Immune

Oladipo Agboluaje

• Publisher: Oberon Books
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN: 9781783199419
• eBook ISBN: 9781783199426
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

An ordinary school day. But today, there is no going home. When the rest of the world has forgotten your existence, where do you run when the Apocalypse looms? The dock? The navy base? Or do you just sit tight and ride the whole thing out? In a city overcome with death, we are finally forced to start living. A provocative and darkly comic new play, by award-winning playwright Oladipo Agboluaje, exploring our technological dependency, social resilience and the need to belong

ACT ONE

St. John’s Academy, Monday morning. By the school gate.

A bunch of school mates play rough.

SAMSON: It’s an ordinary day.

CRAIG: An ordinary school day.

SAMSON: Monday’s come too soon.

ALBERT: It’s the first cold day of the warmest year since records began. I just want to put my back to a radiator. I’ll worry about global warming once I’m all toasty. But first I’ve got to get myself past these muckers!

ALBERT joins in the rough and tumble.

SAMSON: Miss Spivak! Miss Spivak!

CRAIG: And we’re through the gate and passing through the glass door entrance to St. John’s Academy.

ALBERT: Good morning, Miss Spivak.

SAMSON: Good morning, Miss.

SPIVAK: Coats off

No fizzy drinks or crisps

Albert, tuck in your shirt

Samson. Are those trainers you’re wearing?

ALBERT: Yes, Miss

CRAIG: Aw, Miss

ALBERT: Yes, Miss

SAMSON: No, Miss

CRAIG: Miss Spivak says she’s eager to see what we come up with for Friday’s Creativity Day. I reply with something smart.

SPIVAK: Do you always have to be so cheeky, Craig?

CRAIG: Can’t help myself, Miss.

ALBERT: Inside the glass doors there is the usual coming together and splitting of groups like atoms.

PENNY: We watch out for Bonnie who’s talking to Eric because Angie is gossiping about her Dad.

ALBERT: Eric is smiling but Bonnie is not. Bonnie is looking at our group because she knows Angie is talking about her.

BELLA: I smile as Peter preaches to me about Jesus. I’m only listening because like half the girls in school I fancy him: Peter, not Jesus. And he’s telling me how God is way above the bigotries that people try to taint Him with.

PENNY: I’m laughing inside watching Bella act like she’s interested and I’m thinking, a few words about Jesus for a moment with Peter, I could just about handle it.

ANGIE reveals some spicy gossip.

No! He didn’t!

GEORGE, drinking from a carton of orange juice, walks up to ERIC.

ERIC: Here goes…

So, Bonnie, what are you doing on/

George spills juice all over my shirt. My weekend spent summoning up courage, of talking to my reflection in the mirror, ruined.

You idiot!

GEORGE: Sorry, mate. Didn’t see you there.

ANGIE: Oh but Eric is having none of it, because George is grinning like he did it on purpose and because George and Eric do not get on anymore.

ERIC: And all I see is his stupid grin.

ERIC shoves GEORGE.

GEORGE: Hey!

GEORGE shoves ERIC back.

SAMSON: Oh, it’s kicking off.

CRAIG: My money’s on Eric.

ALBERT: George all day every day.

SAMSON: Mr. Brown! Mr. Brown!

Boring, boring Mr. Brown.

BROWN: What’s going on here?

GEORGE and ERIC stop shoving each other.

GEORGE: Nothing, sir.

ERIC: Just two friends messing about, sir.

CRAIG: George and Eric promise to meet behind the shed after school.

ALBERT: Mr. Brown does not hear this promise.

DENISE: If he had he would have told them that some promises can be broken, which is the opposite of Mr. Smith who says promises are debts that must be paid.

SAMSON: And so boring Mr. Brown with his boring voice reminds us not to be late for his boring chemistry class.

BROWN: We’ll be conducting an experiment, chemicals and Bunsen burners. You’re all looking forward to that, eh?

ALL: (Except CRAIG.) Boring.

CRAIG: Yes!

ALBERT: And Nicholas thumps Craig in the back.

CRAIG: Ow!

ANGELA: God knows why you’re so keen on chemistry.

CRAIG: Because I’m going to…

ANGIE: Oh really? How exciting.

Why does Craig think I care about how many times he’s seen Batman Returns, or about how he’s going to make a Scarecrow’s fear gas of his own?

Uh-huh, uh-huh.

CRAIG: I’ll make only one dose just for you, Nicola.

NICHOLAS: Call me Nicola again I’ll break your arm.

CRAIG: Scared already.

See how he feels when he confronts his greatest fear. See how he feels when I make his life a misery. See how he feels having to hide during lunch break. See how/

ANGIE turns her back on CRAIG to continue gossiping to the rest.

ANGIE: Yeah, yeah. So like I was saying, Bonnie’s Dad and Felicity…

PENNY: (Warning.) Felicity’s coming.

ANGIE: In mid-sentence I switch.

So who watched the show last night?

PENNY: But there’s no point. Felicity knows we’re talking about her.

DENISE: Felicity doesn’t care what people think of her.

SAMSON: Felicity doesn’t care about anything, not even herself.

ALBERT: Angie, are you sure you saw Felicity buying beer at The Pilgrim’s Progress on Saturday night?

ANGIE: I saw her with my own two eyes.

ALBERT: ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Characters
• Notes
• Act One
• Act Two