Earthquakes in London was first performed in the Cottesloe Theatre at the National Theatre on 4 August 2010, in a co-productionMarina with Headlong Theatre. The cast was as follows: Earthquakes in London Tom Young Robert Lucy May Barker By Mike Bartlett Grace I Receptionist I Jogger Gary Carr Simon/ Roy Brian Ferguson Colin Polly Frame Carter To m Godwin Peter To m Goodman-Hill Businessman I Daniel I Student I Michael Gould Doctor Harris I Barman Bryony Hannah Mrs Andrews Supermarket Worker I Clive Hayward Young Man I Tim Anne Lacey Freya Robert Syrus Lowe Jasmine Anna Madeley Casey I Old Woman I Sally I Bill Paterson Liberty Jessica Raine Steve Sarah Maggie Service Geoffrey Streatfeild Lia Williams All other parts playedEarthquakes by members in London of the Company. This version of was first performed at Theatre Royal Plymouth on 22 September 2011, in a Headlong Theatre and National Theatre co-production. TheSimon cast I Roy was Ias WWII follows: Officer I Polar Bear I Passer by 1 Understudy I Dance Captain Peter I Mother Ben Addis Tom Sam Archer Colin Helen Cripps Kurt Egyiawan Sean Gleeson Marina I Mother I Understudy Act One Steve Mrs Andrews Siubhan Harrison Sarah John Hollingworth ProperAct TwoCoffee Jasmine Maggie McCourt Supermarket Worker I Casey I Tracy-Ann Oberman Old Woman I Liberty I Mother Lucy Phelps All ActThe Three Mothers Carter I Daniel I Police OfficerI Dr Harris Nicola Sangster Robert MadAct FourBitch Grace I Receptionist I Mother I Gyuri Sarossy Jogger Paul Shelley Young Robert I Business Man I ThomasAct Five Hood Scammer I Bar Man I Dr Tim I Natalie Thomas Passer by 2 Freya Certain Destruction Joseph Thompson The play is presented using as much set, props and costume as Leah Whitaker possible. The stage should overflow with scenery, sound, backdrops, lighting, projection, etc. Everything is represented. It is too much. DirectorAll other parts played by members of the Company. The play is about excess, and we should feel that. Set Designer Scenes crash into each other impolitely. They overflow, overlap. The Costume DesignerRu pert Goold production should always seem at risk of descending into chaos but Lighting DesignerMiriam Buether never actually do so. Music Katrina Lindsay Projection Designer Howard Harrison ( I ) means the next speech begins at that point ChoreographerAlex Baranowski ( - ) means the next line interrupts Sound Designer Jon Driscoll (. .. ) at the end of a speech means it trails off On its own it Company Voice WorkScott Ambler indicates a pressure, expectation or desire to speak. Gregory Clarke Project developed for HeadlongJeannette Nelson A line with no full stop at the end indicates that the next speech follows on immediately. by Ben Power A speech with no written dialogue indicates a character deliberately Tour directed by The creative team for the 2011 UK tour included: remaining silent. Associate Set Designer Lighting Designer Caroline Steinbeis Blank space between speeches in the dialogue indicates a silence Associate Projection DesignerLucy Sierra equal to the length of the space. Associate Projection DesignerTim Mitchell Associate Choreographer Emily Harding Paul Kenah Steve Kirkham Characters Act One Grace Prologue Freya Steve 1968 Jasmine Cambridge. Tom Colin Black and white. Sarah Simon Robert Crannock ison a date with Grace, who iswearing a floral Supermarket Worker dress; They eat. Robert isawkward. Peter '2525' is playing quietly in the background. Attendant Businessman Robert I'm sorry if the letter was too forward. Robert Grace I liked the letter. Mrs Andrews Many Students Robert I got carried away, I'm sorry. Many Swimmers Carter Grace No. Daniel Robert I didn't mean to sound strange. Roy Young Man Grace It wasn't strange. I liked it. Love letters in my Fifteen Mothers with pushchairs pigeon-hole. Romantic. Old Woman What do you do Robert? I mean I know Second World War Officer you're a postgraduate, but what exactly do Receptionist Tim you ... do. Maryna Robert I'm doing a doctorate Liberty Emily Grace In? Usher Robert Atmospheric conditions on other planets. Police Officer Commuters Grace Other planets? Like aliens? Passer by 1 Robert Some of the work is to do with finding life Passer by 2 Other passers by yes. Doctor Harris Grace Like Star Trek? Nurse Robert Well ... NASA are interested, so - Grace You're joking? 