Penalty / A Candle on the Table
by
Stephen Smith / Patricia Clapp
SYNOPSIS
Penalty:
In a hotel room in Azerbaijan, Howard wakes up with a monster hangover. Proffering English tea and sympathy is ministry official, Yellena. Slowly, it emerges that Howard, who is to referee an important international football, has disgraced himself the previous evening at a dinner to welcome the UEFA officials. Or has he ? Yellena plays Howard like a fish, first cajoling then trying to blackmail him into agreeing to award a penalty to the Azerbaijan team at the evening`s match. And just when Howard thinks he`s in control, Yellena springs another surprise...
Award winning two hander in which the author played the role of Howard in the premiere. Inspired by his five year stint as a football referee. Two very strong and satisfying acting roles that keep the audience`s attention right up to the shock ending. In 2012 translated into Romanian and performed by the National Theatre of Bucharest.
A Candle on the Table:
Three elderly women meet at a lunch table on their first day in a home for senior citizens. A candle placed there by the matron awakens different memories in each. To the frivolous, friendly ex-actress Maribeth Garrity, candles belong with champagne and flowers. To Miss Tolliver, a children's nursemaid, they speak of childhood poverty when candles gave the only light. To the aristocratic Mrs. Bramson, they mean the formal meals which only emphasized the emptiness of her life. The lunchtime conversation reveals some surprising aspects of the lives and personalities of the three women, and culminates in a friendship and an affirmative decision. Sensitively drawn characters, gentle humor, and a generous dash of truth.
DIRECTOR
Dustin Rees (Penalty)
Steven Brindley (A Candle on the Table)