Samskara

Lanre Malaolu

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781839040597
• eBook ISBN: 9781788505048
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

'When I look at you – when you look at me – when our eyes connect?
I have to protect. To hold on to something, 'cause there's too much to feel!'

Four generations of black men are trying to understand themselves in a world which tells them they have to be strong.

Inspired by real-life testimony and told through an explosive fusion of text, physical theatre and hip-hop dance, Samskara explores vulnerability, emotional trauma and how cycles of fathering affect masculinity. Moving through joy and suffering, laughter and longing, this soul-baring odyssey untangles what it means to be a black man in twenty-first-century Britain.

Samskara premiered at The Yard Theatre, London, in November 2021, written, directed and choreographed by award-winning artist Lanre Malaolu.

‘Keep It Tight and Keep Going’

Our first collective movement sequence, underscored by DRUMMER.

During this, we will see fragments of what these men hold… their pain.

We’ll also see moments of collective joy, as well as the unspoken, yet universal, interpersonal black male physicality.

The sequence crescendos with the ensemble and SILENT MAN marching together, in sync. They start to move backwards towards the seats, while SILENT MAN goes towards the outskirts of the space. He’s still within the circle of soil, but closer to DRUMMER. He sits on the floor.

The rest of the ensemble sit on the chairs, taking us into…

‘Why Is Your Leg Touching Me Fam?!’

The men are pretty up-close, arms touching and whatnot. After a beat, YOUNG BUCK shifts, nudging FATHER’s leg, which slightly touches his. This could be so subtle we think it’s just the performer shifting.

FATHER shifts position, trying to create more space for himself and nudges YOUNG BUCK by accident (on purpose…) along the way.

This builds and builds as FATHER and YOUNG BUCK try to physically top the other to create more space for themselves. Opening legs wider, stretching arms across, etc. Light and humorous.

The other characters notice the commotion every now and then, but other than that, continue to look out.

The sequence crescendos and we have a winner…

FATHER, who’s outdone YOUNG BUCK by standing on the chair in some crazy-ass way, or something. A pissed YOUNG BUCK shoots up and into the space.

SILENT MAN eyes him, then begins a movement motif, one that feels and looks like a personalised calling for YOUNG BUCK.

YOUNG BUCK looks at SILENT MAN, confused, but nonetheless he starts to do it with him, with a smile. Still taking this whole thing as a joke. He repeats the motif in rhythm with ‘You see me…’

YOUNG BUCK. You see me yeah!… You see me!…

SILENT MAN suddenly does a movement with his arms towards YOUNG BUCK, which whips him towards the audience and straight into –

You see me?!… I can do what I want! I can do what I want, when I want and no one can tell me nuffin! I’m the boss man, captain, commander, CEO, officer!!!… But obviously, I ain’t no fed. If I was in a boy band yeah? If I was in a boy band!…

YOUNG BUCK looks back to the chairs, as if calling on the men. OLDER and FATHER rise from their seats and approach the left and right flank of YOUNG BUCK, creating a boy-band trio. Lights change and the men snap into some kind of Boyz II Men dance routine (with relevant music!). Over this…

I’d be the one in the middle. You know, the main one that the other two are always looking at onstage – make sure they’re getting the moves right and lyrics on point. Yeah, that’s me, the one in the middle.

OLDER and FATHER peel back to their seats.

Top boy! Big cheese!! Even in school, everyone knows! Except for this one teacher…

YOUNG BUCK does a movement. This could be something subtle… a click, perhaps, or the opposite, something more overt as a clear calling. In either case, it initiates OLDER to stand and he begins to physicalise ‘Mr Ogun’.

Mr Ogun… the semi-professional wasteman. Semi, ’cause he’s so shit at everything he does, man can’t even be the full-professional wasteman!… Wasteman. On my ass every day, handing me detention cards like free McDonald’s vouchers! And this man’s hands were DRYYYY! Swear down, if you looked at his hands without seeing his face, you legit would have thought dis brudda was white. The way he just didn’t like me! Always used to give me this look, with those eyes…

I mean, yeah, I might roll to class late a couple times, might be on my phone in assembly, might slap up a Year 9 for chatting gas, but so what! I ain’t the only one. He’s always tryna tell me what to do, and no one tells me what to do! Except my dad innit… But he ain’t here now, so no one can tell me nuffin! YO! There was this one time in school…

FATHER shoots up from his seat, he has a childlike energy about him.

