FIT

Rikki Beadle-Blair

• Publisher: Oberon Books
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781849438995
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

FIT is a bold and groundbreaking new play for young people written and directed by acclaimed writer/director Rikki Beadle-Blair. The play was developed to address the growing problem of homophobic bullying in Britain's schools and was especially created for Key Stage 3 (KS3) students (Year 7-9), specifically complementing various learning objectives from the National Curriculum, particularly PHSE and Citizenship. FIT is about attempting to FIT in and trying to stand out in a culture where everything from not liking sport to wearing the wrong trainers is 'gay'. Snappy dialogue and pacy writing combine with energetic hip-hop dance, original music and sparky comedy to make FIT an unforgettable piece of theatre. FIT enjoyed a hugely successful run during 2007 and 2008, where 20, 000 young people in over 75 schools across the UK saw the play, accompanied by a workshop. FIT has also been made into a short film which has toured UK Schools and will continue to tour nationwide throughout 2010 as part of the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. The production of FIT was supported by UK Gay rights organisation Stonewall.

FIT SCREENPLAY

DANCE & DRAMA

INT. BEDROOMS – DAY

MUSIC.

WE ARE THE MIRROR – We see all the main teenage CHARACTERS

TEGS, JORDAN, KARMEL, LEE, RYAN, ISAAC – trying on clothes and discarding them

CAST: Gay….

(Change.)

Gay….

(Change.)

Gay….

(Etc.)

LEE stomps off-camera, revealing a bomb-site bedroom…

LEE: Muuuum! Does this look gay?

EXT. OUTSIDE SCHOOL – DAY

LORIS (Black, dreadlocked, sporty – 40’s) hops out of the passenger seat of LUCA’S (Half-Italian, funky late 20’s) CAR.

LORIS: Do I look gay in this?

LUCA checks out LORIS’S outfit.

LUCA: Yes.

LORIS: …Good.

They smile, LUCA drives away – LORIS steps through the gate and BAM! is knocked aside by running ISAAC (17, short, half-Polish, cheeky) who is being hotly pursued by JACEK. Suddenly RYAN (17, wiry, Anglo-Chinese,) comes flying up behind and onto JACEK’S back…

Loris: Oy

RYAN: Get off him! Leave him!!

LORIS: Oy! Oy, oy, oy!!! Okay, okay, okay – break it up!

ISAAC: Knob!

JACEK: Faggot!

ISAAC: Loser!

RYAN: He ain’t the faggot – you’re the faggot!

PRINCIPAL BAILEY: Gentlemen!

The fight stops mid-punch – ISAAC, JACEK and LORIS all staring at the PRINCIPAL BAILEY, panting.

PRINCIPAL BAILEY: Are we quite finished?

ISAAC/JACEK: He started it!

PRINCIPAL BAILEY: (To ISAAC.) Mr Chmara – I believe you have a appointment at my office…

(To JACEK)

And Mr Chmara – I believe you have an exclusion order?

JACEK throws the PRINCIPAL BAILEY a fiery look, then leaves, throwing ISAAC one last sly blow. ISAAC lashes back.

ISAAC: Come off me! Fool!

PRINCIPAL BAILEY: Mr Chmara. Mr Wang…

RYAN: It Wong, man…

PRINCIPAL BAILEY: will show you the way.

RYAN & ISAAC looks at PRINCIPAL BAILEY resentfully.

PRINCIPAL BAILEY: I’ll catch you up.

RYAN & ISAAC sets off. LORIS picks up the spilled contents of his backpack.

LORIS: Brotherly love?

PRINCIPAL BAILEY: Sadly not …Father and son.

LORIS looks at the track-suited young man loping off like a teenager…

PRINCIPAL BAILEY: You’re new.

LORIS: …How can you tell? I’m the replacement drama teacher.

PRINCIPAL BAILEY: Ah.

LORIS: As in ‘Oh dear’?

PRINCIPAL BAILEY: As in good luck.

They shake hands.

INT. BOY’S TOILET – DAY

JUMPCUT THRU TEGS (wide-eyed, gentle, 17, white) in TOILET CUBICLE, trying to stop his nose bleeding. He throws wad after wad of bloody paper into the toilet bowl. It won’t stop.

His phone is vibrating. He struggles to find it while keeping his head tilted back. He answers it…

TEGS: Sorry, man.

EXT. COLLEGE PLAYGROUND – DAY (INTERCUT)

JORDAN (17, athletic, African descent) is juggling a football, while on the phone.

JORDAN: Yo, where you at, man?

TEGS: Toilets.

JORDAN stops juggling.

JORDAN: Toilets?

TEGS: Sorry…

JORDAN moves swiftly towards the college building…

JORDAN: Everyone’s going in. We’re late.

TEGS: I know… sorry.

JORDAN is taking the stairs three at a time.

JORDAN: …You alright?

TEGS: I’m sweet. I’ll be down in a minute…

JORDAN is shoving the BOY’S TOILET DOOR open… TEGS hears the door and closes his eyes. JORDAN bangs on the cubicle door. TEGS opens the door, JORDAN sees the blood.

JORDAN: Who done that?

TEGS: It’s just a nosebleed.

JORDAN: Another one?

(Reaching out…)

It’s all over your face!

TEGS: You know what I’m like… I think it’s stopped…

JORDAN hand catches TEG’S nose.

JORDAN: Oh, Ra! Sorry, man!

TEGS: Ah! Jordan, man!

(Holds a hand up.)

…it’s stopped…

JORDAN peers at TEGS. TEGS sneezes – whoosh – JORDAN’S face is covered in blood. They stare at one another, stunned. TEGS giggles, JORDAN giggles, they start to laugh.

INT. DANCE AND DRAMA ROOM – DAY

LORIS stands looking round in a wrecked room.

EXT. BUS STOP. DAY

LEE (17, petite, Anglo-greek tomboy) sits listening to her ipod – waiting. She checks her phone. A bus pulls up LEE sits up as people flood off – looking for someone. She asks a passing STRANGER something… They show their watch… The bus pulls up and KARMEL (17, pretty, mixed-race) gets off, attempting breeziness.

LEE: I been waiting, man.

KARMEL: I tried to text…

LEE: At the usual stop. Forty minutes.

KARMEL: I run out of credit. Wanna Chupa-chup? What?

LEE: I can’t believe you darked me out for some boy.

KARMEL: What boy?

LEE: Go on, blatantly lie – He better be well fit.

KARMEL: Lee! There’s no boy!

LEE: WhatEVER! Raaa… Keep your weave on…

KARMEL: This ain’t a weave! Why you being so gay?

LEE: (Wounded.) Why are you being so gay? Where’s that chupa chup?

KARMEL marches ahead…

LEE: Oh, So I’m the bad friend, is it? WhatEVER!

INT. LUCA’S ART STUDIO/DANCE AND DRAMA ROOM – DAY

LUCA answers a call from LORIS – who tidies as he talks.

LUCA: Don’t tell me you’ve been fired already.

LORIS: That’s not for at least another ten minutes.
We haven’t started yet. I can’t believe this is happening to me al...