8 Earthquakes in London Act One 9 Robert No. Grace Right. Grace NASA? Robert But as I say, NASA are interested. Robert Yes. She looksat him. Grace Wow. Grace So all the time, every bit of life, animals, Robert Yes. humans, everything, change the environment. Grace Wow. Robert Yes. You are right now. The room is entirely different because you're in it. Robert Grace You think? Grace So how do you know? If there's life? Robert Doesn't matter what I think. The atmosphere Robert Well, all life gives off excretions of some kind. Gases, minerals. in this room is completely dependent on how much you move, whether you talk, if you've Grace We all give offgases? got a cold, how hot you are. Robert Yes. Grace How hot I am? Grace Even girls? Robert Yes. Imagine if we all came in with a fever, Robert And all these gases - the room would get much hotter, and then we'd get even hotter as a result, our fever Have you researched this? Grace I would get worse and the room would Robert These excretions, from all of these creatures, become hotter in turn and so on and so on, they go up into the atmosphere, and you can upwards and upwards. imagine globally they would make quite a difference to its composition. So it follows Grace Hotter and hotter. that if we could accurately measure the Robert Exactly. composition of gases in the atmosphere of a planet like Mars, we could tell whether there Sorry. Whittering on. Supposed to be a date. was life. I like your dress. Grace And? Grace No, Robert, you've raised a very important question. Robert What? Robert Really? Grace Is there? Grace Yes. How hot do you think I am? Robert We don't know. Grace Oh. Robert How hot? Robert We haven't done it yet. Not enough funding. Grace How. Hot. 10 Earthquakes in London Act One 11 Robert Well ... Proper Coffee Oh. You mean ... A· kettle boils. 2010 Grace It's 1968. It's the summer. We're young. We Freya's face isolated. Freya is singing along to a cover of '2525 can do what we want. Venice Beat' ft Tess Timony. She loves it. Robert puts his hand on her forehead. he sings some more. She smiles. We see Freya. She is pregnant, wearing a man's shirt and making Robert Above average. coffee �n her kitchen. She has headphones on and dances. A television is on as well. She smiles, and puts her hand on his head. Everything is done in rhythm coffee, kettle sugar eats a Grace Boiling. - ... ... spoonfulherself So what happens now? We see Steve in the shower. He hears her singing - bemused. They look at each other. Steve Freya? '2525' plays - gets louder. Cross fade scene and music into - Freya keeps on singing. Steve Freya! Freya sings a bit more then takes a headphone out. The music is quieter. What? Steve What are you I singing? Freya I'm making coffee. Steve What? Freya Coffee! Do you want some? Steve Proper coffee? Freya It's always proper coffee. Steve What? Freya It's always proper coffee, I no one drinks instant. 12 Earthquakes in London Act One 13 Steve What? I can't hear you! I'm in the shower! I Sarah Who's Casey? can't hear you! Simon By the wallchart? Under the window? Freya dances. The music becomes background in Starbucks. Why's she going? Pregnant? Tom enters and offers a coffee to Jasmine. Simon Redundant. Tom Full fat latte, two brown sugars, cream on top. Sarah Oh. Jasmine Do I know you? Simon She's the chaff we talked about. Tom Thought I'd do the honours. Did I get it Sarah Right. Yes. Right. right? Simon Smaller government. That's your policy. Jasmine Don't know yet what does Rohypnol taste of?. Sarah Not my policy Simon. She drinks a bit. Simon I'm afraid so, minister. What sort of plants Tom It was Marxist Criticism. We used to get our do you want? You mean flowers? coffees at the same time. I liked the look of Sarah Here's ten for Casey. No not flowers. Flowers you, remembered your order. I'm To m. are dead. We want some life round here. Get Jasmine Yeah. a cheese plant. They still have those? Tom You'reJasmine. I heard you dropped out. Freya continues to make the coffee. Watches television at the same time. Jasmine I had an argument with my lecturer. Colin is in a supermarketand approaches a young assistant. Tom What about? Colin Excuse me. Jasmine Charles Dickens. Do you smoke? Sarah They had them in the eighties. Tom I can. Colin I'm looking for a guava. Jasmine Good boy. S. Worker A what? Sarah appears, talking to Simon, her assistant. Colin A guava. Sarah There aren't any plants. S. Worker What's that? Jasmine Let's take this outside. Colin It's a vegetable. Sarah Department of climate change, massive office and nothing's green. It's ridiculous. S. Worker Right. Colin Possibly a fruit. Simon It's on the list. And you need to put something in for Casey. She's leaving. S. Worker Vegetables and shit are over there. 14 Earthquakes in London Act One 15 Colin I'm sorry? Tom You don't look like a menace.