Yes, those old-fashioned things. Ribs has written a fair few, mostly short, plays. Comedic, naturally. She’s currently working on a radio play which she plans to release to the world this year (she’s written that to make herself do it, but did you notice she hasn’t specified which year?).
More Than Words, 2017
One Act, Cast of 4 (2 female, 2 male), 60 minutes.
A play about fake news, mental illness and lost ambition, set in a press agency.
Performances:
March 2017, Marlowe Studio, Canterbury. Rehearsed reading of the first 10 minutes. This play was shortlisted for The Marlowe Theatre’s ROAR! programme.
Mince Pie for One, 2016 [blog]
One Act, Cast of 5 (2 female, 3 male), 15 minutes.
Susan hates Christmas. Already this month, the washing machine has flooded her kitchen, the boiler has given up the ghost and her latest relationship has come to an end. Fran loves Christmas. She loves the food, the smells, the decorations, the atmosphere – everything. Fran and Susan are best friends, taking a breather in a local café.
Tom and Sheila are married. Tom wants the quiet life, so he tends to do what Sheila wants, but this year’s present list really takes the biscuit. Surely there are some people they could safely leave off? They are going through the list together, over a coffee.
A power cut brings everyone together. Can they lift Susan’s spirits? One by one they become aware of the sound of music, coming from the street outside. A man is walking down the hill strumming a ukulele. He stops in front of Susan…
Performances:
December 2017, Jittermugs, Faversham. Cast: Ribs Norman as Fran, Jude Sach as Susan, Paul Skinner as Tom, Caroline Perry as Sheila, and Jack Bright as Philippe.
December 2016, Steep Street, Old High Street, Folkestone as part of Jim Jam Arts’ Living Advent Calendar 2016.
Butterscotch, 2016 [poster]
One Act, Cast of 4 (2 female, 2 male), 30 minutes.
In this tragicomic piece, the final days of four different lives overlap. Martin can’t make himself heard, Marilyn dreads the postman’s knock, Morris is determined to crack one last case, and Melissa just can’t help interfering.
Performances:
September 2016, Purifier Building, Faversham as part of HopFestFringe (rehearsed reading). Cast: Olivia Murray as Marilyn, Hayley-Marie Axe as Melissa, David Vale as Morris & Patrick McKeating as Martin.
Safe Word, 2015 [poster]
One Act, 3 Cast Members (2 female, 1 male), 20 minutes.
A tale of (older) boy meets (older) girl for the digital age, with real ale and capes.
Performances:
September 2016, Arden Theatre, Faversham as part of HopFestFringe. Cast: Olivia Murray as Lucy, Hayley-Marie Axe as Soph & Tarquin Taylor as Ulrick.
August 2016, The Printworks, Hastings as part of Short is the New Black for the Hastings Fringe. Cast: Olivia Murray as Lucy, Hayley-Marie Axe as Soph & Tarquin Taylor as Ulrick.
August 2016, Spotlight, London as part of the Actors Awareness Intergenerational Night. Cast: Olivia Murray as Lucy, Hayley-Marie Axe as Soph & Tarquin Taylor as Ulrick.
May 2016, Burdall’s Yard, Bath Spa as part of ScriptMix for the Bath Fringe (rehearsed reading). Cast: Louisa Fenn as Lucy, Tiffany Burr as Soph & Aidan Jones as Ulrick (May).
January 2016, Burdall’s Yard, Bath Spa as part of WordPlay (rehearsed reading). Cast: Louisa Fenn as Lucy, Tiffany Burr as Soph & Henry Townsend as Ulrick (January).
Audio recording:
Not In My Backyard, 2015
One Act, Cast of 4 (2 male, 2 female), 30 minutes.
Alistair has a big problem with his next-door neighbours, but it’s not what they think. Set entirely in the adjoining back gardens of two average semi-detached houses, Not In My Backyard explores misunderstanding about sexuality and boundaries from an unexpected angle.
Performances:
May 2015, The Marlowe Studio, Canterbury (rehearsed reading). Cast: Simon Paisley-Day as Alistair, Jenna Russell as Sheila, Andrew Dawson as Gary, & Ryan Hill as Martin. There is a recording of this, but I can’t share it online. If you’re sufficiently intrigued, I can send you a private link.