'Maybe she just doesn't wanna be found, maybe that last day she felt freedom was when she ran, and she just didn't stop, maybe that was it.'
When her best friend Jay goes missing, Dee withdraws into a twilight world of fragmented memories and conversations, shattered by her grief. Where should she look for Jay? What did she miss? What did Jay say? And what couldn't she say?
Somalia Seaton's Red is an unflinching and bold exploration of the internal lives of young women. It is part of Platform, an initiative from Tonic Theatre in partnership with Nick Hern Books, aimed at addressing gender imbalance in theatre. Platform comprises big-cast plays with predominantly or all-female casts, written specifically for performance by young actors.
Somalia Seaton is a British-Jamaican and Nigerian playwright and screenwriter, born and raised in South-East London. Her plays include Red (commissioned by Tonic Theatre as part of its Platform scheme, and published by Nick Hern Books in 2017); Fall of the Kingdom, Rise of the Footsoldier (Royal Shakespeare Company; finalist for the 2017 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize); House (Clean Break; Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh/The Yard, London, 2016); Crowning Glory (Stratford East, shortlisted for the 2014 Alfred Fagon Award); Curly Fries and Bass (Lyric, Hammersmith); Mama's Little Angel (The Yard, London); and Hush Little Baby (Open Works Theatre Co./Soho Theatre).
Title: Red (Platform Plays)
Author: Somalia Seaton
ISBN: 9781848426528
Binding:
Publisher: Nick Hern Books
Publication Date: 2017-11-09
Number of Pages: 96
Weight: 0.0900 kg
'A fantastic resource... the dialogue is quick, punchy and easily accessible, the characters easy to identify with... Red is a blank slate, offering opportunities for the use of a variety of theatrical styles. For this reason I would strongly recommend this play. It is versatile, well-written, and in-tune with the needs of drama teachers and students in modern Britain'
* Drama Magazine *
'Has a subtle, yet accessible writing style that provides ample opportunities for a young ensemble to explore, ask questions, and push their performance skills... the action is lively and energetic, the dialogue well-paced - jumping between characters with a refreshing, playful energy'
* Teaching Drama *
'Complex, topical and rich in emotion... Seaton's writing fizzes off the page. Her characters are strong, complex and vibrant, her themes solid and resonant and she has delivered a foundation on which girls can finally flourish'
* Ink Pellet *