THE GIFT
The Gift was first performed at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, 2000 followed by a transfer to Tricycle Theatre, London. It was directed by Annie Castledine with Claire Benedict (Bernice), Nicholas Beveney (Clarkey), Doreene Blackstock (Heather) and Jax Williams (Andrew).
Roy Williams’ The Gift brilliantly juxtaposes two different cultures and experiences to tell the Windrush generation children’s story. The Gift was inspired by what Roy describes as the ‘lost generation’, based on the experience of his siblings who were born in the West Indies, separated from their parents during the Windrush, and years later ‘sent for’ to join their family in England. The play goes one step further to include the story of the children who were never sent for, and therefore remained in the West Indies separated from their parents and siblings.
The Gift tells the story of sisters Bernice and Heather. At age fifteen, Heather receives a one-way ticket to join her parents in England, while Bernice is left in Jamaica with childhood friend Clarkey. Thirty-two years later, Heather returns to Jamaica to bury her beloved son who was killed in a street fight. Heather’s estranged daughter, Janet, also travels to Jamaica to attend her brother’s funeral despite her mother’s resentment towards her for falling pregnant at age sixteen. In Jamaica, Bernice earns a dishonest living ripping off the local community by pretending she has ‘the gift’ (the ability to talk to the dead). Heather begs her sister to make contact with her much-loved deceased son in exchange for the deeds to the house. But it quickly becomes apparent that the person with ‘the gift’ is her daughter Janet. Heather is forced to trust her daughter and listen to the true events which led to her son’s death.
This is a story about loss, resentment and forgiveness.
About the playwright
British-born Jamaican playwright Roy Williams OBE is an award-winning writer renowned for writing plays about the experiences of London’s gritty inner-city life. He has received several awards for his plays namely the George Devine Award for Lift Off, the 2001 Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright for his play Clubland, the 2002 BAFTA Award for Best Schools Drama for Offside and 2004 South Bank Show Arts Council Decibel Award and the Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2011 for his most recent play Sucker Punch. Roy Williams is arguably most famous for his play Fallout, loosely based on the Damilola Taylor murder in November 2000, which he adapted for television, Channel 4. Although Roy Williams is renowned for writing urban plays, his first play, The No Boys Cricket Club, written whilst studying drama at Rose Bruford College and performed at Theatre Royal Stratford East (1996), paid homage to his Jamaican roots. The No Boys Cricket Club alongside Starstruck (1998) and The Gift (2000) formed Roy Williams’ trilogy of plays set in Jamaica.
Roy Williams’ published stage plays include Clubland, Sing Yer Heart Out For The Lads, Joe Guy, Fallout, Days of Significance, Slow Time, Absolute Beginners, Sucker Punch, The No Boys Cricket Club, Starstruck, Liftoff, Souls and Little Sweet Thing.
Summary (Extract)
JANET, a Londoner, owns a café with her long-term boyfriend and father of her child, Ryan. Since dropping out of education due to finding out she was pregnant at age sixteen, she has become a huge disappointment to her mother Heather, who brings up her teen pregnancy at every opportunity. Janet resents her mother’s favouritism of her brother Andrew but resists revealing the truth about who started the street fight which ultimately led to his death.
Janet visits her brother’s grave to talk about her intimate feelings of hatred, hurt and loss. But when she feels her brother’s presence, she questions if he can hear her.
Graveyard. JANET is alone.
(Laughing.) …then she lifted her up, right in the air – yu shoulda seen it man, Mum’s face. Strong man. ’Member when she told us once, she could pick up a whole horse by herself? And yu believed her, yer soft git. And yu were afraid of her, cos she loved tellin’ ghost stories, hidin’ under my covers whenever we heard the footsteps. ‘Aunty Bernice is comin’ to get me!’ That was yu. Scared little Andy, I remember that, yu fool. Yu know summin, it’s weird, right, but I feel like… Andy, yu watchin’ me? Andy? Shut the fuck up Janet. Hear wat, Mum knows ’bout the caff so yu know wass gonna ’appen now? She gonna go on and on about it, yu know how she stay, me and Ryan should sell up, prove her right, Janet’s fucked up again. Cos compared to yu, I’m nuttin, enit broth? I hate, fuckin’ hate yu. I hate yu. I don’t miss yu, wid yer snidy little bitchy comments, who yutryin’ to impress? Then yu actin’ all hard, givin’ it large, wat were yu thinkin’ man? Wat was goin’ thru yer head? Now yu tryin’ to mek me feel bad, wat yu want?
She starts stamping on the headstone, she kicks the flowers, picks up some pebbles and dirt and throws them at it.
(In a rage.) Wat…
She feels the wind again. She turns around suddenly. Someone is there with her, she can feel it. She can hear something.
(Terrified.) No.