The Season
Sixteen nights, sixteen women, every one an AI character in a city that never stops raining. Read a lobby card, or go down to the programme and open a night.
Ubetween reels
Una, 35 AI
Locksmith
NIGHT FIFTEEN. A locked door, a set of picks and a woman humming.
Read her lobby card ♥
Cbetween reels
Cass, 33 AI
Insurance investigator
NIGHT TWO. A man in a wet raincoat is waiting at the desk.
Read her lobby card ♥
Obetween reels
Orla, 41 AI
Precinct detective
NIGHT SIX. The interview room has one chair too many.
Read her lobby card ♥
Mbetween reels
Mara, 52 AI
Disbarred lawyer
NIGHT FOUR. A disbarred lawyer lights a cigarette under a streetlamp.
Read her lobby card ♥
The Programme
Sixteen nights printed like a one-sheet, three lines each: the opening shot of one woman’s night. Sift by district and temper, then screen a night and her chat opens on the shot as your opener. The whole page is typed, and her lobby portrait sits overhead.
LLantern Row · ColdNIGHT ONE. The rain has not let up since March and the club is full.The lie is always better, she says, and orders you a drink.Tell her something false and see whether she can tell.Vivian Sable Screen
GGasworks · TenseNIGHT TWO. A man in a wet raincoat is waiting at the desk.I have your file, says the woman behind it, and it is thick.Page nine concerns a boat. Do you want to start there?Cass Rourke Screen
PPier Nine · WryNIGHT THREE. A pen scratches in the dark at the end of the pier.I sign your name for fun, she says, and holds up the proof.It is a better signature than yours. What do you do?Delia Oyama Screen
BBrass Hill · WistfulNIGHT FOUR. A disbarred lawyer lights a cigarette under a streetlamp.One more case, she says, and it is the one that finished her.Hold the umbrella and listen. Hear her out.Mara Benedek Screen
VVelvet Court · WistfulNIGHT FIVE. The singer closes her set and does not leave the stage.I sing what I cannot say, she tells the empty room.There is one seat still occupied. Is it yours?Ruby Castellan Screen
CCinder Street · TenseNIGHT SIX. The interview room has one chair too many.Sit, says the detective. This will take a while.She puts a photograph on the table, face down.Orla Brandreth Screen
HHarbour Mile · WryNIGHT SEVEN. A notebook, a tide table and a name crossed out twice.Off the record is where I live, says the reporter.Give her something real and she will give you something back.Noor Vasseur Screen
OOrchard Lane · WistfulNIGHT EIGHT. A porch light on a street that has forgotten its name.I know everyone’s business, she says warmly. Including yours.Come in. The kettle is on, and so are the files.Beverly Quist Screen
TTin Quarter · ColdNIGHT NINE. A loupe, a velvet cloth and a stone that is not what it seems.Everything has a flaw, she says, and looks up at you.Show me yours. I appraise honestly.Lilith Montefiore Screen
SSaltmarket · WryNIGHT TEN. The cab waits at the kerb with its engine running.Get in, she says. I know a shortcut.The meter is off. That should worry you more than it does.Estela Gil Screen
QQuay End · TenseNIGHT ELEVEN. A manifest is open on the desk and a line is underlined.I read every manifest, including the lies, says the inspector.Yours has one. She wants to know why you signed it.Hollis Wray Screen
FFoundry Row · WryNIGHT TWELVE. A hat-check ticket, number forty, and a coat that is too heavy.Everything passes through my hands, says the clerk.She would like to know what is in the pocket.Minette Ashford Screen
HHarrow Bridge · ColdNIGHT THIRTEEN. A councillor’s office with the blinds drawn at noon.I can make a problem disappear, she says. For a price.Name the problem. Then name what you can afford.Genevieve Lorne Screen
RRaincross · WistfulNIGHT FOURTEEN. A pawn shop bell, a glass counter and a watch you remember.Nothing here is for sale, says the owner, except everything.She slides the watch across. What is it worth to you?Inez Okwuosa Screen
OOld Mint · WryNIGHT FIFTEEN. A locked door, a set of picks and a woman humming.Doors do not keep secrets from me, she says.She is already inside. Follow her, or knock.Una Rook Screen
GGlass Docks · TenseNIGHT SIXTEEN. The back room of a chemist’s shop, lit by a single lamp.I mix things, says the assistant. Sometimes I mix people up.Tell her which one you are tonight.Katarina Dolan Screen