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    Wednesday to Come
    Wednesday to Come
    Wednesday to Come
    Ebook143 pages45 minutes

    Wednesday to Come

    By Renee

    ()

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    About this ebook

    In Wednesday To Come Renée takes four women of four generations in a single family and looks at how they cope with the Great Depression of the 1930's. Working class women, says Renée, have been invisible for too long - not because they are inarticulate but because they are unrecorded. 'I am interested in writing good roles for women, about women we don;t see on the stage but who are all around us.'
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherVictoria University Press
    Release dateApr 1, 2014
    ISBN9780864737908
    Wednesday to Come

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      Book preview

      Wednesday to Come - Renee

      WEDNESDAY TO COME

      Renée

      Victoria University Press

      To my mother, Rose

      Contents

      Title Page

      Dedication

      First Performance

      Characters

      Author’s Note

      Act One

      Act Two

      By the Same Author

      Copyright

      First Performance

      Wednesday To Come was first performed by Downstage Theatre, Wellington, on 17 August 1984, with the following cast:

      G

      RANNA

      Davina Whitehouse

      M

      ARY

      Kate Harcourt

      I

      RIS

      Jane Waddell

      C

      LIFF

      Tim Homewood

      J

      EANNIE

      Lucy Sheehan

      T

      ED

      Cliff Wood

      M

      OLLY

      Michelle Leuthart

      D

      OT

      Ruth Dudding

      Directed by George Webby

      Designed by Janet Williamson

      Lighting by Stephen Blackburn

      Characters

      G

      RANNA

      Late seventies

      M

      ARY

      Fifty-five

      I

      RIS

      Thirty-four

      C

      LIFF

      Fifteen

      J

      EANNIE

      Thirteen

      T

      ED

      Thirty-six

      M

      OLLY

      Twenty-eight

      D

      OT

      Thirty-five

      Author’s Note

      It is important that the life of this household goes on during the action of the play. There is washing and ironing to be done, washing to be folded, dishes to be washed, the stove to be tended.

      Cliff’s music, except for ‘Bye Bye Blackbird’, should have the bluesy sound produced by a mouth organ when one is playing around with it. He should not play recognisable tunes.

      Act One

      The kitchen and sitting room of M

      ARY

      ’s house, which is situated  about half way between Palmerston North and Wellington. The  wood and coal stove has a brass tap from which hot water can  be drawn. At the back is a table with three chairs and a form,  and opposite the stove is a wooden couch or box. There is a pantry  or a cupboard for food (including the makings for scones), a dresser  with cups, teapot and tea towels, and a sink and bench. The cutlery  is in a drawer either in the dresser or the table.

      It is early spring in 1934. 

      G

      RANNA

      is sitting in a chair by the fire. M

      ARY

      is ironing at the end of the table. I

      RIS

      sits at the other end, J

      EANNIE

      on a corner of the fender, and C

      LIFF

      on the other side of the room, where he plays a mouth organ. M

      ARY

      changes irons from the stove as they cool down. She finishes a piece of ironing and folds it, then picks up a sheet.

      M

      ARY

      : Jeannie!

      J

      EANNIE

      goes to help fold the sheet.

      G

      RANNA

      : What day is it Jeannie?

      J

      EANNIE

      : Monday Granna. She runs quickly to her bedroom, upset.

      G

      RANNA

      , speaking the words first and then writing them in a notebook: Monday. Monday today, Tuesday to come.

      M

      ARY

      , indicating a pile of finished ironing: Cliff, put these in the basket. She starts to iron the sheet.

      C

      LIFF

      puts the mouth organ in his pocket and takes the ironing out.

      How about some tea Iris? Jeannie! Make some tea, there’s a good girl.

      J

      EANNIE

      comes in drying her eyes.

      I

      RIS

      : I’m not thirsty Mum.

      M

      ARY

      : Tea’ll do you good.

      M

      ARY

      nods to J

      EANNIE

      , who gets the teapot and makes tea from a kettle on the stove. M

      ARY

      finishes the sheet.

      Good quality stuff this.

      I

      RIS

      : Beats unbleached calico — but — that’s the way it goes, isn’t it?

      M

      ARY

      , having picked up a shirt: This needs mending.

      I

      RIS

      : Why don’t you leave it for now? It’ll still be there tomorrow.

      M

      ARY

      : Might as well finish. Cliff can take it round later.

      G

      RANNA

      , reading from her notebook: Sunday. In the midst of life we are in death. Iris did the washing.

      M

      ARY

      : Granna!

      I

      RIS

      : It’s all right Mum. To J

      EANNIE

      , who has brought her tea: Thanks Jeannie.

      C

      LIFF

      comes back, shakes his head at J

      EANNIE

      ’s mute enquiry, and goes to his seat.

      M

      ARY

      : Won’t be much longer. The telegram said he was leaving at midnight. Should’ve been here by now — must’ve had to stop.

      J

      EANNIE

      , giving G

      RANNA

      her tea: Here Granna.

      G

      RANNA

      pours some tea into the saucer, blows on it, and sips it carefully.

      I

      RIS

      : That old van of Ted’s is on its last legs.

      G

      RANNA

      : Might’ve had a puncture.

      I

      RIS

      laughs, too long.

      M

      ARY

      : Wouldn’t be in his shoes —

      C

      LIFF

      ,

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