Overview
Synopsis
In Caryl Churchill’s Fen, laborers are bound to the land. These women pick out stones from the fields, dig up potatoes, and bag onions. Their lives are determined by the farmers and faceless conglomerates who buy up the land--economic transactions which keep the villagers in poverty. One woman, Val, can no longer bear the dreary life she is in. She finds happiness with Frank, and the two leave their respective spouses to be with each other. But her new romance is not all Val hoped for; she is miserable without her children, but it is financially impossible for her to bring them with her. While Val and Frank try to negotiate the emotional turmoil of their relationship, the other villagers around them struggle to find happiness and meaning in their own lives: Shirley resolves to be happy with domestic monotony, Angela tortures her stepdaughter Becky, Nell agitates the farmers and landowners, and Alice seeks salvation with the local Baptist church. The bleakness and history of the fens permeates the villagers’ lives, and the ghosts of the past haunt their hopes for the future.
Show Information
- Book
- Caryl Churchill
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 1
- First Produced
- 1983
- Genres
- Drama
- Settings
- Contemporary, Multiple Settings, Simple/No Set
- Time & Place
- 1980s, England, fens
- Cast Size
- large
- Licensor
- Samuel French
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Ensemble Cast, Mostly Female Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Includes Adult, Mature Adult, Child, Early Teen, Elderly, Late Teen, Young Adult Characters, Large Cast
Context
Caryl Churchill wrote Fen following a workshop in the fens of Eastern England, where she met the women who labored in the fields. Through her interviews with the villagers, she constructed the world of the play-a methodology of writing Churchill often uses. On January 20, 1983, Fen premiered at the University of Essex, presented by the Joint Stock Theatre Company. On February 16, 1983, the play opened in London at the Almeida Theatre.
Fen is often considered to be one of Churchill’s
to read the context for Fen and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Mist settles over the swampy land of the fens. In the distance, a boy is heard shaking a rattle and scaring off crows.
Scene One
Out of the mist steps a Japanese businessman. He looks directly at the audience, and explains the history of the fens and how it was farmed. More importantly, he reveals that the land is very valuable, and many businesses would like to own it.
Scene Two
In the fields, gangmaster Mrs. Hassett supervises her workers: Wilson, Shirley, Nell, Angela,
to read the plot for Fen and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
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Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
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Videos
Quizzes
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Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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Guide Written By:
Cindi Calhoun
Theatre teacher, director, writer, and seamstress