Coel - Chewing Gum Dreams

CHEWING GUM DREAMS

Michaela Coel

CHEWING GUM DREAMS

OBERON BOOKS
LONDON

WWW.OBERONBOOKS.COM

First published in 2013 by Oberon Books Ltd
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Copyright Michaela Coel, 2013

Michaela Coel is hereby identified as author of this play in accordance with section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. The author has asserted her moral rights.

All rights whatsoever in this play are strictly reserved and application for performance etc. should be made before commencement of rehearsal to Casarotto Ramsay & Associates Ltd, Waverley House, 7-12 Noel Street, London, W1F 8GQ (). No performance may be given unless a licence has been obtained, and no alterations may be made in the title or the text of the play without the authors prior written consent.

You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or binding or by any means (print, electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

PB ISBN: 978-1-78319-014-0
EPUB ISBN: 978-1-78319-513-8

Cover photograph by House of Alt

Printed, bound and converted by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY.

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Thanks to the Bishop Girls Class of 2004. In Memory of Sharon.

Chewing Gum Dreams was first performed at The Yard Theatre, London on 17 July 2012.

Written and performed by Michaela Coel

Directed by Ch Walker

The production transferred to the Bush Theatre on 7 November 2012.

Chewing Gum Dreams won the Alfred Fagon Award for Best Black Playwright on 23 November 2012, and was performed at the Cottesloe, National Theatre.

So now weve been sold this stupid counterfeit dream, yeah, and we actually think were doing all right, but were not going anywhere. Were not going up or down really just going nowhere.

Alesha Fat Lesha Wilkins

Thanks to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama,
Uncle Ch, Arinze Kene, Jay Miller and Madani Younis.

Characters

TRACEY GORDON, 14

SCENE 1

Indian Bus Drivers are the best; they try it for like 5 seconds but really dont give a shit whether your bus pass is legit or not.

Connor Jones blue eyes are eyeballing my pop socks.

Seraphina. What, no good morning? Shes just a bit odd; she wears a red dressing gown to school and tells people its a coat I mean, if you do that youre practically asking for a slap.

I bet the hardest part of your mums pregnancy was pushing out that nose of yours innit? Candice, she looks like a bird innit? Like a crow. You looklike an accident, like a mistake. Its not your fault, its your mum and dad, they must look like the stuff nightmares are made of

She still aint responding its like Im not even here.

I mean with all this modern technology and shit, Seraphina, youd think these doctors would come up with some way of finding out what your kids gonna look like before you have it. If only your mum and dad knew, Seraphina they woulda stabbed you in the womb.

Fat Lesha is laughing the loudest. And her laugh is weird it makes her tits jiggle.

Fat Lesha is actually really annoying, but no one cusses her coz she can lick her own vagina. Disgusting yeah, but when you think about it remarkable. And shes bare chubs so its like shes made of rubber like no bones she just sort of bends down and does it. Ive seen it, you have to pay to watch her though shes the business type you gotta pay her to do most things, in the daytime she usually sells the pill, condoms, or the emergency contraceptive to the sexually experienced sorta lot.

The only thing I ever bought from Fat Lesha were these sausage bagels homemade 20p. In year 8 we put dog shit and penny sweets in one of em and made Seraphina eat it in the toilets but then she got food poisoning and everybody found out, Fat Lesha took the rap for all of us; she got suspended for 2 weeks.

Seraphina Forbes, I swear Im talking to you?

Tell me, if youre a Christian and youre going heaven and shit, how come your breath smells like hell?

Shes finally turned around; lookin at me with a face fulla mud that says youre my friend when Im sitting next to you in maths giving you pencils and telling you God loves you and your mum will get it sorted

Dont fucking stare at me Seraphina I might catch whatevers on your face.

Connor Jones is pumping out Ghetto Kyote from his portable speakers, for a white boy with blonde hair and blue eyes hes got really good music.

From behind you can see Seraphinas shoulders shaking. But the suns shining and Connor Jones is still looking at my pop socks, so life goes on innit? What?

SCENE 2

Candice Ellis is the buffest girl Ive ever seen in the wholea Hackney and shes also my best friend, from primary school so the love is strong. Shes mixed race with perfect curly ringlets and light brown eyes. Her hair is PERFECT. She should be on an advert. She said she puts some Garnier Fructis shit in it every morning, I tried, it didnt work for me. And it smells like Kiwi; my hair smells like beef soup. Shes got massive tits, and to be honest shes a lil bit fat all over. The kind of fat a girl would normally get cussed for, but her face is so pretty her chub issues literally just get bypassed.

Shes got sparkling white teeth.

Got any chocolate Trace?

No

But Im hungry man

Candice, youre always hungry

Oi, fat bitch

Youre the fat bitch. Aww youre just nasty man

Candice has just spat in the middle of the road.

Love you Tracey

Fuck you bitch

(Pause.)

We just get on. I think we might be closer than any other two people on the planet. I only know what love is coz of her and she only knows what love is coz of me, and her boyfriend: Aaron Davis. Hes 10 years older than us, Candice reckons she likes older boys and 14 year olds just dont do it for her. Hes mix race too, but not the good mix race the bad mix race I think its coz his mums a ginger he came out lookin a bit spastic; really flaky skin, dry hair, teeth going in all sortsa different postcodes and I see im and I just think oh gawdddd, its not hard for mix race people to be good looking so this must be some next sort of curse like voodoo in your mums womb. And he talks like a deaf person as if hes never heard the words hes speaking before. So yeah, thats what I call him, spastic boy, when hes not (around)

Yerite Aaron?

Wha gwan Tracey

Can I get past please?

If you touch my dick. Im gonna fuck you one day Tracey

Unlike Candice, Aaron, I would never wanna fuck you yeah so

I dont care if you want it. Ill open your lil bow legs and you will fuckin take it.

Aaron is stroking my face.

Did I tell a joke? Laughing yeah?

He puts his hand up my skirt

(Floor.)

I watch his frame getting further and further away. I see a demon. Its stuck, underneath a really thin layer of his skin and its just staring at me. I watch its face, inside of his back, with the little bit they took of me until they get so tiny theyre gone.