Ορφανά

by Dennis Kelly

This disturbing urban drama had its world premiere at the Traverse Theatre.

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Drama

102 pages, Paperback

First published July 28, 2009

About the author

THEATRE INCLUDES: Debris (Theatre503/BAC); Osama the Hero (Hampstead); After the End (Paines Plough/Traverse/The Bush/UK and international tour); Love and Money (Young Vic/Royal Exchange); Taking Care of Baby (Hampstead/Birmingham Rep); Orphans (Paines Plough/Traverse/Birmingham Rep/Soho). Plays for young people include: DNA (National Theatre) and Our Teacher is a Troll (National Theatre of Scotland). He also co-wrote the comedy series Pulling (BBC3) and wrote and created Utopia (Channel 4).

His plays have been performed in over thirty countries worldwide and translated into twenty languages.

Reviews

[Georgia Hollis · Rating 5 out of 5]

fuckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

[Carlotta Mastracchi]

Fucking hell.

[afonso abreu · Rating 5 out of 5]

DANNY When did he tell you this?
You said he was unconscious. You said he was unconscious, Liam.

Silence.

Liam?

LIAM What?

DANNY You said he was unconscious.

LIAM Yeah.

HELEN So when did he talk to you?

LIAM When he...
When he - hang on, hang on, okay - when he...
got up and ran off.

DANNY No.

LIAM No?

DANNY No. Not then. You said 'he got up, opened his eyes, stared at me through the blood and ran off?

HELEN Were you lying?

LIAM No, no, of course not, you're confusing me now.

HELEN When did he speak, then?

LIAM Before.

HELEN Before what?

LIAM Before, he, before, when I found him, he was talking, like

DANNY But you said he was unconscious.

Beat.

LIAM Alright, look, stop it. You're confusing me, so just stop and... and...
Alright

Beat.

I found him. He was unconscious. He wakes up and started talking but then he passed out again, which is when I got blood all on me, because I held him in my arms, I didn't want him to bang his head and I put him down and then, a minute, and then he gets up and bolts off.

They stare at him.

And that's what happened. And I don't, I can't explain why I didn't say it was like that but I didn't.
Alright? I didn't. Are you gonna believe me? That's all you've got to ask yourselves.

Are you
going
to believe me.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ne m’a définitivement pas laissée insensible. Une des rares pièces modernes que j’aie pu lire, et j’y ai trouvé beaucoup de qualités. Je ne suis toutefois pas totalement convaincue dans la mesure où je n’ai pas été entièrement emportée par l’écriture et le scénario et que j’ai trouvé l’intrigue et les messages sous-jacents beaucoup moins percutants, nombreux et réussis que ce à quoi je m’attendais. J’en lirai peut-être une autre de l’auteur, mais je suis globalement un peu déçue.

[Joe Clegg Prada · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterclass at the sheer drama that can be achieved in just a few hours of people’s lives. How in just a couple of hours lives can be pulled and torn until what was will never be again.

Dialogue is excellent. Pacing is excellent. Story is horrific, executed brilliantly as we learn more and more. And when you think we’ve finally had it all, enough to make you sick, you find more, hidden under our noses all along.

[Margot · Rating 5 out of 5]

This play is amazing in the way it sucks you in and makes you constantly wonder what *you* would do.

It tackles a lot of people's deepest fears while denouncing racism and violence.

I was left disturbed and utterly amazed by it.

[Noé · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un huis clos digne d'Hollywood, une écriture fluide et hachée de folie. Des frissons d'horreur malgré un dénouement assez prévisible. Belle pièce contemporaine.

[Saskia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Repetitive mumbling script from all three characters got boring. Good tension build up and a few good monologues.