The Other Place: Content, Advice and Guidance

Act One

Content / trigger warnings:

Discussion of death, funerals, suicide, violence.

Violence:

Chris wrestles Annie to the ground and attempts to pull her trousers down whilst searching for something.

Act One synopsis

The play opens in a family home under renovation, in the main room of the house, which is a newly open-plan kitchen/lounge/dining-room with a brand-new feature – doors made of glass at the back, which look out onto the garden. The family discuss the progress of the renovation and enjoy their newly fitted glass doors.

The house is currently owned by Chris, who lives there with his wife Erica, her child Leni, and Issy – his niece. Issy has only been living in the house for two weeks and the blended family are finding their boundaries and learning to live together.

Chris’ brother Adam, Issy’s father, used to live in the house with his daughters – Issy and Annie – but he died several years ago. Today Chris is hosting a memorial for his brother and plans to finally scatter Adam’s ashes to mark the occasion.

They are all waiting for the arrival of Annie – Issy’s older sister, and Chris’ eldest niece. Annie left the home shortly after her dad died and has been mostly estranged since, though she does keep in touch with her sister. Annie has never met Erica or Leni and there is a sense of her being a source of anguish and trouble within the family.

Before Annie’s arrival, Terry (Tez) enters the house. Tez is a local man and long-term friend of Chris. Tez is also project managing the renovation of the house and is dropping by to have a look at the new doors before going to the memorial.

Annie arrives with a big backpack, and it becomes clear that she doesn’t have a fixed place to live. She has been moving from place to place while suffering from mental and physical illnesses without support from the family.

Annie tells the rest of the family she does not want Adam’s ashes scattered and that they should remain in the house because this is where her dad died.

Chris had lied to Erica and Leni about the circumstances of Adam’s death – they did not know Adam had died by suicide in the trees outside of the house. Chris is adamant that it is time to move on by scattering the ashes. He believes that Annie has no right to protest because she has ignored all his attempts to contact her about the ashes.

When Annie won’t back down, Chris pours a third of the ashes into a sandwich bag for Annie to keep – to the horror of the rest of the family. Tez leaves for the memorial to get out of the way. Erica calls Chris upstairs for a private chat, to calm him down.

Once Chris is out of sight, Annie tries to persuade her sister to support her, but Issy also wants to move on. While Chris is still out of the room, Annie pours the rest of the ashes from the urn into the sandwich bag and stuffs them down her trousers.

Chris leaves for the memorial with the – now empty – urn. Leni and Issy go to the memorial with him. Erica stays with Annie.

Annie asks Erica if she can lie down and goes upstairs to rest. On her way upstairs, Annie notices a pile of her father’s clothes that Erica had pulled up from the cellar. Annie takes some of her dad’s clothes. She also sees an old tent that Uncle Chris had bought the summer her dad had died, which they’d slept in together in the garden at that time of grief.

Chris, Issy and Leni return from the memorial while Annie is still sleeping.

Leni tells Erica that the memorial went ahead and Chris, on discovering that the ashes were not in the urn, pretended they were there and continued to act as if he was scattering them.

Chris wants to wake Annie so he can confront her about the ashes. Issy can’t find her in her room. When Leni looks, they find Annie asleep in Chris and Erica’s bed.

Annie comes down wearing her dad’s clothes. Chris accuses Annie of stealing the ashes. He goes through her bag in search of them but only finds weeks-old food, clothes and lots of prescription drugs. When he still can’t find the ashes, Chris wrestles Annie to the ground, starts taking off her clothes, trying to pull down her trousers thinking she’s hiding them in her pants.

Leni admits they saw the bag of ashes in Erica and Chris’ bedroom and goes to get them to give them to Chris. Annie is angry. She grabs the old tent from the pile of her dad’s things and, in protest, goes to set it up in the garden. Chris locks the door behind her.

Tez returns with a takeaway and tells Chris that Annie should be sent away, offering to give her a lift back to station. Chris goes for a drive and takes the ashes with him. Annie from outside sees the disappearance of Chris. Leni unlocks the door to let her in but when she realises Chris has taken the ashes out of the house, she panics and breaks down. Issy tries to help but Annie pushes everyone away and goes to continue setting up the tent. The family try to ignore Annie outside in the garden and have a normal dinner.

Act Two

Content / trigger warnings:

Discussion of death and funerals with incest, physical assault, disturbing sexual content and graphic references to suicide.

Violence:

Tez attempts to kiss Issy.
Annie and Chris kiss.
Annie dies by suicide.

Act Two synopsis

Later that night, Annie is still outside. Issy is drunk, can’t sleep and comes downstairs to speak to her sister but instead finds Tez in the main room – he’s too drunk to drive home and has decided to wait for Chris to get back.

Tez and Issy continue to get drunk together. Tez makes revelations about Adam’s mental health before he died by suicide; he tells Issy that her sister is just like the dad. Tez tries to kiss Issy and accuses her of leading him on when she pushes him off her. Tez warns that bad things will happen if Annie comes back into the house and that Chris should not be left on his own with Annie.  He leaves to wait in the car in embarrassment after having made a move to kiss Issy.

Annie re-enters the house. Annie and Issy reminisce. Annie gifts Issy a memory book that she made of all the things Annie and Issy have done together and talks about watching over her sister. Issy is drunk and it becomes clear that the two sisters remember the past differently. Issy askes about Annie and Chris in the tent years ago, and how many nights they slept there together while she slept in her bedroom.

Chris returns and Issy is sent to bed. Chris and Annie try to talk – he is less angry now and he still has the ashes.  They speak of the closeness they formed after Adam’s death – Annie believes that, despite the grief, Chris was happy then. Chris apologises for sending Annie away after the summer that her dad died but that he had to do it because he is her uncle and she is his niece. Chris and Annie kiss and Chris concedes that he can keep her dad (his ashes) in the house.

Erica sees Chris and Annie kiss. Annie is desperate to make sure Issy doesn’t find out too. She goes to get Issy out of bed and to hurry her out of the house away from Erica and, in doing so, tells Issy that it is now okay to scatter the ashes. Issy comes down to thank Chris for persuading Annie to let the ashes go. But Erica tells Issy about Annie and Chris. Issy tells her sister she doesn’t even like her anymore and leaves.

Annie tells Issy she loves her and returns to the tent alone.

Erica and Chris argue; Chris tells Erica that he doesn’t love her. Leni awakes because of the argument and wants to go to see Annie but Erica stops them and starts to make breakfast instead. Leni then sneaks to the tent and finds Annie has died by suicide.