DAMAGES

by Thompson, Steve

“It’s not in the public interest just because it interests the public”

Deep in the bowels of a tabloid newspaper office, the clock is ticking with only an hour left before the presses have to roll….

A controversial photo of a topless children’s TV star has mysteriously turned up. Who sent it? Why? And is it really all it seems? This sensational photo poses a moral conundrum, exposing deceit, lies and a darker secret that mustn’t be revealed at any cost.

Is a celebrity entitled to privacy or are they fair game for feeding time at the tabloid zoo? Damages is a witty and contemporary (im)morality tale of power-hungry hacks, suicidal sub-editors and razor-sharp lawyers, trying to put the past and the paper to bed.

Damages was commissioned by The Bush Theatre with the support of The Peggy Ramsay Foundation Award 2002, and was premiered at The Bush Theatre in June 2004.