Upton - Upton Plays: 1

Judy UptonPlays: 1Ashes and Sand, Stealing Souls, Sunspots,
People on the River, Know Your RightsJudy Uptons first play Everlasting Rose was produced at the London New Play Festival in 1992. In 1994 she won the George Devine Award for Ashes and Sand (Royal Court Theatre Upstairs) and the Verity Bargate Award for Bruises (Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, 1995). Her other plays are Temple (The Room, Richmond Orange Tree, 1995); The Shorewatchers House (The Red Room, Kentish Town, 1996); Stealing Souls (The Red Room, 1996); Sunspots (The Red Room, 1996); People on the River (The Red Room at the Finborough, 1997); To Blusher With Love (winner of the Open Stages competition: Channel T.C. at The Man in the Moon, 1997); Pig in the Middle (Y Touring, schools tour and the House of Commons, 1998); The Girlz (The Room, Richmond Orange Tree, 1998); Know Your Rights (The Red Room at Battersea Arts Centre, 1998); Confidence (The Door, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, 1998); The Ballad of a Thin Man (Channel Theatre Company tour, 2000) and Sliding with Suzanne (Royal Court Theatre, 2001). Also by Judy Upton and available from MethuenBruises/The Shorewatchers HouseConfidence

Ashes and Sand
Stealing Souls
Sunspots
People on the River
Know Your RightsIntroduced by the author

June 1992	Everlasting Rose (London New Play Festival, Old Red Lion, Islington)
December 1994	Ashes and Sand (Royal Court Theatre Upstairs)
April 1995	Temple (The Room, Richmond Orange Tree)
October 1995	The Shorewatchers House (The Red Room, Kentish Town)
November 1995	Bruises (Royal Court Theatre Upstairs)
April 1996	Stealing Souls (The Red Room)
May 1996	Sunspots (The Red Room)
June 1997	The People on the River (The Red Room at the Finborough)
September 1997	To Blusher With Love (The Man in the Moon/Worthing Ritz)
FebruaryMay 1998	Pig in the Middle (Y Touring, schools tour and the House of Commons)
March 1998	The Girlz (The Room, Richmond Orange Tree)
May 1998	Know Your Rights (The Red Room at Battersea Arts Centre)
September 1998	Confidence (Birmingham Repertory Theatre)
February 2000	The Ballad of a Thin Man (Channel Theatre Company)
September 2001	Sliding with Suzanne (Royal Court Theatre Upstairs)

Plays produced in fringe theatres tend to be overlooked when theatre history comes to be written up despite the fact that many early plays by the current crop of younger playwrights were put on in venues above pubs, arts centres etc. There is also a kind of snobbery that decrees that once a writer has had work on away from the fringe, then thats where they should stay.

It is often assumed that an established writer will only have a play produced at a fringe venue because a mainstream theatre has rejected it. It is simply not true. There are all kinds of reasons for working on the fringe, from having greater artistic freedom and needing to respond to an issue quickly to wanting to work with a particular company or director. With the exception of Ashes and Sand, all of the plays in this volume were produced by the Red Room Theatre Company. Launched in October 1995, by Lisa Goldman and Emma Schad, it has consistently developed work with a critical and original take on the world we live in. Starting life above the Lion and Unicorn pub in Londons Kentish Town, their first production was my The Shorewatchers House (also available from Methuen).

This plus three other plays in this volume were directed by Lisa Goldman part of our long-term artistic collaboration. In this volume, Stealing Souls is a one-act two-hander set in Brazil, and was influenced by my reading of South American literature. It might be described as English magic realism meets S&M love story. With Sunspots its back to the English seaside to explore the relationship between two sisters, and the idea that two people can grow to complement each other like two halves of the same whole. It transferred to Battersea Arts Centre, and the fact that it had a pizza in the final act kept an impoverished writer fed for many a night. Know Your Rights my first attempt at writing monologues was part of a rapid response political season, where a number of writers responded to the medias uncritical complacency where the new labour government was concerned. Know Your Rights my first attempt at writing monologues was part of a rapid response political season, where a number of writers responded to the medias uncritical complacency where the new labour government was concerned.

While examining litigation culture I was also looking at a wider issue: the powers that be and the way in which they encourage us to blame those immediately around us when things go wrong, in order to prevent us seeing the bigger picture. Finally, back to Ashes and Sand a take on girl gangs and shoe fetishism in Brighton. This play is also about the frustrations of being a working-class teenager, seeing the very limited prospects that are coming your way and dreaming of escape. These plays were my escape. I hope you enjoy them. Judy Upton
November 2001

for my family Ashes and Sand was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, London, in association with the Royal National Theatre Studio on 1 December 1994.

The cast was as follows: Directed by Ian Rickson Designed by Jeremy Herbert Lighting by Johanna Town Sound by Paul Arditti Music by Peter Salem Setting: Brighton, the nineties

Only the back of the stage is lit. Sounds of sea, gulls, passers-by, arcade machines. AYoung Manis standing slouched against a railing, his back to us. He sips from a can of Sprite and scratches his arse. Four teenage girlsHayley, Anna, JoandLaurenenter and stand in a huddle. TheYoung Manturns to face her.Hayley Mmmm. TheYoung Manturns to face her.Hayley Mmmm.

You are.Young Man Sorry? Hayley Seriously gorgeous. We saw you from the wheel. She is centimetres from his face, smiling, leaning in for a kiss. TheYoung Manleans back, tries to look round her at her still huddled friends. Suddenly, on impulse he puts his arms around her and gives her a kiss.Anna Woooo! Jo More. Hayleyangles for a proper kiss.

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