A Woman Walks Into A Bank

A SAMUEL FRENCH, LTD. TITLE

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Concord Theatricals

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Cast Size

1w, 2m
Duration

120 minutes (2 hours)

Accolades

Winner! 2023 Theatre503 International Playwriting Award

Details

Summary

Moscow, August 2018. The World Cup has just ended, and it has been a roaring success. Free metro travel. Parties in the square. The police, the ones with guns, they were smiling! People finally saw that yeah, it’s okay over here and no, it doesn’t snow in the summer, it’s actually very warm. And wait, did we mention it was an incident-free event?

But when an old woman walks into a bank, she is conned into taking out a high-interest loan, which she immediately forgets all about. A catastrophic series of events are set in motion… with only her cat Sally to bear witness.

Winner of the 2023 Theatre503 International Playwriting Award, A Woman Walks Into A Bank is a powerful portrayal of a country in crisis. Inspired by childhood fairytales, Roxy Cook’s vibrant debut play uses biting humour to interrogate the social apathy tearing Russia apart. How did we get here? How can we get out?

History

A Woman Walks Into a Bank was first produced by and performed at Theatre503, London on 21 November 2023.

Keywords

Off-West End

Performing Groups

A – plays an old woman (82 years)
B – plays a young man (25 years)
C – plays a debt collector (59 years)
A, B and C also all play a cat called Sally (18 years)

This play is narrated by three storytellers: A, B and C, each with their
own distinct personalities and opinions. As the piece progresses, they
take on more and more responsibility for one of three main characters.

Time Period Contemporary, New Millennium/21st Century
Setting Moscow, Russia
Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)

Media

“The script is playful and plaintive, dripping with black comedy and whimsy.” – The Guardian

“A blazing production, rammed with pathos, humour and a fabulously comedic cat.” – Broadway World

“Cook’s script is well observed and lifted by a streak of appealingly absurd humour.” – The Stage

“Cook is a talented, evocative writer, conjuring up vivid snapshots of urban settings and fractured, discontented lives in a couple of well-turned sentences, with a refreshingly unfettered imagination and a terrific sideline in jet-black humour.” – WhatsOnStage

“A masterstroke.” – All That Dazzles

“An absurdist well-written satire.” – Everything Theatre

“Blackly comic fairytale.” – The Reviews Hub

“Thoroughly delightful.” – The Spy in the Stalls

“A theatrical epic of fate, regret, and an undoubtedly Russian story.” – A Young(ish) Perspective

Photos

Image: 2023 Theatre503 Production (Tristram Kenton)

Licensing & Materials

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A Woman Walks Into A Bank