The Small Hours (NHB Modern Plays)

By Katherine Soper

'I dunno. Like…I think I just wanna do something different, I don't wanna do things the way everyone else is doing them but I don't know how and I don't know what I even mean.'
It's the middle of the night, and Peebs and Epi are the only students left at school over half-term. At the end of their night out, former step-siblings Red and Jazz try to navigate their reunion. With only a couple of hours until morning, Jaffa tries to help Keesh finish an essay. As day breaks, Wolfie is getting up the courage to confess a secret to VJ at a party.
Their choices are small yet momentous. The hours are small but feel very, very long. And when the night finally ends, the future is waiting – every last bit of it.
Katherine Soper's play The Small Hours was written specifically for young people. It formed part of the 2019 National Theatre Connections Festival and was premiered by youth theatres across the UK. The play offers rich opportunities for a large cast of young performers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Release date: Feb 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9781788503075

Katherine Soper

Katherine Soper is a playwright whose plays include the Bruntwood Prize-winning Wish List (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, 2016, and Royal Court, London, 2017), Other work includes The Small Hours (National Theatre Connections, 2019) and Star Jelly (RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park, 2016). She was named Best Writer in the inaugural Stage Debut Awards in 2017 for her play Wish List.

Book preview

Before the first scene

If you want, it could be nice to have all the characters onstage together, so we have some idea of who we’re going to meet over the course of the play – some idea of the night that’s going to unfold. Otherwise…

1 a.m.

An island

A music-practice room in a school. EPI’s in their dressing gown – it’s probably pretty old and tatty – and they have an instrument of some sort. In my mind it’s a cello but pretty much any instrument would work – they don’t necessarily have to be good at it.

EPI prepares to play – adjusting his music stand, posture, tuning, etc – and then starts to play a tune. Once he goes wrong a few times and can’t fix it, he gives up and start playing random notes.

PEEBS enters, boots caked in mud, carrying a holdall. He lingers by the door silently for a bit, listening, out of EPI’s sight.

PEEBS. Nah that’s definitely not right.

EPI Hey. Hi.

Sorry were you –

He notices PEEBS’ clothes.

– you weren’t asleep.

PEEBS. It’s early.

EPI wavers for a moment between whether he should keep playing or say something else.

You play that like every weekend, I can hear you from my room.

EPI. Well. Yeah. I have to practise sometime.

Beat.

Er. Where’s your room?

PEEBS.…Ketterley.

EPI. Oh. Obviously. Yeah.

PEEBS. So on weekends I’m hearing you play – I don’t know, whatever that was – and in the week I’ve got Skinny up there listening to hardcore trance while he revises.

EPI.…I can shut the window if you want.

PEEBS. It’s fine, it’s better than the trance. Not that I’ve got anything against that stuff, just, you know. I wouldn’t choose to revise to it.

Pause.

PEEBS takes off his boots and starts hitting the sides on the floor, or any other available surface, to get the mud off.

EPI tries to do some quiet tuning of his instrument, but the noise of PEEBS’ boots is a bit too distracting.

What time have you got?

EPI. Huh?

PEEBS. Time.

EPI. Um. One.

PEEBS makes a kind of ‘hmm’ sound.

What?

PEEBS. No, I’ve got the same.

Pause.

PEEBS starts bashing his boots again.

I swear it feels like it’s morning already.

EPI. Yeah?

PEEBS. Doesn’t it feel like it should be later to you?

EPI. Maybe. I dunno.

Peebs, did you… like, need something?

PEEBS (indicating his boot). D’you mind me doing this?

EPI. I mean. Not like this is my bedroom.

PEEBS. I’ll try and do it in the bin.

Pause as he finds the bin and starts scraping the dried mud in there instead.

I’m having an operation on Monday.

EPI.…okay.

PEEBS. And so I was meant to be going to Ash’s for the weekend so I get in, like, two days of actual half-term cos I’m gonna have to stay in bed for the rest of it.

Beat.

EPI. Right.

PEEBS. But Ash runs off really quickly after Chemistry and I’m like, what the hell you’re meant to be taking me back to yours – so