RAPING THE GOLD

by Gannon, Lucy

In a small Derbyshire town facing the closure of the local factory works, members of the local archery club meet regularly for what has become their only source of comfort in a community beset with social and economic change. In the wake of his wife’s premature death from cancer, Gabby struggles to raise his only daughter amid the growing pressures of redundancy and a declining sense of self-worth. For Gabby, archery is the only outlet he has left, and when the local cricket club proposes to share the archer’s field and build a modern communal clubhouse in return, the membership is divided and personal conflicts between the archers echo the larger conflicts faced by the community caught between a betrayed past and an abandoned future. A powerful and moving play with a warm sense of humour which contrasts the hopes and despairs of friends and family in a community torn apart by events beyond their control. “A work of outstanding talent.” [The Sunday Times]