Douglas Maxwell
Список книг автора Douglas MaxwellVariety
Ladies and gentlemen! Let us present the romantic tenor, the couthy comedian, the speciality act and the equilibrist – a real Concert Party! In its halycon days variety theatre was part of the social life blood of the country. But in the shadow of the enemy – the technological wonder of the talkies – only the bravest or saddest of performers are left reading the boards, in cine-variety.The death throes of one of Scotland's most popular entertainments are chronicled in this world premiere of a new play by Scots playwright Douglas Maxwell, the traditions brought briefly back to pulsating life. Variety was a co-production between Grid Iron Theatre Company and the Edinburgh International Festival.
Our Bad Magnet
Our Bad Magnet is an unashamedly dark and deliciously funny play from one of Scotland's brightest young writing talents, in which the boundaries between fantasy and reality merge with unpredictable results.Centering on an uneasy reunion, Our Bad Magnet follows the progress of four boys from 9 to 29 as they try to unlock the secrets of childhood and memory. Throw in 1980s indie music, a ventriloquist's dummy, some magical fairy stories and the word 'nimston', and you have an hilarious black comedy which isn't afraid to make you think while you're laughing out loud.
Melody
"My heart had broken. Cracked like a paving stone tapped by a mallet. All things in life which require effort – pleasure, passion, wit and thought – are impossible when your heart is cracked. And it's also very hard to get out of bed" Tonight everything must go.Melody's got secrets. Dirty, dark, sick-to-the-bottom-of-your-stomach secrets that she's hidden away from for years. The tattoos up her arms tell part of the story, but the truth is a lot more complicated. John, the boyfriend, thinks he knows Melody but he doesn't know the half of it. To him, it's just a question of presentation. Olive, Melody's irascible almost-mother-in-law, thinks she knows all about it. She isn't afraid to put her oar in, but she's got her version of events to hide. Ashley turns up at Melody's door on a mission to reveal everything. Only she doesn't know the full picture.The pressure that's been building up for years is about to boil over. Melody premiered at the Traverse Theatre in March 2006.
Decky Does A Bronco
Decky Does a Bronco is the tragi-comic story of a gang of nine-year-old boys who spend the summer of 1983 'Broncoing swings' in Girvan, on the west coast of Scotland. Broncoing (kicking the swing over the bar) is the social bench mark and a dangerous mixture of vandalism and sport.Decky is the smallest of the group and the only one who cannot Bronco. His friend David remembers the event of that summer, which at first seem hilarious but ultimately remain painful, as the boys are faced with an unthinkable tragedy and are thrown into a restless adulthood.
Mancub
Mancub is the beautiful and absurd story of a boy who seems to be turning into animals. Paul faces the usual struggles of growing up. Struggles for understanding with his father, struggles to work out what girls are about. But he also faces a more pressing problem. Reality seems to be shifting as the people around him begin to display the traits of certain animals.Stranger still are the changes he, and other people, see in himself. Does Paul really turn into animals, or does he only think he does? Mancub is a collaboration between Vanishing Point and acclaimed Scottish writer Douglas Maxwell, whose hits include Decky Does a Bronco and Helmet, both also published by Oberon.
Helmet
Helmet (a.k.a. Roddy) lives his life completely immersed in computer games. The little time he has away from his consoles is spent in The Zone, a low tech games shop, which has just this very day gone bankrupt. Sal, the down-trodden owner of The Zone, is left wondering where it all went wrong. The shop is Sal's prison, but it's Helmet's church. As they get to know each other, hiding from reality for a while, it becomes clear that Helmet has a secret that could make things a lot worse for both of them. Helmet is structured in levels like a computer game, in which each character has three lives. A production involving art graphics projections and effects, Helmet toured in 2002, including performances at The Traverse, Edinburgh and the Soho Theatre, London.
The Mother Ship
Eliot is 18 and under severe stress. There's no girlfriend in sight, his best mate has stopped swearing and his pregnant step-mum is even more stressed than he is.... and then, having got the call from outer space to say that The Mother Ship is leaving and coming to take him home, his disabled brother Gerry disappears. And it's all Eliot's fault.A riotous chase kicks off involving a love-lorn lifeguard, a policeman who believes in the existence of Klingons and a car that can turn into a boat.The Mother Ship is a fantastically funny new adventure about what it means to be young, to be different, or just to believe in something beyond the ordinary.The Mother Ship opened at the Birmingham Rep in February 2008 and was awarded the Brian Way Award for Best Play for Young People 2009.
Promises Promises
Given her disreputable past, retired teacher Maggie Brodie knows she was a last minute choice for supply cover. Being patronised by the idiotic young headmaster is an indignity she can just about endure. But her frustrations increase when a silent Somalian child in her class, whom Maggie is inexplicably drawn to, is believed by her family and community to be possessed. Maggie seems to be the only one who is outraged and protective of the girl. And if they don’t listen to her, she will be forced to take action. Drastic action.
Miracle Man
Holding on to your virginity, getting a ring for your pains and something to believe in, that’s what Dawn, Chubb and Fawziya want. Ozzy, their loser PE teacher needs to believe in something too. It will all be fi ne when the Miracle Man gets here. Won’t it?
Too Fast
Teachers' Notes by Anthony BanksSensation Nation is a vocal group founded and led by the unstoppable DD. Her grand plan is for the group to storm next year’s Britain’s Got Talent. But first they need a gig, and more importantly a heartbreaking backstory that will win them votes later on down the line. So she’s booked them in to sing at a funeral. And not just any funeral either. Sensation Nation is to sing at the funeral of Ali Monroe, an older girl from their school who was killed in a car crash. Too Fast is an ensemble comedy for young performers with a strong emotional heart and a huge theatrical reveal in the final scene. It was originally produced as part of National Theatre Connections 2011.