THE STORY
The year 2016 has seen a seemingly high number of notable deaths with inevitable eulogies and tributes following. I wanted to write about someone completely anonymous to the world at large but who meant something to those who loved him.
I had the idea of somebody going through problems of their own glimpsing a name on a plaque on a park bench and this triggering a journey of discovery, both literal and in his own life.
The central character is a little lost and has a few issues he hasn’t faced up to but his obsession with the name on the bench forces him to address them.
We also see how this affects his relationship with his partner and discover more about his background.
THE WRITER: DAVID HENDON
I have written primarily for the theatre. The first play, The Bench, a dark comedy, was first performed at the Old Joint Stock Theatre in Birmingham in 2007 and was then performed at the Edinburgh Fringe later the same year. It was produced by the Old Joint Stock Theatre Company.
My second play, From Me to 3792, a one woman piece, was first performed at the Old Joint Stock Theatre in Birmingham in 2008. It went on tour in Nottingham, Northampton and other venues in England and was also performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2009. It was produced by Next Page Productions.
In 2016 my play The D-List, a comedy about one man’s descent into the hell of reality TV stardom, was staged at the Edinburgh festival fringe, produced by Shrapnel Theatre.
Also in 2016 I was named as one of three winners of the Kenneth Branagh award for new drama writing for my monologue, Eyes to the Wind.
I have also been developing screenplays for film and television. In 2012 I was one of the BBC writersroom script-room intake. They received over 2,000 scripts and chose 20 writers to attend development sessions and meet producers.
Additionally, I work as a sports broadcaster and journalist and commentate on professional snooker for the pan-European channel Eurosport.
THE ACTOR – SAM HAZELEDINE
Sam is currently based in LA. He played the role of Ivan in the feature film The Raven. Other film credits include: ASHES IN THE SNOW, THE JOURNEY IS THE DESTINATION, MECHANIC:RESUREECTION, THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER’S WAR. TV credits include THE DOVEKEEPERS, PEAKY BLINDERS, THE VILLAGE, LIGHTFIELDS, RIPPER STREET. Sam’s father is actor / director James Hazeldine, who died prematurely in 2002, and in whose memory there is a bench with a plaque outside the National Theatre in London.
When, while the lovely valley teems with vapour around me, and the meridian sun strikes the upper surface of the impenetrable foliage of my trees, and but a few stray gleams steal into the inner sanctuary, I throw myself down among the tall grass by the trickling stream; and, as I lie close to the earth, a thousand unknown plants are noticed by me: when I hear the buzz of the little world among the stalks, and grow familiar with the countless indescribable forms of the insects.