
i was wondering through town yesterday, and saw this wedding dress in a charity shop
After the opening scene (twenty to nine)
We group together, school
Their first meeting
Estella: Is there something the matter?
Havisham (lauren): I’m thinking
Havisham (danni): No, I’m not alright
Havisham: (rosie): did you bring your novel?
(gets the book, begins to read)
Lauren: read to me your favourite passage
Claude: cordiality, do you know the meaning of this word?
Estella: No…
Rosie: you must understand, I expect you to remember your lessons
Claude: Go and get your journal, Estella
Estella: yes, I’ll go and get it now
Rosie: Yes, you must
Lauren: I want you to write down what I tell you
Danni: you need to write
Rosie: you mustn’t believe in any man
Claude: The is no truth
Danni: he lied, all men lie
Estella: shall I write it down ?
Rosie/Lauren: Yes
Danni: You Must
Claude: you will Lock away your heart
Estella: He… (Begins to write)
Rosie: no, ‘you’
Lauren. (Changes the you/ Your to ‘I and My’
Claude: Why must you do that?
Estella: Because you told me to
Danni: to protect your heart from breaking
Rosie: Have you not remembered anything I’ve told you? All men will break your heart
Claude: Who will break it?
Estella: The man
Danni: All men
Estella: all men
Havisham: Estella! Come inside.
Estella: Who is this boy?
Havisham: Estella, this boy’s name is Pip. Isn’t Estella beautiful Pip? Say hello to Estella Pip.
Pip: Hello.
Havisham: You must greet her like a gentleman… kiss her hand.
Pip: Yes miss.
Estella offers her hand to Pip, he goes to kiss it but Estella draws her hand away at the last moment.
Estella: Your hands are dirty boy.
Havisham: Estella, allow Pip to kiss your hand.
Pip kisses Estella’s hand and she wipes it in disgust.
Havisham: Give our guest a tour of the room Estella.
Estella: Come along boy. Pay attention, if you can.
This painting on the wall is very old. It is a painting of London. Have you
ever been to London boy? (Pip goes to answers but Estella interrupts) Of
course you haven’t. Only gentlemen have any business going to London.
The painting is a water-colour. Have you ever seen a water-colour before?
Pip: No, I’ve never see…
Estella: Of course, you haven’t. You’re a common boy with coarse, common dirty
hands.
Pip: I’m not…
Estella: Oh you do speak so common as well. Let us move along.
Pip: Who are the people in this painting?
Havisham: I’m bored of this now. Entertain me.
Estella: Yes boy, entertain us.
Pip: How should I entertain you miss?
Havisham: Sing us a song.
Pip: I only know one song.
Estella: Sing us the song you know then.
Pip hesitates and is embarrassed but caves in to their insistence.
Pip (singing): Thus you were to hammer boys round old clem
With a thump and a sound old clem
Beat it out, beat it out old clem
With a clink for the stout old clem
Blow the fire, blow the fire old clem
Roaring dryer, soaring higher old clem
Estella (Laughing at him): Have you ever sung before boy?
Pip: Yes I have.
Estella: To whom?
Pip: To Mrs Joe Gargery.
Estella: She must be deaf, your voice terrible. I should never like to hear that shrill
again.
Havisham: Estella, we must be nice to our guest. Both of you, play a game for my
amusement.
Estella: A game of cards. Come over here boy. Do you know how to play beggar my
neighbour?
Pip: Yes. I play it with Mr Joe.
Estella: Good. Here are your cards. You start the game.
Pip and Estella play the game. Throughout, Estella cheats and uses this to pretend Pip is stupid and doesn’t know how to play.
Estella: I win. You’re terrible at cards and singing. Are you good at anything?
Pip: But you did not win. You cheated.
Estella: How dare you accuse me of that, I do not cheat. Cheating is very unladylike.
You just do not know how to play the game, you stupid ignorant boy.
Havisham: Pip, you should never make accusations to a young lady.
Pip: Sorry miss.
Havisham and Estella share a knowing look
Estella: I’m tired of this game. Come, play with my hair.
Surely you’re capable of that.
Estella sits as Pip gently plays with her. He enjoys this opportunity.
Estella: Who is this Mrs Joe Gargery you spoke of?
Pip: She is my sister.
Estella: Do you live with her?
Pip: Yes, and Mr Joe Gargery also. They are my guardians.
Estella: Where is your mother?
Pip: She has paased…
Estella: So she abandoned you. She must have not loved you very much if she could
leave you all alone.
Pip: I would like to go home now Miss Havisham, if I may. Mr Joe is going to be
Looking for me. He needs my help at the forge.
Havisham: You may leave Pip. I want you to return again at this same time next
week. Tell Mr Gargery that I favour you to come to my house regularly
and play with Estella.
Pip: yes miss, thank you.
Pip goes to leave
Havisham: Estella.
Estella (offering Pip her hand): You have forgotten something boy.
Pip comes back and kisses Estella’s hand before kissing Havisham’s hand.
Havisham: Goodbye Pip.
Pip: Goodbye Miss, goodbye Estella.
Twenty to nine.
She haunts every single one of my thoughts, relentlessly, she won’t give me peace. Whether I close my eyes or glare into the distance she appears. And stays. Staring at me, taunting me.
She dances and cuts through me. Dragging him along with a sickening twisted smile,
Twenty to nine.
I’m still waiting for the man who never came up our aisle. The knots and sickening sinking feeling has never subsided, he never came. I’ve been left, wanton. At twenty to 9….
Waiting.
I have no concept of months of the year, or days of the week.
He must have been with her for months whilst with me. I’d shared him unknowingly. When complaining of a headache and excusing himself he would have slunk away to bed her. I can remember the foreign smell that lingered around his neck, as I gently tried to kiss him. The stench of her. Overpowering me.
The parts of him I touched and caressed were tainted with her. It was all stained
Her fingers still drag along my wedding table and all that I’ve kept so careful in this room. her mark is everywhere, she suffocates all of it. The room is heavy with her stench of perfume.
Her claws tap. And tap. And tap.
Characteristics:
Flowing dress, that sweeps over everything
Intensely staring
Distanced. Fleeting
Going behind, turning a corner, a glimpse of red- of her
Watching from afar
By herself.
Angular, fingers tapping on table.
Twenty to Nine
I’m still waiting.
He never came.
Waiting
The knots and sickening sinking feeling.
Never subsided
I feel it.
At Twenty to nine my heart stopped.
Aching to beat.
Dusted.
The chamber blackened.
It’s heavy.
Suffocating.
delicate
So delicate.
At twenty to nine;
The stench.
These walls.
Stained.
Burnt red.
Weep
Weeping.
Wept
I weep
And I can’t forget
At twenty to nine
I danced
At twenty to nine
I stopped
Twenty to nine
It was twenty to nine
Always twenty to nine
forever