By: Edward Bond

Performed by: Bobby Colvill, Amanda Finney, Richard Holmes
Director: Chris Cooper
Design: Ceri Townsend
Outreach and Development Worker: Maria Gee
Adminstrator: Jane Woddis
Admin. Assistant: Dilys Drewe

Have I None was the third play in what was, before 'The Balancing Act', the Big Brum trilogy. Each play brings us face to face with the problem of how to be human. 'At The Inland Sea' comes at the problem through a confrontation with the past and 'Eleven Vests' does it through a confrontation with the present. 'Have I None' looks at the problem through a confrontation with the future. The play is set on 18 July 2077 in a living space.

One: The action takes place in a room with a door leading to the street and another exit to a kitchen. The only furniture is a black utilitarian table and chairs.

Sara sits at the table. She is in a high state of tension because of a repeated knocking on the door. When she goes to answer the door there is nothing on the other side. Jams arrives home from his police shift. He begins to tell a tale about what happened at work in the ruins where the patrol found an old woman hanging a picture in a derelict house. He does not hear the knocking. The more he tells the more he gets drawn into the story, it begins to tell him. Jams gets angry when he realises that Sara is not listening. She explains that someone is knocking on the door. He goes to look, she explains that there is never anyone there. She says its been going on for weeks. Jams is incensed that she hasn’t reported it and that this could cause trouble, then he tells her she's going potty, and storms out of the door to eat in the canteen.

Two: Jams is in civvies. He is spooning food into his mouth. There is a knock. He goes to the door and opens it. A stranger, Grit, stands in the doorway. We learn that Grit has come to see Sara. Jams invites him in. Grit explains that he is Sara's brother. He walked from the North, unable to get a travel pass because staff were throwing themselves off the roof. Jams says that it must be a suicide outbreak, he explains about the mass suicides in Reading. Grit came because he found a photograph. Jams retorts that it isn't allowed, all papers, including photographs, were destroyed when they abolished the past.

Sara returns. She has been to get food which authority provides in frozen packs that can be de-frosted in the microwave. She denies that Grit is her brother because they "did away with all that". Grit sits in Sara's chair and falls to sleep. Sara is horrified and a huge row erupts between her and Jams. Sara rips up the photograph. Sara and Jams continue to row ferociously, both cry with rage and bitterness. Grit wakes up. In the heat of the argument about who sits where Grit moves a chair thus uniting Jams and Sara in horror, "He's ruining the home". Jams grabs the table and hugs it to him while Sara and Grit hug a chair each – they are glaring from behind the furniture at each other from opposing corners of the room. The situation calms down. When the furniture is reset Grit is sent to the toilet. While he is gone Jams decides that in order to extract themselves from this impossible situation they have no choice but to kill Grit. Sara goes out to buy poison.

Three: Grit is alone. The knocking on the door resumes. Everytime he opens the door there is no one there. The door opens and Sara enters wearing a coat of sky blue covered in metal spoons. We learn that she has been gone for 4 days. Sara tells Grit a story about when they were children. Grit satisfied that he has found his sister lies down to sleep. Sara turns her coat inside out - it is black and covered in bones. Jams enters, he cannot see Sara who stands and leaves. He is worried that if Sara's body turns up he will be censured for not reporting her missing. He is angry at Grit for sleeping when he should have been watching and ties him up in one of the chairs.

Sara enters. She has been to the ruins. A row breaks out because Grit is tied to her chair, "why didn't you tie him in your chair?" Grit awakes and struggles to get out of the chair. The argument rages until Grit sneezes and brings the focus back onto himself. Sara has bought the poison. Jams goes to the kitchen to prepare the soup. Sara tells Grit that she has been to the ruins and tried to finish the job the old woman started by hanging the picture. She tells Grit that she has never seen him before, that it's all in his head. Jams brings the poisoned soup for Grit. Sara drinks the soup. Jams is horrified "How can I explain this to the C.O?" Sara asks to be taken outside because she doesn't want to die in the house. Jams slashes Grits ropes and lets him help her out. Jams shouts down the street after them telling them to get round the corner before anyone sees. He slams the door shut, horrified that people are beginning to look. Jams sits down to eat the other un-poisoned bowl of cold soup. He stops fearful she might have poisoned that bowl as well. Jams goes back to the door and shouts after Sara. Sits again. There is a knock at the door, Jams turns towards the door and shouts "bugger off" before going off in to the kitchen howling.