Stone Cold
“Stone Cold”
By Robert Swindells and adapted by Joe Standerline.
The play “Stone Cold” is written by Joe Standerline and is based on the novel by Robert Swindells. The plot has two main characters, Link and Shelter, who are very different people. Link is a sixteen year old boy who now lives on the streets because he felt neglected at home. Shelter, in the other hand is completely different for Link. He comes across as an affectionate man taking in the people off the street but then his personality changes and he ends up killing them. Some may say he his psychotic. Link who’s real name is Dave, began to live on the streets after he returned to his house to find it was locked even though is step father was in. The next day Link returned home and he began arguing with Vince about why he had locked him out, his mum entered the room and began to take Vince’s side, and this left Link feeling unloved and hurt. Shelter a man in his mid-forties was thrown out of the army for being out of control. He has began to try and “sort” the problem of people living in the streets by taking “dossers” in to his house and kill he of them. Shelter then notices Link and his friend Ginger and then begins to stalk them but he only manages to persuade Ginger back to his house… In the early days of living in the streets, Link is unsure and vulnerable due to the fact he couldn’t stand up to the landlord;
“(Taking his money out.) So, that makes it…”
Although he managed to get the house for a week, Link was not able to argue about how much he was to pay which could mean in the future he is less likely to stand up to someone in the streets. When Link’s time is up at his apartment, he goes onto live on the streets for good, although he is still just as vulnerable;
“Come on, you know what it’s like, I was here before you honest.”
This was on the first night of living on the streets when a “Scouse” takes Links watch. Link did not know what to do or what to say to get the “Scouse”
By Robert Swindells and adapted by Joe Standerline.
The play “Stone Cold” is written by Joe Standerline and is based on the novel by Robert Swindells. The plot has two main characters, Link and Shelter, who are very different people. Link is a sixteen year old boy who now lives on the streets because he felt neglected at home. Shelter, in the other hand is completely different for Link. He comes across as an affectionate man taking in the people off the street but then his personality changes and he ends up killing them. Some may say he his psychotic. Link who’s real name is Dave, began to live on the streets after he returned to his house to find it was locked even though is step father was in. The next day Link returned home and he began arguing with Vince about why he had locked him out, his mum entered the room and began to take Vince’s side, and this left Link feeling unloved and hurt. Shelter a man in his mid-forties was thrown out of the army for being out of control. He has began to try and “sort” the problem of people living in the streets by taking “dossers” in to his house and kill he of them. Shelter then notices Link and his friend Ginger and then begins to stalk them but he only manages to persuade Ginger back to his house… In the early days of living in the streets, Link is unsure and vulnerable due to the fact he couldn’t stand up to the landlord;
“(Taking his money out.) So, that makes it…”
Although he managed to get the house for a week, Link was not able to argue about how much he was to pay which could mean in the future he is less likely to stand up to someone in the streets. When Link’s time is up at his apartment, he goes onto live on the streets for good, although he is still just as vulnerable;
“Come on, you know what it’s like, I was here before you honest.”
This was on the first night of living on the streets when a “Scouse” takes Links watch. Link did not know what to do or what to say to get the “Scouse”
Links: feelings begin to change. He starts to be questionable for the whereabouts of Ginger, at this same time he begins to be closer with Gail and his feelings become stronger. Meanwhile, Shelter is continuing his campaign to kill homeless people. He makes sure that no-one finds out who he has killed by hiding each of them down in a hole below his living room floor. Link and Shelter meet one morning when Link has become more suspicious that he has been kidnapping each “dosser”. To Link, Shelter appears to look like any other old man that they had seen that’s same morning; “Doesn’t look much like an abductor to me.” Things begin to change when Link enters Shelters house. He notice’s that Shelter has the watch that the “Scouse” had taken from him at the station. Shelter sees that Link has the watch and his personality becomes more aggressive towards Link; “… scruffy little scum-bag…” Shelter becomes rapidly worse then tries to kill Link the way he killed every other “dosser”. When Gail reappears Link finally discovers the truth about her. This happens just after Shelter begins to go crazy at Link and Louise sees the curtain falling when Link falls. She manages to get Mr Hook and the police to arrive at that moment in time. Before Gavin walks in Louise manages to say sorry to a quizzical Link. Everything then becomes clear to Link his feelings completely change towards Louise; “Watched him pick us off one by one until you had enough for a good story.”