Edinburgh Fringe Festival

This play is a collection of 17 voices (and a car) in scenes written during the February 2021 lockdown in response to stories that Saskia was told and situations she found herself in. Sometimes friends would say just one sentence that triggered whole monologues as in Windows. A woman casually chatted about breaking the lockdown rules in the Park. Saskia and others were getting their first vaccination at the Brighton Centre, Doctor, or needed to get away from not enough or far too much going on at home which gave rise to escapist fantasies, Car, or the need to call a helpline, Switchboard: home schooling anyone?!

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The actors all met on zoom play readings, which is where many actors went when they could not set foot into theatres and rehearsal rooms. Saskia took her writing to some of these readings and the actors wanted to play those characters and asked her to create a show. We all knew the stories needed to be told and that the audience would feel recognised and heard.

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Love never stops, not even during Lockdown, but it gets so much harder. These characters have been lonely, alone, or had not a moment of privacy. They have been brave or resigned, they've run away or stayed put, and some had hallucinations - or did they? In a number of scenes we meet acutely observed people from all walks of life: illegitimate lovers, the patient who suddenly fancies the doctor, those who call a helpline just to have someone to talk to, and those who quietly get on with their incredibly difficult lives. A young woman talks to her car, an old woman almost cries when her budgie kisses her on the cheek. Actors miss the limelight, but still have each other. This hour will have you laughing and crying and talking about how it was for you, for your neighbour, and for your friends. Everyone has a different story, everyone needs to be heard.