Extract from REALIFE TV
REALIFE TV - Read Actors & Writers of London, November 2006,
directed Harry Saks
1hr 50mins 2M 2F
For reading AWL:
Angela - Nadia Ostacchini
Carl - Peter Pawan
Helen - Annie Overton
Jason - Clive Ward
PLOT SYNOPSIS:
Angela, a young tv documentarist for a ‘human interest’ slot, begins to
get involved in the lives she’s documenting. Is she there simply to
observe or should she make things happen - for the better of course? And
exactly who’s to blame for the explosive consequences of her actions -
her or the company?
CAST:
CARL..........husband - disturbed - suffers from
selective memory syndrome
HELEN.........wife - can’t live with him because of
instability of relationship
ANGELA.......documentary producer - talented and driven
EXTRACT:
Angela has engineered and filmed a meeting between Carl and his
estranged wife, Helen in a secret location. Unknown to Angela Carl then
follows her to Helen's house and bursts in on her. Now the situation
threatens to boil over and this time for real.
PLACE: living room in a flat on a social housing estate
ANGELA: Prove you’ve changed Carl. Prove you can control your temper.
Now’s the time. Get that temper under control.
CARL SMILES AND RELAXES. THE CUT IS NOT SERIOUS
CARL: Okay. I will. I’ll prove it. Changed. Look, I’m smiling. Even
though you’ve just knifed me.
HELEN: I never knifed you.
CARL: I knifed myself did I?
HELEN: An accident’s no one’s fault. Like when you crashed the car and
broke Ollie’s legs.
CARL: Driving a car and using a knife aren’t the same.
HELEN: I didn’t use a knife, I held a knife.
CARL RELAXES. HE MOVES AWAY FROM HELEN. HE STILL HOLDS THE KNIFE
CARL: I’m bleeding.
ANGELA: (TO CARL) Hold your arm up. Stop the flow. (CARL HOLDS HIS ARM
UP)
ANGELA LOOKS AT WOUND
HELEN STANDS UP PAINFULLY
ANGELA: Got a bandage we can wrap round?
HELEN: (NOT LISTENING) Um?
ANGELA: A cloth? To stop the bleeding.
HELEN: I haven’t got a cloth.
ANGELA: …Anything that we can tie here (INDICATES CARLS UPPER ARM)
HELEN EXITS INTO KITCHEN
SHE RE-ENTERS WITH A WIPING UP CLOTH
ANGELA TAKES IT, WRAPS IT ROUND CARL’S BICEP. AS SHE DOES…
CARL: (TO HELEN) I’ve never used a weapon on you.
HELEN: What are your hands if they’re not weapons?
CARL: If I’m violent, what are you? Waving your knife? Threatening me.
HELEN: I did it to scare you.
CARL: You didn’t scare me. You stabbed me!
HELEN: Get out of my house and you won’t have to worry!
HELEN EXITS BACK INTO KITCHEN
CARL INSPECTS HIS NEW BANDAGE
CARL: Stopped?
ANGELA: It will.
CARL: What I get for trying to be nice.
HELEN COMES BACK WITH A MUG IN EACH HAND. IN THE MUGS - BOILING WATER
HELEN: This time I mean it! Are you going?
CARL: When I’ve seen my kids.
HELEN: If you don’t leave now, I’ll throw this over you. D’you know what
it is?
CARL: Cuppa soup?
HELEN: It’s boiling water. Now…piss off.
CARL: I gave you my answer.
HELEN: I’m warning you!
CARL: I’m not leaving here till I’ve seen my kids. Now sit down and shut
up.
CARL SUDDENLY STANDS AND LUNGES AT HELEN
HE TRIES TO KNOCK MUGS OUT OF HER HANDS
AS HELEN AVOIDS THE LUNGE, SHE THROWS THE MUGS OF WATER OVER CARL’S FACE
HE SCREAMS. HE SLAMS HIS HANDS OVER HIS EYES, DROPPING KNIFE
HE GOES BLINDLY FOR HELEN
ANGELA TRIES TO KEEP THEM APART
CARL THROWS HELEN OUT OF WAY. HE GETS TO HELEN. HE STARTS TO BEAT HER
BLINDLY, IN AGONY FROM HIS BURNS
ANGELA TRIES TO PULL HIM OFF
AS ANGELA IS PULLING CARL OFF HELEN, HELEN’S HAND COMES ACROSS KNIFE ON
FLOOR
HELEN: I’ve got the knife. Get off me! Get off!
CARL IGNORES HER. HELEN HOLDS KNIFE UPWARDS, POINT TOWARDS CARL.
HELEN: Carl get fucking off, get off get off! Please get off!
CARL SQUIRMS AGAINST HER IN A RAGE OF ANGER AND PAIN. HE PUSHES ON HER
CHEST
SUDDENLY HE CRIES AND GOES LIMP
HELEN: Carl? Carl? Why’ve you…?
CARL SLUMPS OFF HER AND LIES ON FLOOR, MOANING
ANGELA SEES BLOOD ON CARPET
ANGELA: ...Carl, are you alright? Why aren’t you saying anything Carl?
Carl, say something.
HELEN: Carl?
CARL MOANS IN AGONY. ANGELA RUNS TO PHONE
HELEN PUSHES CARL RIGHT OFF HER
HELEN: I told you I would. I warned you. For the times you did it to me.
Pushed me around.
Shouted at me. Told me to do this and do that.
HELEN LIES EXHAUSTED ON FLOOR
SHE LOOKS AT CARL
HELEN: Carl? Carl are you…? Oh my god. Shit! Oh…
THE KNIFE STICKS OUT OF HIS CHEST
ANGELA DIALS 999 ON HER MOBILE. SHE SCRAMBLES PAPER OUT OF HER BAG
ANGELA: Ambulance! (SHE WAITS, READING FROM PIECE OF PAPER) 61 Newton
House, Ruthven Road. A man’s been stabbed. In the chest. Badly yes. Can
you hurry. Please hurry!
ANGELA RETURNS TO CARL WHO IS BLEEDING FROM CHEST
HELEN LIES ON FLOOR, HALF IN A TRANCE
ANGELA: (TO HELEN) The ambulance is on its way. We’ve got to stop Carl
bleeding.
HELEN STAGGERS INTO KITCHEN
SHE RE-ENTERS WITH A KITCHEN TOWEL
SHE PRESSES TOWEL OVER CARL’S WOUND
HELEN: Why didn’t you go? I asked you to. You just had to go away and
stop bothering me. Now look. Now fucking look…
ANGELA: More cloths Helen! Get some more cloths!
HELEN: Christ almighty Angela, I’m doing my best. Stop screaming for
Christ sake! If it hadn’t been for you… If it just hadn’t been for you.
You… You stupid silly cow! You stupid incompetent interfering silly
bitch!
LIGHTS FADE
END OF SCENE
END OF EXTRACT