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Dayshift

by Darren Donohue
"It speaks of a world in which economics and labour dynamics are collapsing on themselves because they are unable to look at man as a person, as value, and as an end.  Fascinating show."  (www.saltinaria.it)

Synopsis
Absurd Play: 'Dayshift' by Darren Donohue

‘Dayshift’ follows the adventures of a certain Mr Day as he takes up a new position within a vast, complex organisation.  But from the moment he wakes, he appears out of harmony with both his surroundings and the people he encounters.

Mr Day gets up, has breakfast and gets ready for his first day at work. But immediately, he finds himself experiencing a Kafkaesque situation, an absurd dimension from which unfortunately, he can’t escape. Mr Day is a smart person and works on an assembly line but, he will not be able to weave any relationships with the people he meets because - in one way or another – they are disfigured by the system in which they live.

These characters include a filing clerk trapped inside his office, a young lady with a key to the hidden Complaints Department, a woman singing to the city, a man cautiously transforming his office into a garden centre, and the elusive Mr Bul, upon whom Day’s hopes of salvation are pinned. As Mr Day struggles to make sense of his position and the inner workings of the organisation, we’re drawn into an innovative reimagining of society and the high cost of its value system.

With sharp wit and playful absurdism, ‘Dayshift’ also pays tribute to the resilience of the human spirit, and our ability to grow and flourish even when we are placed in the harshest of terrains. 

Duration
80 mins approx

Characters

(3m, 2f with doubling)

The cast can double up – five actors, (3m, 2f) making an ideal cast number

  • Day - late 20s, the hero of the play as we follow him taking up a new position within a vast, complex organisation (m)
  • Miss List - early 60s, speaks with a thick Polish accent (f)
  • Mr Bell - late 20s, an old school friend of Day (m)
  • Receptionist - early 30s (m/f) 
  • John - early 30s, John from filing (m)
  • Mr Rivendale - early 60s (m)  
  • John Markus Rivendale Jr - 10, Mr Rivendale’s grandson (can be played by an adult actor taking on the characteristics of a child) (m)
  • Woman - a young woman (f)
  • The Janitor - early 60s (m)  
  • Cathy - late 20s/early 30s (f)
  • Secretary - mid 30s (f)   
  • Mr Olive - early 60s (m)
  • Perusal Script (Dayshift)
    £0.00 Perusal Script (Dayshift)
    In advance of the formal publication, we offer you an advance, pre-publication version, of the script. It is provided in full, as originally received from the playwright, but without having been proof read and with no...
  • Royalty Quotation Form (FL)
    Royalty Quotation Form (FL)
    The rights to perform and record for all the titles in our catalogue are managed by Stagescripts Ltd. You should not assume that a licence to perform will always be granted. Please request a quotation at the earliest...