The "interesting story" behind David Harrower 's 2005 play is rooted in a disturbing real-life news event that shocked the UK and US in 2003. The Real-Life Inspiration
Harrower was partially inspired by the case of Toby Studebaker, a 31-year-old former U.S. Marine who traveled to the UK to meet a 12-year-old girl named Shevaun Pennington. The two had met in an online chatroom, and Studebaker lured her away, leading to an international manhunt. While the play is not a literal retelling, it uses this premise to explore the psychological aftermath of such an encounter 15 years later. Plot Summary
The play is a relentless, 90-minute one-act confrontation between Una, now 27, and Ray, now 56.
The Confrontation: Una tracks Ray down at his workplace after seeing his photo in a magazine.
The Past: They discuss the "affair" they had when she was twelve and he was forty, which resulted in his imprisonment and the destruction of her childhood reputation.
The Moral Ambiguity: Unlike many crime dramas, the play is famous for its "shades of grey." It forces the audience to listen to both perspectives—Una’s shattered life and Ray’s attempts to justify his actions as "love"—creating an intensely uncomfortable and divisive experience for viewers. Key Facts & Productions blackbird play david harrower pdf
Premiere: It premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2005, directed by Peter Stein.
Awards: The play won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2007.
Notable Casts: High-profile actors have taken on these demanding roles, including Jeff Daniels and Michelle Williams in the 2016 Broadway revival, and Cillian Murphy in earlier productions.
Film Adaptation: Harrower adapted his play into the 2016 film Una, starring Rooney Mara and Ben Mendelsohn.
For those looking for the script, it is published by Dramatists Play Service and Faber & Faber. The "interesting story" behind David Harrower 's 2005
David Harrower ’s 2005 play Blackbird is a harrowing exploration of the blurred lines between trauma, memory, and the uncomfortable complexities of human desire. Set in the claustrophobic confines of a cluttered office break room, the drama unfolds as a 90-minute confrontation between Una, now 27, and Ray, 56—two individuals whose lives were irrevocably altered by an illicit sexual relationship fifteen years prior, when Una was only twelve. The Architecture of the Past
The play operates as a psychological excavation of a shared history that society has decisively labeled as criminal. For Ray, the past is something to be escaped; he has spent years reinventing himself under a new name after serving a prison sentence. For Una, the past is a prison she never left, characterized by social ostracization and failed adult relationships. Her arrival at Ray’s workplace is not a quest for simple revenge, but an desperate attempt to find closure and understand whether the "love" she felt as a child was real or merely a predatory illusion. Complexity Beyond Morality
David Harrower is a critically acclaimed 2005 play that explores the devastating aftermath of a sexual relationship between an adult and a child. Plot Summary The story follows , a 27-year-old woman, who confronts
, a 56-year-old man, at his workplace fifteen years after their illicit relationship. Concord Theatricals
: When Una was twelve and Ray was forty, they had a three-month sexual relationship that ended when Ray abandoned her at a hotel after buying cigarettes. Ray subsequently served a prison sentence. The Present Opening 10 pages – Una’s entrance
: Una discovers Ray's photograph in a trade magazine and tracks him down to confront him about the trauma he caused. The Dynamic
: The play is a high-tension, 75-minute "duologue" set in a gritty, claustrophobic office breakroom. It challenges the audience by presenting two deeply flawed characters and offering no easy moral resolution.
Blackbird | PDF | Art | Mystery, Thriller & Crime Fiction - Scribd
Una and Ray remember the same event entirely differently. Una recalls coercion and pain; Ray recalls a consensual "romance." Harrower never gives us a flashback. We are trapped in their conflicting testimonies. The script forces readers to question: Can a 12-year-old consent? Even if she believed she loved him?