Green - Born bad

debbie tucker green born bad NICK HERN BOOKS
London
www.nickhernbooks.co.uk born bad was first performed at the Hampstead Theatre, London, on 29 April 2003, with the following cast:

DAWTA	Jenny Jules
SISTER 2	Nadine Marshall
MUM	Alibe Parsons
BROTHER	Nicholas Pinnock
DAD	Ewart James Walters
SISTER 1	Sharlene Whyte
Director	Kathy Burke
Designer	Jonathan Fensom
Lighting Designer	Paul Keogan
Sound Designer	John Leonard for Aura

Characters DAD
MUM
DAWTA
SISTER 1
SISTER 2
BROTHER A blood-related black family. DAWTA is also sister to the SISTERS and BROTHER who are also son and dawtas of MUM and DAD . Once onstage, the characters never leave. Names appearing without dialogue indicate active silences between characters listed. / denotes where dialogue starts to overlap. The action takes place within a day.

Preset A solitary chair is onstage. A female solo gospel rendition of What a Friend We Have in Jesus starts through one verse ... The hymn becomes part hummed and less formed. Fade to black. The hymn blends, half sung, half hummed familiarly by MUM ( unseen ) who quietly takes over the tune. Scene One One chair on stage.

The hymn continues by MUM ( unseen). DAD is sitting in the chair, confidently. DAWTA is not. Silently she demands eye contact. He finds it difficult. Say it. Say it. Daddy... Say it. Say it.

They make eye contact. She gains his lost confidence. The hymn draws to an end. Black out. Scene Two Three chairs on stage. DAWTA. DAWTA.

If yu actin like a bitch Im a call yu it if yu lookin like a bitch Im a call yu it. If yu lookin like a bitch as you lookin on me I see yu and yu bitch ways mi a go call you it again mi noh business. Watchin yu watchin me like the bitch bitch yu is. Ill letcha and Ill say it two times. Then two times that. Then two times that again for yu yu mudda, and yu muddas mudda those bitches that bred yu off before and before that and from before that again.

From whenever your bitch bloodline started. From whatever bitch beginnings yu had. Bitch. MUM. Dont say that. DAWTA.

And Ill call it like iss nuthin, and Ill say it like iss nuthin like the nuthin it is like the nuthin you are like the nuthin you took a try at to mek me. Bitch. Cap fit. Bitch. And Ill letcha look in my face now yu wanna you wanna? I dunno what you wanna see, whatchu spectin on whatchu spectin on whatchu spectin on reflectin yu back or is it you dont got no shadow? but Ill letcha look MUM. letcha mek a piece a yeye contact MUM. letcha mek a piece a yeye contact MUM.

Im not lookin yu DAWTA. now. Now yu feelin how yu feelin? Now you feelin you able look... Look. MUM. You got nothing I need to see.

MUM restarts humming her hymn. DAWTA. Look... Look it. MUM. DAWTA.... Watch . Watch .

MUM looks at her. Eh? Now yu ready... an now yu wanna now yu got the bottle with yu bitch self to clock me eye to eye woman to woman MUM. is what yu is? DAWTA. Never thought Id reach it? Woman to woman bitch to bitch. Si mi nuh.

Ill letcha. Letcha look on me. MUM. Dont call me that. DAWTA. dont call me that DAWTA. bitch got summink to say looks like bitch cant help herself, cant help herself and her bitch ways can yer. bitch got summink to say looks like bitch cant help herself, cant help herself and her bitch ways can yer.

Could yer? Each and every and any opportunity openin that twis up turn down dutty bitch mout and Im hearin nuthin but your bad bitchisms bouncin off your tongue trippin off yu bitch breat rippin thru to me through yu bitch teet rippin me with your bitch prayers an alf a bitched out hymn rollin over to where Im at, like Im meant to hear. Like I wanna look me like I wanna hear, like I really wanna hear that from you. Again. Like you got summink to say. Now. Come on. Come on.

