Casual Tragedies

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'Casual

Tragedies'

By Peter Devonald

LOGLINE
A man is thrown into a warehouse. Through a matrix of love, lies and deception we are taken, until the final betrayal of all...

SYNOPSIS
Alex is kidnapped and thrown into a warehouse. He is interrogated by two unknown assailants. He thinks it's just a performance; his friend gave him a number which he rang, to be given the 'ultimate theatrical event'. The kidnappers beat him up, slowly revealing the bombing campaign which Alex should have been involved in. Through snippets of flashback we are drawn into their lives and betrayals. Has James, Alex's friend, set him up? Is Alex all he appears? Is anyone what they appear?

Desperately Alex changes his story, and says he arrived there by accident. A flashback showing an operation briefing implies he is lying. The kidnapper plays back the telephone conversation to prove Alex is involved; the flashback of the operation is recontextualised and Alex is in more trouble than he's aware.

The game between real and fictional, audience and truth, continues as it is implied that Alex is part of a police operation, that the kidnappers are part of the state, and the bombers themselves are not what they seem.

Reality is further complicated by the kidnappers throwing Sunny, a woman Alex used to go out with, into the room. The haze and lies of memory confront the nightmare present. Alex's life and sexuality are confronted in scenes of enormous erotic power. The betrayals grow in intensity as we realise James is also involved.

The kidnappers argue between themselves. Sunny sees this as her opportunity to escape. One of the kidnappers is knocked out. Alex brings out his gun. Real and fictional collide as the narrative truth slips away. The kidnapper puts the gun down, fearing that his bullets might not be real. Alex promises that now is his turn to torture; and a series of realisations devastatingly dawns on us...

Duration
Two hours

Cast size
Eight (6 male, 2 female)

QUOTES
"The script is interesting and the ideas and subject matter are strong. The dialogue and writing were powerful and the characters well drawn."
Theatre Royal Stratford East.

For more information please contact pdevonald@hotmail.com

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