Play -- Blue Remebered Hills

Joe turned the brass key in the lock and pushed open the grand, old door. He breathed in the dust and antiquity of the place. The theatre was just as majikal as he remembered, but in its own way. There were no disappearing rooms, no bright spells flying around, not even any cauldrons standing simmering over glowing embers, but it was so quiet and beautiful.
“What are you doing back here? How did you get the key?” Joe ignored Suzie’s questions. Joe looked around. It was still perfect. “What are we doing here?”
“We could put on a play.” Joe’s eyes were alight as he turned to the others.
“Don’t be daft,” laughed Michael.
“I’m not being. It could be amazing.”
“Yes, Joe. We all have spare time on our hands that we want to spend larking around in a old, crappy, rundown theatre,” Suzie scorned.
Joe turned and looked at Suzie, “You really just don’t get it do you? You think it’s stupid, that it’s just something for kids, pretending to be someone you’re not. Have you ever stood on a stage at the end of a play in front of a thousand of people, and been applauded, because you were great? Have you ever made someone laugh or cry just by saying a few words? Have you felt the buzz of knowing that in 5 minutes you will stand on that stage and if you don’t know what you are doing let everyone but most of all yourself down? No? Then you’ll never understand.”
“God, Joe, you’re such a drama queen!”
Joe laughed. He meant it. He really did. “Have you ever even thought about where that saying come from?” They could put on a play. It would be incredible.
Suzie turned to go and the others followed.
“Into my heart, and air that kills, from yon far country blows: What are those blue remembered hills, what spires, what farms are those? That is the land of lost content I see it shining plain, the happy highways where I went and cannot come again.” Ben stood on the stage at the bottom, half shrouded in dark. Keegan inadvertently flicked a switch and bright white spotlight flooded on. “He’s right you know. We could do it. There’s everything in here: costumes, proper lights, props, scripts… It’s all here.”
“But none of us know how to act.”
“Of course you do. It’s not something you get taught, you can either do it or you can’t.”
“And if we can’t?”
“Then you do the lighting, the directing, the organising. Theatre isn’t just acting. There are hundreds of jobs you can do – sound technician, costume designer, program maker.”
Katie stepped forwards. “I’m in.”
Everyone looked at her in surprise. Katie couldn’t do it. She was too shy. She couldn’t read in front of a class, let alone a full audience.
Katie sounded confronted when she said, “I can do it. I can,” as much to herself as anyone else in the room.
Charlie looked at the others, they all nodded silently. “OK, you have you’re – what are they called? – actors.”
Sitting on the stage, five minutes later they still weren’t all convinced.
“You have to find us a play now. How do you plan on doing that?”
“Easy. Ben already found us one,” Joe replied. “’What are those Blue Remembered Hills?’” We can do Blue Remembered Hills. I was looking at all those scripts back there and I found it.”
“What’s it about?”
“These kids in the war, and it’s just basically their day to day life. But it’s also about this one kid who is bullied by the other children and abused by his mom and who’s a pyromaniac. It’s a good play but it’s quite sad.”
“How old are the kids? Like our age?”
“No, they’re 7.”
“What? How are we supposed to play seven year olds? Katie’s 14 and she’s the baby. I’m not that far off 17! I wont be able to play a 7 year old,” Keegan said.
Joe looked bemused. “You still don’t get it. That’s the whole point of acting. You can be anyone and any age in a play. The first people who did this play were in there 20’s. They managed it.”
“Who’s going like tell us what to do then?” Suzie asked.
“Direct it?” Everyone looked at Ben expectantly. “What me?”
“Why not?”
“’Cause I’ve never directed a play before.”
“’It’s not something you get taught, you can either do it or you can’t.’” Charlie laughed. Ben shrugged in submission.
Joe smiled. They were going to be amazing. He could tell all ready.




{Same as English Lesson -- I don't know where to put this, could you help out? Feel free to edit. The play is actually a real one, which i am doing at the moment but if you have a better idea for a play feel free to change it. I only really put this one in because it, i thought, would be useful to have a play which one of us has a copy of, which i do. So yeah. Hope you like this bit. See you next week. :) Lots of Love Clare xxxx (Sorry i had to sign in as you because it still wont let me edit certain bits off my account.) }