Like all now you got a whole heap yu gots to say to me lookin on me with your bitch self like itd cost to look away. And I ent chargin yu nuthin. For nuthin. I ent chargin yu nuthin am I? See cos, Id rather have your bitch nuthin than your little bit a bitch suun safer to have shittall from yu than expect and wait on a piece and not get a raas MUM. you call me what I am. I jus did. MUM. MUM.

Call me what I am. DAWTA. You actin like a bitch, Im a call you it MUM. call me what I am. DAWTA. call me what / I am DAWTA. you sounding wholly like the holy bitch you is MUM. or cant you? DAWTA. or cant you? DAWTA.

Bitch you were. MUM. Come on. DAWTA. Bitch yu are. Come on. Come on.

Call me what I am. Call me what I am... Call me mum, then. Blackout. Scene Three A fourth chair is added. SISTER 1. She chose. She chose.

I remember. DAWTA. You remember? SISTER 1. not remember remember DAWTA. butcha know? SISTER 1. sorta... somethin... remember, alf arsed remember like that, yknow? DAWTA. Ask her. SISTER 1. SISTER 1.

Im not asking. DAWTA. Ask her SISTER 1. you ask her you wanna know DAWTA. Im not askin SISTER 1. its you wanna know, not me.

You wanna know enough bad enough for long enough youll ask you will you will youll have to, so what. DAWTA. Shes a bitch. SISTER 1. And you from her. So what? DAWTA.

And you from it an all. So what does that make you SISTER 1. I know what I am. DAWTA. Im askin nothing niche not a raas I got nothing / to say SISTER 1. you / know SISTER 1. know what you wantin me to say know you waitin on that and Ive been waiting on you to ask. know what you wantin me to say know you waitin on that and Ive been waiting on you to ask.

Ive been waiting on you for ages. Ive been waiting on you for years. And I know I wanna get it right, know you want that, I do know what you want DAWTA. you do / remember SISTER 1. not how you wannit I dont I ent gonna lie not remembering the nitty grit, not the all yu wanna know, not the whole nine, not your version not all a that. I dont.

But I remember bits DAWTA. bits ent good enough. SISTER 1. Bits bout you though DAWTA. but the bits have gotta count. SISTER 1.

Bits bout you do the bits about you and some bits about her and the bit about it that it werent me. Come here... She chose. DAWTA. She chose? SISTER 1. It wasnt by accident.

I remember that. DAWTA. You sure yu remembrin right SISTER 1. sure youre still askin? Cmere. It wasnt by luck. Depending. Depending.

It wasnt by misfortune. It werent. It werent all your misfortune. You werent borned misfortunate. More misfortunate. Unfortunate.

Unfortunately. Born bad. No. Nature nurture. None a that not knowin. No. She knew. She chose. DAWTA. She didnt. SISTER 1. She chose. DAWTA. No. SISTER 1. She chose. DAWTA. DAWTA.

Cos she had to SISTER 1. no. DAWTA. Cos she had to? SISTER 1. No. She chose cos she wouldnt let him.

I do remember that bit DAWTA. she / (chose) SISTER 1. she picked. She did. She chose to choose she did. She chose you.

Deliberate. Decisive. How she does. She did. Come. DAWTA.

You come here. SISTER 1. Come. DAWTA. You come ere first. SISTER 1.

Scoming back to me now flooding back to me now DAWTA. I think I dont wanna know SISTER 1. ent I remembering it right for yer? DAWTA. I wouldnt know that would I? SISTER 1. Ent I recalling it your way right? No? Cos it wasnt even close. The choice werent even close.

We werent close. The outcome werent in the balance, me and you werent in the balance, it werent a drawn out maybe me maybe you, a long lingering look at us both werent that, we werent never neck and neck tight over which one, werent nights a sacrificin sleep over us werent days of deliberation she didnt deliberate for long, she never does does she? DAWTA. You rememberin this your way / or what? SISTER 1. Im remembering it right. And she made up her mind and she made her choice and she never changed it and she never has. I swear. I swear.