Two Sisters (eBook)

David Greig (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2024 | 1. Auflage
96 Seiten
Faber & Faber (Verlag)
978-0-571-38899-8 (ISBN)

Infos

- Is this Paradise? - Holiday Heaven. - I remember it all being brighter, somehow Emma and Amy return to the seaside caravan park where they spent their teenage summers. Yet the park has changed, and their childhood now seems a distant memory. Two Sisters is a story about who we were when we were sixteen, who we became when we grow up, and the gap between these expectations. It opened at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, in February 2024.

David Greig is a writer and theatre director. He was born in Edinburgh in 1969. His play Europe was performed at the Traverse Theatre in 1994. Since then, his plays, adaptations and musical scripts have been performed widely in the UK and around the world. In 1990 he co-founded Suspect Culture, who produced collaborative, experimental work until their funding was ended in 2010. In 2016 he became the Artistic Director of Edinburgh's Royal Lyceum Theatre. In 2023 he published his first novel, Columba's Bones.

Textauszug

Act One

Holiday Heaven.

Friday afternoon.

Heat, sun.

We are outside a static holiday caravan on the edge of a park.

The caravan has a little ‘stoop’ area outside the front door with two plastic chairs.

Nearby there’s a play park. Perhaps it has a climbing frame or a swing, perhaps a roundabout but, whatever play equipment is there, there’s not much and it’s old.

The day’s too hot for any great excitement anyway.

A moment.

Amy enters, dressed for the city, wearing sunglasses, carrying a polythene bag.

She checks the nameplate on the caravan, tries the door handle. It doesn’t open. She tries again. Still no luck. Fuck it.

She takes a bottle of sparkling wine out of the polythene bag.

She carefully pops the cork, pours some into a plastic cup, lights a cigarette.

And drinks.

The Kids enter.

They arrange themselves around the play park.

They read out the audience’s answers to the first question.

 

Kids It’s summer, you’re sixteen, describe the scene.

— 1975, in a beautiful huge, old home with a ballroom. The sun is shining.

— 1984, in the backyard of my parents’ (family) home. It’s night. It’s cold, cooler than we think it is. I’m drinking bad vodka and Mountain Dew with my friends. There’s a bonfire.

— 1990, at my friend Simon’s listening to his brother’s Nirvana album, Bleach.

— 1982, in one of the music-lesson rooms at school when we should be in a class.

— 1984, it’s raining, lashing on the windows, we are in the projections room in the school library. We are making too much noise. Mr Librarian open-heartedly tells us off for the hundredth time.

— 1980, on a BMX track. It’s gloomy with a slight chill in the air. I’m riding my green mountain bike.

— 2000, in my boyfriend’s house in the pool. It’s a hot afternoon.

— 1976, at my friend Stevie’s house. It’s hot. We are tie-dyeing clothes from the op shop – slips and things. And going to the creek.

— 1980, in my friend’s backyard sitting around the table, drinking and laughing while listening to music. It’s sunny and warm with a slight breeze.

Kids What’s alive in your heart, and why?

— The Cure, schoolyards, trying cigarettes and beer, history assignments.

— I’m fantasising about my next-door neighbour.

— A seminal nineties computer game (Populous), staying up late, sneaking Bundaberg rum shots, maybe a little hard-copy porn.

— An awakened sense of creativity.

— My girlfriend’s being a haven.

— I feel potential, excitement, the world beckons, power.

— I’m twitching to get out of my country town and into the world. Like a bull at the gate. I’m also anxious.

— Showing off being clever and not being afraid of it.

— The feeling that these are the best days of our lives (oh, how naive).

They have finished the audience questions.

Kids Shall we start?

They agree to start.

It’s summer, it’s 2010, it’s a holiday park on the coast, the sort of place people come to every year … it’s hot and some kids are … I don’t know …

Just mooching about I guess.

Emma enters, dressed for leisure, just noticeably pregnant, pulling a smart wheelie suitcase and carrying a large smart leather bag over her shoulder.

As she walks, she talks into her headphones.

Emma Fine …

…

Campsite’s fine, journey was good, car was good, it’s all fine.

…

No, tell Dan, I haven’t seen Amy.

…

I don’t know where she is.

…

Well, if she calls I won’t know, will I, because I’m on retreat, remember?

…

Okay. Okay, fine.

…

I’m switching off now, love. I’m switching off for the week … I love you … love you …

 …

 Okay.

…

 … love you … bye bye bye bye bye.

Emma ends the call.

Switches her phone off.

And puts her phone away.

Amy gives her a look.

Emma What?

Amy ‘Love you … bye bye bye.’

Amy mimes puking.

Emma You should be grateful I didn’t tell on you.

Emma looks at the caravan.

A moment.

Is this Paradise?

Amy Holiday Heaven.

Emma Did you see the ‘For Sale’ sign.

Amy Sad.

Emma I remember it all being brighter, somehow.

Emma tries the door.

Amy It’s locked.

Emma Didn’t the lady give you the key?

Amy The caretaker has to check everything’s okay.

Emma Is there some doubt about everything being okay?

Amy It hasn’t been occupied since last summer. There might be spiders.

Emma I booked it months ago.

Amy You booked Nirvana. Nirvana’s a single. Paradise is a twin.

Emma I don’t need a twin.

Amy I do.

Emma You’re not staying.

Amy Come on, sis.

Emma Get your own caravan.

Amy I’ve already paid the difference.

Besides, Paradise has a balconette.

Emma This place is not like I remember it.

Emma What are we supposed to do until the caretaker comes?

Amy ‘Relax …’

Emma sits.

‘… and watch the majestic play of dappled light on water.’

Amy reads from the camp brochure.

‘Welcome to Holiday Heaven Holiday Park. All our caravans are fitted to the highest standards, complete with hot and cold running water, fully equipped kitchen area, microwave, en suite, shower, and a complimentary outdoor barbecue.

‘In addition, our “Paradise”, “Olympus” and “Valhalla” lodges are blessed with a roomy balconette upon which we invite you to relax and watch the majestic play of dappled light on water.’

Emma All I can see is kids. It’s menacing.

Amy They’re just mooching. We were the same when we were their age.

Emma No, we weren’t.

Amy Remember all those afternoons, bored out of our tiny minds.

Emma I wasn’t bored.

A moment.

Amy Look at the gulls.

The way they fly against the buffets.

Around – up – down – around – up – down.

Their little hearts bursting against the wind.

It must be very tiring.

Fighting just to stand still.

It’s quite moving.

I think it’s quite moving.

Don’t you think it’s quite moving?

Emma Not really.

They’re rats.

Amy Maybe they like the wind.

Maybe the wind helps them hover over the bins.

A moment.

Emma Amy, you need to go...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 7.3.2024
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Lyrik / Dramatik ► Dramatik / Theater
• Themenwelt: Kunst / Musik / Theater ► Theater / Ballett
• ISBN-10: 0-571-38899-X / 057138899X
• ISBN-13: 978-0-571-38899-8 / 9780571388998