Sarah Jane Dickenson is a playwright, National Teaching Fellow and senior lecturer in Drama at the University of Hull. She writes plays and screenplays for adults and for young people. Her plays are performed in theatres across the UK and Europe, and in school and community venues internationally. Her interests as a writer are wide ranging, but all explore the ways that theatre can give voice to marginalized or unheard narratives. Published by Barbican Press in 2014 Copyright Sarah Jane Dickenson 2014 This book is copyright under the Berne Convention
All rights reserved The right of Sarah Jane Dickenson to be identified as the author of this book has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 All rights in this play are strictly reserved and application for professional and amateur performances etc. should be made before commencement of rehearsal to the author c/o Barbican Press, info@barbicanpress.com.
No performance may be given unless a licence has been obtained, and while slang may be updated within reason, no other alterations may be made in the title or the text of the play without the authors prior written consent. First published in Great Britain as a paperback original by
Barbican Press
1 Ashenden Road, London E5 0DP
www.barbicanpress.com A CIP catalogue for this book is available from
the British Library, ISBN: 978-1-909954-03-8 Typeset in Trebuchet MS by Mike Gower Cover Design by Jason Anscomb of Rawshock Design
For Iris
With thanks to:
Viv Kerridge, Karen Dainty, the Drama students of Bishop Grosseteste University Lincoln and the Drama staff and students of Lincoln Christs Hospital School Lincoln. CBA by Sarah Jane Dickenson CHARACTERS CHORUS x 10 GEORGIA KESHIA TOM LAYLA GEORGIAS MUM MAN AARON TOMS MUM MATT The Space of the CHORUS. Loud energised music. Some of the CHORUS enter. They prowl whilst all the while looking at the audience as only predators can.
They take out their mobile phones and photograph the rest of the CHORUS as they come on. All the CHORUS have mobiles and take photos of each other. Some of the photo-taking is friendly, some verges on happy slapping. The atmosphere of each photo taken is different - ever changing - unpredictable. Suddenly they all come together, walk toward the audience and - united - take a photo of the audience. CHORUS 10: Gotcha! CHORUS 9: Gotcha! CHORUS 8: Gotcha! CHORUS 7: Gotcha! CHORUS 6: Gotcha! CHORUS: Gotcha! CHORUS 2: Sooooo gotcha! CHORUS 3: Gotcha good CHORUS 4: Gotcha bad CHORUS 5: Gotcha where we want ya CHORUS: Gotchaaaaaaaaa! CHORUS 6: But hey! (Holding up phone to all other CHORUS.) Delete! All the CHORUS hold their phones up and delete.
CHORUS 7: We dont wanna capture you. CHORUS 8: Not you. CHORUS 9: Nor you. CHORUS 10: And definitely not you. CHORUS: But us! They all take a photo of each other at the same time. Aaaaah! Thats better! CHORUS 1: Much better.
CHORUS 2: ber better. CHORUS 3: Everything is so much Enter KESHIA, TOM & GEORGIA. TOM & GEORGIA each have a laptop. KESHIA has loads of magazines. They become preoccupied with them. The CHORUS swarm around them.
CHORUS 6: Ooooooh my! Lifts up a phone to take a photo of GEORGIA. CHORUS 4: What you doing! CHORUS 6: I just thought CHORUS: Thought! CHORUS 1: Well dont! CHORUS 2: Just dont. CHORUS 6: I - I wont. CHORUS 7: Hey! CHORUS 8: Hey yourself. CHORUS 9: You doing? CHORUS 10: Im doing. CHORUS 1: Im doing too.
CHORUS 6: Doing what? CHORUS: Doh! CHORUS 2: Twittering? CHORUS 3: Twitter. CHORUS 4: Twitterme. CHORUS 5: Twitteryou. CHORUS 6: Tweetwooo! CHORUS just look. CHORUS 8: Yeh so done it - Bebo me. CHORUS 9: Bebo me too. CHORUS 10: And Facebook? CHORUS 9: Course.
CHORUS 1: Vimeo? CHORUS 9: Course CHORUS 1: Course - Vimeo. CHORUS 2: Vimeo - course. CHORUS 3: Facebook - course. CHORUS 4: Youtube - maybe course. CHORUS 10: Course maybe on way out. CHORUS 6: Course maybe.
So maybe were? Beat. CHORUS: Migrating. CHORUS 6: Migrating, yeh. CHORUS 7: Always migrating. CHORUS 8: Always moving. CHORUS 9: Moving on.
