Dear Thora Hird,Congratulations on getting the part of Doris in our forthcoming production of "Cream Cracker Under The Settee".

Authors Avatar
32 Holdenn St

Star Studios

Hollywood

2 Rengte Lane

Farson

Willoton

WE1 456

Dear Thora Hird,

Congratulations on getting the part of Doris in our forthcoming production of "Cream Cracker Under The Settee".

As mentioned before you will be playing the role of Doris, a seventy-something independent women who is subversive in her desire to be kept in her home and receiving threats about being sent to Stafford House by her home helper, Zulema. Doris finds Zulema patronising because of her comments, but being a proud women she passes them off with sarcastic remarks, "They don't put people in Stafford House just for running round with the Ewbank." Doris says this when Zulema threatens to send her to Stafford House. Doris is over obsessed with cleanliness and accuses Zulema of only "half-dusting".

Some props and clothes to be included are an old settee, wedding photos, various other living room furniture, a cream cracker and a broken photo of her and Wilfred to show how her life has been shattered. Also Doris will need to wear a dull, old dress, this is because Doris says, "I've had this frock for years".

Some key themes to keep in mind are isolation, because Doris has no family or friends, basically no contact with the outside world except for her weekly visits from Zulema, she mentions, "I never get any bona fide callers." Also Doris's frustration with dirt, she has become over obsessed with cleaning, probably because when she was preparing for her baby she tried to make a clean and hygienic environment for the baby but unfortunately Doris miscarried her son John. She became frustrated with the nurses because they wanted to wrap him in newspaper, "as if he were dirty. He wasn't dirty, little thing." She also reflects on her past, "...and the streets were clean and it was all clean." The world seems to overwhelm her and she seems unable to get a grip on her identity. The photo cracks, the gate bangs open, the sense of forces coming in is threatening to her, this is conveyed when she says "Bang bang bang all morning, it'll be bang bang bang all afternoon" creating a situation where she is trapped and overpowered. Also you will need to convey Doris as quite house-proud and unpleasant at the beginning but as the plot unfolds she becomes calmer and more pleasant. The parts in the script to note, showing this are when she says, "He wouldn't have known what to do anyway, only a kiddy", and also when she says, "Thank you" to the police officer.
Join now!


Some key moments to think about are; Doris's husband Wilfred, her accident cleaning the wedding photo and waiting for hep by the door. They will be directed as follows...

She climbs the buffet and inspects the wedding photo, tutting to herself she makes a remark, "Home help. Home hindrance." She reaches over to wipe it with her hand when the buffet collapses and she falls down with the photo. The scene fades and she emerges after a pause leaning against the wall on the floor. She picks up the shattered photo and says, "Now, Wilfred" It's as ...

This is a preview of the whole essay