Double Dutch

Two plays by Alan Meadows
Face Mail & Two Ends of the Lands of the Living

In Face Mail, Henry’s hotel room is a posh office doorway. The trouble is, it’s Sheila’s office. Their late night clash leads to conflict, laughter, tears… but song and dance?

In The Two Ends of the Lands of the Living (winner of the North Derbyshire New Playwrights Festival in 2002) Steph’s recent stroke means she now speaks an entirely different language. Can Alec see the sense of it?

Illness affects many of us. The ethics of big business touch most of us. But the need to talk to each other in ways that aren’t double dutch is vital to us all.

photo of Alec and Steph

Two Ends had its première at Chesterfield’s Pomegranate Theatre in the spring of 2002 with the following cast:

photo of Henry preparing Sheila for dinner

Face Mail, as part of Double Dutch, had its première at Huddersfield’s Lawrence Batley Theatre in the spring of 2003 with the following cast:

After performing at the New Wimbledon Theatre in 2004, the General Manager, Maralyn Sarrington, wrote in the Newsletter to the Friends of the Theatre:

“…I also really loved Double Dutch – a double bill in our studio dealing with issues of approaching old age… The acting was superb and the writing and subject matter very moving. I do hope Yellow Leaf Company will return to us before long…”

Peter Lathan wrote in the British Theatre Guide of a performance of Double Dutch at the Customs House, South Shields:

“It’s an odd fact that you are more likely to see a good production from a small-scale touring theatre company than from a mid-scale one. Why this should be is not at all clear but, in my experience at any rate, it is true… An enjoyable and thought-provoking evening’s theatre.”

The published text of Double Dutch is now available from the Scripts page of this site.