Nightfall

Barney Norris

• Publisher: Oberon Books
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781786823199
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Theatre

On a farm outside Winchester, Ryan struggles to make a living off the land. His sister Lou has returned home after the death of their father to support Jenny, their formidable mother. Now, when Lou's boyfriend Pete reappears, flush with money from his job at an oil refinery, Jenny fights to hold her children to the life she planned for them.

Act One

SCENE ONE

A farm, late evening, almost dark. Night will fall across the course of the scene. An oil pipe runs across the stage, raised on struts above the ground so it stays level on its journey from Fawley up to Birmingham. There’s a septic tank at the edge of the stage. PETE wears a welding mask and carries a welding iron. RYAN watches him. PETE fires his welding iron, and a light jumps into the sky. PETE goes to work on the silage tank. He’s sealing in a tap he’s just installed. From the other side of the stage LOU watches them, sipping on a bottle.

LOU: And there’s no way anyone’s ever gonna know?

RYAN: It’s totally safe, Lou. Pipe like this loses gallons already. This runs for like a hundred miles, right? So you get leaks and dirt, loads of wastage. Sometimes it runs underground, and then you’ve got ploughing or roadworks. Then above ground there’s corrosion. Or someone’ll drive into it.

LOU: Or pikey lads might tap it and siphon some off.

RYAN: It’s not pikey.

LOU: No, just fucking reckless. Has he got it?

PETE has lifted his visor.

RYAN: Safeways here we come!

PETE dumps his welding gear on the ground.

PETE: You got it then?

RYAN grabs a metal object to be screwed onto the pipe, and passes it to PETE.

RYAN: Oh yeah.

LOU: Oi Pete your arse is hanging out!

PETE: What?

LOU: (Laughing at her joke.) No don’t worry.

PETE: Was my arse hanging out?

LOU: No, it was a joke. Cos you both look sort of like builders. And builders always have their arses out. Don’t worry.

PETE: You know this is basically what I do for a living?

LOU: Is it? I thought you did skilled work.

PETE: This is skilled work.

LOU: Doesn’t look it.

PETE: That’s cos I’m doing it badly. I’ll get this on.

RYAN: Woo!

PETE: Keep your tits on, work environment.

RYAN: Sorry.

PETE: This is a fucking SAS mission, remember. Special Forces shit.

RYAN: Gears of War.

PETE: Not Gears of War, for real.

LOU: X Box monkey.

RYAN: Fuck off.

PETE: It’s on.

RYAN: Woo!

LOU: Getting proper dark now.

PETE: Don’t worry. Wasn’t in scouts for nothing. Hashtag prepared.

PETE fishes about in his pocket, takes out a head torch, puts it on and turns it on.

LOU: Is that the scout motto?

PETE: No, that’s Durex.

LOU: Surprised you know that one, with your latex allergy.

PETE: My latex allergy is not a laughing matter.

LOU: Course not.

RYAN: You look proper Duke of Edinburgh.

PETE: Think that’s when I bought it. Shall we do this?

RYAN: Fuck yeah!

PETE sets to piercing the pipe by turning a massive spanner that’s tightening the bit of metal he’s just attached.

LOU: How much is it gonna make us then?

RYAN: I dunno like, loads. Don’t worry about it.

PETE: Ryan this is too hard, you have to –

RYAN: Oh right, sorry.

They work on turning the big spanner together.

RYAN: That it?

PETE: That’s good. Right, and we have to –

The pipe is pierced, oil pours over them.

RYAN: Shit!

They tighten the valve

PETE: OK. Cool. We’re fine. We’re fucking fine.

RYAN: Let’s have a goosey?

PETE: It’s gander, you can’t say goosey.

RYAN: You can say either.

PETE: You can’t, it’s gander. You stay back yeah?

LOU: If he’s having a look I’m having a look.

PETE: It’s dangerous.

LOU: You’re a sexist pig.

PETE: No, I just mind less if he gets horrifically disfigured than if you do.

RYAN: Looking good, mate.

LOU: For the work of a sexist pig.

PETE: Right, hose on.

RYAN: Cool.

RYAN grabs the hose that’s attached at one end to the septic tank.

RYAN: Fuck me, that’s heavy.

PETE: Gotta use the proper gear.

RYAN: Jesus.

PETE: Tell you what, further back. You hold it there, and I’ll –

RYAN: All right, yeah.

RYAN takes hold of the tubing further back.

PETE: You could help a bit maybe Lou.

LOU: Yeah?

PETE: Get that bit.

LOU goes to the middle of the hose and helps.

LOU: Just keep doing that?

PETE: Go slow, I gotta get it – yeah, that’s sweet.

LOU: You know Mum’ll freak when she sees it.

R...

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Act One
• Act Two