Read The Myth & The Madness
The Myth & The Madness is a book containing two full length plays. As a writer and director of English-language plays, Amber’s work explores the paradoxes of human nature, the collision of myth and madness, and the generative power of narrative. His most recent original plays include Buzz Kill, a darkly comic examination of family chaos and unseen violence, and the yet unnamed magnum opus, a surreal, multi-phase mythic journey that unfolds from Dhaka to Samarkand and beyond.
Buzz Kill
Synopsis: The Buzz family lives in a deteriorating apartment building buzzing with gossip, secrets, and a strange new tenant who spins silk and drinks tea with their teenage daughter. At first, their daily dysfunctions seem like classic chaos: parents bicker, Grandma mutters doom, the youngest won’t stop ranting about Vulture Bees. But as characters go missing and paranoia builds, it becomes clear that something truly sinister is nesting in the shadows. The play spirals through layers of overlapping dialogue, black comedy, and psychological tension until the horror of what's really been happening is finally revealed.
Key Themes:
Absurdity of modern domestic life
The illusion of safety in familiar places
The psychology of denial and projection
Generational breakdowns
Seduction and manipulation
Chaos as a theatrical language
Excerpt:
Act 1, Scene 1
A Trifle Too Much
The scene opens in a home where a Father fly is at the breakfast table, reading a newspaper and absentmindedly groping the air behind his newspaper to reach his coffee mug. Enter Agnes with a French toast laden plate and another mug of steaming coffee on a tray, headed towards the breakfast table.
Agnes (the Mother fly):
You never step up and do the dirty work. I have to be the villain everyday.
Father fly:
What are you on about this early?
Agnes:
The kids! You never wake them up! I have to yell at them and face their attitude!
Father fly:
What do you want me to do? Yell at them?
Agnes:
You can at the very least tell them to follow a routine. They wake and sleep any time they want, they eat any time they want and whatever they fell like. You tell me, could we ever do that when we were their age?
Father fly:
Hmmm… never (absentmindedly)
Agnes:
You’re not even listening to me!
Father fly: (putting his newspaper down)
Why’re so wound up on a weekend? It’s a holiday take a break. Let the kids sleep late today.
Agnes:
We never have breakfast, lunch or dinner together, like a family.
Father fly:
Yes we do, but it’s just not possible every day, we’re all under a lot of pressure. Don’t you think I miss it? But we’re going through this rough patch and the kids are growing up. Let them be.
Agnes:
It’s so hard to keep kids in check these days. Remember Mrs. Aurora? They went on a family holiday and now her daughter doesn’t ever want to return! Shocking!
Father fly:
What she likes it there?
Agnes:
No goddamn it! Haven’t you heard? She’s in love with a Tsetse!
Father fly:
Stop being such a racist!
Agnes:
I’m not racist! It’s a Tsetse! They’re tribal and hate cities!
Father fly:
That is the definition of racist stereotyping! Stop it already! We’re all equals wherever the hell we come from.
Agnes:
That’s all fine until your own child begins to hobnob with Carrion Flies!
Father fly:
You’re so dramatic! Where’d you find ‘Carrion Flies’ in this part of the world?
Agnes:
The same place the Tsetse comes from!
Father fly:
My god! Will you drop it already! Can we have a peaceful breakfast once on a weekend?
Agnes:
Sure, it’s all me who on about everything.
Father fly:
Ok… now drop it. I wanted to speak to you about a next weekend.
Agnes:
What about it?
Father fly:
It’s a bridge holiday and we can have a family staycation.
Agnes:
We’re always spending on the now. How about we discuss the future for a change? Are we going to be living in a rented place all our lives?
Father fly:
Are we going to start with that again? We’re still miles away from buying our own…
Grandma Fly enters the set stage right.
Grandma fly:
Will you two stop talking so much!
Father fly:
Ma? You’re up?
Agnes:
Let me get your coffee..
Grandma fly:
I heard you talking about that Aurora woman…
Father fly:
No ma, we were discussing about buying our house!
Grandma fly:
I knew she was a honeybee!
Father fly:
Ma…
Agnes: (returning with the coffee)
Ma, we were just talking about…
Grandma fly:
Why can’t you just be a decent house fly?
Father fly:
Ma… she is…
Agnes:
Ma its ok, I’ll not talk about that rotten Aurora or buying a new home, happy now?
Grandma fly:
Yes and if we were honeybees, you’d be washing and cleaning for an army your whole life! Be thankful you’re a decent house fly!
Agnes: (rolling her eyes at Father fly)
Yes ma…
Enter stage left Zara the teenage fly and Junior fly who is dragging a teddy behind him.
Zara:
Ma…
Junior fly:
I hate sharing a room with her
Zara:
Stop it whiney boy!
