TOUCHSTONES 1
Ire la n
This play is set on 31 October 1978, in Thomond Park, Limerick. The mighty New Zealand All Blacks, the most feared rugby team on the planet, are on an Irish tour. They are in Limerick to take on the Munster Rugby team – and, to everyone’s surprise, they lose 12–0. In this play, there are a total of sixty-two characters, but both teams, plus fans, children, relatives and even a dog, are portrayed by a cast of six, with no props, no set and only a half-time change of shirt. None of the actors ever leaves the stage and when they are not part of the scene they freeze at the side of the stage. The physical performance of the actors is particularly important as they are portraying a rugby match on stage.
d
Alone It Stands by John Breen
Act 1: Scene 19
om pa ny
of
We see the scrum head on. Three players form the front row – from right to left, McLoughlin, Knight and Robertson – and we see the faces of the second row – Canniffe and Tucker – as their heads come between the thighs of the front row. The scrum half (the Ward actor with a New Zealand accent) stands to one side. MCLOUGHLIN: Feet dig in, claw at earth. ROBERTSON: Shoulder on buttock. CANNIFFE: Cheek on thigh. TUCKER: Arms under. SEAMUS: Steam rising. WARD: Breath foaming.
C
KNIGHT: Arms over.
na l
MCLOUGHLIN: Shoulders twisting, voices cursing. KNIGHT: Hooker watching. SEAMUS: Props crushing.
at io
TUCKER: Necks aching.
WARD: Deep heat burning.
CANNIFFE: Vaseline cooling.
uc
MCLOUGHLIN: Tempers fraying. SEAMUS: Fists flying.
Ed
WARD: Scrum half’s waiting.
CANNIFFE: Flankers farting. KNIGHT: Throats burning, eyes streaming.
e
MCLOUGHLIN: Scrum turning.
Th
WARD: Ref whistling.
©
SEAMUS: Prop’s rising. TUCKER: Ref talking.
WARD (in a Welsh accent): No more biting, gouging, punching or swearing, you. ROBERTSON: Right Ref, down we go. MCLOUGHLIN: Feet dig in. Claw at earth. CANNIFFE: Shoulder on buttock.
158 00_Touchstones1_Book.indb 158
08/03/2022 10:17
