Escape was written by Ciara Donohue as part of the Tenderfoot programme at the Civic Theatre in Tallaght for Transition Year students.

Escape is a surprisingly mature piece for such a young writer. Darkly comic but deadly serious, Escape looks at the subject of domestic abuse and the lack of choices available to young people in difficult situations.

Copyright Ciara Donohue January 2009

Eve is fourteen and comes from a lower- middle class home. Her father is an aggressive alcoholic and has recently turned violent towards her and her mother. Eve’s only close friend is Calvin, a fifteen year old, Calvin drinks and does low class drugs as does Eve…

We see two young people sitting together, one on a wall and the other leaning against it. It is early in the evening and it is quite
bright out. The girl has a quite noticeable cut on her lip, she is smoking a cigarette.

Eve: Calvin?

Calvin: Yeah?

Eve: Do you ever think of running away?

Calvin: Running away, like for good?

Eve: Yeah.

Calvin: Why do you ask?

Eve: Just wondering really.

She passes the cigarette to him.

Calvin: Well yeah sometimes I guess.

Eve: Oh okay…But why? Your family seem so… I dunno’… normal.

Calvin: You don’t know shit about my family.

Eve: Well you never talk about them.

Calvin: A pill popping mom, workaholic dad annoying little sister and a brother in Belfast, there’s not much to talk about.

Eve shrugs. Calvin takes out a small plastic bag with hash in it, rolls a joint and lights it.

Eve: Pass that here will you..?

Calvin: Your f***ing fourteen Eve.

Eve: And your only fifteen, it’s hardly the first time Calvin, come on I really need it.

Calvin: That have anything to do with your lip?

Eve raises her hand to her cut lip slowly.

Eve: I don’t want to talk about it.

Calvin: He hit you again didn’t he?

Eve says nothing…

Calvin: I swear to God that motherfu…

Eve: Calvin just shut up about it and pass me the f***ing joint.

Calvin shakes his head and hands it to her.

Calvin: Your mam okay?

Eve: She’s fine, now shut up.

The two sit in silence for a minute or two but continue passing the joint.

Calvin: So do you then?

Eve: Do I what?

Calvin: Ever think about running away?

Eve: Oh, well yeah all the time.

Calvin: Things will get better you know.

Eve: I really doubt that.

Calvin: Well hey if they don’t who knows maybe we will end up running away. I could be a drug dealer and you a prostitute, perfect eh?

Eve laughs and then takes another pull of the joint and then sighs.

Eve: Calvin this one is shit.

Calvin: They’re all like that know, It’s what happens when you’ve been smoking it too long.

Eve: So the buzz just stops.

Calvin: Yeah.

Eve: So much for my ‘means of escape’.

Calvin: Good oul Jack can always help you with that though.

Eve: Jack?

Calvin: Jack Daniels.

Eve: Oh right yeah… That would be good though.

Calvin: What would?

Eve: Running away.

Calvin: I never knew you wanted to be a prostitute.

Eve: Shut up you know what I mean.

Eve laughs but the raises her hand to her lip as it hurts.

Calvin: Yeah we’d have a laugh. Here I better go, you want me to walk you home?

Eve: No I better give him another hour to cool down, I’ll be fine.

Calvin: Okay well text me later.

Eve: Sure.

Calvin walks off and the light fades to black.