Millennium Bargains

Written and directed by Brian John Miller

7 - 9 October 1999

As the rest of the world parties into a new millennium, a queue of women wait for the Harrods Sale. They find a sisterhood in laughter, tears and a few surprises. Some get more than they bargained for by the time the doors open.

The play’s still the thing for Brian

Cumbernauld News 29/9/99

Playwright Brian Miller is to mark 30 years of plays with a Millennial look at his work, kicking off next week.

“Millennium Bargains”, a new version of his play “Bargains” opens at Cumbernauld Theatre next Thursday, October 7.

And Brian has set up an exhibition covering his three decades of work to coincide with the show.

The Ravenswood writer and artist turned his hand to playwriting with “Underpass”, about three characters cut off from the rest of the world in a New Town underpass. Since then, he has written 25 plays – and 262 speaking parts.
Strong female roles are a regular feature of his plays and “Millennium Bargains” is no different.

He said: “Theatre still isn’t sympathetic to women. Especially in the 1960’s and 1970’s, women had to contend with minor roles and plays were mostly about men.”

Roll up for 30 years of theatrical bargains

Cumbernauld Theatre is gearing up to celebrate 30 years of plays by local writer Brian Miller.

“Millennium Bargains” is a revised production of his 1990 play “Bargains” about women waiting in the queue for the Harrods sale.

The idea fist came about when No Mean Theatre Company asked Brian to write a play when he left his job as a designer with Cumbernauld Development Corporation. As No Mean Theatre had grew from the group that set up the theatre and was dominated by women, then a play that is essentially about women seemed the obvious thing to do.

Brian Miller said: “The play is about humans true destiny as hunter gatherers which is now taking place in shops. Women were much better at that role then, as they are now.”

Brian Miller has been writing plays now for the past thirty years. His first work “Underpass” was about three very different people trapped in a Cumbernauld underpass cut off from the outside world.

Since then he has written 25 plays that have been performed across the country.

He has written 262 speaking parts in those 30 years and almost half of them have been female.

He said; “One of the cast told me that a man could not write about women like that. A play about women and particularly women’s problems is a very big challenge.

Some of the women have said to me ‘that is my story’. The kind of play that Millennium Bargains is, allows people to find themselves.”

The new version follows two women who travel to London to be the first people in the queue for the first New Year sale of the new Millennium at Harrods, where they meet other women.

Brian said: “The sub text is about life and do people get bargains?

Marriage is a bargain, but you cannot read the labels on it.

The women discuss how it would be great if you had labels on husbands, as both their marriages have cost them something.”

The women in the Harrods queue find sisterhood in tears and laughter throughout their night, and some get more than they bargained for.

The men in the play are all consigned to minor roles. Brian has been consciously attempting to redress the sexual inequalities he sees in theatre.

He said: “Theatre still isn’t sympathetic to women. Especially in the 1960s and 1970s, women had to contend with minor roles and plays were mostly about men.”

Also at the Cumbernauld Theatre during Millennium Bargains will be an exhibition of photographs and artwork celebrating 30 years of plays by Brian Miller.

Millennium Bargains is at the Cumbernauld Theatre from October 7 – 9 at 7.45 pm. Tickets are priced £5 and £3 from the Theatre.

Paul Carnahan.