Triptych. by Edwin Preece. a play in one act. by Edwin Preece. Published by Drama Association of Wales Registered Charity Number:

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1 by Edwin Preece 2012 Edwin Preece Characters: Isabel Dan Trevor Note: NO PERFORMANCE MAY BE GIVEN WITHOUT A LICENCE Performance Fee Code: Ch This Play is fully protected under world copyright A licence for public reading, performance or video rights must be obtained in advance from the publishers: a play in one act by Edwin Preece Published by Drama Association of Wales Registered Charity Number: Drama Association of Wales/Cymdeithas Ddrama Cymru Unit 2, The Maltings East Tyndall Street Cardiff CF24 5EA WALES United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) info@dramawales.org.uk ISBN A Drama Association of Wales Publication Printed in Wales by DAW

2 As the lights come up we see three characters in unusual poses. They are moving as if getting ready to be painted. ISABEL, a girl in her early twenties is sitting holding a cup of tea in her hand and staring intently at it; DAN, a boy in his late teens, is arranging himself in a provocative pose wearing only a pair of swimming trunks and TREVOR, also in his early twenties, is wearing the clothes of a street entertainer and is juggling three oranges. The lights on DAN and TREVOR fade as ISABEL speaks. I was sitting in a café when he found me. He said that he d never seen anybody concentrate so much while they were drinking a cup of tea, The thing was, I wasn t concentrating on the tea, I was trying to read a copy of Proust. It was on my knee. I wasn t reading it because I wanted to but because everybody at University seemed to have read it and I hadn t. Of course I didn t tell him that. The lights fade on Isabel and come up on Dan. I was posing. It was a blistering hot day and there was this girl the other side of the pool. I got the feeling she d clocked me so I stood there in me trunks. Yeah, I ve got to hold me hands up. I was posing. For the girl, not for him. The lights fade on Dan and come up on Trevor. I d been doing this juggling for the tourists in Covent Garden. Nice little earner once you d got the permit. He came out of the crowd. Told me he d been watching me, that I had this amazing expression when I was juggling and he d like to capture it. I didn t give anything away, well you meet all sorts in my line of work. The lights come up on DAN. Luckily I recognised him immediately he started talking to me. They made us do art appreciation in the sixth form. I think they called it General Studies. We did this whole lesson on him and at the time I was dead impressed with the way he caught people. Put them in these unusual poses that immediately caught your attention. To be honest at first, I wasn t sure what he was after. I was wary because I thought he was on the make but even at the start he had this take it or leave it air. Very casual. Come round to my studio in the morning, that s what he said it sounded like I could turn up or not. The choice was mine either way he made it 1

3 sound that it was no big deal to him. Then he strode back in to the crowd and climbed onto this huge Harley Davidson. People parted for him. I thought this guy s got some front. The Dies Irae from Mozart s Requiem is heard at a loud volume as the lights come up on Isabel. When he started on a painting he liked to play music on this old CD player lying on the floor of his studio. It had so much paint on it that I was surprised it even played the discs. They had paint on them too. Any kind of music so long at it inspired him. He had a Catholic taste. Sometimes it would be Mozart, other times Dolly Parton, he never ruled anything out, but it had to be turned up really loud. I often had to shout to make myself heard. (The music stops immediately.) At first I didn t say much, I was a bit in awe but after the first few sittings I asked him if he d mind painting my face without the freckles. I ve always been a bit self conscious about those. I soon learned that he never liked you making requests. He told me that it was his job to paint what he saw and of course he would paint my freckles. He got quite cross. Pointed his finger at me and said I should be proud I had freckles and that one day some man would kiss every one of them and that would be the man who was truly in love with me. He told me that he wanted to do several pictures of me. I was wary of that so I told him that I would only sit for other pictures under certain conditions. I had quite a nerve but I wasn t going to be taking my clothes off for some pervy old painter. I didn t realise he was Benedict St John. Can you believe that? Benedict St John at my outdoor pool the day I happen to be there. When he asked me if I minded him doing a painting of me I misunderstood. I thought he was going to whip out some paints and brushes and do me there and then but he told me to come to his studio the next day. I asked him what he wanted me to wear and he looked puzzled. As if I d asked him some really dumb question. So that s what I m known as Boy In Trunks posters of me in thousands of girls bedrooms all over the world. 2

4 Boy Juggling Oranges. I m usually found in the National Gallery but recently on loan to the Prado. After that first sitting when I found out who he was, I would have juggled oranges for ever for him. He had that effect. Made you think you were indispensible when you were sitting for him well I guess in a way I was. I mean without me there would no Boy Juggling Oranges. Or maybe there would be some other boy juggling oranges. I was never comfortable about calling him Benedict. A bit too poncy for me. I started to call him Ben almost from the beginning and he never said anything so I carried on. Made us sound more like mates. I was right. It was all about the poses. The poses were murder. I d have to sit holding a tea cup for hours. Long after my fingers went numb or I d get cramp. I d tell him, Benedict I need to put it down and he d always say the same thing, Just five more minutes. Nearly there. Though he was always considerate. Are you too hot? Too cold? Did I want a drink? What time was convenient for the next sitting? And he always made this big thing about lunch. Always took you out for a long liquid lunch. He loved that but I loved that part of it more. He called me Tre nobody ever called me that and yet in all the books that s how they name me. Tre. I think it sets me apart. He did have this one rule. You weren t allowed to see the painting until it was finished. I pestered him all through those first sittings for a glimpse. Just a sneak look. It wasn t negotiable. Once or twice I thought about taking a quick peep when he wasn t looking but I got the feeling that if I d done that I d have broken some bond between us. It would have been like stealing from him when his back was turned. 3

5 About the playwright Edwin Preece has written three full length plays. The first, The Cell was shortlisted from over 500 entries for the International Playwriting Festival at the Warehouse Theatre in Croydon, and in 2009, his play Da won the International Playwriting Competition. His second full length play 6 by 9 was shortlisted by Soho Theatre in London for the 2008 Verity Bathgate Award. His one act comedy, Cleaning Agents, enjoyed a run at the Lion and the Unicorn Theatre in London in His latest play Suffer the Little Children, has just been short listed for the Windsor Fringe Playwriting Competition. A COPY OF THIS SCRIPT IS AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE BY TELEPHONE or teresa@dramawales.org.uk leon@dramawales.org.uk Edwin is delighted that his play has been chosen as the winner of the Youth Section of the 2012 Drama Association of Wales One Act Play Writing Competition. A famous painter, Benedict St. John spots Isabel reading in a café and paints Girl Sipping Tea. The picture is an enormous success and soon Isabel is more than just his muse. But Benedict is restless and has seen Dan posing by a swimming pool to get the attention of an attractive girl, and Trevor entertaining tourists in Covent Garden. Benedict immortalises them all on canvas but when he decides that they should meet in real life, they don t discover why until much later. Drama Association of Wales Exists to provide opportunities for people to be creatively involved in drama, which is fun, and of a high standard. The Association runs the world s largest drama hire service and sends scripts and theatre books to members worldwide. As well as the library service, the Drama Association runs training courses and festivals and provides many other services for drama lovers. As a key function, the Association stimulates and publishes new playwriting. ISBN: