Autoreverse is a chilled, solo performance, performed at BAC, played by Florencia Cordeu, directed by Omar Elerian. Florencia Cordeu speaks of her tradition, love & culture. Through her range of sound by Omar Elerian & Cassette tapes you get a clear, strong imagery of her family’s compelling history & strength of her family’s individual character as she reminisces on her family’s home from Chile, as she now resides in London.
Autoreverse embarks on epic adventurous timezones, making full use of her generational memories from tapes that’ll she’ll forever hold & cherish. The nature of this play holds strong, traditional values affiliated with her parents retaining of them holding on to its values. Her use of space whilst listening to her recordings in her room in London takes us back in time deeply. A time when her family fled Argentina’s dictatorship, hence the rising of audio letters to stay in touch with their loved ones.
Autoreverse infuses the meaning of family bonds from childhood, experiences through a moving and uplifting audio-visual. Chains that can’t be broken, acknowledgement of identity, legacy, adaption to a new country, environment, stability & individuality interlinked with warmth, hope & prosperity.
The ‘Haystack’, held at Hampstead Theatre is an awakening & enticing production; featuring the following cast members- Lucy Black (Denise), Oliver Johnstone (Neil), Rona Morison (Cora), Enyi Okoronkwo (Zef) & Sarah Woodward (Hannah). Written by Al Blyth & directed by Roxana Silbert.
Haystack is a detailed eclipse of artificial intelligence, surveillance, encrypted coding & eroding delusions. This production addresses the unknown world of undercover spies with two computer whizzes who’re of the same kind inclined to insights into outside proximities, high security & space infinity.
This play offers an in-depth realisation on safeguarding, the rise of national security machinery, protection of electronic intrusion as well as explorative strategies of how we can live freely through the advances of technology. Every speck of detail outlines perceptions that influence each characters mind, body & soul!
This production is a hot dish, serving a variety of spices containing elements of truth, infused with evil forces hidden underground. A channel of divergent communication, conversions, traumatic effects, overwhelming regrets, mysterious deaths, unimaginable regrets; teams dealing with manageable projects until head-line stories get taken out of context. Intertwined with folded lies, portrayals & scandals, unsatisfying stunts pulled by discrete agents of technical intelligence, suspicious terrorism, infliction & love struck addiction.
A strong theme in Haystack is infatuation; exploiting the underestimated power of physical attraction, dopamine, endorphins & mental interaction. When Neil & Rona get to close for comfort chemistry soon increases into fateful attraction, triggered from Neil’s world of hacking. Feelings soon expand to overprotection & harmonious friendships eventually gate-crashing. Agility serving its purpose when suicidal thoughts & non-comprehendible media coverage; reveals to us a deeper understanding of how political control can be demonising. Haystack tells a strong tale of survival, the fittest for survival, hidden bugged devices, invasion of privacy, universal statements & manifestations of fugitive, fabricated disguised appearances.
The logistics throughout Haystack touch on several dimensional powers of technology alongside phone hacks, identity tracks the cause behind secrecy, relationship distancing, uncertainty, institutionalised profit making, deliberate deaths, irrational thinking, heartache & pain as we’re exposed to unfettered access to not only the world’s data but also its infinite power!
Haystack is very thought provoking! Captivating the audience with additional touches such as video performances, seductive light glitches, cursor changes with different fonts & styled writing imagery. The beginning allies tightly with the ending. In this production you can expect previews of screen blasting lives of cascade database queries, network maps, spreadsheets, email accounts & phone logs piling up at a dizzying speed. As the speed of ‘Haystack’ is extremely rapid if you’re to blink for just a second please ensure you’re able to catch everything before it reaches the climax!
Coined as Horror Comedy, What the Dolls Saw from House of Macabre is just that – full of twists, turns, comedy and crazy characters, this is 1 hour of a real treat for theatrical minds.
With an all female cast, the story sees the tale of a family of women on the wake of their late patriarch – the father of three girls, an adopted grand daughter and the wife left behind. All with their unique style, character and personality, this family holds a deep and dark past, not investigated, and yet now seems like the right time to do so.
With their father as a late famous doll maker and their mother a dramatic retired actress, it’s no wonder that this story verges on the comical and flamboyant but yet eerie and spooky.
The characters are well developed: we love and hate the mother who is mad as a hatter, glamorous and blunt which causes plenty of comedy; the daughters are lovable, fun and we believe their loving sisterly relationship implicitly and the granddaughter, who is mute, does well to convey amazement at this dysfunctional family.
