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Cuckoo

Full-Length Play, Dark Comedy  /  2w, 2m, 1any gender (adult)

Lisa Carroll

Texas Fried Chicken, abject misery and a one-way Ryanair ticket.

Everyone hates Iona. Everyone except Pingu. Fitting in is hard when one of you can’t shut up and your silent best friend wears a tuxedo to school every day. Sick of the ceaseless bullying and despair, Iona and Pingu decide to get the hell out of Dublin.

Lisa Carroll was nominated for Most Promising New Playwright with Cuckoo in the 2019 Off-West End Awards.

Cuckoo

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 2m, 1any gender (adult)
  • Duration
    Duration
    105 Minutes
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Senior, Teen (Age 14-18)

Details

Summary

Texas Fried Chicken, abject misery and a one-way Ryanair ticket.

Everyone hates Iona. Everyone except Pingu. Fitting in is hard when one of you can’t shut up and your silent best friend wears a tuxedo to school every day. Sick of the ceaseless bullying and despair, Iona and Pingu decide to get the hell out of Dublin.

Turns out that emigrating is a great way to get noticed by the cool kids. Loving the attention, Iona is drunk on her new-found popularity until she discovers she’s messed with the wrong crowd. In a world where reputation must be defended tooth and nail, this can only end in disaster for all involved.

From Kylie Jenner lip kits to Lucozade, this is a fresh, modern look at what it means to be young in Ireland today. Shortlisted for the Papatango New Writing Prize, Lisa Carroll’s sharp and sparkling debut dissects the true cost of belonging, and refflects on how hard it is to break away from the place you grew up.

GENERAL CASTING NOTE
The cast should reflect the diversity of its audience and the world around us.

PINGU
It is crucial that the actor playing Pingu identifies as non-binary and/or genderqueer. Pingu expresses themselves non-verbally, though this is never caricatured, signed or mimed. They are not mute, they have chosen not to speak.

2 women, 2 men, 1 non-binary

  • Time Period Contemporary, Present Day
  • Duration 105 Minutes
  • Cautions
    • Alcohol
    • Strong Language
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

“There is both snap and crackle in the writing, she knows how to place a smart joke, but it is also terriffic on the teenage insecurities that make friendship so treacherous, particularly in the digital age” - Stagedoor

"It’s wonderfully written, well acted and poignant. As well as funny, the classic Irish flair for language and storytelling is well exhibited in Cuckoo." - A Younger Theatre

"Funny, entertaining, touching and inspiring" - The Upcoming

"The script (Lisa Carroll) is convincing, giving a strong sense that these are characters that are very much still in their youth... this is a passionate portrayal of the challenges faced by those growing up in this day and age" - London Theatre 1

"Carroll’s play strongly evokes the difficulties of teenage life, balancing a need for self-expression with an equal desire to be accepted and loved... Carroll conveys the endless expectation influenced by visibility on social media and obsession with reputation that leads to plenty of casual cruelty, delusion and betrayal." - The Reviews Hub

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

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Authors

Lisa Carroll

Lisa Carroll
Lisa is an Irish playwright based in London. Lisa trained on the Foundation Course at RADA and graduated from University College Dublin in 2012 with a B.A in English. She has undertaken writing programmes at the Lyric Hammersmith, the Royal Court and Headlong. Cuckoo is Lisa ...
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