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In the play, the family members were under a very strict set of rules; they couldn't make noise when turning on the light switch, clatter plates, etc. In this game, you change position as the night guard walks by, but you can't let him hear or see you moving.
With the simple setting, a lot times lights are used to create isolations and many times are used to show that the family can see Billy when no one else can. The show can be done on a small stage and one set can be used for the different locations. There aren't many props and the show relies more on the acting and story as opposed to design elements.
The show is mainly designed for mature audiences and an older age range.
Lawyer 1 is Susan and
Janet's lawyer.
The detective interviews Susan after she kills Billy.
The policeman is the one who discovers Billy's body at the scene.
Psychiatrist 1 is Mary's
psychiatrist
Lawyer 2 is Mary's lawyer
Psychiatrist 2 is the doctor for Susan and Janet
The police investigator goes with Mary to investigate the family's home after Billy's death
Billy is an abusive husband and father. He loves his family, shows his love by beatings and strict rules that cuts his family off from the rest of the world. In his childhood, Billy was neglected and abused. This is the only kind of family love he has ever known. He shows characteristics of a murderer and takes pleasure in having the control and having things his way. He has an assertive personality that causes fear in his family's hearts, even after his death.
As a young girl, Mary lost her mother and her father became an alcoholic. He was abusive and neglectful to Mary, but constantly apologizes for his behavior. Mary wants nothing but love from her father and no matter how horrible he is, Mary forgives him. She reacts the same to how Billy treats her. She has memories of when the two were young and happy, but as time wore on, she got use to the apologies and believes that he truly loved her.
At age 36, Susan is the oldest daughter of the family and is the one who shoots and kills Billy. She was sexually abused from a young age all the way into adulthood. She has a temper and talks back to those who try and understand her situation. Having no connection to the outside world, Susan is somewhat independent and determined.
Janet is the youngest member of the family, age 34, and the most troubled by her situation. She was emotionally distressed by her father and whenever he would go on tirades, she was left in tears. Emotionally trying to cope with her father's death, Janet still loves her family dearly.
McIntosh High School's Production.
Won Region One Act
Billy: Best Actor
Susan: Best Actress
Mary & Janet: All Star Cast
Billy is an abusive and controlling father and husband. After tormenting his family for years, his daughters shoot and kill him. As they are taken in by the police, they retell their story of growing up with a monster. They are constantly haunted by Billy's ghost, who still has control over the family. All the while the wife and daughters explain what they've endured, Billy tells his side of the story, how he grew up, and tells the audience that he loved his family so much, it made him the man he was. With his memory ever present, the rest of the family tries to move forward and start their lives over.
Shelagh Stephenson was born in Northumberland in 1955 and studied drama at Manchester University. Her writing career started out by writing radio dramas, including Darling Peidi, The Anitomical Venus, and Five Kinds of Silence. Her first stage play, The Memory of Water, premiered in 1996. Stephenson has gone on to write more stage and radio plays. She adapted Five Kinds of Silence (published by Samuel French) for a stage play in 2005, and her stage play, The Memory of Water, into a movie called Before You Go in 2002 starring Julie Walters.
Darling Peidi
The Anatomical Venus
Five Kinds of Silence (Writer's Guild Award for Best Radio Play & Sony Award for Best Original Drama)
Life is a Dream
Nemisis
The Memory of Water (Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy)
Five Kinds of Silence
An Experiment with an Air Pump (Peggy Ramsy Award)
Ancient Lights
Mappa Mundi
Enlightenment
The Long Road