As Yet UnScene

Counterminers CIC is proud to present four brand-new brilliant pieces of writing selected from 150 submissions. From biologists of the future trying to save the last humpback whales to 17th-century witch trials. From queer love and longing to the horrors of influencer culture, join us for a celebration of some of London’s most exciting early-career playwrights! 

Whale Song by Jacqueline Tooley
After accidentally kidnapping a local journalist, a motley crew of rogue marine biologists set out onto the Irish Sea in an attempt to track down one the last humpback whales on Planet Earth. With the still-open wounds of past tragedy lingering, the team must complete their near impossible task before it’s too late.
Set in the near but oh-so-possible future, “Whale Song” is a poetic drama about our relationships with each other, the planet and the other creatures we share it with. 

This is Where I Leave You by Nayib Jean Baptiste
After receiving a prestigious and lucrative commission, two exes attempt to come together again to dramatise their relationship. Shifting between past and present, the structure-loving panto writer Cole and the laid back retired football star Neil, narrate, interrupt and debate the different truths of their love story.
“This is Where I Leave You” is a queer rom-com full of heart, that celebrates love in all of its messy joy. 

The Halo Effect by Dave Edward Keenan
Dee Murphy is a divorced, single mother looking after her two children in Ireland. Carter Douglas is living in Miami, raking in the dollars and attention as a prominent looksmaxxing influencer. Two seemingly disconnected characters, Dee and Carter are set for a collision course, with dire consequences.
Dark and terrifyingly real, “The Halo Effect” examines the horrifying reality of the manosphere and its impact.

Pricked by Georgia Nicholson
Set on Newcastle’s Town Moor, “Pricked” moves between 1650 where women are accused, tried and executed for witchcraft, and the present day, where economic uncertainty, grief and political rhetoric whip up hate. When Kaz and Rob are stranded on a ferris wheel at the Hoppings fairground, their conversation about history opens up a window to the past. 
The play examines how societies manufacture enemies in moments of crisis, and how ordinary people become complicit in extraordinary situations.