My Sister Sadie: Synopsis
Cast: 3 male / 4 femaleRunning time (approximate): 1 hour and fifty minutes - not including the interval.
Availability: My Sister Sadie is available for both professional and amateur production.
Acting edition: Published by Faber.
Characters
○ Luke Pickett (About 17)○ Avril Pickett (His mother, 40s)
○ Lisa (His girlfriend, about 17)
○ Sadie (Looks about 16 or 17)
○ Dr Thora Grayling (A scientist)
○ Captain Leonard Lennox
○ Sergeant Jipton
○ Corporal (Off-stage voice only)
Back at the farm, a terrified young girl arrives pleading for help, apparently the sole survivor of the crash. Avril agrees to let her stay, but not in her recently deceased daughter June’s bedroom.
Captain Leonard Lennox investigates the farm and Luke reveals his father left four years ago. The girl appears and introduces herself as Sadie; Avril convinces Lennox that Sadie is her daughter. Avril tells Luke that Sadie is a gift to make up for the loss of June.
The next day, Luke is interrogated by Dr Grayling, but reveals nothing. At breakfast, Sadie exhibits strange behaviour by eating the cereal bowl and mimicking Luke’s behaviour. Later he teaches her chess and she beats him with remarkable speed and ease; irritated he challenges Sadie to an arm-wrestling match and is easily beaten again. They are interrupted when Lisa, Luke’s girlfriend, arrives. Alone, the girls argue about June’s locket which Sadie is wearing and Sadie almost breaks Lisa’s wrist in a cold, terrifying and detached manner.
Dr Grayling reveals to Lennox the helicopter contained a secret, advanced new weapon. She and the soldiers arrive at the farm and Sadie is discovered, although Dr Grayling believes her to be the genius scientist Caroline Forrester, creator of the secret weapon and the only one who knows what it looks like. In a heated confrontation, Lennox refuses to apprehend Sadie and she is left at the farmhouse.
Later, Sadie and Luke persuade Lennox to let them take a walk up the hill, covertly followed by Lisa. Sadie becomes distraught again during the walk, while at the farm Dr Grayling discovers Caroline’s body and realizes Sadie herself is the weapon. She and the soldiers head up the hill.
Sadie has realized what her purpose is and plans to kill herself; created with good intentions, other scientists have subverted her programming. Conflicted, Sadie hurts Luke just as the army arrives and a shot is fired at her. Sadie recites a message from Caroline and goes to leap off the hill. Luke tries to stop her, but slips over, saved by Sadie. Sadie hold Luke suspended above the precipice and Avril tells Sadie they all love her. She raises Luke to safety, throws June’s locket to Lisa and jumps.
Lisa and Luke are reunited and the remains of Sadie are discovered to be useless to the military as a virus has wiped the aggressive programming. The army leave, but not before Lennox has made sure the wrong crate is packed. Sadie returns to the farm, a new sister for Luke.
Article by Simon Murgatroyd. Copyright: Haydonning Ltd. Please do not reproduce without permission of the copyright holder.