The Play Lottery
Water off a Duck's back etc.
As mentioned in the February newsletter, the Mercury Theatre in Colchester have been running a lottery for playwrights: A play is picked at random and performed, which is a great idea to give writers more of a level playing field.
There were 54 plays submitted in total, and… I didn’t win.
So I have uploaded my play to my website because why not? I’ve spent the last six weeks or so thinking/writing it, so someone might as well read it!
Admittedly, I was writing right up to the deadline, so it really is a first draft (perhaps it was a good thing I didn’t win?). I would have liked more time to edit it, but I present it to you, warts ‘n all.
The play is called Ducks and is a sort of adaptation from a television pilot script of mine called Happy Happy Joy Joy.
The TV script was about two individuals in their forties (a man and a woman) who have to start their lives again, moving back in with their parents. It was a sort of comedy about mental health (not poking fun at the condition, more pointing out some of the more ridiculous if-you-don’t-laugh-you’ll-cry aspects), and how these two people’s lives crash into each other.
The Play Lottery required one-person plays only, so I boiled down two characters into one and opted for mostly gender-neutral names for other characters (other than the obvious Mum and Dad etc. The main character isn’t named because I didn’t want to choose between male and female: Mental health doesn’t discriminate, right?)
So here it is. Ducks. Enjoy, hopefully?