With the bumps in the night, use of atmospheric music and lights not only from the set but use of torches (well known in spooky stories), we are often on edge and unable to see the twists in the story.
What The Dolls Saw is nothing but an enjoyable experience. As one who is a total wimp when it comes to horror, there is enough to keep my heart beating and make me jump but not so much that I have to run for the door. And when i’m not gripping onto my seat, I am laughing and smiling at every moment.
Have you ever felt entirely alone? Too loud for a room? Like you do not fit?
Gobby is a one woman play about self discovery, about changes in young adult life and finally being okay with who you are.
Set within the premise of 5 different parties, Bri (like the cheese but not because it is spelt differently) finds herself lost and alone in the aftermath of a destructive relationship. Her friends, that she ignored during this period, now don’t want to know her, and Bri struggles with this reality, and her own loneliness.
This narrative feels like something we can all relate to – bad relationships, loneliness, and a sense of not belonging. The play is written as an inner monolgue, occasionally breaking away with the use of props (balloons with party hats on top) or a mild change in stance and addition of a stereotyped accent to bring in other characters. The characters are funny at first, and the over the top expressions of them help differentiate the story line. It becomes more subtle when the story becomes more serious, which is a clever maneuver, keeping us engaged.
While staged as a retelling of Bri’s life, often Jodie Irvine (our only performer) addresses her feet when speaking to us. At times this is endearing and adds to the awkwardness of the character, but eventually we want to make eye contact with her more – evidently with her obvious skills as an actress, she has reason to be more confident in her performance and we desperately want her to bring this to the stage.
We also believe that much of the outbursts and way Bri feels is due to a past relationship. But little is explained about this and we come to a point where nothing will do but knowledge, for us to be able to connect to the character. The rest ranges from comical to climactic releases, and so despite the lack of story, we are surprised at every turn.
Gobby is a passionate play about liking oneself and discovering who you are after trauma. It’s about growing up but also growing into yourself and so becomes a real coming of age tale that many in their early 20’s need to see to know that it will be alright in the end. We just want Irvine to be more confident in her well devised production!
Behind ‘Rush’ lies a simple theme. This is my story. This is where I come from, this is why I came here. This is what life is like for me here. Here is my story told through the universal medium of music. We all have a story like this, and to a degree every story is engaging because people are interesting. It is just that some stories are more interesting than others and this one involves three continents, colonization, death of an indigenous people, brutal slavery, rebellion, warfare, migration and racism. Welcome to Jamaica and its tour of Britain, February 2020, destination Mold.
We were promised a joyous Jamaican journey and judging by
the fact all bar a handful of people in a crowded theatre were on their feet at
times, this is what we got. Even my left
knee was shaking in time to this rhythmic feast despite my pathological phobia
of dancing. The fact that I was pinned
back in my seat to avoid the gyrations of the lady standing next to me did not
detract from the spectacle. Sometimes it
is just great to see people join in with unfettered enthusiasm.
Yet here was a contradiction. This story is far from joyous, it is tainted
with more than a bucketful of blood, sweat and tears and while this was pointed
out with a wry sense of humour, this was not what we heard. Instead we were
treated to an endless list of Jamaican song encompassing a brief history of ska
and reggae with songs from Jimmy Cliff and Desmond Decker amongst a host of
others. Special mention was made of Bob
Marley who would have celebrated his 75th birthday this week and who
played Deeside Leisure Centre in 1980.
It’s a small world. There were
some surprising sounds, ‘The tide is high’ is so heavily associated with
Blondie that many have forgotten its Jamaican roots.
The music was performed with distinction by the JA Reggae
Band, all of whom were consummate musicians orchestrated by the lead guitar and
musical director, Orville Pinnock. True to the development of ska in
particular, the band was racially diverse with a rich tapestry of experience
from different musical genres. They were
ably supported by DJ Paul who played a variety of tracks supplementing a long
set.
The two lead singers IKA and Janice Williamson both had
rich, powerful voices that were adaptable to a range of song. My particular favourite was the gospel
standard, ‘Oh Happy day’ acknowledging church influence on the Jamaican
community. The story was introduced and
narrated by John Simmitt, who did so gently, rhythmically yet with a waspish sense
of humour. One pleasing aspect here was
that there were no ‘stars’ in this ensemble, just a team working closely
together who so obviously enjoyed and entered into the musical feast they
presented.
