: Kate Bowen
: Close Quarters
: Nick Hern Books
: 9781788501309
: NHB Modern Plays
: 1
: CHF 12.50
:
: Dramatik
: English
: 82
: Wasserzeichen
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: ePUB
'Round ma way, the boys would drive tay the top of the car park; right tay the edge full speed. I wanted tay get involved. They said, 'Oh aye Sarah, no bother, if you sit on Gerro's knee, he'll hold you nice an tight.' Well, I thought tay mysel, that sounds like a full breach of health an safety regulations. I drive the car now lads. An get paid to do it.' Stationed on the tense border between Estonia and Russia, Cormack, Findlay and Davies are the first generation of women to ever serve in the British infantry. They've aced physical tests only five per cent of female soldiers can pass - they've been trained to shoot, fight and kill. But everyone around them questions whether they should even be allowed to serve. And now they're about to be tested to their limits. Kate Bowen's taut, funny and powerful play follows three pioneering young women in the world's most dangerous workplace. Close Quarters premiered at Sheffield Theatres in 2018, in a co-production between Sheffield Theatres and Stockroom, and directed by Stockroom's Artistic Director Kate Wasserberg. It was chosen as one of the Observer's Top 10 Theatre Shows of 2018.

Kate Bowen is a Glasgow-based writer and producer working in theatre and television. Her play Close Quarters premiered at Sheffield Theatres in 2018 in a co-production with Out of Joint (later known as Stockroom). It was named by The Observer as one of their top ten theatre productions of that year.  She was a 2012 recipient of the annual New Playwrights Award (Playwright's Studio Scotland) and participant in the 2013 Traverse 50 programme at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. She was awarded a place on the Channel 4 Playwrights' Scheme in 2016, a Starter for Ten residency from the National Theatre of Scotland in 2017 and to be part of the BBC Writersroom Scotland's first Drama Writers Group in 2018. Her short plays have been performed at The Traverse Theatre (The Prize Fighter, audio play) Glasgow's Play, Pie and a Pint (The Lawyers) and on STV (Super Sunday, a Five Minute Theatre piece for National Theatre of Scotland).

Scene One

2022.

A field used as a training ground in a NATO army base, rural east Estonia, near the border with Russia. Mid-morning.

FINDLAY, CORMACK, DAVIES, ARMSTRONG, ADEYEMIand SANDStake part in a training movement sequence. It develops into a rehearsal for a patrol.

FINDLAY, CORMACK, DAVIESand ARMSTRONGtake up patrol positions, with ADEYEMIand SANDSwatching.

ADEYEMI. Too slow, Armstrong, much too slow. You’re leaving Davies exposed.

The SQUADDIESmove as a group.

Cormack, you’re off by about thirty degrees. Adjust yourself. Good.

Davies, come in a bit lower. And faster. Better.

Everyone, check your positions. Check again.

They make adjustments.

All right. Relax.

You all need to be faster. And you’re still leaving your arses hanging out.

Ma’am, could we practise with you now?

SANDScomes into the group and they rehearse with her.

Good work. Thanks Ma’am.

SANDS. Sergeant Adeyemi, I want to take it slowly in the forested area.

We’re looking for really small signifiers, it’ll take time.

ADEYEMI. Of course, Ma’am.

(To the SQUADDIES.) Good work.

(To SANDS.) Thanks Ma’am.

(To the SQUADDIES.) Any questions so far?

ALL. No, Sarge.

ADEYEMI. Good. Take on some water. We’ll get you briefed in five.

SANDSand ADEYEMIexit.

The others sit to cool down. CORMACKpulls up her trouser leg and inspects her shin.

FINDLAY. What’s going on wi yer shiny shins mate?

CORMACK. I dunno.

Beat.

FINDLAY. Let’s see.

FINDLAYgoes to CORMACKand has a close look.

Looks like you’ve picked up a tick.

CORMACK. Shite.

CORMACKfinds some tweezers in her kit bag and hands them to FINDLAY,who begins work on removing the tick.

ARMSTRONG. I think ye’re supposed tay use Vaseline.

FINDLAY. What?

ARMSTRONG. Suffocates them, then youse pull them out when they’re deid.

FINDLAY (to CORMACK). Mate, you got any lubricant?

CORMACK. No, ma friend.

FINDLAY (to CORMACK). Could be worse. Couple I know went hiking an got ticks in their bits.

DAVIES. Both sets of bits?

FINDLAY. His an hers.

CORMACK. Grim.

FINDLAY. Had tay extract them fay each other.

DAVIES. That’s a romance-killer.

FINDLAY. Darn tootin. Tweezers out, trousers down, I’m never gonnay look at yer genitals the same way again.

ARMSTRONG. They could a done wi the Vaseline tip.

CORMACK. Imagine, ticks in yer fanny.

DAVIES. No thanks.

CORMACK. Embedded in yer fl– /

FINDLAY.Mate! (Pulling it out.) There you go.

CORMACK. Oh what a beast!

ARMSTRONG. Gee us.

FINDLAYhands him the tick.

Oh Christ, that’s so big I can see the glint a Lyme disease in its eyes.

He’s taken his sock off and is waving his foot around.

Cormack?

FINDLAY. Oh, Christ. No this again.

CORMACKapproaches his foot.

Fucking wean.

CORMACK. Ah, leave him