Riverside Players of Sunbury

Contractions by Mike Bartlett and Red Blooded by Peter Bridge

This autumn, Riverside Players of Sunbury are bringing you an intriguing double bill of two one-act plays that offer very different takes on life in the “rat race”.

Contractions by Mike Bartlett (award-winning writer whose work includes King Charles III and BBC’s Doctor Foster) is an ink-black comedy about the boundaries between work and private life. Emma has been seeing Darren. She thinks she’s in love. Her Manager thinks she’s in breach of contract. The situation needs to be resolved. First performed at the Royal Court Theatre in 2008, this festival favourite is a short, sharp shocker that brilliantly satirises corporate overreach.

Red Blooded by Peter Bridge takes place in the waiting room of a suburban train station, where Derek finds himself on his way to a job interview in the City. He is accosted by an ingratiating stranger, who guides him through some rather unusual and highly questionable interview techniques. But all is not what it seems. An entertaining play with a twist by a talented local playwright.

Photography by Bob Simpson