Lemons times five is Drip Action challenge

Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons is the intriguing title of the next production from Arundel's Drip Action theatre company.
Bill Brennan pic by Nigel CullBill Brennan pic by Nigel Cull
Bill Brennan pic by Nigel Cull

Written by Sam Steiner, it will be directed by Bill Brennan at The Victoria Institute, Tarrant Street, Arundel from Wednesday, March 21-Saturday, March 24.

“I am calling it romcom meets state censorship,” Bill says: “It’s the story of a relationship between a man and a woman and the ups and downs of the relationship, but underpinning it all is the idea that the state is passing a law that means you can speak only 140 words a day.

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“It is a two-hander, and we have got Tonya James and David Stephens appearing in it.

“They are in London and the man argues that the idea of limiting the number of words you can say is oppressive more to the poor and working classes particularly because richer people don’t need words so much because they have got the power.

“He goes on protests about it and they try to find ways to cope with 140 words together, and you think in the background that perhaps they could have protested more.

“It is not obviously set in the future but the fact that the state is able to pass this law suggests that there may have been some debate. Some of the piece is before the act has been passed. Before the act is passed, they are talking a lot.

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“After the act has been passed, they are trying to find ways around the limit, and you can see the effect this has on the relationship.

“It is never really made very clear what happens if they go over the limit. They are being monitored somehow. You just accept there is surveillance and everyone is being monitored without the writer ever really going into the mechanics of it all. It is all quite intriguing.

“We were just looking through books at plays we might do. We had something lined up for David that we could not get the rights for, and we found this two-hander which we thought would be good for us because David and Tonya work so well together. It was quite easy to put together, but it is a very demanding one for them to learn. I am directing and we are working together as a little threesome.”

As Bill says, it’s a play which fits into the interesting and different bracket the company is all about.

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The play comes as Drip Action moves on from last year’s 30th-anniversary celebrations, but they are continuing to mark their first 30 years with a display of pictures from past productions on their website, www.dripaction.com.

Tickets are available from The Book Ferret in Arundel in advance or limited numbers on the door, subject to demand.

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