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  Full details published July 2004

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  Artistic Director Ian Rickson

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  + The Associate Director post is supported by the BBC through the Gerald Chapman Fund.

  § The Trainee Associate Director Bursary is supported by the Quercus Trust.

  † This theatre has the support of the Pearson Playwright’s Scheme sponsored by Pearson pic.

  * Part-time.

  ENGLISH STAGE COMPANY

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  Sir John Mortimer CBE QC

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  JERWOOD

  NEW PLAYWRIGHTS

  Since 1993 Jerwood New Playwrights has contributed to 46 new plays at the Royal Court including Joe Penhall’s SOME VOICES, Mark Ravenhill’s SHOPPING AND FUCKING (co-production with Out of Joint), Ayub Khan Din’s EAST IS EAST (co-production with Tamasha), Martin McDonagh’s THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE (co-production with Druid Theatre Company), Conor McPherson’s THE WEIR, Nick Grosso’s REAL CLASSY AFFAIR, Sarah Kane’s 4.48 PSYCHOSIS, Gary Mitchell’s THE FORCE OF CHANGE, David Eldridge’s UNDER THE BLUE SKY, David Harrower’s PRESENCE, Simon Stephens’ HERONS, Roy Williams’ CLUBLAND, Leo Butler’s REDUNDANT, Michael Wynne’s THE PEOPLE ARE FRIENDLY, David Greig’s OUTLYING ISLANDS, Zinne Harris’ NIGHTINGALE AND CHASE, Grae Cleugh’s FUCKING GAMES, Rona Munro’s IRON, Richard Bean’s UNDER THE WHALEBACK, Ché Walker’s FLESH WOUND, Roy Williams’ FALLOUT, Mick Mahoney’s FOOD CHAIN, and Ayub Khan Din’s NOTES ON FALLING LEAVES.

  This season Jerwood New Playwrights are supporting LUCKY DOG by Leo Butler and COUNTRY MUSIC by Simon Stephens.

  The Jerwood Charity is a registered charity dedicated to imaginative and responsible funding and sponsorship of the arts, education, design and other areas of human endeavour and excellence.

  Ayun Khan Din’s NOTES ON FALLING LEAVES

  (photo: Alastair Muir)

  Leo Butler’s LUCKY DOG

  (photo: Ivan Kyncl)

  Characters

  Jamie Carris, eighteen/twenty-nine/thirty-nine

  Matty Carris, nineteen

  Emma Carris, seventeen

  Lynsey Sergeant, fifteen

  Setting

  The play takes place in Thurrock, Essex; Her Majesty’s Prison Grendon, Buckinghamshire; and Durham Road, Sunderland, between 1983 and 2004.

  – denotes interruption or a sudden halt

  … denotes a trailing off

  This play is dedicated to those teachers and writers I worked with in HMP Wandsworth and HMP Grendon and YOT Salford and YOT Kensington and Chelsea between 2001 and 2003.

  I am indebted to Ian Rickson, Graham Whybrow, Marianne Elliott and Mel Kenyon as well as to all the staff and writers of the Young Writers’ programme at the Royal Court for their support while I was writing this play. And Stanley. And Oscar. And Poll.

  S.S., June 2004

  One

  Friday 14 J
uly 1983, 2 a.m.

  A parked Ford Cortina in the car park of a service garage on the A13 east of Thurrock.

  Jamie Carris, eighteen years old, sits in the driver’s seat. He is drinking coffee from a paper cup.

  Lynsey Sergeant, fifteen years old, sits in the passenger seat.

  Jamie You reckon they will?

  Lynsey Yeah.

  Jamie Check the beds?

  Lynsey Always do now. New night warden. Does bed checks. Window checks. Everything.

  Jamie Reckon they’ll suss yer?

  Lynsey Course.

  He starts chuckling. She joins in after a while.

  Jamie What’ll they do?

  Lynsey I don’t know. Go mad prob’ly. Crack up. Have a fucking eppy. Call the old bill.

  Jamie Will they?

  Lynsey I dunno. Sometimes do. Sometimes can’t be arsed.

  She sits forward in the passenger seat. Staring hard out of the front window.

  Jamie turns to look at her.

  Jamie You cold?

  Lynsey No.

  Jamie You want my jumper?

  Lynsey I’m all right.

  Jamie You’re funny.

  Lynsey Why?

  Jamie Look at yer.

  Lynsey What about me?

  Jamie (smiles) Nothing. (Drinks. Holds cup in his teeth. Grins at her.) You hungry?

  Lynsey No, I’m all right.

  Jamie You want a packet of crisps? I’ve got fucking hundreds.

  He reaches behind his seat to the back seat and pulls out a squashed multi-pack of crisps. Starts to rifle through the different packets.

  Lynsey (laughs at the amount of crisps) No, thank you. Honestly. I’m all right.

  Jamie All fucking flavours and all. Salt and vinegar. Cheese and onion. Beef. Here. Have one.

  Lynsey Bad for yer, them. Rot yer teeth.

  Jamie Fuck off.

  Lynsey Make yer fat.

  Jamie No they won’t. Have one.

  Lynsey No.

  She sticks her tongue out at him

  Jamie Starve to death, you. I’m meant to look after you. You’ll waste away. (Beat) Anyway. (Grins at her) I like a bit of fat, me.

  Lynsey Jamie.

  Jamie I do. Bit of a tummy.

  He opens his packet. Takes a mouthful.

  Lynsey You think I’m fat?

  Jamie No. Just saying. Should have one.

  Pause.

  I like prawn cocktail best.

  Lynsey (imitating) ‘I like prawn cocktail best.’

  He laughs at her. Bounces himself as far forward as her in his seat.

  Jamie That was fucking great. Weren’t it, Lynse? Weren’t that fucking smart?

  Lynsey starts to chuckle slightly.