From
FIXER
by Lydia Adetunji
Fixer by Lydia Adetunji was first produced at the HighTide Festival in Suffolk in 2009. The play was developed with the support of the Almeida Theatre. A new version of Fixer was performed at Oval House Theatre in London on 21 June 2011. The latest version was directed by Dan Bernard and Rachel Briscoe starring Richard Pepple (Chuks), Alex Barclay (Dave), Robert Bowman (Jerome), Babajide Fado (Tracksuit Man), Jennifer Jackson (Sara), Damola Adelaja (Laurence) and Nick Oshikanlu (Porter).
Lydia Adetunji’s political play Fixer explores a darker side to international journalism. Set in a world of corruption, competition and desperation where getting the most exclusive story is paramount at whatever cost. In northern Nigeria a group of militant rebels referred to as ‘The Boys’ have been attacking ‘The Consortium’s’ oil pipelines. The new recruits of ‘The Consortium’, Sara and ex-journalist Jerome, have been employed to manage any negative media attention and thus prevent damaging stories about ‘The Consortium’ from ‘The Boys’ leaking into the desirous hands of international journalists.
British journalists Dave a.k.a. Dangerman, and young enthusiast Laurence, are keen to outdo each other and be the first to interview ‘The Boys’ to get their big break, however they both require the knowledge of the boys’ whereabouts and the only person that can help them is a Fixer named Chuks. Scarred by the near-death experience encountered when he took the American journalist Jerome to see ‘The Boys’ a year ago, Chuks, now the owner of a small bar called Madam Hannah (named after his five-year-old child), wants to leave the dangerous life of being a Fixer behind him. However, when both journalists entice Chuks by offering large amounts of money, he succumbs to the challenge which leads to deadly consequences.
About the Playwright
Playwright and journalist Lydia Adetunji was born in Stockport in Manchester, England. Lydia was raised in Nigeria and Britain. After graduating from the University of Cambridge with BA degree in Chinese, she pursued a career in journalism working at
the Financial Times newspaper.
Lydia Adetunji’s experience of living in Nigeria and career in journalism informed the story of her first award-winning play, a play set in Nigeria about journalism. In 2010, Fixer was selected as an outstanding example of international theatre at the National Play Festival in Brisbane. Since writing her first play Adetuniji has been associated with Channel 4, BBC Films, Paines Plough and the Tricycle Theatre.
Summary (Extract)
CHUKS, a Nigerian fixer in his thirties, is stuck in the middle of two rival British journalists who undercut each other with the hope of persuading Chuks to arrange an exclusive interview with the militant rebels named ‘The Boys’. With Dave’s offer of one hundred thousand naira sealed and Laurence’s underhand offer of an additional fifty thousand naira on the table, Chuks begins to warm to the idea of taking them to see the boys.
No. You don’t understand what I am telling you. Open your ears, eh? If I help you to find them, they will come back and find me. They will make trouble for me after you have already packed up your things and gone back to your five-star. No deal, no deal.
Pause.
You want to know what the boys said to me? You want to know? They showed me something. But the thing my eye see, my mouth no fit talk am.
…
They showed me a picture they snapped. Of a man. This traitor betrayed the boys, so they beat the hell out of him. The blood was pouring. The man was dying. He begged the boys to take him to the hospital.
Pause.
So they put him in the boot of a car and they drove him to the hospital. When they reached there, they carried him out of the car and went inside. They took him to the mortuary. They opened one of the freezers, and they closed him inside. When he was still alive.
Pause.
Then the boys left the hospital. But nobody helped the man in the freezer, because the boys said ‘don’t help him’.
I am not messing with the boys. They suspect me I am a traitor. They say I make too much cash from my business with you people. They think I take money left right and centre to open this bar.
CHUKS waves an arm at the room.
They ask which oyinbos I take money from next – the pipeline consortium?