Rock / Paper / Scissors
Three Plays
Description
When the owner of a Sheffield scissor manufacturer dies, the future of the factory site falls into uncertainty. Can it be reborn as a fashionable music venue, converted into luxury apartments, or somehow reinvigorated so the old business can survive?
There's more than just money or bricks and mortar at stake. It's about knowing where you fit in the world – knowing that somewhere there's still a place for you.
Fresh, funny and heartfelt, Rock / Paper / Scissors are three intricately interwoven plays by Chris Bush about family, heritage and legacy. They were first performed simultaneously with the same cast moving between three theatres in Sheffield – the Crucible, the Lyceum and the Studio – as part of Sheffield Theatres' fiftieth birthday celebrations in 2022.
While the three plays can be enjoyed separately, they also offer a uniquely rewarding opportunity for any company looking to take on the challenge of staging them together.
Reviews
"A technical and artistic triumph – an incredible achievement... Chris Bush is quickly becoming one of the country's most prolific playwrights, and she's imbued these stories with the kind of heart and warmth we've come to expect from her work... Part of the thrill is watching how all three plays intermesh seamlessly, where any unforeseen delay or error could have a knock-on effect that would be disastrous for the other productions. The scale of Rock / Paper / Scissors only really becomes clear at the end. Having watched these characters develop over the course of eight hours, you realise you're going to really miss spending time with them."
- The Stage
"An audacious, sharp-edged trilogy... exhilarating in its ambition... intertwines comedy, romance and political rage to dazzling effect."
- Guardian
"The biggest theatrical event this year, and you'd be hard pushed to recall a better one."
- WhatsOnStage