The Skriker

by Caryl Churchill

Premiered at the Royal National Theatre, London, this extraordinary new play by one of Britain's leading playwrights combines English folk tales with modern urban life. In terms of its language alone, it is as exciting and challenging on the page as on the stage. The play follows the Skriker, 'a shapeshifter and death portent, ancient and damaged,' in its search for love and revenge as it pursues two young women to London, changing its shape at every new encounter. Along with the Skriker come Rawheadandbloodybones, the Kelpie, the Green Lady, Black Dog and more, till the whole country is swarming with enticing and angry creatures that have burst from the underworld.

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Fairy Tales, 20th Century

64 pages, Paperback

First published February 17, 1994

About the author

Caryl Churchill (born 3 September 1938) is an English dramatist known for her use of non-naturalistic techniques and feminist themes, dramatisation of the abuses of power, and exploration of sexual politics.[1] She is acknowledged as a major playwright in the English language and one of world theatre's most influential writers.

Her early work developed Bertolt Brecht's modernist dramatic and theatrical techniques of 'Epic theatre' to explore issues of gender and sexuality. From A Mouthful of Birds (1986) onwards, she began to experiment with forms of dance-theatre, incorporating techniques developed from the performance tradition initiated by Antonin Artaud with his 'Theatre of Cruelty'. This move away from a clear Fabel dramaturgy towards increasingly fragmented and surrealistic narratives characterises her work as postmodernist.

Prizes and awards

Churchill has received much recognition, including the following awards:

1958 Sunday Times/National Union of Students Drama Festival Award Downstairs
1961 Richard Hillary Memorial Prize
1981 Obie Award for Playwriting, Cloud Nine
1982 Obie Award for Playwriting, Top Girls
1983 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize (runner-up), Top Girls
1984 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, Fen
1987 Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy of the Year, Serious Money
1987 Obie Award for Best New Play, Serious Money
1987 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, Serious Money
1988 Laurence Olivier/BBC Award for Best New Play, Serious Money
2001 Obie Sustained Achievement Award
2010 Inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.

Plays

Downstairs (1958)
You've No Need to be Frightened (1959?)
Having a Wonderful Time (1960)
Easy Death (1960)
The Ants, radio drama (1962)
Lovesick, radio drama (1969)
Identical Twins (1960)
Abortive, radio drama (1971)
Not Not Not Not Not Enough Oxygen, radio drama (1971)
Owners (1972)
Schreber's Nervous Illness, radio drama (1972) – based on Memoirs of My Nervous Illness
The Hospital at the Time of the Revolution (written 1972)
The Judge's Wife, radio drama (1972)
Moving Clocks Go Slow, (1973)
Turkish Delight, television drama (1973)
Objections to Sex and Violence (1975)
Light Shining in Buckinghamshire (1976) [7]
Vinegar Tom (1976)
Traps (1976)
The After-Dinner Joke, television drama (1978)
Seagulls (written 1978)
Cloud Nine (1979)
Three More Sleepless Nights (1980)
Top Girls (1982)
Crimes, television drama (1982)
Fen (1983)
Softcops (1984)
A Mouthful of Birds (1986)
A Heart's Desire (1987)[18]
Serious Money (1987)
Ice Cream (1989)
Hot Fudge (1989)
Mad Forest (1990)
Lives of the Great Poisoners (1991)
The Skriker (1994)
Blue Heart (1997)
Hotel (1997)
This is a Chair (1999)
Far Away (2000)
Thyestes (2001) – translation of Seneca's tragedy
A Number (2002)
A Dream Play (2005) – translation of August Strindberg's play
Drunk Enough to Say I Love You? (2006)
Seven Jewish Children – a play for Gaza (2009)
Love and Information (2012)
Ding Dong the Wicked (2013)
Here We Go (play) (2015)

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caryl_Ch...

Reviews

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07454g5

Description: 'Long before that, long before England was an idea, a country of snow and wolves where trees sang and birds talked and people knew we mattered...'