Junior fly:
You’re too loud when I’m sleeping
Zara:
Am not
Agnes: (to Father fly)
Why can’t she have a phone curfew at midnight?
Zara:
Ma!
Junior fly:
She’s always on the phone and I can’t sleep for her
Agnes:
See?
Zara:
He imagines things
Grandma fly:
She has no sense of time, she doesn’t know her day from nights, that’s why she’s on the phone all night
Zara: (playfully tackling Grandma Fly, as she hugs her while sitting next to her)
Nana stop it or I’ll tell them about your staying up all night
Grandma fly: (Grinning and accepting the hug)
You be careful who you talk to young lady!
Junior fly perches up on a chair between Father fly and Agnes. Gets dealt out French toasts which he begins to nibble.
Father fly:
Okay, now that everyone’s here, how about we plan a holiday for next week? The beach?
Junior fly:
Yay!!
Zara:
Nice! Where’re we staying?
Grandma fly:
I hate the beach! It gets too hot.
Agnes:
I would agree with Ma on this one. Too hot and too expensive. We don’t need that right now.
Zara:
Ma! Its not like we go on a holiday every month!
Father fly:
Once in a while…
Junior fly:
Yeah once in a while
Zara:
My insta is literally the poorest anyone’s ever seen
Agnes:
We’re definitely not spending to enrich your insta…
Junior fly:
Even pets have insta and even they go on holidays!
Grandma fly: (laughs out loud)
Where on earth did you see that?
Junior fly: (to Zara)
Show her!
Father fly:
Okay we don’t need to see that I was only saying if we plan it ahead, we can save money and have more fun…
Grandma fly:
My coffee is cold
Agnes:
Why do we even have to go?
Junior fly:
I wanna go!
Zara:
Me too!
The door bell rings.
Junior fly:
Or you get me a pet!
Grandma fly:
They need to be potty trained and none of you’ll ever take care of it because none of you are ever home!
Agnes:
Go see who’s at the door
Junior fly:
I won’t go I went the last time
Zara:
Liar! I went the last time
Father fly:
Stop it. I’ll go see
Father fly leaves the table to get the door. He exits stage right.
Junior fly: (scrolling through his phone)
You deleted my game!
Zara:
There was no space, plus you can download again
Junior fly:
Why do you have to do these things?
Agnes:
Okay junior put your phone down, no phones at the table
Junior fly:
Fine! I was only looking because she was looking at her phone.
Agnes:
You are such a bad influence on your brother
Zara feigns surprise. Gesturing as if ‘what me?’ Agnes turns her head in the direction as we hear a pleasant female voice off stage:
‘I do a lot of baking, but I have no one to share it with, do come over any time you want… You can call me Fifi!’
Father fly enters stage right with a trifle on a plate. Agnes looks in his direction.
Agnes:
Remember when you were young?
Father fly:
What? Yes…
Agnes:
Don’t!
Junior fly:
Wow that looks nice!
Father fly:
It’s just a…
Agnes:
I could smell her pheromones from here!
Grandma fly:
Put it on the table let me see…
Father fly:
Whaat?
Agnes:
You stay away. Remember that.
Grandma fly:
Looks good to me
Agnes:
I wouldn’t have it if I were you
Father fly:
It’s too rich for me…
Junior fly:
I want some
Agnes:
No!
Grandma fly:
It’s a Fruit fly not a Witch fly!
Agnes:
How do you know?
Junior fly:
Give me some
Grandma fly:
I smelt her too
Junior fly is now digging into the trifle, he takes a mouthful and while the elders look on in horror.
Junior fly:
Mmmm… its got so many fruits! I love it!
Agnes:
Don’t!
Grandma fly:
Junior you should’ve waited.
Father fly:
But…
Teenager fly:
I think we’re overreacting. Its just trifle!
With that she also nibbles a small piece of the trifle. Suspense music, lights out but only one spot on the trifle remains for a moment before that too is turned off.
The Magnum Opus Excerpt:
A Murmur of Stones
Infinite is the fabric of veils,
Intricately woven with darkness,
Nomadic dust winds and sandstorms,
A mastery of obscuring the obsidian marvel.
For years we called them tales of ancients,
These years we were deceived and plundered.
Maps were burned, echoes silenced,
Yet still, the mirage endures…
Do you hear it? The murmurs of stone?
The footsteps of those who swore to return?
Buried beneath the weight of time,
Lost, yet waiting to be found.
Beyond the chasm where stars have drowned,
Where Barhout’s whisper lingers low,
Through Samarkand’s forsaken gates,
A path of shadow dares to show.
Not all who seek will cross the threshold,
Not all who enter will arise,
But those who stand before the silence…
Shall know the Black ---- with their eyes.
