Christine, in her senior role, is unsupported and alone, which seems to exacerbate her problems. She holds a Master's Degree in Arts Science and a degree in Business Management. Her role as the Divisional Manager for an international manufacturing company of truck engines and farming equipment in the European Union region does not satisfy her career goals. Christine suffers from mental illness and a personality disorder, exacerbated by her addiction to a cocktail of cocaine and alcohol.

Christine celebrates her fortieth birthday with a look at alcohol, cocaine and a male prostitute. Christine settles in for the night by ordering a home-delivered five-star meal, home delivery of wine, but bored with this, she unsuccessfully telephones her fair-weather friends. Amy’s skeletal remains were neatly tucked away in her bed; her bedroom was a shrine to the memory of what she once meant.

Throughout her drug binge, she discloses moments of physical abuse by her father, emotional abuse by her mother and the witnessed accounts of her brother’s sexual encounters, on their family-run cattle farm at Milking Yard Creek in the middle of the desert.

Christine’s prostitute, Oscar, arrives to make a quick buck and to service his client well, only to discover Christine has another agenda: keeping him for the night. With some intelligent manoeuvres, he endeavours to fill his pockets. Christine wrangles out of Oscar his dirty little secrets, his boyfriend Benjamin and his talents as a sketch artist. To keep her amused, Christine demands Oscar draw a portrait of her and invite Benjamin for her entertainment.

In the height of her drug-induced psychosis, Christine becomes Amy. Benjamin learns of Christine’s hallucinations and stories of a make-believe cattle farm, an adored helicopter pilot and incest. Benjamin discovers Amy’s skeletal remains in her bedroom and confronts Christine.

In Christine’s drug-induced state of confusion, she blames Amy for her unhappiness, her lack of friends and other minor incidents. Christine and Amy battle for ownership of Benjamin and Oscar. The fight in Christine proves fatal, stabbing herself with a knife. Oscar and Benjamin make their escape, with Christine bleeding, she pleads for Oscar to return, so they can fall in love.

First produced in the 2008 Melbourne Fringe Festival

Direction by Elizabeth Penny

CAST
Elizabeth Penny … Christine
Carolyn Masson … Amy
Luke D'Emanuele … Oscar
Dean Tyler … Ben / Shane

VENUE
Guild Theatre
Union House
University of Melbourne
Melbourne, Victoria
Australia

PERFORMANCES
September 2008
Wednesday 24th to Sunday 28th

CREW
Lighting … Julian Brignell
Set Design … Elizabeth Penny
Set Construction … Ian Brealey
Make Up … Jack Willie
Production Assistant … Shane Way
Music Design … Darren Brealey
Producer … Darren Brealey