Robert Burns - Blackheath Arts

THE REDUNDANTS

A DRAMA SET IN A GOVERNMENT TRAINING CENTRE ON A BLEAK INDUSTRIAL ESTATE IN A RUN DOWN PART OF SOUTH EAST LONDON.

CONCERNED WITH THE REACTIONS OF TEN LONG TERM UNEMPLOYED MEN AS THEY COMPLETE A MANDATORY ‘RESTART COURSE’ UNDER THE EAGLE EYE OF A FORMIDABLE COURSE DIRECTOR, THE PLAY POWERFULLY CONVEYS THE TRAGEDY CAUSED BY UNEMPLOYMENT AND POVERTY IN OUR SO CALLED ‘PROGRESSIVE’ SOCIETY.
ALTHOUGH WRITTEN ALMOST TWENTY YEARS AGO IN THE EARLY NINETEEN NINETIES MANY OF THE SUBJECTS BROACHED IN THE PLAY ARE BOTH TOPICAL AND CONTAIN FAR REACHING IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIETY AS A WHOLE.

FOR THE HUMAN COST OF UNEMPLOYMENT AND THE CRASS GOVERMENTAL TREATMENT OF GENERATIONS OF DISCARDED WORKERS IS STILL RELEVANT TODAY.

CHARACTERS.

1	RACHEL BENNETT	The Training Course Director.
2	STEVE STEVENS	The Assistant Course Director.
3	DEIDRE PAINE	The Observer from the DSS.

THE REDUNDANTS

1	JEFF CHANDLER	A Builder with a bad back.
2	JOHN BULL	Ex Army man with 14 years service and 4 children.
3	MICHAEL FLAHERTY	53 year old ex fitter with chronically sick parents.
4	VIC JONES	Former Convict and Ex Builder, who has not worked for 5 years.
5	JOE DANSON	A man just released from Belmarsh Prison with no place to stay.
6	AYUB MEHMET	A Turkish man with an MBA/MA degree, who speaks with a marked Foreign accent.
7	WILLIAM CARTER	A former psychiatric patient, who has not worked for ten years.
8	TREVOR WILLIAMS	Another severely damaged former psychiatric patient, who was once a highly paid printer.
9	HAROLD BAKER	A man with a totally dependant sick wife.
10	DOMINIC BRADLEY	A former Chief Accountant.

	ACT ONE.
1	THE RESTART RULES.	7.36
2	BREAK IN THE YARD	2.46
3	PERSONAL INTRODUCTIONS	12.11
4	RUMOURS OF A PLANT.	11.52
5	A WARNING FROM THE COURSE DIRECTOR.	11.44

	TOTAL RUNNING TIME.	46.09

	ACT TWO.
1	THE START OF ONE TO ONE.	4.20
2	THE PILLORY OF WILLIAM CARTER.	2.38
3	THREATS AND FRICTION	3.38
4	A LITTLE PRIVATE INFORMATION.	1.34
5	A FIGHT BREAKS OUT.	13.26
6	THE CONTRACT AND THE DSS.	2.05
7	ENROLMENT DAY AND CHARGES PENDING	12.25
8	THE TRAGEDY OF WILLIAM CARTER.	2.39

	TOTAL RUNNING TIME	42.37
	OVERALL RUNNING TIME	88.46

THE REDUNDANTS

Music

Drama

Verse