In a broken world, two sisters Lily and Josie meet an extraordinary creature. The Skriker is a shapeshifter, an ancient fairy. She can be an old woman, a child, a man, a death portent. She has come from the Underworld to pursue seduce and entrap them, through time and space, through this world and her own.

Whilst speaking English in its human incarnations, the Skriker's own language consists of broken and fragmented word play. Blending naturalism, horror and magical realism, it is a story of love, loss and revenge.

This extraordinary play by one of Britain's leading playwrights combines English folk tales with modern urban life. In terms of its language alone, it is as exciting and challenging on the page as on the stage. The play follows the Skriker, 'a shapeshifter and death portent, ancient and damaged,' in its search for love and revenge as it pursues two young women to London, changing its shape at every new encounter. Along with the Skriker come Rawheadandbloodybones, the Kelpie, the Green Lady, Black Dog and more, till the whole country is swarming with enticing and angry creatures that have burst from the underworld.

Choir Master ..... Stuart Overington
The Hag ..... Jessica Walker
Choir ..... Alaka Prodhan, Charlie Green, Charlotte Beale, Elizabeth Barry, Joanne Griffiths, Justina Aina, Olivia Avouris and Rebekah Davies

If you like word-plays intertwined with nursery-rhymes, book titles that result in an adult fairytale, this is for you.

The Skriker by Caryl Churchill was produced by The Royal Exchange Theatre as part of the 2015 Manchester International Festival, directed by Sarah Frankcom. It was adapted for radio by Caryl Churchill, directed by Sarah Frankcom and produced by Sue Roberts.

[Nickolas B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Εξαιρετικό!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 3 - Drama on 3:
'Long before that, long before England was an idea, a country of snow and wolves where trees sang and birds talked and people knew we mattered...'

In a broken world, two sisters Lily and Josie meet an extraordinary creature. The Skriker is a shapeshifter, an ancient fairy. She can be an old woman, a child, a man, a death portent. She has come from the Underworld to pursue seduce and entrap them, through time and space, through this world and her own.

Whilst speaking English in its human incarnations, the Skriker's own language consists of broken and fragmented word play. Blending naturalism, horror and magical realism, it is a story of love, loss and revenge.

Choir Master ..... Stuart Overington
The Hag ..... Jessica Walker
Choir ..... Alaka Prodhan, Charlie Green, Charlotte Beale, Elizabeth Barry, Joanne Griffiths, Justina Aina, Olivia Avouris and Rebekah Davies

The Skriker by Caryl Churchill was produced by The Royal Exchange Theatre as part of the 2015 Manchester International Festival, directed by Sarah Frankcom. It was adapted for radio by Caryl Churchill, directed by Sarah Frankcom and produced by Sue Roberts.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07454g5

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

What just happened?! Love it.

[Athena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to find a synopsis online to find out that Josie and Lily are actually sisters, on the back of the book and in the book they are referred to as "two young.
I love the word Skriker. Just saying it gives me the creeps.

Honestly, I would love to pick up books like this, with all the incoherent jibber jabber, and be able to understand why so many readers rave about its greatness or genius. I just don't get it. I did love the Skriker's monologue at the beginning, but again, there was so much gibberish that I couldn't make sense of, while the rational information didn't create a complete comprehensive story, or half of one for that matter. I will hand it to the author that the puns and rhymes were clever, but wasn't there a purpose to this play?

[quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

kinda girlbossed tbh

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read The Skriker in college and mostly remembered its eerie fairy-tale vibe. The Skriker speaks in a richly punning, Joyce-ean language (“Eating a plum in the enchanted orchard, cherry orchid, chanted orchestra was my undoing my doing my dying my undying love for you”), and other mythological creatures appear in the background of scenes, playing out their own dramas in silent tableaux, unseen by the human characters.

