'Forest' was specially written for a company of 40 mixed-ability (sight/ hearing/ mobility/ learning impaired) performers, musicians, technicians and puppeteers. The company came together from the Freewheelers, Seeability and Discovery groups in Guildford, with support from the Nomad Theatre Company. Two workshop sessions were held, lead by Anita, the director Brandon McGuire and musical director Jay Bristow. These were designed to get to know the company, their tastes and requirements. Specifications included: comedy, dance, fights, songs, love-interest, pirates, a hot-air balloon and a giant spider. A script was written incorporating as many of these ideas as possible. It is my only script to follow a classic three-act structure and end in a tripple wedding. The play was rehearsed in one week and staged on the Saturday of that week, to a sell-out audience. Hence the name of the project: 'Play in a Week'.
Duration 1 hour.
• Crows: Archie and Cora
• Car party: Mum, Dad, Child, AA woman
• Balloon party: Bryant, Smythers, Birdspotter, Harriet
• Pirates: King, Mate, Bosun, Tar,
• Railway men: Sid and Joe
• Spirits: five dancers
• Musicians
A forest, England, 2006. A triangle of land cut off by a river to the South, a motorway to the East and a railway to the West. Four groups of travellers stray into this liminal place. An ancient world, where trees have attitude, crows are nervous, spiders are unfeasibly large... and anything can happen.
'Forest' was staged at the Nomad Theatre, Surrey 22nd July 2006.
[Hard-shoulder of a motorway. Cars whiz past. Mum, Dad and Child have broken down and are sitting on the grass embankment, at the edge of the wood. Mum is drinking a can of coke. Dad is talking into a mobile phone.]
DAD -[To phone] Just lost all power. Front and rear drive… Yes, I’ll hold…
CHILD -Are you going to fix the car daddy?
DAD -It’s not a car, it’s an all terrain vehicle.
MUM -It’s an over-priced gas-guzzling penis extension.
DAD -[To phone] How long?!
MUM -And unfortunately it doesn’t work.
DAD -[To phone]. An hour! But I’m a member of your association.
I demand…. Hello?.... Hello?
[Phone is cut off]
MUM -We’re going to miss the vows.
DAD -Sod the vows. What about the dinner?
MUM -You jerk. This is your fault.
CHILD -Mummy…
DAD -Mine? If you hadn’t changed your outfit sixty times…
CHILD -Daddy…
MUM -I had to do all the packing, wrap the present, change the cat-litter. What
were you doing? Waxing your wheel rims?
CHILD -Please don’t argue…
DAD -I’ve been working all week.
MUM -I work as many hours as you do.
DAD -You just don’t earn as much as me, sweetie.
MUM -Because I had to take a career break to look after your baby.
DAD -Another accessory you had to have.
[CHILD puts her hands over her ears and cringes away to the edge of the
forest]
MUM -You pig! I can’t believe you said that!
[KATE the AA Woman walks up the bank]
KATE -Hi. I’m Kate.From A1 Breakdown Services?
DAD -But you… You’re a...
KATE -Qualified mechanic. What seems to be the trouble?
[Parents and Kate go to the car. While their attention is elsewhere the
tree spirits lure the child into the forest with music.]
The production was not reviewed by the press, but here are some of the reactions from participants and audience members:
"I am still walking on air after our incredible evening on Saturday. The faces on all those who took part told its own story. You must be walking around with a permanent smile on your face".
"A wonderful week followed by a wonder night. Everyone must be over the moon. I am still smiling, thinking about all those incredible actors and those backstage. Also the pride and pleasure on the faces of the relatives - it will stay with me always".
The cast and crew.
Captain Jack Flintheart and other gentlemen of fortune.
Anita and a hot air balloon.
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