Title: Stoning Mary
Writer: debbie tucker green
Setting: The play is set in the country it is performed in. All characters are white.
This play was first performed at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, 1st April, 2005, London.
Characters; Wife
Wife ego
Husband
Husband ego
Mum
Dad
Child Soldier (Son),
his hair shaved down to a number one.
Older sister
Younger sister (Mary)
Corrections Officer
Boyfriend
Boyfriend ego
Older sister ego
Synopsis:
One prescription isn’t enough for two. A child soldier comes home. And Mary faces her last request. What if this was happening here? And what if these people were white? Stoning Mary puts British characters in situations more familiar to African families implying they (we) would act differently if the problems depicted (AIDS, scarcity of resources, genocides using child soldiers, the stoning of women) were closer to home.
My thoughts:
This is not an easy play to read and would only reach its full potential in performance. This is mainly due to the use of overlapping dialogue and Brechtian scene titles. However, it was a fascinating read. It reminds me of the work of Sarah Kane, Caryl Churchill and Harold Pinter. Although, Debbie Tucker Green certainly has her own strong voice, mixing poetic rhythms with vernacular phrases, rap-song repetitions with complex psychology. Stoning Mary is a highly charged, political commentary on the issues facing the majority of African families; these issues are heightened by the use of an all white cast.
This play has quite a large cast (13), it would suit a theatre company that wished to perform a piece in a festival setting or a company dedicated to producing more experimental theatre. Not one for the traditional theatre makers, unless you want to push the boundaries of your audience.
*There are possible female audition monologues, both the Older and the Younger Sister have several, including Older Sister's obsessive questions about Mary's glasses, and Mary's 'bitches' speech.
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