But this isn’t actually a “no plot, just vibes” play; it’s an incredibly suspenseful drama about what happens when a shape-shifting chaos demon enters the lives of two ordinary young British women. One of the women, Lily, is pregnant; the other, Josie, had postpartum psychosis and killed her baby. When Lily’s child is born, will the Skriker steal it and replace it with a changeling? Will Josie commit infanticide again? Will she do that because she thinks Lily’s baby is a changeling? What seemingly innocuous shape will the Skriker take next, and when will Lily catch on that that child in the park is actually a manipulative, malicious fairy? All of this is very tense and, despite the folklore trappings, frighteningly realistic.

We don’t get a lot of backstory on Josie and Lily—it’s up for debate whether they are meant to be sisters or best friends. But the context suggests that they are working-class heroines: teenage single moms whose baby daddies are out of the picture. These kinds of characters often go ignored in theater, especially in a class-bound society like Britain, and I appreciate that Caryl Churchill has centered them in this story. (And without making this a moralistic “issue play” about teenage pregnancy and mental illness, either!)

Honestly the only reason I’m not giving this play five stars is because I feel like it ends a little abruptly, but I would love to see it staged, to hear the Skriker’s intoxicating language in my ears and see this urban fairy tale play out to its appropriately dark conclusion.

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. It's like a love story as told by a schizophrenic. It was bizarre how much I related to Josie. Should I be scared?

I read it all in one sitting late last night when I couldn't sleep. And it was amazing. But also horrifying and funny and sad all in a unique voice.

If Lewis Caroll had an actual psychotic break, he'd think like this.


"I wish Josie wasn't mad."

[Gwen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kinda confused at what exactly I just read.

[Steven Godin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! My favourite Churchill play.

[lucy snow · Rating 3 out of 5]

much like the previous caryl churchill plays that i have read (heart's desire / blue kettle), i feel like i need a little lie down after reading this play. the opening monologue, specifically, left me absolutely bamboozled.

i dont really know what to say because i still dont really understand what happened. this is definitely one of those plays that i need to see performed to fully grasp the scale.

maybe lecture and seminar will make things a little more clear???

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow

[abs · Rating 4 out of 5]

what the fee fi fo fuck did I just read???

[Acer Pseudoplantatus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark, dense, disturbing and disorienting this nightmarish play is at times difficult to follow and the relationship and dynamics between the girls and their backgrounds could have been better elaborated on (in some decisions their actions seem to be uncalled for or have no apparent motivation other than driving the plot).

Still, there is much to the play; Similarly to works by Martin McDonagh it is gripping and hypnotic, leaving one with the initial reaction of "Well, that was fucked up.", soon to be followed by realizations that the play actually had considerable depth. [there is, however, no humour, black or otherwise, here. The tense and dark atmosphere is omnipresent].
There seem to be many allegorical aspects and even though I have given it much thought, I have not yet come to a clear interpretation of certain aspects of it.

The surreal "ramblings" of the Skriker -whether one thinks them shamanistic or delirious- are hypnotic, almost musical and often poetic in tone, working quite well by creating associations and operating mostly through rhetorical devices and chunks of phrases and sayings (from nursery rhyme to high literature).
Those are in fact some of my favourite parts in this play and have tremendous potential for performance; the actress could whisper, scream, growl or speak smoothly and softly, slowly or hysterically fast or use any colour,tempo or dynamic in between to emphasize, de-emphasize and communicate.
(Reading is definitely recommended, given that some puns or references would be invisible to the ear).

I really enjoyed the way fairy-tales are pulled into our modern world, with all the morbidity, cruelty, twisted reasoning, grotesque and horror that the initial tales had, how they serve as a link to as something more primal and how the fairies' cruelty is not responsible for the darkness alone (war and the destruction of the earth by human hands one one hand and uncontrollable phenomena like natural catastrophes and mental illness are shown to cast shadows and cause grief and destruction as well).

Therefore the biblical references seemed out of place to me, yet those, as well as a couple literary references seem to be used in order of connecting the Skriker to the subconscious of British and/or Western society, which would fit the Skriker's theme of "shape-shifting" and acting whilst being the same on the inside rather well, especially in connection with the juxtaposition of "modern" and "ancient".

