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Call Me Dusty

    a play with music by Derek Webb

"A heartfelt play about a young girl who succumbs to the lure of stardom"

"A tale of two halves, opening with an innocent, wide-eyed, Mary O'Brien, taking her first steps towards stardom, and ending in the darker excesses of fame and fortune"

Synopsis

Drama Play: 'Call Me Dusty' - a play with music about the life of Dusty Springfield by Derek Webb

Without doubt the finest white soul singer of her era, Dusty Springfield is for millions the definitive pop diva. Her lifestyle was the stuff of legend – and great drama. With her relentless quest for perfection and refusal to compromise, Dusty Springfield led a tormented life.

Her stage persona – extravagant black mascara and backcombed hair – was at odds both with the quiet, shy convent girl Mary O'Brien and her sexuality. The result was a downward spiral of drugs, alcohol abuse and self-harm... but, despite all that, she produced tremendous music, which still ranks as some of the finest of its kind.

'Call Me Dusty' celebrates the music, while exploring the dichotomy of the private person and her alter ego. It is not a musical, but a play with music. The actress playing Dusty does not have to be a singer because all the music used in the show is commercially available recorded music, of Dusty Springfield and others, and therefore covered by PRS. In addition, specially edited versions of the music are available as mp3 downloads for companies wishing to perform the show.

The play can be performed with a small cast of 1m, 2f or, by reducing the doubling, with a larger cast of up to 13m, 10f. The list below shows the single role of Dusty and the male and female ‘Researcher’ and other characters. When using just three actors, the researchers function as scene changers.

Characters

(min 1m, 2f up to 13m, 10f)
  • Dusty: from schoolgirl age to 30 plus
  • Male Roles…
    • Researcher - any age, who, in a small cast, also plays the following characters:-
    • OB - Dusty’s father, opinionated, perhaps a bit of a bully
    • Tom O’Brien - Dusty’s elder brother, soon to be Tom Springfield
    • Floor Manager - 20s-40s, Manchester accent<, definitely not posh
    • Vic Billings - 30s, smartly dressed, slightly affected accent
    • Recording Engineer - 20s-50s, >slightly nerdy, irascible
    • Male Teenager - non-speaking part
    • Priest - 30s-50s, warm, considerate, thoughtful
    • Jerry Wexler - 30s-40s, American boss of Atlantic Records, Southern, dry
    • Ray Connolly - 30s-40s<, columnist for the Evening Standard
    • Eric Plant - 30s-40s, gay dress designer
    • Chairman - 40s-60s, Yorkshire nightclub owner, very brash
  • Female Roles…
    • Researcher 2 - any age, who, in a small cast, also plays the following characters:-
    • Kay O’Brien - 30s, Dusty’s mother, Irish, kind hearted, warm
    • Riss Chantell - lead singer in the Lana Sisters
    • Producer - 20s-40s, smartly dressed, posh BBC producer
    • Reporter - 20s-40s, insistent
    • Reporter - 20s-40s, pleasant, enthusiastic
    • Pat Rhodes - 30s, Dusty’s secretary, mumsy, very pleasant
    • Female Teenager - non-speaking part
    • Vicki Wickham - 30s, pleasant but tough producer of ‘Ready Steady Go!’
    • Polly Perkins - 30s, singer with 'The Academy',very camp, very likeable

 Suggested Casting (6m, 6f)
  •   Male – 40s-50s: Announcer/OB/Chairman/Recording Engineer/Priest
  •   Male – any age: Researcher 1
  •   Female – any age: Researcher 2
  •   Female – 30s-40s: Kay O’Brien/Producer/Female reporter
  •   Female – 20s-30s: Dusty
  •   Male – 20s: Tom O’Brien/Floor Manager/Male Teenager
  •   Female – 20s-30s: Riss Chantelle/Female Teenager/Polly Perkins
  •   Male – 30s-40s: Vic Billings
  •   Female – 30s: Pat Rhodes
  •   Male – 30s-40s: Reporter/Jerry Wexler
  •   Female – 30s: Vicki Wickham
  •   Male – 30s-40s: Ray Connolly/ Eric Plant 
  • Preview E-Script (Call Me Dusty)
    £0.00 Preview E-Script (Call Me Dusty)
    A free preview script containing a significant part of the full script and provided as a pdf file sized for A4 paper.
  • E-Script (Call Me Dusty)
    £3.99 E-Script (Call Me Dusty)
    The full script provided as a pdf file for A4 size paper. You have a maximum of three attempts within 30 days to download the file; please download it to your computer, do not leave it as an e-mail attachment. You are...
  • Printed Script (Call Me Dusty)
    £7.99 Printed Script (Call Me Dusty)
    A printed script provided as an A5 paperback acting edition. You are licensed to use this for your personal use. If you want to make multiple copies for use at rehearsals, a Script Copying Licence is required in addition...
  • Script Copying Licence (Call Me Dusty)
    £14.99 Script Copying Licence (Call Me Dusty)
    If you've bought an e-script or a printed script, this licence permits you to make copies of it for rehearsal use.  PLEASE NOTE: The licence will be e-mailed to you as an A4 pdf file - it is not instantly downloadable...
  • Audio Support Material
    £0.00 Audio Support Material
    Incidental music and/or sound effects as mp3 or mp4 files delivered (depending on the play or musical) on:- USB Stick, or Dropbox Link (e-mailed to you), or Data CD The price will be shown after you select the title...
  • 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...