OYSTERS: “Whitehaven”

$5.40 – $15.00

Whitehaven is the stand-alone first part of a duology called Oysters. With injections of humour, it reveals the ups and downs of Kate, a Catholic-raised working mother of five with a husband who locks himself in the pantry to write exceptionally bad science fiction stories. Kate, now uncomfortably agnostic, drinks a little too much on the night of her fortieth birthday while preparing for the family celebration. When she learns that an old enemy is dying, she is haunted by the past.

Her memories of Whitehaven, a strict Catholic boarding school, and the severe disciplinarian nun are shown in flashback: and how the actions of this nun caused the young Kate, a gifted musician, to give up the music she dearly loved.

The comedic events of the present contrast starkly with the turbulence of the past until an unexpected gift from a sensitive teenager brings about a kind of redemption for them both.

Workshopped and presented by Villanova Players.

Winner of the Bauhinia Literary Competition Open Division 1998.

APT