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Sinking

Les Clarke

Genre: Comedy

Cast size: 3

Duration: 45 mins approx

Les Clarke | Comedy | One Act | 2m, 1f

Short synopsis

Multi award winning play, set in Jessica and Paulie’s lounge. Jessica is trying to tidy the house before the man from the benefits office comes. She fears that if she doesn’t do everything right, their benefits will be cut off, and Paulie isn’t the most helpful person when it comes to giving a hand!

Jessica and Paulie have fallen on hard times and Jessica is trying to tidy the house before the man from the Benefits office calls today.  She is worried sick that he will cut of their utilities.  They already have to draw water from a stand-pipe in the garden.

Jessica is getting more and more agitated because Paulie won’t help her get the flat tidy and Jessica has lost the letter which gives details about the visit today and Paulie is giving her a hard time about it.  Paulie doesn’t want to see the man from the Benefits office and said they should go out as it will just be more form filling and answering questions.  Jessica talks him into staying.

Mr Jenkins turns up and at first he is convinced that they are just a pair of scroungers but then he realises that they’re both in their own little world, where each of them are totally dependent on the other and they have their own way of coping with life.  Jessica has a panic attack and Mr Jenkins is amazed at how well Paulie copes with the situation and having heard their story, and seeing how they manage, he vows to help them all he can.

(2m, 1f)

  • Jessica - late 30s/early 40s, tall and thin, plain, anxious, stressed, has personal problems, but cares deeply for Paulie (f)
  • Paulie - late 30s/early 40s, short and overweight, grubby, unshaven and lazy, has personal problems, but cares deeply for Jessica (m)
  • Mr Jenkins - 30-40ish, smart, quite business-like (m)  
Type
Free

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Sinking

Free
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