My question is, how important is the Jamaican story? This, and others like it should be a staple in every secondary school curriculum. It speaks volumes to us about our national identity, our historic legacy and comments forcefully against those xenophobic elements in our society that seem to have found a voice in the past few years. From the brutal colonization of the 15th and 16th Centuries, the loathsome practice of transatlantic slavery to the shocking betrayal of the Windrush generation by a populist government pillorying immigrants to win votes, this story reeks of injustice. I would have liked to see more historical narrative, to learn more about the Maroon rebellions and leaders such as Marcus Garvey and Paul Bogle instead of being satisfied with allusions to these events and people. But increasingly as the show developed it was a celebration of music that has its roots or was influenced by Jamaica.
Perhaps the most important theme of the show was to emphasise the fact that the presence of Black and Asian communities in the UK is the result of a direct invitation to live here by the British government after World War 2. Once people arrived, despite a pernicious level of racism these communities have integrated into, influenced and enhanced our society. The reception given to 2-tone music and the energy generated by numbers by The Specials and Madness was a prime illustration of this. Similar statements could be made especially about those communities from the Indian sub-continent who have made their home here. Few people prior to 1960 would have heard of Tandoori chicken, yet to some, this is more of a national dish than roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.
These communities are building their own cultural legacy
now, a great example being the Notting Hill Carnival, one of the biggest street
festivals in the world, attracting over 2 million visitors each year. The carnival in itself is unique, being a
fusion of Jamaican reggae and Trinidadian steel band and is now officially a
British cultural icon. Perhaps we have
forgotten the roots of this carnival lie in a response to racial attacks on
West Indians. Few have heard of the 1959
death of Kelso Cochrane at the hands of white youths. And few will know that the perpetrators were
never charged or convicted for fear of the public unrest that may incite. This was despite the fact that the identity
of the killer was an open secret in the local community.
This demonstrates that we have a lot to learn from this
history yet despite such a powerful message it was not the key theme of the
evening. There was no axe to grind, no
bitterness at this shameful treatment.
Just a nice line of humour poking fun at people like Enoch Powell and
his ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech. The
Conservative club in his former constituency is now a West Indian Cultural Centre. How times have changed.
The pervasive theme of the evening for me was the rhythm
which permeated every song, energised the audience and left people with a feel
good factor. It was remarkable that a
mainly white, middle aged, middle class audience found such movement and joy in
this Caribbean cultural festival. John
Simmitt joked that the audience might be better suited to a cup of Milo or
Horlicks before bedtime but this was far from the case. The audience warmed to the rhythm with
gusto. Full credit to the cast, who
after taking their bow made their way to the foyer to greet the audience as
they left. After three hours of performance
they need not have done this but was a most welcome end to a fabulous evening.
Go and see this performance.
Feel the rhythm, enjoy the music, learn the history.
Donned in neon pinks, greens and blues. we enter the room to subtle yet catchy indie meets electronica music, played by a gorgeous person in the corner. Long hair and a dress and shoes to kill, we already know we are in for something special.
This person isn’t Teddy Lamb, but their partner in crime, providing the soundtrack to this one person play. Lamb tells the story of their friendship with someone that was all consuming. They touch on aspects of mental health, death and grief but also coming to terms with and discovery of who one is.
Lamb is energetic, engaging and a lot of fun to be with. Addressing us as if we were their late friend, they reminisce on their time together, on their feelings and thoughts and actually how one’s mental health can drastically affect your own. Lamb makes us feel included in the story, makes us feel like their friend and there is a real sense of trust between us and Lamb with them sharing their life with us.
While full of emotion, darkness and open-ness, there is also light, comedy and a fabulous nature to the storytelling. Constantly with a soundtrack, this dramatic telling of their personal history draws us in on every level; especially bringing in trademark nods to us millennials and our childhoods.
Since U Been Gone is heart wrenching, heart warming, comical and beautiful. While Lamb continues to a focus on personal discovery that only a few would understand, we still relate to developing as a person, to certain emotions and feelings and come away feeling like part of an extended family.
To Move in Time, a monologue performed by Tyronne Huggins and written by Tim Etchell, performed at Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff is made profound by its casual nature. Huggins puts us immediately at ease, with the manner of a welcome old acquaintance, stumbled upon again for one perfectly timed night.
His journeys through the thought experiment of what we might do if we could travel back in time travel familiar roads to anyone who’s asked the question himself. The possibilities weave through from the extraordinary to the mundane and back again.
