'Back in Kenya—in the camps—they say we can stay there for free. But everybody wants something. The journalists want our stories; the NGOs want us to sing in their choirs; the SPLA wants our sons as soldiers. The spirits of our ancestors want us to honour them...'
Maggie Stone is a battle axe. She's rude, prickly and doesn't owe the world a thing. This makes her an ideal loans officer. But when a family of strangers finally awakens her compassion, Maggie will learn firsthand the politics of charity. For even favours require gratitude, investment requires returns, and an outstanding debt awaits satisfaction. And soon the life Maggie borrowed will need to be paid for.
Maggie Stone is about loneliness and debt, the risk that comes from asking others for help and the cost of living a life owing nobody. Nominated for the Western Australian Premier's Script Award, this play paints an unflinchingly honest yet ultimately empathetic portrait of modern Australia.
CALEB LEWIS is a multi-award-winning playwright, dramaturg, and interactive designer. Playscripts include Cathedral; The River at the End of the Road; The Honey Bees; Maggie Stone; In a Dark Dark Wood; Rust and Bone; Aleksander and the Robot Maid; Dogfal; Men, Love ,and the Monkeyboy; Death in Bowengabbie, and Clinchfield, which won the inaugural Richard Burton Award for New Plays. Games, installations, and interactive encounters include Exclusion Zone; Across a Crowded Room; Half an Hour Visit; The Underlibrary of Unofficial Histories; and the multi-platform If There Was A Colour Darker Than Black I’d Wear It. Twice a former resident artist at Griffin Theatre, Australia’s home of new writing, Caleb was mentored by Nick Enright (Blackrock, Lorenzo’s Oil) and Edward Albee (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?). He is the winner of an Inscription Award, the Philip Parsons Award (in absentia), and the inaugural AWGIE (Australian Writers Guild Award) for Digital Narrative. Caleb's work has been commissioned and/or produced by State Theatre Company of South Australia; Bell Shakespeare, Griffin; Black Swan Theatre Company (WA), and numerous small to large companies across the country as well as overseas. Current projects include the interactive encounter triptych, Uncertain Playgrounds, exploring the nexus of stageplay and gameplay. Reviews, playscripts, and production details are available at http://caleb-lewis.com/.
| Cast Info | 5F, 3M, (doubling available) |
| Genres | Drama |
| Themes | Multicultural themes, Political/Social themes, Significant female roles |
| Audiences | Adult |
| Extent | 74 |
| Edition | First |
| Size | 137 x 210 mm |