Next Swan Down the River Might be Black

sean burn

• Publisher: Aurora Metro Books
• Print ISBN: 9781906582357
• eBook ISBN: 9781906582357
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

The play examines the precarious relationship between three women and sheds some light on the complexities of psychiatric care in the 21st century... poetic and often distressing... --The Stage

Sean Burn's plays (www.gobscure.info) have been staged by a number of companies across Europe and in the UK. His thirty short films have received screenings worldwide, as well as at Tate Modern and National Film Theatre Studios, London. The latest - Widescream - was joint winner of 2010's Old Vic short monologue competition. His latest solo show - Bastilles England - taking poet John Clare's asylum break out and five day walk to freedom in 1841 has toured internationally.

He was shortlisted for a Dadafest Disability Arts Award 2009 for next swan down the river might be black and this play was also shortlisted for the BBC's Alfred Bradley Bursary Award 2011. It toured the UK nationally in 2012.

next swan down the river might be black
by sean burn

This work was given development time and rehearsed readings at the Playground, London, 2003/4, work-shopped at the Arvon Foundation 2005/6 and given a rehearsed reading at the Forest Fringe, Edinburgh Festival, 2007. Arts Council England north-east funded development time and rehearsed readings, 2009. An extract was performed at Kingston University, Spring 2010. This play was short-listed for the BBC’s Alfred Bradley Bursary Award, 2011.

The play tours nationally Spring 2012 funded by north-east together: the mental health service user and carer network for the north-east and by Arts Council England National Touring Funding.

characters – three young women

cerys - black, 19, depressive
kay - white, mid 20s. bipolar
zee - pakistani british, early 20s.

student nurse, about to graduate

The play is set over a week in a psychiatric hospital centre-stage is a hospital bed under a window with lockable shutters

note on shifts:
earlies - 7am to 2pm.
lates - 2pm to 9pm.
nights - 9pm to 7am

This play has no interval

scene 1 (wednesday lates)

kay bursts in

she carries a bag of her possessions and as she talks she goes thru them, checking many lighters, none of which work

each lighter is discarded in turn

kay

six months - a section three near enough served, out on section leave see, only girl you really had to lose it! cops handcuffin us down station and questions-questions the night long and (she is a natural mimic throughout) lucky there’s no criminal charges just cos yours truly goes a wee bit manic-oh, losin it even by ma proportions: out on section leave only under attack see – the high street and these big-eyed bug-eyed busy-buzzin cartoon’in bugs comin at and me swattin ’em off! me after securicor’s money delivery? cop lies! how was i to know? red mist dyin twenty grand of banknotes rather than (mimicking) lettin ’em fall into the wrong hands and we are under attack call the police only its us under attack in this manic cartoon and security guards all primark-argos-superdrugged-footlockered-bodyshopped-me to tarmac, headcop large-loomin (mimicking) we’ll take it from here, whippin on cuffs, blues and twos, jolts and jumps us back-cage of their transit from what i bugged into the middle of

kay leaves searching for a light

zee enters carrying a walkie-talkie

she picks up the discarded lighters

then she paces the corridor checking on patients for some time

zee

walkie-talkie. keys. meds lock. meds locked. don’t take risks. keep drummin it in at nursin college, drum it in on this ward. that ward-manager especially – wont leave us alone, except when all’s goin down, then she’s nowhere to be found, otherwise its risk assessment all the way

kay (off, singing)

Trouble in Mind. (lyrics by richard jones)
Trouble in mind I’m sure
My poor heart is beatin so slow
I never had so much trouble

zee

nice singin kay but gonna have to keep it down

kay (imitating zee)

you know i don’t make the rules

zee

now that’s not fair kay

kay

yeah yeah, you just make sure we obey

zee

not fair at all

kay (re-entering)

gotta light zee?

zee

no, kay, i haven’t

kay

aaw c’mon, there’s one hidden in that office of yours

zee

you had the office upside down earlier and nothin remember?

kay

i know!

zee

kay, no! i’m not lettin you light-up from the hotplate again

kay

not another bleedin health and safety zee

zee

you were the one complainin about the smell of your burnt hair!

kay (falling to knees)

just one lousy light

zee

you know kay, risk assessments all very well for ward-manager, only she don’t help with patients on their knees, at least you’re not in full psychosis: you may be a god, possibly, a god of those stones over there or that tree but i am your god, the god of the smokers bench

kay

oh god, what i wouldn’t give for one lousy light

zee (helping kay up)

got lectured one time on paper-cut charlie. the paper-cut king they called him. cut his throat with a sheet of a4

kay

get real zee

zee

that’s...

Table of contents

• Next Swan Down the River Might be Black
• Copyright
• Title
• Biographies
• Next Swan Down the River Might be Black