Stage Plays by Ian Hornby

Conference Pairs
Farce - single set - 2m 5f

Synopsis
Each and every year, the members of the national sales team of JW Roberts Ltd. meet in a hotel for their sales conference. And each and every year they continue their "liaisons" with other members of the sales team. Afterwards they will go back to their everyday lives, but this weekend they’re out to enjoy each other. Peter and Eve have conveniently-opposite rooms in the hotel, but just about anything that can prevent their continued relationship actually does prevent it, including fire alarms, falls, difficult hotel staff, visiting bosses, lost keys, two pairs of handcuffs and a surprise visit from Peter’s wife.

Set in an area stage comprising a corridor and two rooms, this play is easy to set, even for groups with modest means - and in any case the payback is in the comedy. (I love "door" farces! Cast ages are flexible.

Author's notes
This title has been hanging around in my head for years, and I always intended to write it. Strangely, it was going to see a performance of Mike Frayn's Noises Off that spurred me to complete it, not that there are any similarities at all between the plots, but a slightly saucy farce cheers up both writer and audiences. I was a little worried that - on first looking at the script - people might be put off by the somewhat unusual set, though in reality it really is very simple to achieve.