Branded Goods
Synopsis:
Two sex-trafficked young migrant women try to deal with their situation as captives in a brothel in an unspecified UK city, overseen by an older woman who - we discover - was once a sex worker herself. All the women in different ways have suffered at the hands of the smooth operator male brothel owner.
The play not only explores issues around sex trafficking, sex work generally and societal attitudes towards migrants, but also puts various twists into the changing relationships between its core characters.
The action, meanwhile, builds towards a desperate opportunity for the women to escape - but at deadly cost.
Number of Characters: 8
Minimum Number of Actors Required: 5
Length (in Pages): 88
Location: A brothel in unspecified UK city
Key Words: Sex work; sex trafficking; migrants; unexpected love; brothel.
Has the Play Been Produced? Yes
Are the Rights Available? Yes
Has the Play Been Published? No
Award nominations/wins:
Reviews:
This script reached the second round of the Papatango Award, praised as "a deeply disturbing play... with tight realistic dialogue, obvious research, and suspenseful drama...that explores the reality of sex trafficking, while also letting us spend time with characters we come to care about. The relationships between Sylvie and Jana, and between Jana and Goran have real heart (while also being quite tragic). The distinction and shared humanity of the characters... worked to lift this play out of being something we'd read in a newspaper, to an effective piece of theatre."
Production Photos/Posters/Playtext Cover:
Bullet Songs
Synopsis:
Replete with anthems from right to left, backward to progressive, this is an immersive dramatic reflection on songs that have become ‘anthems’ for different groups of people over past decades, with a trio of actors switching between multiple contrasting roles.
The action throws in gay disco dancers with racist cops, migrants with corrupt government officials and many others, all moving to the words and rhythms of tunes by Sylvester, Fela Kuti, Billie Holiday and more.
Number of Characters: 21
Minimum Number of Actors Required: 3
Length (in Pages): 60
Location: Myriad settings in terms of both time and place.
Key Words: Racism; sexism; sexuality; identity; prejudice; discrimination; songs; anthems; AIDS; rebellion; oppression; anthems.
Has the Play Been Produced? Yes
Are the Rights Available? Yes
Has the Play Been Published? No
Award nominations/wins: Shortlisted (final three) for RAFTA (Rise Against Fanaticism Through the Arts) Award run by London-based companies Sohaya Visions and Mukul & Ghetto Tigers.
Reviews:
This play also reached the second round of the Papatango, where feedback called it “a creative and compelling exploration of racism, sexism, sexuality and national identity.... The concept of these characters sharing a stage is highly original, and it is beautiful to read a play with a multitude of languages. There is much to enjoy in this play – it packs a punch and you have chosen some important voices to platform.\"
Production Photos/Posters/Playtext Cover:
