"If I wasn't dead, I'd kill myself."
"Don't say that."
"No, I mean it - ghosts have the most appalling quality of life."
Luke and Jess meet at a party: several dates, an entire relationship and a bad breakup later, he reappears in her life to announce that he’s dead. As their story is played out back and forth in time, Luke and Jess must decide whether they want to carry on being in each other’s lives – or afterlives. 'Bucket List' is a tender, darkly funny play about being young and stupid, and older and wiser, and feeling like you're running out of time before you've even begun.
The show is written by Imogen Usherwood, an upcoming young writer and director, and presented by new company Show Don't Tell Productions. So far, the play has been performed at the Oxford Playhouse Burton Taylor Studio, and New Wimbledon Theatre Studio.
"I wrote 'Bucket List' for my master's degree in creative writing at Oxford University," Imogen says. "I love love stories, especially when there is something a bit different about them. I wanted to write about some of the factors that can put strain on a relationship, particularly the differences between what two people want from life.
"It's also a product of my own anxiety as a twentysomething trying to elbow my way into the arts industry; I’ve spent far too much time typing successful people’s names into Google to find out how old they were when they published their first book, or won a major award, or met the love of their life. Throughout rehearsals, we’ve discussed this shared sense of panic that none of us are getting enough done in enough time — should we have said yes to more nights out, or got involved in more plays, or written more stories, or gone on more dates?
"For a while, I had Billy Joel’s burnout anthem ‘Vienna’ on repeat whilst writing this play, and took comfort from his reminder that “you can’t be everything you want to be before your time”. 'Bucket List' is an attempt to align these antithetical feelings — yes, there is so much time, but you also might die tomorrow, so what are you going to do about it?"
The team is so excited to perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Sharing our work with a new audience, making industry connections and meeting other artists are all wonderful opportunities that the Fringe can offer. However, it is a hugely expensive process. We’re pleased to have secured a venue at TheSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall but we'll need an extra financial help to cover our venue hire costs. This is why we have set up this page.
We are so excited to bring new writing to the Fringe Festival and we would be so grateful for your support.
Here's where you can find us on instagram to follow our journey:
@bucketlist.play
@showdonttellprods
Thank you so much for your support!