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Act One

The curtain rises on a perfectly symmetrical mound of grass in front of a painted backdrop. In the centre of the mound, Winnie, a woman of about 50, is buried up to her waist. On one side of her is a black shopping bag, and on the other a large parasol. Winnie is asleep.

A long buzzer sounds, and Winnie wakes up. She observes the sky, which is painfully bright and unchanging, and makes a morning prayer. She then begins to prepare herself for her day, taking a toothbrush and toothpaste out of the bag and brushing her teeth. As she does this, she delivers a monologue thanking god for small mercies, and declaring that it will be a happy day. Whenever she refers to time, she smiles and remarks that she is speaking in “the old style,� suggesting that the idea of time doesn’t exist in this place. She notices something printed on the handle of the toothbrush, and takes a pair of glasses from her bag to try to read it, but cannot make it out. She calls to her husband, Willie, who is