Lava (NHB Modern Plays)

By James Fritz

A small asteroid has hit the capital city. Thousands have been displaced. And in a town far away, a young man called Vin is finding it hard to talk. The only person who seems to notice is Rach, who resolves to find out what's troubling him and help him find his voice again.
But when Rach's family take in an articulate and charismatic survivor of the asteroid incident, Vin's silence is no longer her first priority. How does it feel when the suffering of others seems more legitimate than our own?
James Fritz's Lava is a timely play about grief, masculinity and the power of expression, rocking with raw emotion and sharp humour. It premiered at Nottingham Playhouse in 2018, in a co-production with Fifth Word.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Release date: Jun 7, 2016
• ISBN: 9781788500579

James Fritz

James Fritz is a playwright whose work includes: The Flea (Yard Theatre, London, 2023);Lava (Nottingham Playhouse/Fifth Word, 2018; revived 2022);Parliament Square (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, and Bush Theatre, London, 2017);Start Swimming (Young Vic Taking Part, Edinburgh Fringe, 2017);The Fall (National Youth Theatre at the Finborough Theatre, London, 2016);Comment is Free (Old Vic New Voices, 2015; BBC Radio 4, 2016; winner of the Imison and Tinniswood Awards for audio drama, 2017);Ross & Rachel (MOTOR at Assembly George Square, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 2015; 59E59 Theaters, New York);Four Minutes Twelve Seconds (Hampstead Theatre, 2014; Most Promising Playwright, Critics' Circle Awards);Lines (Rosemary Branch Theatre, 2011).

Book preview

Lava was produced by Fifth Word and Nottingham Playhouse and first performed at Nottingham Playhouse on 15 June 2018. The cast was as follows:

Director’s Note

Lava has been in development for over three years. It has been an enormous privilege to commission and direct this new play from James Fritz and work alongside a fantastic creative team to bring this new work to the stage as a

co-production with Nottingham Playhouse.

Fifth Word commissioned James with support from Derby Theatre in 2016, and the piece has been developed through numerous round-table reads, workshops and research and development days, with James working tirelessly on the many drafts.

As joint Artistic Director of Fifth Word, I commission work that tells the stories of people who find themselves on the margins or struggle to be heard, and with Lava this is literally the case. Lava tells the story of Vin, a young man who stops talking around the same time an asteroid hits London, and who is struggling to make sense of his feelings in a world that feels out of control.

At a time when we talk about masculinity being in crisis, this play feels more pertinent than ever and asks the question ‘Why does some people’s grief or sadness feel like it has more legitimacy than our own?’

This play feels so right for 2018 at a time when the world often makes little sense, feels unpredictable and sometimes terrifying, but where there is also hope, resolve and a sense that anything is possible. Thank you for coming and I hope you enjoy the production.

Angharad Jones

June 2018

Acknowledgements

All the actors who helped workshop this play. Nottingham Playhouse for giving it a first home.

Tam for coming up with the title and putting up with mid-rewrite stresses.

Ted, Emma, Fred and Safiyya for bringing these characters so thrillingly into the world.

Nic Wass for her tireless dramaturgy and friendship across a long old process.

And Laura Ford and Angharad Jones, for taking a punt on me all those years ago and putting up with draft after draft after draft after draft with patience, insight and enthusiasm. We’ve made this together and I couldn’t be more excited that it’s finally a thing.

J.F.

Characters

RACH

VIN

VICKY

JAMIE

Note on Text

Silence, for obvious reasons, plays a huge part in this play. I’ve suggested some places where silence might occur, but trust it throughout. The scenes between Vin and Vicky, in particular, should have painful silences running throughout them.

Dialogue in bold is sent from Vin’s phone. It should never be spoken out loud by Vin, but should be able to be read or heard by the audience. I haven’t included emoji, x’s, etc., but feel free to add as you see fit.

An ellipsis (…) signifies a jump in time.

A line with no full stop at the end indicates an unfinished thought.

A line with a dash at the end indicates an interruption.

This ebook was created before the end of rehearsals and so may differ slightly from the play as performed.

STAGE ONE: DENIAL

Death toll: 12,002

VIN and RACH.

RACH I still don’t believe that an asteroid hit North London.

I mean I know it’s a fact. I know it’s an undisputable fact that a