The Girl Next Door: Frequently Asked Questions
Alan Ayckbourn's Archivist Simon Murgatroyd answers some of the most frequently asked questions about Alan Ayckbourn's The Girl Next Door. If you have a question about this or any other of Alan Ayckbourn's plays, you can contact the website via the Contact Us page.How do you stage the bombing at the end of Act II, Scene I?
It's worth emphasising that the play was written for and premiered for theatre-in-the-round, so simplicity is always the key. That being said, it can be simply done as with the original production or - depending on the venue and budget - made more complex. At the end of Scene 1, Rob enters the garden in darkness and the only lighting is brief explosions as the bombs drop. After the sound of the house being hit, there is a pause - during which in the original production a couple of simple prop 'debris' pieces were silently placed in front of the 'house'. Rob emerges with a torch and we see only what he does. The torch finally landing on the 'debris' by the house wall indicating the damage done. The torch is not shone into the kitchen area of the house itself and it is only a brief glimpse of the rubble as there is the off-stage shout to put the torch out. During the scene change - again for the original production - fascias were quickly put over the period kitchen set and the separate period oven wheeled off to transform it into a modern kitchen. In the garden, the 'debris' was removed and the vegetable patch literally rolled up and taken off-stage to reveal the lawn beneath it with several 'modern' plants placed around the lawn edge. The effect was simple and - essentially - quickly achieved by two stage managers.
As the play text notes, with regard to the kitchen, "how much we need to see of this is a matter of choice." As the emphasis is on the change of the garden, theoretically, the kitchen area could be kept in darkness removing the need to alter anything in there.
Can I change the time period of the play?
No. The play is specifically set during the Covid pandemic lock-downs of 2020 and in 1942 during World War II. The play makes no sense if the 'modern' part of the play is updated as it draws specifically on the 'lockdown' experience uring Covid and also makes it possible that Rob and Lily - unknowingly to him - met when he was a young actor and she an elderly wardrobe assistant near the end of her career.
Has the The Girl Next Door been published?
The Girl Next Door was published by Samuel French in September 2023 and is available for both amateur and professional production.
Was The Girl Next Door filmed?
Yes, the production was recorded for live streaming and is held in archive by the Stephen Joseph Theatre. However, it is unlikely to be streamed again due to rights issues.
All research for this page by Simon Murgatroyd.