Love Bites

By Sam Siggs

Midsummer night’s eve in Edinburgh. A girl with wings and a plastic bow and arrow sits sobbing on a bench. It’s been a hard day. Love. Bites.

Setting(s) Various: a park bench, school playground, a cafe, swimming pool flumes, a park, a bar, a wind farm, a flat, etc.

First produced June 2012. Directed by Ruth Hollyman.

Cast Size: Mixed cast of 18: 7 female, 11 male (flexible)

Recommended for performers aged 14-16

Running Time 60 minutes

Recommended for audiences aged 12+

• Language: English
• Publisher: Salamander Street Ltd.
• Release date: Aug 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781914228384

Book preview

First published in 2021 by Salamander Street Ltd.

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Love Bites © Sam Siggs, 2021

All rights reserved.

Application for professional and amateur performance rights should be directed to the author c/o Salamander Street. No performance may be given unless a licence has been obtained, and no alterations may be made in the title or the text of the adaptation without the author’s prior written consent.

You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or binding or by any means (print, electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

ISBN: 9781914228391

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

Love Bite #1

Love Bite #2

Love Bite #3

Love Bite #4

Love Bite #5

Love Bite #6

Love Bite #7

Love Bite #8

Love Bite #9

Love Bite #10

Love Bite #11

Love Bite #12

Love Bite #13

Love Bite #14

Love Bite #15

Love Bite #16

Love Bite #17

Cast List

MALCOLM

GIRL (CUPID)

LEO

REMY

ELLIE

GRACE

DWAYNE

BRYONY

SCOTT

ANTHEA

DARYL

AMY

SHY BOY

PHONE GIRL

SIGN PERSON

HAPPY PERSON

MATT

WILL

OLIVER

SHELLEY

SADIE

COLETTE

JOE

MARK

QUENTIN

ASHLEY

ERICA

GEORGE

CHLOE

Love Bites was first performed on 17 June 2012 at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh.

The cast was David Avern, Daniel Crawford, Megan Donnachie, Archie Fisher, Reuben Gourlay, Tallulah Greive, Molly Harkins, Charlie Johnston, Mary Kemp Bruce, Danny Lamb, Emily Magee, Baillie McLean, Helena Moore, Rannoch Moore, Callum Neilson, Ellie Small, Alistair Stiven, Caeleb Wall

Director: Ruth Hollyman

Assistant Director: Lucy McGlennon

Written by Sam Siggs and commissioned and produced by Strange Town

Launched in 2008 Strange Town is a theatre company for young people. In that time Strange Town has commissioned and produced over 100 new plays by young emerging writers. These plays have been performed in venues throughout Edinburgh including; The Traverse Theatre, Lyceum Theatre, Scottish Storytelling Centre, Roxy Art House, Hill Street Theatre as well as underneath the East stand at Easter Road the home of Hibernian Football Club. Strange Town plays have also been performed in Scottish prisons, conferences and in secondary schools across Scotland.

For further information on Strange Town scripts email

[e-mail] or visit www.strangetown.org.uk

AUTHOR’S NOTE ON THE PLAYTEXT: The sex/gender of the characters in this version of the text were chosen to reflect that of the cast in the play’s most recent production. Beyond that, the sex/gender of the characters is not fixed and I encourage directors to change/adapt this element of the text at their discretion. Character names are arbitrary and can be changed as the director and cast see fit.

The setting of the play is Edinburgh and, as such, the play references very specific Edinburgh locations. Please feel free to adapt these settings to reflect a production’s performance location.

Midsummer’s Night. Edinburgh. A GIRL with plastic angel wings, a plastic bow and arrow and a sash with a big red ‘L’ for learner sign sits crying on a park bench.

MALCOLM enters with a bag of chips. He stops and eyes the distraught GIRL warily. Looks around to ascertain whether she’s alone. She is. He approaches cautiously. A particularly loud sob makes him jump. He takes a step back.

MALCOLM: Are you alright?

The GIRL, suddenly aware of MALCOLM, grabs her bow and arrow and aims it at him.

MALCOLM: Easy. No need for violence.

She shoots and misses.

GIRL: SHIT! Why do I always miss?!

MALCOLM: Would you