Rotterdam
Rotterdam received its world premiere at Theatre503, London, on 27 October 2015. The cast in order of appearance was as follows:
Alice | Alice McCarthy |
Fiona/Adrian | Anna Martine Freeman |
Lelani | Jessica Clark |
Josh | Ed Eales-White |
| |
Director | Donnacadh O’Briain |
Designer | E.M. Parry |
Lighting Designer | Richard Williamson |
Composer/Sound Designer | Keegan Curran |
Movement Director | Jüri Nael |
Fight Director | Rob Leonard |
Associate Director | Roxy Cook |
Assistant Designer | Anna Driftmier |
Assistant Lighting Designer | Daniel English |
Producers | Louis Hartshorn |
| Brian Hook |
Associate Producers | Paul Virides |
| Crystal Noll |
Characters
Alice, late twenties, female, British
Fiona/Adrian, late twenties, transgender male,* British
Lelani, twenty-one, female, Dutch
Josh, late twenties/early thirties, male, British
* The character of Adrian is living as female at the beginning of the play and transitions to male during it.
Notes
An ellipsis (…) indicates a speech trailing off.
A dash (–) indicates someone’s speech has been interrupted, sometimes by themselves.
The play is set in various locations in and around the Dutch city of Rotterdam. Costumes and personal props can be represented realistically, but the rest of the set need not be.
Lines that contain now dated references can be changed to reflect more contemporary ones – particularly if they’re a punchline to a joke that no longer works. Just try and stay true to the spirit and intention of the original.
This playscript was correct at the time of publication but may have changed during subsequent productions.
Act One: Oud en Nieuw
Scene One
Alice and Fiona’s flat.
Dutch pop music plays.
Alice deliberates over something she is writing on her laptop while Fiona watches her.
The music finishes as Alice puts down her laptop.
Alice Right. There. I’m finished.
Fiona You’re finished?
Alice I’m finished, I’m done. I mean, I think I am, I think it’s done.
Fiona Do you want me to have a read?
Alice No. No, it’s fine. Unless … do you want to?
Fiona If you want me to.
Alice Right, yeah, no, no, you probably should.
Fiona OK then, I will.
Alice Actually can you not?
Fiona No?
Alice No, and it’s not that I don’t want you to, I do, obviously, it’s just I know you’ll find loads wrong with it and then you’ll make me change it –
Fiona I won’t make you change it –
Alice And then I’ll start worrying about all the other things that are wrong with it –
Fiona I won’t make you change it.
Alice And then I’ll never actually send it and we’ll be right back where we started –
Fiona Alice, I won’t make you change it.
Alice Yes, you would! You always make me change things.
Fiona Like when?
Alice Last week, last week I left that work in the kitchen –
Fiona I made a few notes in the margin, I was just trying to make it sound less dry.
Alice It was a shipping contract, it was supposed to sound dry!
Beat.
Look, I’d rather just send it, OK?
Fiona Good, I want you to just send it.
Alice Fine, I will.
Beat.
OK, alright, maybe you should take a look.
Fiona Fine.
Alice Actually no.
Fiona Seriously?!
Alice I’m sorry, I’m sorry, OK? I just want to get it right, I just – I’m going to do one more draft.
Fiona You’ve done fifteen.
Alice I need to check the spelling.
Fiona Run spell-check.
Alice I have. I need to check for stuff it missed.
Fiona What stuff?
Alice I don’t know, that’s why I need to check it! Writing this email’s the most important thing I’ve ever done, I don’t want it to open with ‘Dear Mum and Dad, I’ve got something very important to tell you. I’m a Lebanon.’
Beat.
Look, Fee, it’s late, they’ll be in bed, can’t we just wait?
Fiona Till when?
Alice I don’t know, January?
Fiona What, you mean in twenty-four hours?
Alice Yes, maybe it can wait twenty-four hours.
Fiona Fine. Fine. Wait twenty-four hours. That is absolutely fine.
Alice Well, it obviously isn...