Scene by scene synopsis

P1 S1 (Re)Discovering 

• Gideon and Su-Lin examine the marks on the table. 

P1 S2 Wedding Night

• Gideon, David Best and Elizabeth Best. David's finished the table. David and Elizabeth's wedding night. 

P1 S3 Scary Grandpa 

• Su-Lin, Michelle and Anthony. Michelle and Su-Lin discuss Gideon. 

P1 S4 Bye Elizabeth

• David, Finley Best, Elizabeth, Michelle, Su-Lin and Gideon. Elizabeth's died in childbirth. Argument between David and Finley. Finley burns the table. 

P1 S5 Mother Made Stew

• David, Finley and Margaret. Finley goes to war. David dies. Finley and Margaret meet. 

P1 S6 Daddy and The Dark Lady

• Finley, Margaret, Sarah, Albert and Veronique. Sarah and Albert play 'Daddy and The Dark Lady'. Finley and Margaret argue. Finley and Veronique. 

P1 S7 Pee On The Table 

• Finley, Margaret, Sarah and Albert. Sarah and Albert argue. The entire dinner is full of high tension. Albert urinates on the table. 

P2 S1 Spider

• Sarah, Nuns; Hope, Babette, Ruth and Mother Superior. Sarah moves to the convent in 1950's Tanganyika. There's a spider and the nuns are scared. 

P2 S2 Exactly, Daddy, Exactly

• Albert, Sarah and Finley. Albert and Sarah have a conversation. Finley's health has deteriorated. Margaret has left. 

P2 S3 Leopard 

• Hope, Sarah, Mother S, Ruth and Jack Holman. Hope teaches Sarah her Kiswahili prayers. The leopard in Sarah's room, Jack kills it. 

P2 S4 Gideon's Return

• Su-Lin, Michelle, Gideon and Anthony. Anthony returns with Gideon. They sit down to eat. It's very awkward. 

P2 S5 Sex On The Table

• Sarah and Jack Holman. Sarah thanks Jack over killing the leopard and they converse. They have sex. 

P2 S6 Out Of The Convent 

• Sarah, Gideon, Nuns and Mother S. Sarah's given birth to Gideon. Mother Superior kick's Sarah and Gideon out of the convent. 

P3 S1 Where Have You Been?

• Su-Lin, Anthony, Gideon and Michelle. Su-Lin asks Gideon about his travels. It's still awkward. 

P3 S2 Birthday

• Herefordshire 1964, Hippie commune. Aisha, Barabra, Julian, Orion, Stacey, Chris, Gideon and Sarah. It's Gideon's birthday and they've organised a cake. 

P3 S3 Stone

• Hippies, Gideon and Sarah. A meeting is organised around the table. The speak stone - there's a major argument. 

P3 S4 J.H 

• Sarah and Gideon. Sarah and Gideon discuss Michelle and Jack Holman. 

P3 S5 Six, Five, One 

• Sarah and Jack. Sarah and Jack meet again. They talk about Gideon. He writes his name on the table leg. 

P3 S6 Legs Off 

• Sarah and Gideon. Sarah chops off the table legs. 

P3 S7 Don't Be Unkind To A Fuck 

• Sarah and Albert. Young again, they sing 'Don't Be Unkind To A Fuck'

P3 S8 Germolene 

• Michelle, Gideon, Anthony and Julian. Sarah is dead. Major argument between Julian and Gideon. Anthony is bitten by a dog.

P3 S9 Showdown 

• Michelle, Gideon and Anthony. All the issues from the past come out, Sarah and Gideon really hash it out. 

P3 S10 Doesn't Go Like That! 

• Su-Lin, Gideon and All. Su-Lin and Gideon examine the table. They discover "Amor Patris J.H". They all sing. 

By looking at each scene and breaking them down so that I can summarise them in a few sentences is really helpful for my development as it means I know the storyline and the skeleton of the play inside out. By knowing the entire play as well as I know my own scenes means I am completely comfortable with the text and understand fully what's going on at all times. At no point would I ever be lost with the story and it means I'll always know my cues and the scene before and after my own.