Unusual Stories, Unusually Told

Clubbed Thumb are at the forefront of contemporary American theatre, commissioning, developing, and producing new plays. The rules are that the plays must be 90 minutes maximum and must be funny, provocative and strange. This outstanding collection of seven plays clearly reflects this. The shadows of Tracy Letts and Sam Shepard are clear, but each is wildly different in themes and ideas. All of them share snappy, fast paced dialogue and, despite the wildly inventive and bizarre scenarios, they are all grounded in a believable reality.

The 7 plays on offer include serial killers, modern day slavery, a bizarre ‘Golden Girls' style piece set in a retirement home in Florida in the 1980s, weather-based apocalypses, a nineteenth century expedition down the Colorado river led by a one-armed captain, a surrealist meta-musical musing on the nature of government and democracy and finally, a mad dash through the impact of time on characters and relationships. Language is, at times, strong but these are vital 21st century works and not for the faint hearted. Each play comes with a fascinating introduction looking at the development of the material with the playwright and artists involved.

This collection is a must for every drama teacher who has looked at their library in despair. Clubbed Thumb commission utterly contemporary plays that are consistently terrifying and hilarious. The humour is often cutting edge and many of the plays contain long speeches and monologues that will inspire those searching for genuinely original audition material, as well as moments of ensemble work and physical theatre, most brilliantly demonstrated in Men on Boats.

Plano, the final play in the collection, proposes the idea that time doesn't actually age you, but splits you into different versions of yourself. The crackling dialogue is machine gun rapid, leaving the audience breathless, at times confused, but always intrigued.

All the plays demand the most simple but imaginative staging. During Baby Screams Miracle, the characters face an increasing set of deadly weather conditions, all of which play out onstage, destroying walls, cars and eventually whole houses.

U.S. Drag, the standout opening play, deals comically with a serial killer and the surviving victims who are perhaps just desperate for attention. It also contains two of the most interesting and complex female characters I have come across for a long time and puts our fascination with fear in a powerful new light. Absurdist, ground-breaking and thought provoking, it's Ionesco off-Broadway. Remember that group of proper wacky GCSE or A Level students you have that you can never find the right material for? This is for them.