COPING WITH COCOONING by Breandan O'Broin #TinyPlayChallenge

Keep your creativity flowing with Fishamble's #TinyPlayChallenge
In these challenging times, Fishamble - along with many of our colleagues in the wider Irish artistic community - is working hard to keep imaginations lively, communities engaged - and most of all offer people the opportunity of creative expression. We asked our audiences: Would you welcome the challenge of exploring your thoughts and feelings through drama? Do you have a dramatic story that you feel the urge to work out for yourself, and maybe share with your fellow citizens?
​Below is one of the chosen plays from our weekly submissions.

Coping with Cocooning by Breandan O’Broin

Setting:
A Cocooned Man and a Cocooned Woman discuss the arrival of Summer while battling the challenges of Covid and a Google Hangout Call. 
They have been lovers, once upon a time
 
 
Sean                Is that you Sheila?           
                   
Sheila              Who the feck do you think it is?
                        Didn’t you ring me to tell me we were going to Google?

Sean                I can see you but I can’t hear you

Sheila              Nothing new in that.
                          This is like our first date all over again …

Sean                Our second first date; I kind of like the sound of that …

Sheila              … with you foostering around; fiddling and foostering

Sean                What’s that you said? I still can’t get the hang of this bloody thing

Sheila              The Hang Out you mean. Have you tried turning up the sound?
 
Sound FX        Click
 
Sean                Now I can hear you, 100%, well 80% anyway.
Amazing all the same; technology. Am I looking well? Can you see me?

Sheila              Of course I can.
                        You’ve developed a triple chin

Sean                Ah Jesus no; that’s one more than yesterday.

Sheila              I kind of liked your double chins, gave you an air of authority
                        But triplet chins?  Not so sure …

Sean                Must be the lack of exercise; stuck here in a flat; I hate not getting out and about, I wish the bloody dog hadn’t died, he would have been my excuse to go walkies.  It’s no fun being told you’re old …
 
Sheila              … but you are old Sean, officially old, there’s no getting around it.

(Pause)

 How old are you exactly?

(Longer Pause)

Sean                Same age as you … give or take

Sheila              No wonder we both look a bit fecked so.
                          Remember the Beatles?
(hums)            Will you still need me, will you still feed me?

Both                When we’re sixty-four

Sean                Remember when we thought sixty-four was old? Jesus, sixty-four is ten years ago.  We’ve outlasted the Beatles though; only two of them left

Sheila              Ringo and Paul.
                        I always preferred John.  He was the talented one.

Sean                BANG!
                        8th December 1980.  Dakota Apartments, New York.  Mark Chapman,
                        BANG!
                        He was 5 foot 10 inches you know

Sheila              Chapman?

Sean                No, John.

Sheila              Imagine, what if?

Sean                He’s be old now; like Paul, like Ringo, like ourselves.
                        Still a legend mind, still be a legend.

Sheila              I think it might be just the camera angle.

Sean                the what angle?

Sheila              Camera angle, I read somewhere, the wrong camera angle makes you look old, gives you extra chins, third one in your case.
                        Try looking up … no …
                        Now down … no … a triple chin it is.
                        Congratulations

                        (pause while Sean digests the unwelcome news)

Sean                It goes against nature to be cocooned so it does, goes against nature …

Sheila              Particularly with the coming of summer

Sean                The longer nights

Sheila              Strolls on the pier

Sean                Looking over at Howth in the sunset

Sean                The Teddy’s Ice Cream

Sheila              the ninety-nines, with the Cadbury’s Flake.
                        I wonder who first called them that?  I mean, why ninety-nine?  Where they ninety-nine pence?

Sean                Can’t remember.  But they were worth it if they were.

Sheila              Priceless

Sean                the feeling of heat on the bones

Sheila              the fiddling

Sean                the foostering

Sheila              I wouldn’t say no to a bit of foostering

Sean                the sap rising; losing the run of ourselves … pity … ah never mind

Sheila              Never mind what?  Never mind we never married?

Sean                You had your mother to look after.  She came first.  You were right.

Sheila              She died Sean.  She didn’t know who I was.  She didn’t know I was there

Sean                You knew Sheila, you knew. That’s what made it right.
                        (Sheila bursts out crying)

Sheila              This fucking cocooning, I fucking hate it Sean, I fucking hate it.
                         It’s like being separated, all over again.
                         You’re right; cocooning goes against nature

Sean                Nature will win out, in the end, always does.

Sheila              Will it Sean?  This time?  Will it?

Sean                Nature always wins out.
 


Breandan O’Broin is a writer, still writing after all these years. One of the best bits was working with Jim & Gavin at the Fishamble Playwriting Workshops in the Pavilion where he came up with PLOT which was later performed in the Axis Theatre Ballymun, one night only, but still …
He is not big on Social Media, nor on Covid Cocooning either. ...but there's light at the tunnel's end ... he hopes

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