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    Folk (NHB Modern Plays)
    Folk (NHB Modern Plays)
    Folk (NHB Modern Plays)
    Ebook101 pages45 minutes

    Folk (NHB Modern Plays)

    By Tom Wells

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    About this ebook

    Winnie's no ordinary nun. She swears, she smokes, she drinks Guinness, and she loves a sing-song with Stephen. But soon everything's going to change.
    Stephen's lost his way. Finding solace in music, he knows he must start again… if only he knew how.
    Kayleigh is a teenager, unsure of herself. But when unexpected circumstances lead her to Winnie and Stephen, she starts to find her voice.
    Surprising and poignant, Folk is a hilarious and not-so-holy story of hope, coming together and finding your feet when your world is turned upside down. It was co-produced in 2016 by Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Hull Truck Theatre and Watford Palace Theatre.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNick Hern Books
    Release dateApr 14, 2016
    ISBN9781780017426
    Folk (NHB Modern Plays)
    Author

    Tom Wells

    Currently, my day job is as a licensed architect. I design schools, office buildings, maintenance stations and any number of buildings. I do have a second occupation. I write. I write in the evenings. I write on the weekends. I write during lunch breaks. I write whenever I am sitting in airport terminals or when I ride planes, trains and buses. My first novel length manuscript was first drafted at the turn of the century when my daughter was born and I had a one hour commute each way in and out daily. I've been writing off and on since the 8th grade, but it was my introduction to the word processor in community college that broadened the scope of what I write. While I have worked for years to become the architect I am today, I have also wanted to write. I get my chance to do plenty of technical writing in my day job. It would amaze most people to learn how planning and executing a building project is more about words than it is about drawing some lines on paper. I have a yearning to tell stories as well. Most of what I have written and what you will see here is science fiction, my first love in literature. There are other story ideas in other genres that may one day see print. For now though, I have invented a universe in our future that is waiting to be shared. Welcome and I hope you enjoy what you find here as much as I have enjoyed creating these works.

    Read more from Tom Wells

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      Book preview

      Folk (NHB Modern Plays) - Tom Wells

      Folk was produced by Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Hull Truck Theatre and Watford Palace Theatre and was first performed at The STUDIO at Birmingham Repertory Theatre on 14 April 2016. The cast was as follows:

      This one’s for you, Tessa Walker,

      with love.

      Characters

      KAYLEIGH, fifteen

      STEPHEN, fifties

      SISTER WINNIE, a nun, Irish, fifties

      This ebook was created before the end of rehearsals and so may differ slightly from the play as performed

      1.

      SISTER WINNIE’s front room.

      WINNIE lives in an old Victorian terraced house on Bannister Street, Withernsea.

      It’s decorated simply, clean and warm and a bit shabby, with a big bay window, some religious pictures, a few lamps, a sofa and a chair. There’s a staircase coming down into the room, a door through to the kitchen, and a door at the back to a yard where Winnie goes to smoke. Sometimes. She sometimes just smokes out of the window.

      Friday night.

      STEPHEN sits. He’s got an old Aldi bag at his feet, full of handwritten music and tin whistles. Some of the tin whistles are home-made. He is holding a very battered guitar, tuning it, listening to the strings.

      WINNIE sticks her head out from the kitchen, grinning.

      WINNIE. Cheer me up, Stephen. Sing something.

      STEPHEN. Something, um, holy or…?

      WINNIE nods.

      WINNIE. Something wholly inappropriate.

      WINNIE disappears again.

      STEPHEN smiles and starts to play. ‘The Holy Ground’.

      He is all fingers and thumbs, but he bashes it out alright, and sings, quietly:

      STEPHEN.

      Adieu to you my Dinah

      Ten thousand times adieu

      For we’re going away from the Holy Ground

      And the girls that we love true.

      We will sail the salt seas over

      And then return for shore

      To see again the girls we love

      And the Holy Ground once more –

      WINNIE dances in.

      WINNIE. FINE GIRL YOU ARE!

      WINNIE has two pints of Guinness. She puts the glasses down on a little table. She is jiggling along to the music.

      STEPHEN.

      You’re the girl I do adore

      And still I live in hopes to see

      The Holy Ground once more.

      STEPHEN stops singing, but carries on strumming his guitar.

      Less holy than I thought. Sorry.

      WINNIE. Spot on. Just the ticket.

      WINNIE takes the second verse herself.

      And now the storm is raging

      And we are far from shore

      And the good old ship is tossing about

      And the rigging is all tore

      WINNIE picks up a statue of the Virgin Mary, and sings to it.

      And the secret of my life, my dear,

      You’re the girl I do adore

      She uses it as a microphone.

      But still I live in hope to see

      The Holy Ground once more.

      STEPHENandWINNIE.

      FINE GIRL YOU ARE!

      WINNIE.

      You’re the girl I do adore

      But still I live in hope to see

      The Holy Ground once more

      A moment.

      Oh. Ah.

      STEPHEN. And now…

      WINNIE pulls a face at STEPHEN. She has forgotten the words. STEPHEN starts the next verse himself.

      And now the storm is over

      And we are safe and well

      We’ll go into a public house –

      WINNIE’s remembered the words.

      STEPHENandWINNIE.

      And we’ll sit and drink like hell!

      STEPHEN.

      We will drink strong ale and porter

      STEPHENandWINNIE.

      And make the rafters roar

      And when our money is all spent

      We’ll go to sea once more

      FINE GIRL –

      A lump of muddy brick crashes through the window. Glass goes everywhere. STEPHEN stops playing.

      WINNIE. Shitting hell! Are you alright?

      STEPHEN. Fine, I think. Are you?

      WINNIE has opened the door.

      WINNIE. Who’s

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