Haley - The nether: a play

The Nether had its world premiere on 19 March 2013 at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, Los Angeles, California, produced by Center Theatre Group. The cast was as follows: Sims Robert Joy Doyle Dakin Matthews Morris Jeanne Syquia Woodnut Adam Haas Hunter Iris Brighid Fleming Director Neel Keller Scene design Adrian W. Jones Costume design Alex Jaeger Lighting design Christopher Kuh Sound design John Zalewski The play received its European premiere in a co-production between Headlong and the Royal Court Theatre at the Royal Court Theatre, London, on 17 July 2014. The cast was as follows: Sims Stanley Townsend Doyle David Beames Morris Amanda Hale Woodnut Ivanno Jeremiah Iris Zoe Brough, Isabella Pappas Director Jeremy Herrin Scene design Es Devlin Costume design Christina Cunningham Lighting design Paul Pyant Sound design Ian Dickinson Music Nick Powell Video design Luke Halls

Sims /Papa
a successful businessman Morris
a young female detective Doyle
a middle-aged science teacher Iris
a shining little girl Woodnut
a fresh-faced guest Time Soon Setting An interrogation room and the Hideaway

NETHER REALM 1. Another world for mythical creatures 2. Demon world 3.

A dimension of Evil or Imagination urbandictionary.com

Interrogation Room.Sims sits across a wide table from Detective Morris.Sims I want to go home. Morris Which home? Sims I need to speak with my family. Morris Which family? Sims I dont know what youre getting at. I want my phone call. Morris There are things we want, too. Morris Which lawyer? Sims Come on! Morris You are free to contact whomever you wish, Mr Sims. Morris Which lawyer? Sims Come on! Morris You are free to contact whomever you wish, Mr Sims.

We have a terminal here if youd care to log in. SimsMorris I imagine your wife is worried by now. Sims Leave her out of this. Morris Your children. Sims I dont have any children. Victorian. Victorian.

Set back from a country lane. Children on the front porch in long stockings and sailor caps. Barnaby. Donald. Antonia. Iris.

Such quaint names. From an era associated with innocence. Sims I have a brownstone. My wife is sterile. Youve got the wrong guy. Rape. Sodomy. Murder. Murder.

These are heavy charges, Mr Sims. Sims Are you charging me? Morris The repetitive nature of the offences. The amount of money youve made. Sims If youre not charging me Morris We know about your account in Burkina Faso. Sims If youre not charging me, you have to let me Morris Oh, youre free to go. Sims Im free to go? Morris We cant hold you here without charging you.

That would be against the law. Sims Okay. Then Im going to go. Morris We cant control a persons body. Yours is free to walk out the door. Sims Great.

My body is walking out the door. Morris But if it does, well rescind your login, Mr Sims. You will never have access to a terminal again. Sims Who did you say you are? Morris This is an investigative unit of the Nether. I am an in-world representative. Sims I have business in the Nether. Sims I have business in the Nether.

All of my connections. You cant expel me. Morris You have a taste for the old fashioned. Think of it as a return to simpler times. Sims This is a violation of my rights. My lawyers are the best in the field.

You wont keep me out for long. Morris Long enough to locate and detain your children. SimsMorris Whats wrong, Mr Sims? SimsMorris I thought you didnt have any children. SimsMorris We sent someone undercover to your realm to make sure our charges were grounded. Because youve programmed it so that nothing there may be recorded, he submitted a written report. (Consulting a report.) After undergoing a meticulous security scan of my login, creating my character from a set of prescribed looks, and passing a draconian manners tutorial dissuading modern terminology, I enter the Hideaway.

The first thing I experience is the trees. The flickering light and soft sound as they sway in the sun and wind is almost overwhelming. They surround a beautifully rendered 1880s Gothic Revival with a squeak in the top porch step. I ring the doorbell. I can actually feel my hand sweat, clutching my carpetbag. Are not. Children. Morris I guess that depends on context, Mr Sims. Morris I guess that depends on context, Mr Sims.

Or should I call you Papa?

Interrogation Room.Doyle sits across the table from Morris, head in his hands.Morris Mr Doyle? DoyleMorris Mr Doyle. DoyleMorris Mr Doyle, we have not told your wife. Doyle raises his head. At this point we are merely detaining you. We need information about this man called Papa. In exchange, we will protect your identity. (Consulting a report.) Cedric Doyle.

You are a teacher at Franklin Middle School. You won a Distinguished Teaching Award in Science. You are one year away from retirement with full pension for forty years service in the school district. Your wife is a senior vestry member of St Thomas Episcopal Church, where you used to teach Sunday school until about four years ago. You have one daughter, a junior at Illinois State. (Looking up.) Footing the bill for an in-world college.

Thats a huge expense, Mr Doyle. Most students now get their higher education at online institutions in the Nether. You claim to moonlight as a professor at one of these institutions the (consulting the report) University of Metaphysical Certitude. If you like, this entire story about who you are may remain intact. Weve even made arrangements with UMC to actually hire you. Doyle May I keep her? Morris Keep who? Doyle Iris. Morris No, Mr Doyle. Morris No, Mr Doyle.

Once we have what we need on Papa, that life is over. DoyleMorrisDoyle I have nothing to say.

Interrogation Room.Morris and Sims.Sims What authority do you have, yanking me from my garden? Morris We thought face-to-face interaction would be a good change for you. Sims You shouldnt even know who I am. I have the right to remain anonymous. Morris Were able to track most of our users, but your identity encryption is like nothing weve ever seen.