The play is a quiet affair, always centering us on Huggins, literally in the sparse but strategic set design, where flash cards create a ring of possibilities around the performer. Huggins never makes any obvious attempts to dazzle us, and that’s how he does, holding the audience in rapt attention for a very short hour.
It’s ironic that an unnamed character designed to play an
everyman is the absolute essential to this play. It’s quite possible that any
other performer could have turned this understated script into a more tepid
affair.
Etchell’s script is serviceable but not as captivating as
the star. The script touches on the most essential possibilities of time travel
with a light and witty touch. There are undercurrents of melancholy, but the script
never really wrings much out of them by way of subversion.
But this isn’t the place to do so. To move in time is a
meditative play, which brings the audience together, a warm meandering through
possibilities past and present.
We recently attended the opening night of Robin Hood the pantomime performed by Cardiff Players in the YMCA and it was everything and more that you would expect from a community pantomime!
All production images Sanne Rietveld
The thing with any pantomime, specifically this one, is that the more you personally get involved and accept it for what it is the more you will enjoy the show. When the show opened I was taken back by the over-the-top-ness of the show but as time passed and I gave myself over to its crazy nature I actually had a really enjoyable evening filled with constant laughs and so much audience participation. Robin Hood was classic community theatre at its finest with every person having lines to say/ something to do in the show which is obviously great to watch and, I imagine, even better to be a part of. It’s fantastic to see ever person being used because fundamentally theatre is all about people having something to do and feeling involved which Cardiff Players did excellently.
It was very clear that this was the opening night of this production as a there was a constant feeling of opening night nerves. We did have some points where actors had forgotten lines and had to be cued by the backstage team who were off-stage. Although this is not usually what you expect in production, it was great to see the other actors on stage helping each other and working through it. Also due to the nature of pantomime, this is more expectable just because of the fun nature of the show. I believe on any other night this would not have happened as it was clear the actor had worked really hard and knew his lines but it was a shame this happened. Also, there was a hook placed on the side of the stage where a hat was supposed to be hung except this didn’t happen and the hat fell to the ground. This again was a shame but the everyone worked through it really well and played it off really well which showed that everyone had a massive sense of professionalism and were experienced performers.
This show followed the classic pantomime traits and brought all the fun/campiness of this style of performance. It had tremendous amounts of audience participation which was incredibly fun. We had the classic “He’s behind you” and “Oh yes he is” call-outs from the audience but at times it was difficult to gauge what the actors expected the audience to shout out. As an audience member, there were certain points where I was unsure of what the correct thing to shout out for the call outs. Also, there was a very embarrassing moment where I thought the actors were asking the audience to get involved with a joke so I shouted out the punch line but this was not supposed to be an audience involvement section. This meant I trampled on the actors next line but if I got confused then I believe many other audience members will also get confused. It must be made more clear by the actors when and where audience participation is desired otherwise more awkward moments like this one will occur. But the awkwardness of this was not all the actors fault as the audience also share some of the blame. Obviously, pantomimes are designed for children however there was not a single child in the audience which obviously clashed with the nature of the show. Despite this, I did hear my favourite ever call-our from any show I have ever seen when the audience was asked: “Where did Maid Marion go?” And someone in the audience replied “Stage right I think” which had the entire audience rolling in laughter from the rest of the scene.
One of the highlight in this show was the role of Simon Scowl (which is a very clever and hilarious name for a pantomime villain which the writer should be proud of) /The Sheriff Of Nottingham played by William John Richardson who was just the perfect pantomime villain. He was evil and grumpy in that over-the-top way and was almost a caricature of every villain ever which was very enjoyable to watch. He performed excellently and managed to banter with the audience in a smooth and excellent way. This role included a hilarious rendition of “bad guy” by Billie Eilish which was both a really clever choice of song (due to this character being the “bad guy”) but also hilariously funny which had the audience in fits of laughter throughout.
The other highlight in this show was Nurse Norma Snockers (again incredible name of this character) who was played by Jordan Forse. This was the equivalent of the dame in classic pantomime as this a character in drag. Jordan delivered such a camp and over-the-top performance which fitted perfectly with the nature of the show. He is an extremely talented performer who had the audience in laughter whenever he was in the stage. I actually spent the majority of the show looking forward to the next time he was on stage as he was that excellent and hilarious! At the end of the show, Jordan actually sang and he had an incredible voice and wish there was more of opportunity for him to showcase this talent. What was brilliant about this character is that every time he graced the stage the beginning of the song “Girls just wanna have fun” was played which fitted this character to a tee.
