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Berlin. 1973.A soprano lies dead on a blanket.The human mind will not function when it is hot. Only when it is cool and dispassionate.If you are not careful you will no longer be human. If you are not careful you will become animals covered in sand. You are our descendants. You are very special.Some of you are to be precisely registered and preserved. You will become our most important historical monument.''Bessie and Jessie have been stuck in a bombed ballroom. Theyare also stuck together. There appears to be no escape. Bessie is happy to be stuck. Surely it is better than being alone? Jessie often went blue as a child.Jessie clutches the last unopened Christmas present.They are instructed by a voice, The Special Detachment, who only eats strawberries, and keeps the world in order.Bessie and Jessie have a model train set. The train is driven by a live rodent. The train has been moving for too many years.The train is about to fall off its tracks.>
About the author
Russell has worked as an actor for over ten years. he has worked extensively in film and theatre. He trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. His first play "Sisters, Such Devoted Sisters' was first performed at the Traverse in an Out of Joint production directed by Max Stafford Clark. It won the Carol Tambor/ Scotsman award for the best production at the Edinburgh Festival 2004, and when on to do two runs in London at the Drill Hall, and two runs off broadway. His recent plays include "Vantastic" and "Lobster" which were commissioned for Queer up North 2009. A double bill of "Vantastic" and "Lobster" was performed at the Oval House Theatre in Autumn 2009
He is a recipient of multiple awards from the Peggy Ramsay Foundation.
Summary
A play in which an audience are invited to wander and explore the undiscovered places that lurk behind the scenes in theatres and travelling shows before being taken to a private audience with Jessie and Bessie the famous Siamese Twins. A touching play about disability and identity.
