Rushen Players

MADF One Act Festival of Plays
March 2026
Erin Arts Centre, Port Erin

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These notes are to provide a little more background information to the play
than we are able to fit in the paper programme

Blood of the Lamb

by Arlene Hutton

The Playwright:

Arlene Hutton is best known as the author of The Nibroc Trilogy, which includes
Last Train to Nibroc (Drama League of New York's Best Play nomination),
See Rock City (McLean Foundation's "In the Spirit of America" Award) and
Gulf View Drive (LA Weekly and Ovation Award nominations).

Her plays have been presented at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, off- and off-off-Broadway
and at theatres across the United States, in London and throughout the world.
Other works include As It Is in Heaven, Letters to Sala, Running and Vacuum.
Her play for young audiences, Happy Worst Day Ever, commissioned by Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park,
was winner of the 2010 Macy's New Play Prize.
A six-time finalist for the Heidemann Award and a three-time winner of the
Samuel French-Off-Off-Broadway Short Play Festival,
Hutton is an alumna of New Dramatists and a member of
The Dramatists Guild and Ensemble Studio Theatre.

Rushen Players has previously presented two of Hutton’s plays:

Last Train to Nibroc in 2019

Last Train to Nibroc in 2017

I Dream Before I take the Stand in 2016

The Play:

Arlene has an enviable reputation for tackling difficult topical social issues, head on.
In particular she is passionate about women's rights and Blood of the Lamb is, if nothing, a serious issue.
The social and political climate in the United States post the Wade v Rowe legal challenges inspired her
to write Blood of the Lamb.
The play is as powerful as her I Dream Before I Take the Stand and her new play at the 2025 Edinburg Fringe,
Shake, Rag, Hollow was inspired by the French Gisèle Pelicot scandal.

Blood of the Lamb is a drama focussed on two female characters enclosed in a windowless
industrial room late at night, in Houston, TX ... or is it Dallas?

Nessa: A young professional female travelling from Cailfornia to New York.
Val: A career lawyer allocated to a client by the State, probably because everyone else
is asleep or declined the opportunity.

“BLOOD OF THE LAMB” is presented through special arrangement with and all
authorised performance materials are supplied by TRW PLAYS www.trwplays.co.uk

Parallels

by E Wood & N Kinley

The Playwrights:

It began on a sunny but windy Saturday in 2024, at the end of the harbour in Port Erin.

We arranged to meet and share our writing.
Over the course of the year, several cafes and pubs later, we wrote a script for a one act play.

It was a hot summer’s day in the Cosy Nook when we at last sat to read it through.

We had a play, but now what? We had another cocktail …

It started with something we both knew about … Counselling.

However, we were keen for the play to be more about the counsellor than the clients,

although they are integral to the play.

We ended up with a play called ‘Parallels’, which is a short drama about a moment

in people’s lives when misunderstandings lead to fractured relationships,

and how facing up to painful realities leads to seeing parallels with others.

‘Parallels’ is a debut one act play for Nicky and Liz.

Liz is a novice writer who has enjoyed creative writing over the years, but with no formal qualifications.

Nicky put on plays as a child, and has returned to the joy of drama after years of singer-songwriting,

and after studying for an MA in Creative Writing. Together they have enjoyed supporting on another's

writing, whilst also supporting local businesses!

This is the first play we have written together and the fact that it’s a debut in the

MADF One Act Play Festival is nothing short of nerve wracking.

We have to thank the following people for reading it and giving us feedback:

Karen, Jane, Ruby and Catie.

You’ve helped us make small but important changes.

Also, importantly, thank you to Rushen Players for taking it to the stage!

Plays need to be performed!

The Play:

Parallels revolves around four characters and mirrors the difficult relationships
which many of us experience during our lives.

Serena: 40s Married to Malcolm for 2 years, known him for 3 years through work.
Highly strung, unhappy with her current life, grieving lost life and death of her father.

Malcolm: 60s Married to Serena who he met when she joined his firm of Architects.
Patriarch, who a values traditional family system.
Feeling insecure and vulnerable in the relationship.

Phil: The couple's Counsellor. Compassion fatigue; preoccupied with unresolved trauma
from her childhood; single.

Alex: Phil’s Clinical Supervisor. Compassionate; professional and boundaried,
provides a safe environment..

Scene 1: Serena and Malcom's kitchen

Scene 2: Phil's consulting Room

Scene 3: Alex's office

Scene 4: Senena & Malcom's kitchen / Phil's consulting room

Scene 5: Phil's consulting room

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