The role of Peter Pan was played Elinor Howe which obviously honoured the pantomime tradition of Peter Pan being played by a female performer. Elinor is clearly an extremely talented dancer and one pure showcase of this was during a scene in which where Maid Marion was singing “Just the way you are” by Bruno Mars and Elinor performed a stunning ballet routine as a shadow which was beautiful to watch. This was excellently performed but also was a credit to the technical team who were able to execute the shadow casting excellently. The show opened with rhyming introduction spoken by the fairy LouLou (played by Catrin Maid Griffiths) who managed to perfectly encapsulate the fantastic and mythical nature of the role. However, she does have to be cautious about the pace of her speeches as sometimes jokes were given enough time for the audience to appreciate what was being said. Apart from this minor issue, Catrin was excellent in this role. What I was extremely surprised by in this show was the role of Friar Tuck who was played by Chris England. During a scene, Chris walked out holding a violin and at first, I was expecting him to do the ridiculous mining that so many productions are doing at the moment. But to my surprise, he actually played the violin live which was incredible to see someone showcasing a skill that is rarely seen. This is a unique moment that very few shows actually utilise which makes this show actually stand out from the others I have seen.
Overall, this was a classic community pantomime that allowed everyone to feel involved and showcased many unique skills that were not just classic performance-based ones. It was hilariously funny and fabulously fun which is perfect for an evening entertaining young children. I would rate this performance 3 stars and would encourage parents to take the young children to see this show as it is entertaining for all ages!
Hi Andy great to meet you, can you
give our readers some background information on yourself please?
I’m a Welsh playwright currently living in Lincolnshire and studying an MA in Theatre at the University of Lincoln. I was born in Cardiff and raised in Penarth, where my love of drama and theatre was nurtured. I left Wales to train as a teacher in 1988 and went on to work as a teacher of Criminal Law for 25 years, before redundancy made a switch necessary and I became a primary teacher, with responsibility for Literacy in the school. After six years I decided that the time had come to move on and to pursue my passion, so I left teaching and began running Breakwater Theatre Company full-time. I also wanted to look to improve my knowledge and understanding of theatre and chose to study for an MA in Theatre, in order to validate the years of work I had done to date.
During my time as a teacher, I began writing plays for a youth theatre I ran as a volunteer in Grimsby. My first play was published by a small publisher in Essex in 1999 and in 2001 my play Moonlight Marionettes was published in the USA by playscripts.com. I joined Hull Truck Theatre Company where I was commissioned to write a full-length play entitled, Taking a Bullet. I also got involved in Stories of the Streetz, with the National Theatre of Wales, the Sherman Writers’ Group and Dirty Protest, for whom I have written twice. I also worked with Middle Child in Hull and Slung Low in Leeds among others. All of which led me to establish my own company, Breakwater, which specialises in new writing for the stage and has worked in conjunction with New Perspectives, in developing scripts and writers nationally.
So, what got you interested in the
arts?
I went to St Cyres Comprehensive in Penarth; a school where I feel the arts were championed, and we had some really dedicated drama and music teachers. My inspiration was drama teacher Joy Nubert, she was a passionate advocate for drama education and ran extra-curricular workshops and productions. I performed in West Side Story and Oh! What a Lovely War, as well as workshopping scripts by Pinter and Orton.
St Cyres School, Penarth
We also had an amazing music teacher called Anne Harris, who led the school Music Department with passion and vigour. I guess my passion for performing arts was born there. Their love of the arts was infectious and inspiring. The arts help an individual to learn about themselves and to discover what makes people tick, to encourage support and inspire That is something I still see as important and influenced my choice of University for my MA. The University of Lincoln is championing a campaign to say #WhyArtsMatter a hashtag I fully endorse.
Why and where do you write?
I write at home and tend to write in the corner of my living room, though not exclusively. I enjoy being surrounded by my books and videos, with easy access to the internet to help me gain inspiration if I start to dry up. I also have two Dalmatians, who hate being left home alone and enjoy cwtching up as I write. I tend to write extremely quickly, which is a habit born out of necessity back when I was teaching. I would never write during term time and would get the majority of my writing done during school holidays. I tend to spend a lot of time preparing to write, mentally planning the plot and the structure and so on, before I ever open a Word document and beginning to write. The first draft of a play is often written in a very short window of opportunity and I re-write at leisure thereafter.
