The following is a further breakdown of emotive content in the play. It explains overtly what happens in the play, and contains information that is revealed throughout the play’s duration.

Context: Sas and Monty are the two characters in the play. They have been friends since primary school, and have little family or poor relationships with the family they have, and they are all each other have for support. Sas and Monty have played ‘The Game’ since they were kids, inventing ways of escaping their reality to be anything they want – often they use The Game to push each other and take risks. Throughout the play, Sas tires of The Game, and uses it to communicate more serious issues to Monty.

There are three mentions of suicide. Like much of the UK, there is a crisis of suicide, particularly among young people, in Northern Ireland, and so it permeates the play.

1/ In the opening monologue of the play, Sas refers to a ‘belt swinging from the height of the rafters’ and his dad, inferring that this is how his father committed suicide.

2/ Again, the opening monologue of the play, Sas talks about Cave Hill, which is a large hill overlooking Belfast, and is a regular site for suicides in Belfast.

3/ In the penultimate scene of the play, Sas describes Monty committing suicide by jumping off the High Town Bridge – again, this is site in Belfast where there is a high occurrence of suicide.

There is one graphic description of rape.  

Throughout the play, Sas attempts to confront Monty about the summer in which Monty raped their mutual friend Katie. Sas doesn’t have the communication tools to confront him, and is grappling with his own guilt about being present for the rape and doing nothing.

In the last third of the play, Sas confronts Monty, regarding the sexual assault. He describes the rape as follows: The group got drunk and high together. At one point, the three of them go upstairs to the pool hall above the bar. Sas passes out, but wakes up later to witness the assault. Monty and Katie begin to make out, but Katie is seriously inebriated, and decides she wants to stop. Monty ignores this. He inserts a pool cue into her vagina, causing her to bleed and cry. Sas sees this, sees Katie crying, and doesn’t help her.

If there are certain themes that you would find particularly upsetting and you’d like further information please contact info@viewfromheretheatre.com to find out more about the show.