WINCHESTER GEESE
A One Act Play; 30 Minutes
Winchester Geese
By Maggie Smith
Winchester Geese
Inspired by the history of the Crossbones Graveyard, this play tells the stories of Avis, Cecily, and Bridget, three young women stuck on earth since their burials, all of whom spend their afterlives clinging onto the hope of one day being remembered.
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This piece came out of a playwriting course in the spring of 2019 and an accidentally history lesson while scrolling through the Internet. When hearing about the history of the Crossbones Graveyard, located in London, I was immediately drawn to the idea of a person being an outcast, even in death. When given the opportunity to write a one act play on any subject, the fictional story of Avis, Cecily, and Bridget, combined with the dramaturgical aspects of the real Crossbones Graveyard, began to take shape.
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Winchester Geese received a reading with the #FuckZoom Playwriting Festival. It featured performances by Korinne Yonan, Maddy Kelly, and Chamaya Moody, and was
directed by Pierce Livingston.
REVIEWS
"Winchester Geese is a haunting exploration of forgotten lives and unspoken sorrows, bringing to life the stories of Cecily, Avis, and Bridget—three spirits tethered to the Crossbones Graveyard in Southwark, London. The dynamic between these three women reveals the layers of their existence, both in life and death, and their struggle with the concept of moving on. Maggie Smith has crafted a work that not only tells the story of its protagonists but also invites the audience to reflect on themes of mortality, memory, and the invisible ties that bind us all."
— James Perry, New Play Exchange
"The world of the dead is one often explored by creatives but I think that this is one of the most fascinating and emotive pieces I've read. No one really wants to consider what lies beyond but for these women they are stuck considering what lies beyond the beyond, an idea that is sure to get an audience talking in the pub afterwards. Maggie offers three amazing roles to chose between and frames them in a great story! Performers talk about Lady Macbeth being a dream role to perform, I'd happily play Avis, Cecily or Bridget instead!"
— Rachel Feeny-Williams, New Play Exchange
"Smith has a remarkable ability to make these characters feel real and lived-in. In just a few pages, I feel I know their relationships. As they rage against their circumstances, their afterlife, their feelings for one another, I imagine a theatre absolutely trembling. This is such a perfect vehicle for powerful actors, waiting to take center stage."
— J.S. Puller, New Play Exchange
"Like Riders to the Sea by John Millington Synge, Jean Paul Sartre's No Exit, and the poetry of Federico Garcia Lorca & even Emily Dickinson, Maggie Smith's Winchester Geese is a play that takes a hard, nearly uncompromising look at the finality and tragedy of death. While the conundrum of death has been tackled and overdone by playwrights, novelists and poets ad infinitum, Ms Smith, fortunately, has the nerve and talent to add something unique to this well-worn topic. A must-read! And a must-see! Nicely done, Maggie!"
— Ken Love, New Play Exchange