As to why I write, I write because
I can’t help myself. I love writing and my brain loves contemplating things
that would be interesting dramatically, which I could put on stage to entertain
others. There is no “Go To Book of Ideas” it could be a picture, a documentary,
an overheard conversation. The only rule is to ask “Would it make an
interesting story?”
There are a range of organisations
supporting Welsh and Wales based writers, I wonder if you feel the current support
network and career opportunities feel ‘healthy’ to you? Is it possible to
sustain a career as a writer in Wales and if not what would help?
I feel bad saying this, but I have received very little help or support from within Wales. As mentioned, I was a member of the Writers Group at the Sherman many moons ago, and that was useful for meeting and networking. My favourite support network within Wales is the small but mighty Dirty Protest, especially working with Catherine Paskell. The work done by DP is astonishing and they are, by far, the primary advocates for new Welsh playwriting. I love them and wish I could always write for them.
Catherine Paskell
And when John McGrath was in charge of the NTW, I felt that I had support and was welcomed with open arms to discuss my work and what I was doing. John even messaged me from Japan to ensure I was going to be able to discuss my work with someone from his team.
However, following the subsequent
regime change, I felt edged out and during a meeting, was given the impression
that it was unlikely I would be considered as I am not based in Wales. There
are those of us who still qualify as “emerging artists” who are more mature and
there are far less opportunities for us to market and stage our work. I would
like to see schemes specifically aimed at mature writers. Their work can have
just as much resonance as somebody a third of their age.
In addition, if a Welsh writer has
chosen to work and reside outside Wales but then offers to work within Wales
and Welsh theatres, it should not be held against them as there are such things
as cars and trains. I get back to Penarth regularly and can always be available
through a base in my family home. Its just another excuse for excluding
someone. Let me decide if I am willing to drive back and forth, or stay in
Wales for an extended period, don’t assume it won’t work in advance.
One reason I have chosen to remain in Lincolnshire for now, is that I get more work as a writer here. I am unsure that a move home would increase work opportunities and may lose some. During 2019, I was able to write and produce two newly commissioned plays and would not have the ability to see such work through to fruition at home, as there are far fewer opportunities offered and more writers chasing them. Ironically, one of my new plays. Indomitable, was about the life of Welsh author and disabled rights campaigner Elisabeth Sheppard Jones. I worried that the slightly parochial setting (Penarth in the 1950s – 70s) wouldn’t play well, but the play was a resounding success here in Cleethorpes.
Indomitable
I try to familiarise myself with the available work and career support in Wales, I am part of the NTW Community and I am on the mailing list for the Welsh branch of the Writers Guild of Great Britain, but I do still feel isolated from the theatre scene and hiraeth draws me home to watch others making work repeatedly. I would love to make more work in Wales, especially within Cardiff.
If you were able to fund an area
of the arts in Wales what would this be and why?
I would love to offer a bursary to
an emerging writer of mature years, giving them the freedom to write without
worrying about how it would affect their income. Youth is often the only form
of “new” considered by many in theatre. I staunchly believe that there are
other writers out there who could benefit from career development but are
discouraged by perceptions of ageism. Allow more mature people to explore and
to be creative; fund them and then give them an outlet to share their work. It
doesn’t have to be, and should not be, at the expense of opportunities for
younger writers, but there are some amazingly creative people out there who
think they have lost the chance to make a mark creatively. I would seek to
encourage precisely that.
Can you tell us about your writing
process? Where do your ideas come from?
As I mentioned earlier, I am constantly thinking about what the next idea will be or where the idea will come from. I don’t try to force creativity; I pay attention to the word around me. Moonlight Marionettes was inspired by a photo I saw on the internet. I wrote Indomitable about Elisabeth Sheppard Jones after reading about her on a Facebook page for local memories. The other play I wrote this year, was entitled With Love From Ruhleben.
I was commissioned to write it as part of a project funded by the National Lottery’s Heritage Fund and Lincs Inspire Libraries. Ruhleben was a civilian internment camp in Spandau, just outside Berlin at the outset of WW1. Any foreign nationals in Germany at the outbreak of hostilities were rounded up and the males were interred. For 5000 men that was their war. Many men from Grimsby were imprisoned as they had been in German waters at the time. So, I interviewed relatives of men who served and created a fictionalised story that forms part of an educational resource sent out to all secondary schools in the area. A filmed performance of the play on DVD and a copy of the script, accompanies a teacher’s pack for each school.
Can you describe your writing day?
