Short Plays/Monologues by Claire Booker
For reading copies of these scripts, please email your request to: bookerplays@yahoo.co.uk
- 1 F Alleluiah (5 mins). Rainbow Baby (5mins).
- 1 M Sperm Vampire (5mins). Taking the Plunge (5mins).
- 1 F/1 M Blue Line Day (15mins). Fingers and Toes (10mins). Lost Property (5mins). Enemy (5mins). Cathy’s War (20m* One Act plays). Bathroom Secrets (10mins)
- 2 F/1 M Last Man in Watford (5mins, 15mins). Nuclear Bunker (5 mins,10mins).
- 3 F Little Red Hoodie (20mins* One Act plays)
- 4 F Harriet by the Swings (5m)
ALLELUIAH (1F: 30-50s, 1 set. 5 mins)
Bridget shares a bed and a bathroom with her husband – but not the secrets of her heart. As Barry starts his morning ablutions, Bridget contemplates an adulterous liaison.
Published in The Good Ear Review (www.thegoodearreview.com); in Loose Muse Anthology of New Writing by Women (Morgan’s Eye Press, Spring 2012) and showcased at the anthology launch. Performed at Prior Pursglove College, Yorkshire, at an ‘A’ Level Drama performance evening. Performed in the finals of the Lost Theatre’s 5 Minute Play Festival.
BATHROOM SECRETS (IF: 30-50s. 1M: 30-50s 1 set. 10 mins)
Bee contemplates an adulterous liaison, unaware that husband Barry also has a secret. Are they brave enough to share the truth?
BLUE LINE DAY (1F: 20-30s; 1M: 20-30s. Split set. 15 mins) Also in 10 and 30 minute versions Fingers and Toes
After two years of failing to conceive, Rachel is desperate for a baby. But can husband Michael rise to the occasion? Things come to a head when Rachel decides to spice things up in the bedroom.
Finalist in the Ovation Theatre Awards. Performed at Square Chapel Arts Centre, Halifax, West Yorks; the Bread and Roses Theatre, London; Loose Muse, Poetry Café, London;and at 3MT, Afflecks, Manchester.
ENEMY (1F: teens-40s. 1M: teens – 20s. 1 set. 5 mins)
The Russian Front, winter 1943. A German conscientious objector and a captured Russian partisan await dawn and a Nazi firing squad. Is it possible for them to find common ground?
Performed at The Lost Theatre’s Five Minute Festival, London. Published in Loose Muse Anthology of New Writing by Women (Morgan’s Eye Press, Spring 2014)
HARRIET BY THE SWINGS (4F:20-30s x3/30-50. 1 set. 5 mins)
Mothers beware! Something dark stirs in the playground. A poetic drama about infertility.
Performances at the TMT Festival, Manchester; the Lost Theatre’s Five Minute Play Festival, London; Beyond Words at the Gipsy Hill Tavern, London; Loose Muse at the Poetry Café, London; Pop Up Poetry, Guildford; showcased by 17Percent at SheWrites, the Horsebridge Centre, Whitstable.
“The actors did a fabulous job of conveying Claire Booker’s succinct script.” Brett Evans, editor of Prole literary magazine. “Claire is a dedicated and creative playwright whose work is always stimulating and enjoyable for her audiences. She directs her team of young actors with flair and sensitivity, and brings out the best performances from them.” Janice Windle, co-ordinater of Pop Up Poetry, Guildford.
LAST MAN IN WATFORD (2F: teens-20s x2 (teens-20s/30-50s in longer versions). 1M: 20-50s. 1 set. 5 mins)
The year is 2084 and women rule the world. Adam is one of only a handful of men left in England, kept for research purposes in a zoo. Can he find true love, even behind bars? And will his inflatable wife get jealous?
5 mins version published in Loose Muse Anthology of New Writing by Women (Morgan’s Eye Press, Spring 2013). 15 mins version: five night run by Sibling Productions at The Hen and Chickens Theatre, Islington, as part of Short Cuts 4. Performed at the Southwark Playhouse as part of Little Pieces of Gold and at Loose Muse, the Poetry Café, London.
LOST PROPERTY (1F: teens-30s. 1M: 20s-50s. 1 set. 5 mins)
Annie has mislaid something precious. Derek in Lost Property is eager to help her recovery it. But can life and death be that simple? A surreal comedy.
Performed at the Lost Theatre’s 5 Minute Play Festival, London; and Loose Muse, the Poetry Café, London; showcased by 17Percent at SheWrites, The Horsebridge Centre, Whitstable. Published in The Delinquent Magazine (Issue 18). “A couple of very original oddball characters, along with strong performances, made this play very enjoyable. Interesting idea and some great play with parallels between real life and material loss in our lives. Highly commended.” Lost 5 Minute Play Festival judging panel.
NUCLEAR BUNKER (2F: teens-20s/30-60s; 1M: any age. 1 set. 5 mins)
Three years into the nuclear holocaust and Lady Kay regrets having settled for an Economy Class bunker. The menu is unrelenting, the West Wing is tiny, and the staff are work-experience robots. Where will it all end?
Nuclear Bunker was performed in the Finals of the Lost Theatre’s 5 Minute Play Festival.
RAINBOW BABY (1F: 30-50s. 1 set. 5 mins)
Sylvia recollects the joys and challenges of adopting a child with Down’s Syndrome.
Performed at Beyond Words, The Gypsy Hill Tavern, London; Loose Muse, Poetry Café, London; Pop Up Poetry, Guildford. Published in the Loose Muse Anthology of New Writing by Women (Morgan’s Eye Press, Autumn 2012)
SPERM VAMPIRE (1M: 20-50s. 1 set. 5 mins)
It’s a night of peak fertility for Rachel. After two years of failing to conceive, she’s desperate for a baby. But can husband Kips rise to the occasion?
Published in Loose Muse Anthology of New Writing by Women (Morgan’s Eye Press, Autumn 2012) and showcased at the launch. “Claire Booker’s hilarious short play provided much needed light-relief in a night of intense and powerful work.” Agnes Meadows, editor/co-ordinator, Loose Muse.
TAKING THE PLUNGE (1M: 20s. 1 set. 5 mins)
No job, no girlfriend and his parents suspect he’s keeping drugs or worse in the bedroom. Then Tim meets Jacqui, buys a fish tank and life takes a turn for the surreal.
Published in Loose Muse Anthology of New Writing by Women (Morgan’s Eye Press, Autumn 2013)
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