Pacts - 3 part drama
Tagline
When you're young, you think you're going to live forever.
The tone
Romeo and Juliet live in Notting Hill during a global pandemic.
Logline
Emily and Richard’s lives changed dramatically when the Corona virus struck. Their dreams were put on hold, perhaps forever, as they both tested positive for the virus.
Brief synopsis
Pacts For Life is a play based on two High School lovers, Richard and Emily. One day they made a promise, they made a pact that they would always be together until death did them part, and when this happened the other would take their life so they would be together forever. This was their Pact for life.
Synopsis
The drama starts with Emily lying in a hospital bed linked to a ventilator suffering from Covid-19. Richard speaks to her via the ipad. She starts to cough and the nurses rush over to her. Richard can’t see what’s happening. He opens a bottle of vodka staring at the blank ipad.
8 months earlier and Richard is trying to get Emily out of bed. She refuses to get up and says she is having a lazy day. Emily goes up to the attic and finds a box of school mementos. This takes her back in time. We see a young Emily and Richard during their final days of school. We see their friends and the antics they get up to. But more importantly they have exams to sit. They soon realise that they have feelings for each other. They were destined to be together.
In their final days of school when they are madly in love, they promise each other that they would always be together until death did them part. However, not even death could separate them as they made a pact, a pact that stated that when one of them died, the other one would die also so they would be together in death. A pact for life and a pact for death.
They grow up together and eventually get married and live very happily. When they were 35 years old Emily has the chance to move to Australia to tour playing the piano. This is her time to shine. There was also talk of starting a family over there. Their lives couldn’t get any better.
Then the corona virus struck just as Seb returned back from his backpacking adventures. They went to visit Emily’s gran in the care home and things looked different. Nurses were wearing masks and there was talk about this virus which could kill the elderly patients overnight.
Richard notices an increase in patient at his hospital and PPE supplies are running low. Richard’s mum phones to tell him his brother Dylan has tested positive for the virus. She has to self-isolate.
Then Richard starts to cough, he checks his temperature – he has the virus. And so has Emily. The stay in bed for 10 days, watching Netflix and tidying up the house. Emily takes a turn for the worse. She is rushed to hospital. This is where we started the drama.
Richard doesn’t know if Emily is alive or dead, and while flicking through their school yearbook, he comes across their photos and the words “Pacts for life” written between them. He is floored, he doesn’t know what to do. Richard holds a container of pills in his hand. He throws them in his mouth.
In the hospital Emily slowly wakes up. The nurse phones Richard back. Richard slides his finger over the ipad to answer it. He sees Emily is awake. He smiles, then ruches to the toilet to be sick.
2 years later and they are settled in Australia with a baby boy. A happy ending.
Characters
RICHARD. A 30 something who works in an anonymous office in the city centre. He has simple dreams and loves his football. He is married to Emily.
EMILY. A 30 something who is a very talented pianist. She regularly sells out concerts around the world. She dreams of raising a family in Australia.
SEB – Emily’s brother. He has just returned from his backpacking adventures around the world.
MS. KAITLAND. A drama teacher at Emily and Richard's school. She could have been a famous actress but now her dreams lie in tatters.
ANNE-MARIE - Richard’s mum.
DYLAN – Richard’s brother. Dylan is mid 30's and is Richard's older brother. He works in a bank in London.