Happy Days

Act One

The curtain rises on a perfectly symmetrical mound of grass in front of a painted backdrop. In the centre of the mound, Winnie, a woman of about 50, is buried up to her waist. On one side of her is a black shopping bag, and on the other a large parasol. Winnie is asleep.

A long buzzer sounds, and Winnie wakes up. She observes the sky, which is painfully bright and unchanging, and makes a morning prayer. She then begins to prepare herself for her day, taking a toothbrush and toothpaste out of the bag and brushing her teeth. As she does this, she delivers a monologue thanking god for small mercies, and declaring that it will be a happy day. Whenever she refers to time, she smiles and remarks that she is speaking in “the old style,” suggesting that the idea of time doesn’t exist in this place. She notices something printed on the handle of the toothbrush, and takes a pair of glasses from her bag to try to read it, but cannot make it out. She calls to her husband, Willie, who is