A bunch of us were huddled together at lunchtime –

FATHER. Your mum’s so stupid, she stared at a carton of apple juice for twelve hours ’cause it said ‘concentrate’!!

YOUNG BUCK. Fat Ivan was doing one of his ‘your mum’ runs –

FATHER. Your mum’s so old, she knew Burger King when he was a prince!!

YOUNG BUCK. Picking random people and just grilling them –

FATHER. Your mum’s so fat, she can’t even jump to a conclusion!!

YOUNG BUCK. Man had a collection –

FATHER (looking at YOUNG BUCK). Your mum’s so ugly when she tried to join an ugly contest, they said… ‘Sorry, no professionals!!’

YOUNG BUCK. WHAT?!

FATHER. Nah nah nah, I didn’t mean to look at you fam!! I was –

YOUNG BUCK suddenly swipes his hand, as if slapping someone – DRUMMER simultaneously hits the drum.

FATHER suddenly holds his face, in pain.

YOUNG BUCK. No one talks about my mum like that, not even on a gas ting. And I’m there just like –

YOUNG BUCK swipes his hand multiple times – DRUMMER slaps the drum on each swipe. FATHER reacts.

I dunno what it is about bitch-slapping someone that feels so good! But the slaps got Mr Ogun’s spider senses tingling and he flew out on a mad one –

FATHER sits. OLDER shoots up.

OLDER. BREAK IT UP RIGHT NOW!!

YOUNG BUCK. Everyone split like some wussies! Me? Taking my sweet time! Cah I notice my laces are undone innit and obviously, man don’t wanna trip up and buss my lip! Best believe I got a line of girls who won’t be too happy about that! Gotta keep the merchandise pristine, get me! Plus… I wanted to make sure I did it properly innit. Dad always used to say –

WISDOM stands.

WISDOM. If you’re gonna do something, make sure you do it properly.

YOUNG BUCK. And this semi-professional wasteman comes breezing towards me, arms flailing about, blowing the shit out of his whistle and –

OLDER. MY OFFICE, NOOOOOW!!!!

YOUNG BUCK. Do teachers go on a course on how to make their voice as loud as possible when they shout? ’Cause it’s not like a normal shout, it’s bare deep and got this echo to it… Two-twos, I’m in his office now, and he’s there chillin, laying back on his chair, crusty hands crossed and he just looks at me. Doesn’t say a word, just looks at me, dead in the eye. But the way he looks at me… he can’t look at me like that, he don’t get to… my dad looked at me like that, when I did something wrong. Felt like Superman laser-eyes going through my skull – and this semi-professional wasteman is still looking at me! Inside, I’m shouting ‘Stop!’ Outside? Calm. Just do the same…

YOUNG BUCK stares ahead for a beat.

Then he starts smiling, so…

YOUNG BUCK flashes his pearly whites.

OLDER. I feel sorry for your mum. Keep going down this route, and you will end up dead or in prison. Mark my words.

YOUNG BUCK’s smile fades. SILENT MAN leans forwards, watching him intently. Perhaps on the following words in bold he physically echoes the same movement YOUNG BUCK does.

YOUNG BUCK. And he wouldn’t stop looking at me… the way he was… he was tryna make me feel like I’m beneath him. A grain of sand, a number on a sheet – looking at me like I’m a dog --- like I’m a dog with no bark --- like I’m a dog with no bark, when the bark is all I know, like I’m too slow – like I’m always too slow – like I can’t do anything right – looking at me like there’s nothing left. Like he knows what goes on in my head – like he thinks he knows – like he can see the thoughts – feel the heaviness – hear the whispers – like I’m a cheat, a fake, an empty shell – looking at me like I’m a --- I’m a ---

YOUNG BUCK’s movement builds into a repetitive motif – tumbles out of control, until it reaches a crescendo and he suddenly snaps out of it, into…

WHAT I’M SAYING IS… HE’S LOOKING AT ME LIKE I’M A SEMI-PROFESSIONAL WASTEMAN!!!!… wasteman.

SILENT MAN stands and walks up to YOUNG BUCK. They hold eye contact for a beat. Seems like a stand-off from YOUNG BUCK’s perspective. SILENT MAN takes a breath, then begins a motif towards YOUNG BUCK, but before he can fully physicalise it, YOUNG BUCK laughs at him and bops back to his seat.

Beat.

SILENT MAN feels the failure of his attempt. He looks out to the audience.

Lights change. An empty spotligh...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title page
• Contents
• Original Production Details
• Epigraph
• Author’s Note
• Samskara
• About the Author
• Copyright and Performing Rights Information