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Road

Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy  /  6w, 8m

Jim Cartwright

"Uncomfortable and magical...funny and bitter. It is a northern Under Milk Wood, high on pills and booze." - The London Sunday Times
"The
climax comes when two flash lads have picked up two girls...This
sequence is simply one of the most unlikely, audacious and, in the
event, riveting scenes to be found currently in the theatre." - London Financial Times

Road

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    6w, 8m
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • Suggested Use
    • Cutting Approved for Competition
    • Scene work
    • Competition or audition material
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Teen (Age 14 - 18)
Accolades
Accolades
  • Named among the "10 most influential postwar British plays" by Guardian UK!

Details

Summary
Under the guidance of the rum-soaked wideboy Scullery, we are taken on an evening's tour of a scruffy, depressed road in a small Lancashire town. Moving from street corner to living room, from edroom to kitchen, we meet the inhabitants of young, middle-aged, and old, glimpsing their socially and emotionally wretched lives, in this sharp, sad, funny, and angry play.
History
Road was first presetned at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in London, on March 22, 1986. It was directed by Simon Curtis. This production subsequently transferred to the Royal Court's main auditorium on June 9, 1986. The play was subsequently presented by Lincoln Center Theater at La MaMa ETC in New York City in 1988.
Performing Groups

SCULLERY
BRENDA - Carol's mother
BARRY
LOUISE - a young girl
LOUISE'S BROTHER
CAROL - a young girl
BRINK - a young man
EDDIE'S DAD
EDDIE - a young lad
DOR - a tarted up woman
LANE - a tarted up woman
SKIN-LAD
MOLLY - an old woman
THE PROFESSOR
CHANTAL -  young girl of about 16
BALD
MRS. BALD
JERRY - a middle-aged man
BLOWPIPE
CLARE - a young girl of about 16
JOEY - a young lad of about 17
BISTO - a DJ
TOM STANLEY - pub compere
ELECTRIC CLUTCH - 3 dancers
MANFRED - chip shop owner
SCOTCH GIRL - his assistant
CURT - a youg lad
HELEN - a middle-aged woman
SOLDIER
VALERIE - a woman in her mid-30s
MARION - a drunk woman
LINDA - a girl of about 12

Alternate casting to 4 male, 3 females.

  • Setting A road in a small Lancashire town. Tonight.
  • Features Contemporary Costumes / Street Clothes
  • Duration 90 minutes
  • Cautions
    • Alcohol
    • Strong Language
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

"Uncomfortable and magical...funny and bitter. It is a northern Under Milk Wood, high on pills and booze." - The London Sunday Times

"The climax comes when two flash lads have picked up two girls...This sequence is simply one of the most unlikely, audacious and, in the event, riveting scenes to be found currently in the theatre." - London Financial Times

"Beneath the gags, the playwright's rumbling sense of lost dignity resulting from unemployment, chauvinism or from simply getting paralytically pissed, give this stunning debut a perceptive and frightening reality." - City Limits

"Mr. Cartwright is asking the right question and he has something to say. The question is, why is the world so hard?" - London Observer

"The debut of a writer of outstanding talent." - London Sunday Telegraph

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $130 per performance

Scripts

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Authors

Jim Cartwright

Jim Cartwright

Jim Cartwright lives in Lancashire, where he was born. Road, his first play, opened at the Royal Court Theatre in 1986, was revived again at the Royal Court that same year, and again in 1987, before being taken on a nationwide tour. It won the Samuel Beckett Award, Drama ...
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