Do you have a process or a minimum word count?
No two writing days are ever the
same for me. I will often have spent months thinking about, researching for or
plotting a play before I commit to writing and I outline the story before I
start writing. I talk about that as a gestation period. Then, eventually, I
will sit down to write. I pour myself a cup of coffee and open up my laptop,
then I begin to write “Act One, Scene One”.
Generally, I write in a
traditionally, linear fashion. I start as early as I can, after feeding and
walking my dogs. I don’t set myself a word or a page count, I write everything
that comes and finish when it feels right to do so. When writing the Ruhleben
play, I sat and wrote for a full twelve-hour day and hammered out a complete full
draft. I’m not proud of that as it went through a lot of rewrites, but I was at
least able to see exactly where I wanted the story to go.
I don’t use a dramaturg, which is
ironic as I am hoping my MA will allow me to offer my services to others in
precisely that role. Instead, as I often direct my own work, the rehearsals
help to re-shape a script. I do sometimes send a script to a trusted colleague,
or fellow writer to give it a once over. If it has any detailed, technical
requirements, I do try to check with an expert, that I haven’t made any glaring
errors.
However, it often depends on which company I am writing for. I have found that different companies employ different methodologies and so I may work with a literary manager or a director on tweaking the final script. I really enjoyed working with the (then) Literary Manager at Hull Truck Theatre, Nick Lane to develop scripts and to shape them for performance. This in turn, also led to me joining the Literary Department as a reader at the time as well.
Hull Truck Theatre
You have recently started a new
project Review Culture reviewing events across Lincolnshire. Does your
theatrical knowledge impact upon your role as a critic?
Review Culture was set up as a direct response to the death of local news reporting and reviewing in the area I live. During my MA, we have been encouraged to write ABOUT theatre as well as FOR theatre. Dr Sue Healy led some sessions about the work of a reviewer or critic, and I found myself drawn to the work. I love going to see work in performance, be it amateur or professional. I decided that if I offered an online portal that reviewed work free of charge and yet which helped to publicise what is happening across Lincolnshire, it could only be a good thing. As a keen photographer, I also shoot production photos which are featured on the site too. I think that my background does impact upon the review process and upon the final product. We don’t use a star-rating system, the reviews merely reflect the good that we see presented in a show. I know its possible to rip some shows to shreds but that is not our mission. We review a lot of amateur productions and I recognise how much time and effort will have gone into staging work. Our reviews respond to their love and enthusiasm of the form. If a review is somewhat thin, we may not have enjoyed a show quite so much. But if we issue praise, it is because we believe it is well-deserved. After all, if audiences attend a show on our recommendation and it is a dud, they won’t trust us, or keep using our site to check out the reviews. We will become redundant very rapidly.
Andy, I know you are currently engaged on a course of study and are
specifically focusing on Welsh Playwrights I wonder if it’s possible to tell me
some more about this please.
This is
my pet subject, when I was offered a place on the course, many assumed that I
would choose to write a play as my final project because it is an option
available to me. Even I thought I would most likely choose that option. But
fate stepped in and showed me how much I love research. The Library facilities
at Lincoln are awesome. They run a scheme which allows students to request book
purchases that will assist their studies and I have made great use of the
scheme. I have persuaded them to order plays by a number of Welsh writers
including Matthew Bulgo, Alun Saunders, Dic Edwards and Neil Anthony Docking.
All of which feed into my intended topic for a dissertation.
Tutors within the school are supportive and have encouraged me to pursue my interest as a full study for my final project on the course. I intend to research and write about the way in which Welsh playwrights present nationality and nation in their plays. I have already spent time reading some of the earliest published plays written in English, considering the likes of Jo Francis, Caradoc Evans and latterly, Emlyn Williams, to contrast with the contemporary writers. As yet, I haven’t formulated a question for my thesis, and I am merely reading as much as I can. I hope to refine my field of study and hone the work down to relevant texts over the next two months. Once I have a specific research question sorted, I shall be making contact with as many writers as I can manage, and I hope that they will all have an opinion to share.
My
tutors have warned me that I may be taking on a study that could be better
suited to PhD and will need to be cautious to narrow my work, but we shall see
what comes. Either way, my dissertation will need to be written and submitted
by September 2020.
What excites you about the arts in
Wales?
