Elbum By Morgan Sproxton This play was commissioned as part of TEN and first performed in March 2019 by 55 members of Hull Truck Theatre’s Young Company. TEN featured 10 ten-minute plays, each based on a year in the decade since Hull Truck Theatre moved in to its Ferensway home. This play was inspired by the news that in 2015 teenage pregnancy was at its lowest level in 70 years. Plot Set on a hospital ward, Sammi is visited by friends and family who wish to know how she is feeling. Notes: Recommended for 14+. This play contains references to teenage pregnancy, sex and pornography. When a character speaks it says their name in bold on the left side of the page with their dialogue on the right. Text in italics are stage directions and describe visually what the audience see on stage. About the playwright: Morgan Sproxton is a playwright and dramatist from Hull. She began her writing career at Hull Truck Theatre and has since worked with the Royal Court Theatre, Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Silent Uproar.
ELBUM By Morgan Sproxton The number of teenage pregnancies in the UK is at the lowest level in 70 years and marks the beginning of a predicted decline. (Office of National Statistics, 2015) CHARACTERS: Sammi Katy Rochelle Jacob Mat Elbum A hospital ward. SAMMI lies on a bed. She is asleep. KATY and ROCHELLE enter. They are chatting and giggling. KATY: So, I’m like yeah I’ll go to The Deep with you but I’m not even looking at the Sting Rays. Murdering litle bastards. My mam said you used to be able to stroke them but then someone got killed by one and now they’re off limits. I said, clues in the name mam, Sting Ray. Sting. Ray. ROCHELLE: (mumbles) Maybe she could come to the hospital instead of taking the kids to The Deep? (nods to SAMMI) Let’s not wake her up. KATY: If we don’t wake her up what’s the point in even being here? Could have just sent her a text. Anyway, The Deep was planned ages ago. Y’know, before. ROCHELLE: She probably needs to sleep loads. KATY: Yeah well. I’m missing The Deep for this. ROCHELLE: Yeah, prety sure people will understand. You know, considering. KATY: (whispers) Sammi. ROCHELLE: She’s probably had summat to make her sleep. KATY: (whispers) Sammi. SAMMI is still asleep so KATY walks over and puts her face very close to SAMMI. KATY: (whispers) Sammi! (louder) SAMMI! SAMMI wakes up with a start. Groans. Holds her stomach. SAMMI: Hi. KATY: Hi? Hi? Is that all you can say? Our mams in tears. Tears! SAMMI: Is she here? KATY: Course she int here. She’s dying of shame. And she’s at The Deep with Jackson and Jamie. SAMMI: Oh.
KATY: Yeah “oh”. Yeah “oh” alright. You haven’t even phoned her. She sent a Whatsapp message for you. Hang on. KATY gets out her phone and scrolls. (reads) Why didn’t you tell me you? You could have come to me. I don’t know who you are no more. SAMMI: (quietly) Any more. KATY: (continues to read) You have broke my heart. The trust is gone. Beat. Do you want owt from the gift shop? ROCHELLE: How are you feeling? SAMMI: I’m just in a litle bit of pain right now to be honest – KATY: Honest? Honest? There’s nowt honest about you. (raises voice) In fact, if I’m gonna be honest and I think I have every right, I would say – ROCHELLE: We was so worried. KATY: Yeah. Worried. SAMMI: Can you get me a glass of water? KATY: Always the same. So bloody selfish. It’s all about you, you, you, isn’t it? SAMMI tries to sit up but falls back down and groans. ROCHELLE: We’ll get you a glass of water. Maybe a sugary tea? They start to leave. SAMMI: The kitchens at the end of the corridor and turn left then it’s the room on the right. KATY: (mimics) “The room on the right” yeah, not too ill to bark instructions, though, are you? They leave. ELBUM appears from under the bed and does a cartwheel. ELBUM: Smelly Katy. She hasn’t changed. SAMMI: No? ELBUM: Absolutely not. SAMMI: Consistency. At least there’s consistency. Everything else feels a bit weird right now. ELBUM: She’s always been jealous. First of your Barbie dolls and now of your situation. And your socks. SAMMI: My socks? ELBUM: She’s wearing your socks. Took them out of your drawer a few months ago. Thought you wouldn’t notice. She’s got three pairs of yours now. SAMMI: Well, she doesn’t have any money. She’s looking for a Saturday job… ELBUM: Sock thief! That’s a job isn’t it? SAMMI smiles.
