Little Light

Alice Birch

• Publisher: Oberon Books
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN: 9781783192090
• eBook ISBN: 9781783197088
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

A dark, volatile new play that asks if we can ever let go.

Reminiscing.
Once a year to tell stories.
To share little bits of our little lives.

A house by the sea. Teddy wants more light. He's knocked that staircase down. Alison is soaked through. She's livid. Clarissa's ready to burst. They can't keep meeting like this.

There are no stairs.
ALISON has just walked in. She is soaking wet.
TEDDY can hear a bird.
TEDDY	Think of the light.
	.
ALISON	Fuck.
TEDDY	Imagine all that light.
	.
ALISON	Fuck.
TEDDY	You know how people always talk about light just sort of
	Flooding
	a room – on on [TV] and in in [films] and I’m I’m sceptical to be honest because it’s well it’s it’s bollocks isn’t it – but
	But it does.
	It drenches it. We are literally Wading in light.
ALISON	.
	You are an absolute tit
TEDDY	It’s
	Incredible.
ALISON	Are you drunk?
TEDDY	I was thinking about spiral staircases
ALISON	Seriously – are you a little bit hammered?
TEDDY	You always said you wanted a spiral staircase
ALISON	What
TEDDY	So
ALISON	Seriously – when did
TEDDY	I wanted to give you a spiral staircase.
	So.
ALISON	That. Teddy.
	Is a fucking Ladder
TEDDY	It is a work in progress
ALISON	So. So let me get this. Let me. Because this is – so. You wanted to give me a spiral / staircase
TEDDY	/ staircase, yes – yes I wanted to give
ALISON	So you ripped out my perfectly functioning staircase and you are – what – you are essentially Showing me a ladder I already had – and and – when the When did we even have a conversation about spiral fucking staircases
TEDDY	All the time – you talk about it All the time
ALISON	Are you – No I. When – When do
TEDDY	You talked about it three weeks ago
ALISON	No I
TEDDY	And in Venice. When we were in Venice you didn’t stop going on about
ALISON	You’re trying to wind me up – you are inexplicably trying to get a a
TEDDY	The whole way round that little shit piazza you
ALISON	Rise out of me for some unknown – We have never been to fucking Venice
TEDDY	Yes we have
ALISON	You have lost your Fucking Mind
TEDDY	We go all the time
ALISON	Jesus Christ
TEDDY	How would I know about the little shit piazza if We hadn’t been to Venice
ALISON	How would you know about the unspecific Italian word for Square you just dragged / out of your brain
TEDDY	/ Are you thinking about the dinner parties?
ALISON	.
	TEDDY sees the guests. Smiles at them.
TEDDY	Are you thinking about the dinner parties?
ALISON	I’m thinking about my fucking stairs
TEDDY	It’s these WINDOWS. They’re Giants – and and it’s really funny
ALISON	is it
TEDDY	It’s really Stupid because I never really Noticed them before but they’re Ridiculous and We – We could throw these really really shit dinner parties and it wouldn’t matter because come sunset okay – come sunset we’d turn to our guests – our food-poisoned guests and be like FUCK YOU. Sunset. See that. Sunset.
ALISON	Right.
	ALISON is close to tears.
	Are you
	Right.
	You.
	Because I’m just going to
	And pretend that none of that
	.
	I think this is.
	Nothing. Um. Nothing is really as it should be and. And. You are. Knocking my.
	And.
	And I’m. I’m. I think I’m.
	.
TEDDY	It keeps banging into things
ALISON	Okay.
	What.
TEDDY	The light.
ALISON	.
	The light
TEDDY	Light. Yes.
ALISON	Teddy
TEDDY	It keeps.
	It keeps banging into things – into stairs and walls and doors and and things
	The phone rings.
	and. And they just keep getting in the way.
	And. It was.
	The phone rings.
	It was
	The phone rings.
	It was
	The phone rings.
	It was
	The phone stops.
	It was
	Beep.
	A breath and a click.
	When you were gone – I couldn’t sleep – not at all, not even a bit actually and and I know people Say that but and it’s I’m I’m lying there and it’s like it just hit me, I keep thinking that if we just op...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Dedication
• Characters
• Little Light