Juxtaposition seems to be another theme of the play, given that it can be found in characters, worlds and roles.
Another main theme would be femininity and what is demanded of women (it is no coincidence that the Skriker never appears an equal; either she is an old figure demanding respect and care, a child demanding a mother or a man demanding a lover. Even when it appears as a nurse it is far from nurturing and more of an authority figure, when appearing as an old friend as an “inferior”, begging and pleading) and the fact that so much is connected to birth and fertility (to the possibility alone and potential of the child) and that most of the dramatis personae is female underlines this theme even more.
And still, there is a pitiful aspects of the Skriker, besides the cruelty, possessiveness, lust for blood and revenge and egocentricity; a being broken and in need of love that goes beyond the roles it plays.

Environmentalism, similarly to neglect, is another key-aspect here, even though it is not given a central part, and it is more actual today than when the Skriker was first published.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been a while since I read a stageplay, and I found myself deeply wishing I could see this performed in real life — especially because Caryl Churchill’s writing is surreal, dreamlike, the characters interrupting each other, her dialogue like madcap frenetic wordplay and poetry. The first several pages are one rambling overwhelming monologue from the eponymous Skriker, and I am just astonished that someone could memorise something like this (for three pages!):

Eating a plum in the enchanted orchard, cherry orchid, chanted orchestra was my undoing my doing my dying my undying love for you. Never eat a fruit or puck luck pluck a flower if you want to get back get your own back get back to your own back to the wall flower.

The Skriker does have moments of more lucidity, particularly when she’s speaking to and haunting Josie & Lily. The play is about a predatory fairy stalking two young mothers: one pregnant, the other hospitalised in a mental institution under suspicion of killing her child. The back-and-forth as she tries to lure them away is dizzying, and you’re just sort of along for the ride, particularly with the other characters of myth and folklore just drifting along in the background and accentuating this sense of dreamlike surrealness.

The Skriker is such a powerful character, constantly cropping up again in different disguises, and I just would’ve loved to see an actress tackle this role. What’s also great is that all the major roles in the production are female, which is fitting since it centers a bit on motherhood & madness.

Very short/quick read at about 55 pages. 3.5 stars, rounded up a bit after book club discussion. I still feel like I would’ve appreciated it better or understood it better if I’d seen it performed, but it was still super evocative — and for being such a batshit bonkers play, was somehow one of the most uniformly enjoyed reads at our book club (which is normally a v. contentious space!)

[Emrys · Rating 3 out of 5]

Self-trust, jealousy, persistence of: memory, superstitions, feelings, beliefs, regret.

This play was brilliant if for nothing else than the language. Even as it was too muchof itself, it was still breath-taking, brow-scrunching and full of intrigue. Caryl Churchill does not ease her readers into the play's madness but instead plows through a four-page monologue of nonsense for her script's opening. I got little more than a general sense of mood and style from all of that, but as time went on and she spoke in shorter segements I could use context to crack what she was saying, comments or stories or what have you.

Also by the end I felt pity and a mental outreach of motherly care for the Skriker. She was after all a pathetic creature, broken and in need of love. She wanted to be a child, be loved, be cared for, which is something that a lot of us want at our weak points. She is also ancient adn doesn't fit into out world in the same way that she used to. She used to be big and important and now she is desperate and hollow and alone.

All-in-all I would say The Skriker was disturbing and elusive. Also I have no CLUE how some of these stage directions were actually put into practice. But still, I would love to see it performed, I would love to read more Caryl Churchill, and I would love to hear theories in what the heck was going on. To the reviews I go!

[Réka]

Weirdest thing I've read in my entire life.

[Lydia Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in preparation for my Third Year University Course on Tragedy. Again, I’m finding the vast majority of these plays to be beyond my frail intellect. They seem a little to lofty and abstract for me. That being said, I much preferred this one to many of the others, as I could easily follow the story, and appreciated the inclusion of identifiable figures from myth and folklore. I found this text chilling and disturbing, the notion of being pursued by a supernatural malignant force resonating with increasing clarity from the perspective of a vulnerable young woman, attempting to establish a stable life for herself. I am excited to learn more about all of these texts from my tutors, and to consider their difference from the Classic and Shakespearean tragic dramas I have encountered and come to love. Perhaps soon I will be snow to say the same for contemporary plays.

