Plays for Today By Women

Gillian Plowman, Amanda Stuart Fisher, Sonja Linden, Adah Kay, Karin Young, Rachel Barnett, Emteaz Hussain, Rebecca Gillieron, Cheryl Robson

• Publisher: Aurora Metro Books
• Print ISBN: 9781906582111
• eBook ISBN: 9781906582968
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Drama
• Index: Literature

These plays offer many exciting female roles centre stage, tackling contemporary topics such as child poverty in Africa, the Palestinian question, female friendship and society's attitudes to child abuse. They are ideal for use in schools, colleges, youth theatres, amateur and community groups, and offer a wide variety of material for both study and performance. Recommended for students on courses in Feminist Theatre at colleges and universities. The plays: Yours Abundantly, from Zimbabwe, by Gillian Plowman
From the Mouths of Mothers, by Amanda Stuart Fisher
Welcome to Ramallah, by Sonja Linden and Adah Kay
Sweet Cider by Emteaz Hussain
The Awkward Squad by Karin Young
For a Button by Rachel Barnett

THE AWKWARD SQUAD

Karin Young

The Awkward Squad opened at The Customs House in South Shields on February 28th, 2012 and was produced by Fresh Glory Productions in association with The Guild Of Lillians and The Customs House with the following cast:

Pam	Libby Davison
Sandy	Charlie Hardwick
Lorna	Barbara Marten
Sarah	Lisa McGrillis
Director	Fiona MacPherson
Script Editor	Jan Worth

CHARACTERS:

Pam

Sandy

Lorna

Sarah

Set: The living room of Lorna’s house, an ex-mining two-up two-down.

ACT ONE, SCENE 1

Lorna is a vibrant woman in her late 60s, who dances slightly from foot to foot, nervous but excited about having her daughters and grandaughter to stay. Cosy and chaotic, her living room doubles as her office-space, with a busy computer station, papers, files and posters on the walls advertising credit unions, local campaigns and community action groups. On the right of the room there’s a door through to the kitchen and the back door of the house. To the left of the room there’s a doorway onto the staircase, at the top of which is a long landing with doors leading to the bedrooms and the bathroom. At the bottom of the stairs is a lobby area and the front door which opens onto the front street.

In the living room, there’s a huge pile of ironing – and a sense that everything could burst from its place at any moment.

Lorna’s daughter, Pam, has arrived for the weekend and is helping her mother put together an award acceptance speech. In her mid-40s, Pam should be comfortable in her cashmere but she’s had the rug pulled from under her and her disappointment seeps through. She calls through to the kitchen.

PAMMam. I’ve got three bits of news from 1985, which one do you want to use?

Lorna comes through with a bottle of wine.

LORNAThe one where I get hold of the microphone. Red OK?

We see footage of Lorna doing a news interview during the miners’ strike in 1984. It’s for lunchtime ITV news with a middle-aged male interviewer. Lorna’s being asked about Thatcher’s speech to the 1922 committee. She holds her own.

INTERVIEWER The miners are now entering their twentieth week of industrial action.

LORNAMiners and their families, that’s right, yes.

INTERVIEWER How did you feel when Mrs Thatcher made her speech to the 1922 committee last night, describing the Falklands war as fighting the enemy without and the strikers as the enemy within?

LORNAIf wanting long-term jobs in the pits makes us enemies within then… OK. It is a war. Destroying an industry just to smash a union is a declaration of war – against us women in particular – coz who’s gonna get left to pick up the pieces? (To Interviewer) Who picks up your pieces?

Pam and Lorna laugh. Pam rewinds the last line.

LORNAWho picks up your pieces?

INTERVIEWER Do you enjoy the public speaking; the attention? Your life must have changed dramatically in the last five months.

LORNAI’ve met some fantastic people. I’ve learned what it is to be despised by your leaders because you won’t be dumb and grateful. I’ve learned that you have to keep fighting. And the downside of all this is I’ve got a pile of ironing to do as big as my bloody house…

Pam laughs and laughs and the screen goes blank.

PAMTwenty-six years later and you’ve still not got round to ironing.

LORNADon’t. It sits there, laughing at me.

PAMSo where are we?

LORNAHang on.

Lorna projects an image of herself, Pam, and Lorna’s other daughter, Sandy, in a strike soup kitchen in 1984. In the picture Lorna looks happy. Sandy, the elder of the two sisters, beams into the camera – loving being the focus. Pam is less sure of herself in the picture. They’re all wearing their ‘Coal ...

Table of contents

• Plays for Today: By Women
• Copyright
• Title
• Contents
• Introduction
• Yours Abundantly, from Zimbabwe
• From The Mouths of Mothers
• Welcome to Ramallah
• Sweet Cider
• The Awkward Squad
• For a Button