Marigold Mews

ONE ACT PLAYS

MARIGOLD MEWS
Award-winning comedy by Peter Rolls. Highly commended in the NDFA Playwriting Competition 2000.

PLOT RESUME
Three 'ladies of the road' are bedded down in a back-street Mews. Bo reads Beckett, Clo's an ex-dancer, and Ez writes poetry. No longer New Age, not yet old Age, the women clash with authority (street-cleaner, traffic-warden, Councillors et al). However, the Community Arts organiser recruits them for the street Festival. The resulting performance has got it all: art, drama, poetry. Like you've never seen before!

CAST 6 FEMALE PARTS

Avril Hook, Council worker, maid-of-all-jobs
Boadicea Briggs (Bo),"Lady of the road", long-term traveller
Clovis Dalrymple (Clo), fellow-traveller, ex-dancer
Esme Flyte (Ez), poet, passing through
Mrs Froggatt, Councillor, Chair of Arts & Entertainments
Gwendolyn Gish, Community Arts Consultant

1 SET
a fence and bare billboard

TIME - modern
DURATION - approx. 46 minutes

Script Sample

Bo and Clo resume reading. Enter Esme, another woman "on the road", but of hippie, vaguely arty, appearance

EZ Hello. Is it OK if I join you?
BO Free country.

Ez sits down beside Clo. All exchange sidelong glances

EZ I'm Esme.
BO Oh, yes.
EZ Just passing through. Up to the Festival.
BO Hmm ... How long on the road?
EZ Ten days ...
BO Show us your feet.
EZ I beg your pardon!
BO Look, we get all sorts out here. On the oggle. TV researchers, 'Guardian' gawpers. Private detectives. We've had them, haven't we, Clo?
CLO Ologists ... they're the worst.
BO The last one was on her PhD. We gave her an earful, didn't we Clo? A few quick quotes up her thesis.
CLO All the way back to Oxford.
BO So we don't want any more soft pink feet round here, thank you. Let's have a look.
EZ OK, OK. (She takes off her boots and socks, showing her feet)
BO What do you think, Clo.
CLO (sniffs) Middling to horrid.
BO Fair enough. (Smiles at Ez, shakes her hand) Welcome to Marigold Mews. I'm Bo, this is Clo.
CLO Hello.
EZ (to Clo) How long have you been here?
CLO Not long.
EZ Regular travellers, then.
BO That's what we do. Travel. Body and mind.
EZ Part of the New Age?
BO Been there, love. Didn't fancy it, did we, Clo. All that unblocking - and the Peace ...
CLO And the piercing, Bo.
BO Right - the piercing. Fearsome, it was ... Any loose bits and they'd be on to you.
CLO Sometimes even if they weren't so loose ...
EZ So you're just travelling. Anywhere special?
BO Look, Ez. No offence - your feet is OK by me. But no questions -eh?
EZ Yes, yes. I understand. No questions.

from Marigold Mews

259 The Moorings, Dalgety Bay, Fife, KY11 9GX.
Tel: (01383) 825737 E-mail: enquiries@spotlightpublications.com