[Granny Swithins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Churchill is bonkers. This one isn't easy to read, with the Skriker's garbled, poetic language where meaning comes in snatches. Any actress undertaking the role deserves a medal, it's a highly technical feat to pull it off. Hard too to imagine how it would be staged, with its descriptions of mythical creatures lurking throughout and sudden changes of setting.
All plays are meant to be watched, not read - this one definitely came across as one to be performed rather than read. It left me curious, and is inspiring for any writer wanting to experiment with language and style - but how many of us would be allowed to get away with it like Churchill does?

[Zoe Blackburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dense clusters of language, poetic puns, homophones, associations work really well with the notion of an “ancient and damaged” creature. Fragments of nursery rhymes, classical myths and old and new sound play are fascinating. It is nonsense and makes perfect sense at the same time. The subversion of expected words is really, really powerful in this play. The charisma of this creature, too, is disturbing. So many of the surreal elements of this play make it nigh impossible to stage. The ending slightly confused me with regards to who the Skriker is, and who the girl and the old women are.

[Carl Erez · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I really liked a lot of the ideas in this play, such as the shapeshifter appearing as different characters to the protagonists yet looking the same to the audience, the faeries always doing things in the background, and some of the elements of the plot, yet I found the actual quality of the writing itself to be somewhat lackluster, especially when compared to some of Churchill's other works.

[Jacob Lehman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in preparation for appearing in House of Ithaqua's production- I'm very curious to see how they act some of the monologues. The wordplay is super dense, clever, and even poetical, but it feels like there could have been more evolution/growth from the characters. Personally, I found the ending less than fully satisfying.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Experimental and fragmented. Churchill writes a play focused on two 'modern' women and a wicked/perversed fae tormenting them for the Striker's advantage. Based on Celtic magic and folklore, the Striker reminds readers that fairies and magic aren't sweet and pretty, but wicked and grotesque; forcing madness on their victims and feeding off their derangement for their own pleasure

[Keso Gagoshidze · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Skriker is what happens when you mix urban tales with folklore: you get lost in a fever dream and wonder: “what the fee fi fo fuck did I just read?”, it's like using the urban fairytale to sugarcoat real life tragedies of young sisters, in 90s London.

One thing’s for sure: The Skriker is a shapeshifter, a nonsensical, poetic ramble, probably lurking under your bed right now.

[Jess Esa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This play is cool as fuck. I'm so excited to be working on it. Also to find out it's not only politically relevant but also saturated in British folklore, fairytales, and gothic tradition i.e. completely aligned with my academic background. What a winner. I'm so glad this is my actor's introduction to Caryl Churchill.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, reading plays is certainly less optimal than seeing them performed live. Also, this play is completely freaking out there. And yet. It's stuck with me. It feels like a "the whole was more than the sum of it's parts" situation.....almost like some elemental message/vibe that is deeper than words alone can convey was downloaded into my brain while I was reading it.

[Hannah Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the oddest, darkest, creepiest plays we've had to read for modern British tragedy. I really liked this play and the Skriker itself was so evil and so helpless simultaneously, my emotions were all mixed.

[francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It was always possible to think whatever your personal problem, there’s always nature”

Glad to finally read this whole play! This may sound crazy but I honestly wish it was bit longer, though I’m sure a staged version would be over an hour at least. Unexpectedly emotional.

[Ben Ockrim · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Skriker is an encapsulating lead; I liked her trippy monologues and her evil shenanigans. But I don't see how she's multi-dimensional other than the fact she literally shape-shifts. I feel like I'm missing something here...

[Madelein · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm gonna need to re-read this one multiple times. I am a little miffed because I tried so hard to write a story similar to the way the Skriker talks and I had no idea this had already existed LOL.

I love the use of britannic folklore