Fury (NHB Modern Plays)

By Phoebe Eclair-Powell

A chilling and powerful modern Medea about motherhood and class, taking an unapologetic look at the single young mum, the one already judged before she's even opened her mouth.
This is Sam. Young, impulsive, single mum. Londoner born and bred and never ever left. Sam makes her mistakes, but who can blame her?
Tom rents the flat above, the one Sam cleans. If they can come to 'an arrangement' he won't call the Social on her. You might think Tom is a monster. You might think Sam's kids would be better off without her. Someone needs to make a decision.
Winner of the Soho Theatre Young Writer's Award, Fury premiered at Soho Theatre, London, in July 2016.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Release date: Jul 7, 2016
• ISBN: 9781780017976

Phoebe Eclair-Powell

Phoebe Eclair-Powell is a writer from South East London. Her plays include: Shed: Exploded View (Royal Exchange, Manchester, 2024); Dorian, adapted with Owen Horsley from Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray (Reading Rep Theatre, 2021); Harm (Bush Theatre, 2021); Epic Love and Pop Songs (Pleasance, Edinburgh, 2016); Fury (Soho Theatre, 2016); WINK (Theatre503, 2015); One Under (Pleasance Below); Mrs Spine (OUTLINES at the Old Red Lion); Bangin' Wolves (Courting Drama at the Bush Upstairs, published by Playdead Press, later with Poleroid Theatre for Wilderness Festival); two rapid write response pieces, Coal Eaters and Glass Hands (Theatre503); The Box (Theatre Delicatessen SPACED festival and Latitude Festival); Elephant and My Castle (SALT Theatre at Southwark Playhouse); CARE (Miniaturists at the Arcola). She was the overall winner of the 2019 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting, for her play Shed: Exploded View. Fury was a finalist for the 2015 Verity Bargate Award, and the winner of the Soho Theatre Young Writers' Award.

Book preview

CHORUS sing the first verse and refrain of ‘Get Free’ by Major Lazer, featuring Amber.

WSam is a single mother.

FShe is also a Londoner in the truest sense of the word –

MSouth of the river before you ask.

WAnd she lives in a flat that used to be for people like her, but now squeezes the rich and the confused of Peckham, as the bankers roll in.

MThe time is now, or really 2017, the moment when they decided that if two tipped into three they wouldn’t be able to sustain that figure. That child won’t exist – it will just have to do without.

FAnd thousands will have to pack up and leave because they’re just not worth it.

MBack to Sam

WWe have to introduce our hero, our woman of the hour.

FThe hour that you will spend here watching her.

WYou can imagine her how you will.

MWe imagined her like this –

WAnd we will tear her down together

FAs we all do

MAll day

WEvery day.

MThis is the bit where I tell you she stole a golden fleece, shagged a relative, murdered her father or made a pact with a god.

FBut our Sam didn’t do any of those things

Our Sam has lived a normal life,

Mas we all have.

WOur Sam was born, she went to school, she met a boy called Rob and they had two kids too