Urban Guerrillas

By: Nathan Robinson

Sitcom Mission 2012 finalist

After being kettled in central London for 3 sticky hours and forced to take refuge in the adjacent Slug and Lettuce, a fracas resulted in three apparent provocateurs being bundled away in a riot van for alleged lewd and threatening behaviour. Only one was an activist. Another was shopping. The other one was lost and only gone in for a wee. Now we all have to live with the consequences.

Two posh squatters and an anarchist pastry chef 'stick it to The Man' via revolutionary stunts for their subversive website the laser_of_truth.org. Boom! World-wide rolling news and this ideological Etonian junta left quaking in its boots. So how come they glorify the enemy and humiliate themselves at every turn?

Kwey (like Che, but short for Tarquin) leads the lasers with a burning desire to destroy the establishment matched only by the perfectionism he demands in his pastry. Though he questions the motives of his comrades, this is the only squat he has known with an induction hob and double oven, so he's willing to compromise if needs must.

Boho-chic Bea is more Sloane Square than Tiananmen Square, much to Kwey's chagrin. But given that she is the one with the keys to the Russian oligarch's crash pad (an associate of Mummy's), she can be forgiven her ignorance on waging guerrilla class war as well as her post-alcohol ferocity.

The unrequited love triangle is completed by posh stoner Tom. Free from the burden of forethought and with an unrivalled gift for misinterpretation, impossible is nothing. Viva the revolution!

Credits

Cast		Character
Nick Sayce	...	Kwey
Georgina Panton	...	Bea
James Unsworth	...	Tom

Nathan Robinson

Having been long-listed with his inaugural comedy writing project, which was workshopped last year to much critical acclaim ("absolutely brilliant... that you went first"), Nathan has adopted an intensive method-writing approach to Urban Guerrillas, by living the lives of each character, to discover their visceral truths.

"Mastering the sugar-work for Kwey was both tortuous and intensely gratifying. And although the bomb-making research means I can't have my laptop mended, nobody will be parking in front of my house for the dentist's anymore." He said with a drum of the fingers.

"Getting inside Bea was life-changing on many levels" he opined.

"Developing the cognitive strategies to help her confront her demons has left me physically and emotionally shattered. If I never smell Cheeky Tequila-Red Bull again, it will be too soon." His demeanour shifts from tumult to puzzlement as he continued; "Curiously enough, adopting Tom's village idiot persona was completely effortless by comparison."

Note

Performed in Heat 2