Title: LITTLE MAN
Writer(s): Isley Lynn
Cast size: 3
Approximate running time: 90 minutes
About: Finn fantasizes about being a hero, playing out scenarios of dragons and hostages and natural disasters on his commute, in the shower, at weddings… And he was proud to become godfather to his best mate’s son Finlay, he just never thought he’d have to do anything serious about it. That is until he gets an unexpected call four years later. A child of the care system himself, Finn decides to grow up fast in order to avoid protect Finlay from that fate. But he doesn’t know how to look after someone who can’t tie his shoes or eat anything green, and he doesn’t know how to answer Finlay’s mounting questions about what happened to his parents. With Finlay, Finn has the chance to truly save someone, but his dreams are nothing like the reality standing 3 feet high in front of him. As Finlay’s mum’s life hangs in the balance, and Finn struggles to come to terms with what his friend has done, his role-plays become less fantastical, darker, grittier, more uncomfortably real. No matter how detailed his daydreams are, they leave him feeling foolish, like he could never be that hero in real life. And he can’t bring himself to see his best friend as the villain.
LITTLE MAN is a sniggeringly silly, super-serious play about the challenges of becoming an accidental role model. It’s about when being a man is at odds with being a human being, and what you tell someone when the truth could fuck them up for life. How do you explain things to a four year-old when you can’t even believe them yourself?
Stage of development: Seeking partners for a 2020 development workshop.