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The Waiting

Bev Clark

Genre: Drama

Cast size: 4

Duration: 50 mins approx

Bev Clark | Drama | One Act | 4f

Short synopsis

Four women find themselves in a room. At first strangers, they start to uncover their pasts and find they are connected by a web of secrets and lies. The need for forgiveness is their only way out but can they really forgive or are they trapped in the eternal room?

The setting for this one-act play is a timeless room where three women wait. It soon becomes apparent that the three women, Sylvie, Olga and Marsha have died. They are later joined by a fourth woman, Kay. At first the women can’t remember much but colours evoke memories and when Kay arrives they all start to remember too much.

As the drama develops, it emerges that all four women are related in some way, and their past lives have connections. As memories return a web of secrets, lies and deceit is uncovered with themes of adultery and suicide but the main theme of the play is the need for forgiveness. Only by coming to terms with past injustices and forgiving others, can the women move on to a higher plane. By the end of the play three of the women achieve this. Only one, Marsha, has still to come to terms with her crime in the past, and she remains waiting to meet the one person she wronged. But will Alice ever come and will Marsha be able to move on?

This play won the Leverhulme Drama Festival in 2023 as well as best original script and best actress for the part of Olga. It then went to the Northern Semi final of AETF and was runner up winning best staging. 

(4f)

  • Sylvie - The youngest, nervous, timid, naïve believes she is older as she has been there so long.
  • Olga - The eldest, appears dithery and harmless but soon shows a darker side to her nature.
  • Marsha - In her fifties, business-woman type – very questioning. Strong minded.
  • Kay - Marsha’s friend and neighbour - arrives later and brings a confession.
Free

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The Waiting

Free
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All our musicals are included in our perusal service. Through this, representatives of producing organisations can request a USB Stick of perusal material  which comprise the script/libretto and piano/vocal score as PDF files; a Cast (or Studio) Recording as MP3 files and (where available) an MP4 file video of either the premiere production or of a subsequent production.

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