That’s beter! I recognise that face. This (swirls around the room) What are you we doing here? I mean, really? This wasn’t what I imagined for us. Pause. Why can’t you small again? Small was great! Don you wish you could go back? SAMMI: Back to being 3 or 4? Erm, no thanks. Back to a couple of days ago: yes. Few months ago: Definitely. Then I wouldn’t be in absolute and complete agony! ELBUM: (sceptical) Really? What about the drugs? Take the drugs. Your sister would. Pause. The nurses will come in and tell you off if you don’t. SAMMI: They won’t. People don’t tell me off anymore. I’m practically an adult now. ELBUM: Adult? Hahaa. Who wants to be an adult? SAMMI: I think I am. I don’t think there’s any going back from this. ELBUM: It’s an odd choice. SAMMI: It was my choice. ELBUM: Oh everyone always says that. About everything. Like choices are even a thing. Anyway, what about those two? SAMMI: Them? (points to the door) They’ve gone to get some tea. ELBUM: No, not those fools. These fools… JACOB and MATT enter. They sit on the edge of SAMMI’S bed. They are engaged in conversation. SAMMI: What the hell? (she pulls her blankets up around herself) ELBUM: They can’t hear you. Or see you. Maybe they never could… SAMMI: Ssssh! SAMMI and ELBUM watch on as JACOB and MATT talk. JACOB: What are you gonna do then? MATT: I dunno. JACOB: What does she wanna do? MATT: Keep it. Get rid. I dunno. We haven’t talked about it. JACOB: Jeez. You should talk about it. MATT: My GCSEs though. JACOB: It will live with her, right? You won’t even need to be getting up in the night. There’s her, her sister, her mam, her brothers. You probably won’t be involved anyway. MATT: I can’t imagine not being involved but my parents will kill me. JACOB: Maybe you won’t have to tell them. Maybe it won’t get that far. MATT: I like her. I do. But not that much. You know? Not like, forever. JACOB: You could have just watched it on the internet. You didn’t have to, like, do it. Like, in person.
MATT: Yeah, I know. JACOB: She might make the right decision. Don’t be panicking yet. MATT: I dunno. JACOB: You’ll be alright. It’ll be easy to disappear. You just stop answering their texts, avoid them at lunch and break, stop catching the bus, start walking home, avoid her mates. Sorted. MATT: Listen to you, talking like you’re a wanted man. JACOB: You can disappear anywhere. Even in Hull. It dunt even mater if your cousin knows her cousin. MATT: Let’s just keep it quiet for now. Got it? I don’t want this getting about. JACOB: Got it. They exit. SAMMI: What did you show me that for? ELBUM: Clarity. SAMMI: I’m kind of in a vulnerable position right now. ELBUM: Just making sure that you realise that they don’t care. SAMMI: You’re harsh. I know they don’t care. I have tried to talk to Mat. He just shrugs. You don’t have to spell it out for me. ELBUM: Maybe it’s my revenge… SAMMI: What? Revenge? You’re supposed to be my best friend. Sammi and Elbum forever. You made me write it on the bathroom wall at Nana’s in red sharpie. ELBUM: Maybe I got sick of getting the blame. For EVERYTHING. SAMMI: What? ELBUM: (puts on childish voice) “Elbum ate the last cake!” “Elbum splashed the bathwater all over the floor” “Elbum pinched you, it wasn’t me.” “Elbum put the cat in the washing machine” you only called me El-Bum so that you could use the rudest word you knew over and over again. Even my name is an excuse to get away with stuff. SAMMI: Did Mat really say all that? I mean, I knew of course, but to hear it confirmed. It’s kind of sad. ELBUM: It’s very sad. Who’s gonna change all the nappies? Your mum who isn’t talking to you? Your sister who can’t even remember to feed the hamster? SAMMI: I don’t know. ELBUM: And what about feeding? You’re gonna have this tiny thing atached to you. Forever. SAMMI: You were atached to me. ELBUM: I am atached to you. We don’t disappear. We hang around forever. SAMMI: If we go back…what would we do?
ELBUM: We would go to the seaside probably. Remember looking for starfish? Sammi, you just ran straight into the sea. Soon as you saw it. Right in you went. Right up to your neck. You might have carried on going. But I stopped you, remember? SAMMI: Oh yeah. You saved my life. ELBUM: And then the firework? That night when I told you not to pick up the firework? I think I deserve some credit there too. I never did hear a thank you. SAMMI: (mumbles) Yeah, cheers. And what about now? Are you back to save my life again? ELBUM: Just here to remind you. SAMMI: I do remember. It was such a long time ago though. ELBUM: Would you like to come back? Back with me? Just Sammi and Elbum? Like in the old days? SAMMI: I don’t think I can. Everything has changed. ELBUM: Typical. You grow up and turn your back. And we’re still shouting after you and laughing at all the stuff you’re laughing at and waiting for you to spot us in the corner and waiting for you to put out an extra plate at the tea table. But you never do. SAMMI: And you don’t grow up, that’s your problem. I mean, look at me! I can’t go back now, can I? I can’t just leave her. ELBUM looks at SAMMI closely. ELBUM: (quietly) No. ELBUM starts filling her pockets with things from the hospital. I guess this is goodbye then. I don’t want to hang around too long. Was nice to see you and all that. SAMMI: Thanks for coming. ELBUM pauses. ELBUM: Can you still do this? (she pats her head and circles her stomach) SAMMI: Yes. But not right now. ELBUM: Good. Just checking. SAMMI watches as ELBUM prepares to leave. SAMMI: Listen, you don’t have to go. You were a good friend. We had fun. There might be someone else who needs a partner in crime. Who just needs someone to see all the magic with. ELBUM: Really? SAMMI: Yes. Well, maybe. ELBUM: And it could be me. And her? SAMMI: It could be. ROCHELLE enters. Breathless and smiling.
ELBUM dives under the bed. ROCHELLE: They’re bringing her to your room! I just saw her! She’s properly beautiful! And she’s all well now. She’s really – she’s coming in. Your baby! How exciting is that? SAMMI: (a cautiously smile) Yes.