THE END
A Play for Radio
Genre: Apocalyptic / Drama
By NEB Inskip
Duration: 55 Minutes
SYNOPSIS:
The play takes place during and after an economic and societal collapse. It revolves around the wealthy Matt Tegal, who lives in a mansion overlooking Los Angeles, and his cook Ricardo whom he calls Richard. As things begin to crumble, Tegal is almost unaware and wholly unprepared for what is happening. His arrogance does not allow him to appreciate the dangers of a world without banks and money, where anarchy and the uprising of the poor now rules. He relies on Ricardo to save him and eventually they arrive at a refugee camp run by the military, where wealth has no impact on your conditions. Tegal has trouble adapting and comes to resent the fact he no longer has the privilege he had before. The ending is cathartic, addressing many unsaid issues between Tegal and Ricardo as Ricardo again tries to save Tegal from himself.
THE LATE PROFESSOR GRUMFOSS
A Play for radio
Genre: Drama/Mystery
By NEB Inskip
Duration: 55 Minutes
SYNOPSIS:
The play takes place around the first faculty meeting of the year. The start is delayed by the late arrival of the new Vice-Chancellor. Professor Grumfoss is sitting behind Professors Sykes and Owen but hasn’t been noticed by them for some reason. He has some news he intends to announce. While waiting they discuss why Grumfoss is late, a trait that is normal for him, and speculate on whether he has died. Their discussions show what they really think of Grumfoss.
Leslie Richardson, after a role as Science Advisor to the Prime Minister, has returned to her Alma Mater to become Vice-Chancellor. She intends to make changes that are a threat to Sykes and Owen who bemoan the youth of the new faculty members. The Dean encourages them to use the delay to meet and mingle with their new colleagues. Sykes goes to talk to the ‘school girl’ who is Dr Samantha Brewer, a great fan of the work of Grumfoss. He ends up with a ‘date’ to show her around the campus. Escaping the need to mingle, Owen looks for Grumfoss in his lab and finds there appears to have been a fire. He and Sykes conclude that something has happened to Grumfoss. The tension between them escalates as they try to work out if Grumfoss is dead. After the faculty meeting, Sykes calls the police to report Grumfoss missing. While gone, Owen does a good job of character assignation with the Dean, Vice-Chancellor, and Samantha which disgusts Grumfoss. When he returns Owen lies, telling Sykes that the Dean was wondering why he wasn’t there mingling, to which he says he told the Dean that Sykes had to leave because he was incontinent.
Is Grumfoss dead or has something else happened to him? A chance meeting between Grumfoss and Samantha as they exit from the toilets leads to him showing her the lab. He discloses that he is Professor Grumfoss and that earlier that day he travelled into the future where they treat age as a disease and made him young again, which is the reason that Owen and Sykes didn’t recognise him. He says he now knows why there was no record of him discovering time travel since he has decided that they don’t deserve to know. It ends with him offering to take Samantha with him to the future, where things really are better.