bedbound (NHB Modern Plays)

By Enda Walsh

A ferocious two-hander about a father-daughter relationship gone horribly and terrifyingly wrong, from the writer of Disco Pigs.
Father and daughter share a small bed. He talks frantically about his extraordinary past in furniture sales; she talks no less compulsively about anything at all, to fill the terrifying silence in her head.
Edinburgh Fringe First Award 2001

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Release date: Nov 13, 2014
• ISBN: 9781780014128

Enda Walsh

Enda Walsh is a multi-award-winning Irish playwright. He lives in London. His work has been translated into over twenty languages and has been performed internationally since 1998. His recent plays include: Medicine at the 2021 Edinburgh International Festival and Galway International Arts Festival; Arlington at the 2016 Galway International Festival; an adaptation of Roald Dahl's The Twits for the Royal Court (2015); Ballyturk and Room 303 at the 2014 Galway International Arts Festival; Misterman, presented by Landmark Productions and Galway International Arts Festival in Ireland, London and New York (2011–2012); and several plays for Druid Theatre Company, including Penelope, which has been presented in Ireland, America and London, from 2010–2011, The New Electric Ballroom, which played Ireland, Australia, Edinburgh, London, New York and LA from 2008–2009, and The Walworth Farce, which played Ireland, Edinburgh, London and New York, as well as an American and Australian tour, from 2007–2010. He collaborated with David Bowie on the musical Lazarus (New York Theatre Workshop, 2015, and West End, 2016), and won a Tony Award in 2012 for writing the book for the musical Once, seen on Broadway, in the West End and on a US tour. His other plays include Delirium (Theatre O/Barbican), which played Dublin and a British tour in 2008; Chatroom (National Theatre), which played at the National Theatre and on tour in Britain and Asia (2006–2007); and The Small Things (Paines Plough), which played London and Ireland (2005). His early plays include Bedbound (Dublin Theatre Festival) and Disco Pigs (Corcadorca). His film work includes Disco Pigs (Temple Films/Renaissance) and Hunger (Blast/FILM4), winner of the Camera d'Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.

Book preview

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Enda Walsh

bedbound

NICK HERN BOOKS

London

www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Title Page

Original Production

Characters

bedbound

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

bedbound was first performed at The New Theatre, Dublin, as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival 2000. The cast was as follows:

The play received its UK premiere at the Traverse Theatre during the 2001 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and was revived at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, London, on 10 January 2002, with the following cast change:

Characters

DAD

DAUGHTER

There is a large box in the centre of the stage made out of plasterboard. Suddenly the wall facing the audience crashes to the ground. A light comes up on a small child’s bed inside the box. It is heavily stained and grubby. On one end of the bed is a young woman. She is the DAUGHTER. Her back is twisted and we can see that she is obviously crippled. Her face is filthy, her hair tangled and manky. On the other end of the bed facing her is her DAD. He is a large fifty-year-old man. He wears a suit which is soiled and creased. He is pale and ill-looking. His face and hair are cleaner than hers giving the impression that she has been in the bed much longer than him. With the upstage wall on the ground the bed is now surrounded on three sides by plasterboard walls. There is a small window high on one of the side walls but the glass has been painted black. The bed is covered in a dirty floral duvet. When the wall falls the DAUGHTER looks out to the audience. She is completely lifeless.

DAUGHTER. I’m in the bed. The panic has sucked me dry again ’til all that’s left is ta start over. I get that tiredness turn to tight… and I give in ta the words. I let go. Go.

DAD explodes and performs a story from his childhood.

DAD. FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK fucking hell fucking hell fuck fuck fuck Jesus fuck!! Fucking hell!! DAN DAN!! Me in the bed. I can feel these blankets like a big sea and me a little shrimp ways underneath!! Feel them wrapped around me bony body ribs making me stay in the bed. Squeeze me lungs out of me gob making me shout, ‘Fucking hell get out of the bed, Maxie!! You’re late!!’ I swing me legs out of the bed already running I run inta tha jacks! There’s me big brother Gerry on the jacks having an early-morning crap!! I smack him a left hook!! Shmack!! He hits the ground like the sack of shit he is!! ‘I’ll deal