CHORUS 10: Moving right on. CHORUS 1: ( Looking at audience.) Not left behind like some. CHORUS 2: Right behind like some. CHORUS 3: Like some way behind. CHORUS 4: So back there. CHORUS 5: So way back there.
CHORUS 7: At the front me. CHORUS 8: Me first. CHORUS 7: Behind you? CHORUS 8: Yeh. CHORUS 7: First behind. CHORUS 8: Behind first. CHORUS 7: In your CHORUS 9: ( In front. ) Dreams, both your dreams, see me here right here, right They jostle for position - trying to be cool but with an energised vicious edge.
CHORUS 10: No - right there - youre right there - Im right CHORUS 1: Nowhere - so CHORUS 2: Not you - so not you. CHORUS 3: Nor you - nor CHORUS 4: You - just me CHORUS 5: Thas me. CHORUS 6: What about CHORUS: (To audience.) You! CHORUS 7: Thats almost as bad as CHORUS look around as one and notice GEORGIA. CHORUS 8: Thatll do. CHORUS 6: I know her. CHORUS: We all know her.
CHORUS 1: Do we -? CHORUS 9: Sort of. CHORUS 1: In our -? CHORUS 9: Sort of. CHORUS 1: Oh They move over to GEORGIA, looking forward to playing with their prey. They get close and personal, when she looks around at them, the ones closest (CHORUS NEAR) are the nicest people on earth. CHORUS FAR, on the other hand, are not. CHORUS NEAR: Heeeeey! GEORGIA: Hey.
CHORUS: Whatcha doing? GEORGIA: Youtube. CHORUS FAR share a look. Im on Bebo as well. CHORUS NEAR: Are you? GEORGIA: Oh yes. CHORUS FAR: Prove it. CHORUS NEAR: Show us.
GEORGIA hesitates. Then Ill show you mine. CHORUS FAR: And mine. GEORGIA: Can you? Beat. CHORUS NEAR: Can we what? GEORGIA: Look away - just for a mo. CHORUS NEAR: A mo? GEORGIA: Just a mo - password an that.
CHORUS NEAR: Oh riiiiiight! Course. Of course. Password no worries. Away well look. GEORGIA: For a mo. CHORUS NEAR: Huge mo.
Any mo you like. CHORUS NEAR turn away. CHORUS FAR start to, but as soon as GEORGIA turns back to screen they look and tell each other the password. When she starts to turn back they turn away. GEORGIA: Im done. Im done. Im done.
CHORUS turn. CHORUS NEAR: So soon? A very quick mo. The quickest. GEORGIA: Thanks for that you cant be too CHORUS FAR: Lets see CHORUS crowd around GEORGIA. ( To each other. ) That it? Bit lame. And funny. And funny.
CHORUS FAR: Hilarious. CHORUS NEAR: Real funny. GEORGIA: Thank you. See I link to this and CHORUS NEAR: Fantastic. CHORUS FAR: Amazing. CHORUS NEAR: Real amazing but GEORGIA: Would you like to? CHORUS NEAR: Like to? GEORGIA: Only if you want CHORUS NEAR: Wed love to.
CHORUS FAR: CBA. CHORUS NEAR: But you know CHORUS FAR: So kthnxbye! CHORUS NEAR: Laters? GEORGIA: Oh yeh, sure. No probs. CHORUS move away. CHORUS NEAR: Did you get it? CHORUS FAR: So got it. CHORUS NEAR: So gonna have fun with this.
CHORUS drift towards KESHIA. They notice the magazines, start picking them up start reading bits distractedly. CHORUS 1: Got ideas. CHORUS 2: I got ideas. CHORUS 3: I got massive ideas. CHORUS 6: My ideas are CHORUS 4: Look at her! CHORUS 5: I love this bit! CHORUS 4: (To audience.) You read this bit? CHORUS 6: Which bit? CHORUS 7: Oh man - me too! CHORUS 6: Show me.
CHORUS 8: Hairy legs or what! CHORUS 9: They show C-list celebs looking manky. CHORUS 10: Well manky! CHORUS 8: Not the only bit thats hairy! S hows picture. CHORUS fall about laughing. KESHIA becomes more and more uncomfortable. CHORUS 9: Aint she been introduced to a razor! CHORUS 10: Man, the bits they circle. CHORUS 9: Need a lawnmower to deal with that.