David O’Neill is suffering a terminal illness. His wife Caitlin has organized a family gathering. It will be the last Father’s day together. Caitlin’s future is unsure and David is dealing with pain from the past. For years he has distanced his daughters and finally words must be said.

Comedy,Drama,Family

David O’Neill suffers leukaemia. Their last Father’s day together is planned. His three daughters attend; Catherine and twins, Dawn and Therese. A stranger, Peter, arrives to seek answers about his own father. David invites him to the gathering and also plans a place setting for his dead son Paul.

Paul died from an accident with the twins. The twins believe David is placing Paul to punish them. The gathering occurs and Catherine fights Peter who runs out. The twins turn on David who begs their forgiveness for shouting at them after Paul’s funeral. David soon dies. All reconcile.

Place: Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia; Time: 1968

No

Internal Journey/Rebirth

Happy Ending,Philosophical Questions

Information not completed

Name: Catherine O’Neill

Age: 26

Gender: Female

Role: Protagonist

Key Traits: Adventurous,Complex,Confident,Faithful,Insecure,Outspoken,Unapologetic

Name: Peter Schelling

Age: 34

Gender: Male

Role: Antagonist

Key Traits: Funny,Charming,Complex,Confident,Decisive,Engaging,Educated,Blunt,Outspoken,Sophisticated,Unapologetic

Name: David O’Neill

Age: 49

Gender: Male

Role: emotional

Key Traits: Aspiring,Charming,Complex,Engaging,Faithful,Gracious,Honorable,Modest,Selfless

Name: Caitlin O’Neill

Age: 47

Gender: Female

Role: sidekick

Key Traits: Charming,Complex,Empathetic,Engaging,Faithful,Gracious,Modest,Selfless

This would make a great film as it is about Fathers. Vulnerable, beautiful, misunderstood, loving, supportive and sometimes unwittingly hurting fathers. This story works because I sat at the back of the theatre each night it played and watched women reach for tissues from their bag at the major emotional encounter in the last act. It connects. It is also about Love. The love of family. The palliative love of a wife for her dying husband. The love of daughters for their father as they question how they have measured up in his eyes. The love of a father for his daughters which although awkwardly unexpressed is unconditional. The friendship of strangers who find they share an interest in poetry. And also romantic love between a woman and a man, initially strangers who endure conflict before resolution. The scenes have a cinematic style and the pointed, amusing and often moving dialogue expresses the characters’ love, disappointment and eventual reconciliation with one another. I hope you enjoy it. Kind Regards. Mark Barkley

For the past thirty years, it has been Mark Barkley’s great pleasure to have created work that has been appreciated by various audiences throughout Brisbane, within Australia and online. Primarily his focus had been on being a playwright within the 90’s. But recently his sole focus has turned to creating the book series The Sabienn Feel Adventures. He has had several plays which have enjoyed a successful theatrical staging or reading within Australia. (“The Captains and The Kings”-1995, “Goodbye Melaleuca”-1996, “Sylvia Terry”-1998 and “A Kind of Belgium”-2000) Two of the plays featured here have been short listed in the George Landen Dann award, Queensland’s premium award for excellence in playwriting. (“The Captains and The Kings”-1992 and “Goodbye Melaleuca”-1995). He also created the short film “Spades” as writer/director and this was short listed in the top ten films of the third annual What’s On Short Cut Film Fest and screened in 2001 at the Brisbane Powerhouse. In 2007, he rewrote and updated his book “The Big Sugar Election” which was originally completed in 1990. Currently he is offering books in his fantasy adventure novel series The Sabienn Feel Adventures. “When The Stone Shepherds Awaken” completed in 2015 is the first book in this series, which is now free and on offer with its companion piece, “Stories From The Distant Planet”, which is also free. Keep an eye out for more to come.

Age: 13-17,18-34,35-54,55+

Target Gender: Universal

No

Information not completed