Summer 2012 Archives – Page 3 of 3 – KDC Theatre - Central London based amateur theatre group

Conference Call

In Conference Call all three doctors and Martin Mills remain on stage throughout the entire performance. The play is based around an abstract phone call in the protagonists’ thoughts, and looks profoundly at the psychological responses of our minds when we suffer a tragedy. It looks into the different ways our minds may handle the grief post trauma.

Martin Mills is a risk-taking, city banker, who has developed severe mental blockages, brought on by an extremely painful life event. Through this he has lost all memory of his life and identity. Martin’s last memory was chasing a female ghost around a cemetery reciting the Lord’s Prayer backwards, whilst performing a disturbing religious ceremony. He is aware that his mind has closed down completely.

Conference Call, is just that, a long metaphorical conference call within Martin Mills’ mind, between the thinker (Martin) and three doctors, (the committee in his mind) who represent fetchers and carriers of memories in his consciousness, all fighting against the thinker in his internal dialogue. The doctors fail to agree at times, causing a division and psychological problems; all three and the thinker conspire together finding undesirable things in the memory. Certain unleashed memories cause uproar, and Martin’s mind goes on strike so he is unable to remember what happened to his missing wife.

Conference Call Characters

Characters

Martin Mills (male, 35-45) – Suave and stylish. Initially we slightly dislike his arrogant demeanour, but as his ego is broken down, he is brought to his knees, which softens his edges.
Doctor Rye (female 30-40) – A caring, gentle person, like a key-worker in society.
Doctor Walmer (female, 30-40) – A formal, factual and strict character, rather like a lawyer or headmistress.
Doctor Deal (female, 25-35) – Slightly irresponsible, antagonising and less empathetic. Rather like a well-educated University graduate intern, fumbling and clumsy in her first appointment.
Martin Mills’ wife (female, 25-late 30’s) – A woman with a kind face and an alluring presence

Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You

Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You is a savage dark comedy, exploring the absurdity of religious fanaticism unmitigated by compassion. Sister Mary, assisted by her current star pupil, 7-year-old Thomas, impatiently explains the ‘rules’ of life as dictated by Catholic dogma and catechism to the audience, and the dire consequences should these rules be flouted. She is interrupted by 4 of her former students, who present a silly version of the nativity play written by one of the sister’s best students. After their play, we soon discover each has been deeply wounded by the sister’s fanatically strict teaching. This confrontation builds in emotion and tension before exploding in an absurd, nihilistic, and unsettling dénouement. The play is viciously satirical, but also troubling, the audience should be laughing out loud but also slightly appalled that they are.

Sister Mary Ignatius… Characters

Ideally, Sister Mary would appear believably older than her ex-students, and I would prefer to cast a child actor as Thomas (female or male), but I am not tied to a particular age for the actors, please don’t let an age discrepancy stop you for auditioning for any particular role.

Characters

Sister Mary Ignatius – (mid 40s to mid 60s ish) intense and powerful presence, very sincere in her faith. Has no doubt.
Thomas – (7) a current star student of the Sister. Parrots catechism with eerie innocence.
Gary Sullavan – (late 20s – early 30s) – ex student of the sister. Gay and practising Catholic, emotionally mature.
Diane Symonds – (late 20s – early 30s) – ex student of the sister. Serious, plain-spoken, distant and disaffected, disguising deep hurt. Has given up her faith.
Philomena Rostovich – (late 20s – early 30s) – ex student of the sister. Sweet, nervous, and shy. Vulnerable. Still Catholic.
Aloysius Busiccio – (late 20s – early 30s) – ex student of the sister. Blunt. Depressed alcoholic. Still Catholic.

Summer Season 2012

The Summer Season 2012 will be at the Etcetera Theatre, Camden, from 9 July to 22 July 2012.

We will be presenting four one-act plays; two pieces of established writing and two all new plays from the KDC New Writing stable.

We won’t be revealing the details until the Newcomers night at 7pm, Thursday 10 May, at The Red Herring pub, 49 Gresham Street, EC2V 7EH.

Come along, meet the directors and hear all about the exciting season ahead.