I’ve just packed them out into the wardrobe.

PAUL stops, looks at JAMES and defiantly carries on.

PAUL: I aah lost something.

JAMES: What is it? What are you looking for?

Come, I want to take you for some tea at the Magnolia Dell. We can have a walk. Feed the ducks.

JAMES takes the clothes from the suitcase and begins to put them away in the wardrobe.

PAUL: Where’s my wife? I can’t leave her here?

JAMES: She’ll be fine. Come, let’s go.

PAUL: Will we leave her a note?

JAMES: If you like.

PAUL: She likes the ducks. I ah …

He goes back to the wardrobe to fetch more clothes.

JAMES: Leave the clothes now, they belong in the wardrobe.

PAUL: She was here this morning, now, sitting on the bed…. reading. I ah ….

JAMES: She is around somewhere don’t worry.

PAUL closes the suitcase. He picks it up.

PAUL: Okay, I’m ready. Where is Sarah?

JAMES: You know Paul, I have been a Professor of psychiatry for over thirty years, and I still have no idea what is going on in your head.

PAUL: (Adamant.) Sarah will be here in a moment.

JAMES: Paul my dear chap, you are becoming a holy fool. Your delusion is perfect, impenetrable. Let’s go, but you can leave the suitcase here.

JAMES forcefully takes the suitcase from PAUL.

PAUL: I’m not going without Sarah.

JAMES sits PAUL down, and combs his hair neatly.

JAMES: I’m never sure in cases like yours, whether you have the ability to mourn, mourning requires that one holds the sense of one’s loss in one’s mind, I’m not sure that you can do this, or whether it will ignite the loss again and again, Sarah is dead. She died a few years ago.

PAUL: (Angry, confused.) What, are you kidding me? Why do you people keep these things from me? What’s the matter with you!

Sound.

Image of PAUL struggling with his wings or arms. He is trapped in flight.

Crossfade.

1989
THE SHADOWS

PAUL and SARAH’s living room. The table is centre stage. PAUL sits in the wingback, JAMES on a wooden chair.

SARAH emerges from the recess.

SARAH: Paul, Paul? What is that in the papers about Winnie?

She sits on the table and darns the collar of an old shirt of PAUL’s.

PAUL: (Reading from the paper.)

‘Controversy has erupted between the community and the wife of the famous political prisoner, Mr. Nelson Mandela, over an allegation that members of a football team – which acts as her bodyguard – have been involved in the abduction and maltreatment of four youths.’

SARAH: They’re setting her up. What that poor woman has been through!

JAMES: Always for the underdog.

SARAH: Winnie’s not the underdog, she is a struggle hero, who was tortured for years by small minded pathetic corrupt bullies. I hope they all rot in hell!

PAUL: Elections coming up…6 September.

SARAH: (Enjoying the argument.) Elections! Elections for whom? For ten percent of the country. I hope the ANC bomb the polling stations. I can’t believe we are still in this mess, and the Nationalist party just carries on crushing the poor to make themselves rich. They are all corrupt and dishonest.

JAMES: Forever the liberal.

SARAH: The only person I would vote for is Winnie!

Rubbing her eyebrow.

There is a storm coming. I can feel the lightning. Never mind, I’ll crack it in a flash with a Grandpa.

SARAH moves upstage as if to another room.

JAMES: (To...