good people

Ensemble Theatre · april 2016

“We have this myth that if you work hard, you can accomplish anything. It’s not a very American thing to say, but I don’t think that’s true. It’s true for a lot of people, but you need other things to succeed. You need luck, you need opportunity, and you need the life skills to recognize what an opportunity is.” David Lindsay-Abaire

Margaret may be a struggling single mother, but she’s got good bingo friends. Having been ‘let go’ by the local Dollar Store, a chance encounter with an old flame provides an opportunity to get ahead. He’s well-off, smart and handsome, and has escaped their childhood neighbourhood with a college education. Inveigling her way into his home, Margaret poses a sudden threat to his picture-perfect family life.

David Lindsay-Abaire’s wonderfully whip-smart comedy of manners shakes up a delicious cocktail of secrets, lies, class and race and asks the question: what makes us Good People?

With minimal budget and multiple locations, Tobhiyah devised a setting that keeps the story grounded in the poverty of our protagonists life – with her struggles playing out in the back alley where she is laid off in the  very first scene. A whimsical scene change language of actors moving furniture synchronised with flown elements supported the fluid pace of the play. A motorised roller door was housed in the upstage structure, providing arresting motion and slice of real life.