I find the arts scene and the
theatre scene, in Wales fascinating. It’s a brilliant community to be a part of
and it is remarkably generous, giving and supportive in my experience. I love
the diversity of the work created and the themes explored by writers such as
Gary Owen and Katherine Chandler. The work of Tim Price continues to inspire me,
and I only hope that I can gain a tiny sliver of the success that each has had.
I continue to proselytise for Welsh playwriting in the realm of English theatre.
I desperately want to ensure that exiles are not forgotten among the ranks of
Welsh writers. That is why I love the work being led by Rebecca Hammond of
Chippy Lane, championing those of us who are no longer based in the Land of Our
Fathers. Cool Cymru has made an impact on the world and it would be great to
think that it will continue, and the work of Welsh playwrights, resident and
ex-patriot, will continue to thrive.
What was the last really great
thing that you experienced that you would like to share with our readers?
I know I bore anyone who knows me when asked a question like this, but the single, most influential piece of theatre I have seen in recent years, from my perspective, was Iphigenia in Splott by Gary Owen, starring the powerhouse that is Sophie Melville.
Sophie is one of the greatest “undiscovered” gems of British theatre and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. What she, Rachel O’Riordan and Gary Owen achieved in that production, has really helped to lift the level of respect for Welsh plays in the eyes of those who are not from, or based in Wales. The whole team responsible for bringing that production into the world deserves praise from designers and tech to the final performance. The work of the Sherman is the last REALLY great thing I experienced, and I hope to experience even more from Cardiff’s premier producing theatre.
This is an ambitious premise. Take a story that has passed into classic status, that has been reworked countless times in serious and spoof form, that has universal recognition and that has spawned endless clones and then strip it back to its original story line and portray it through the eyes of its creator. Would it work? Can it fulfil that lofty aim?
I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this production at Theatr Clwyd. I heard it said that it was a verbose script with a lot of shouting and that the lead playing Mary Shelley was too in your face, but to me this was absorbing, thought provoking theatre that retold the story and yet picked out the social context admirably.
At times it is not comfortable viewing, it was intended as a
horror story and developed a threatening, suspense filled atmosphere without
attempting to shock for the sake of it.
The set and lighting was highly effective, with an almost black and
white backdrop yet with a clever use of height that allowed you to see the
story and then see the thought process of the author side by side.
It was this use of the author that allowed the social context and Promethean nature of the story to breathe. Especially during the second act, you saw her dictating the nature of the story to drive home the point that she wanted to make. In that sense the play was as much about her as it was Frankenstein and his monster. She was a remarkable author. She was an 18 year old recently married woman who had suffered considerable personal tragedy when this was written. She was actively involved in events that fermented the social revolution that was taking place in the early 19th Century and the play reflects that clamour for change. She then became the fulfilment of some of her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft’s desires when as an independent, self-supporting woman, developed her own career while supporting other members of her family.
She developed themes of throwing off traditional rule and
transforming society through scientific revolution, yet knowing that unfettered
scientific investigation can take things too far. The book served as an illustration of the
conflict between a traditional way of life, the challenge of science and the
interdependence of different branches of knowledge, such that Science without Religion
is ignorant. Religion without Science is
blind.
Most strikingly to me though was Shelley’s insistence that what people need is love,
compassion and some companionship and if you deny people these basic needs you
are playing with fire.
It is the stated intention of the playwright, Rona Munro to draw us back to the life of Mary Shelley, and she accomplishes this really well. Mary is played with huge emotion by Eilidh Loan yet this portrayal does not compromise the telling of Frankenstein’s story. This is told faithfully and the two male leads, Frankenstein (Ben Castle Gibb on his professional debut) and the monster (Michael Morland) bring out the optimism, despair and tragedy of this striking story pointedly.
To me this is a carefully crafted, multi-layered and thought
provoking piece of theatre. It is
intense and at times bleak. There is
also much pathos that reflects on today’s society. The chief desire of the monster is to be
loved, appreciated and understood. When he fails to find those qualities
directed towards him, his nature is transformed to match his hideous
appearance. Therein lies a paradigm that
speaks volumes to our society. So often we fail to appreciate those amongst us
who we describe as ‘other’ and Shelley comments, neglect ‘others’ at our
peril. It is no wonder that this story
has been retold so many times and it is great to see a production that remains
modern yet takes us back to Shelley’s original ideas.
Go and see Frankenstein and prepare to be surprised. Even shocked!
Creating opportunities for a diverse range of people to experience and respond to sport, arts, culture and live events. / Lleisiau amrywiol o Gymru yn ymateb i'r celfyddydau a digwyddiadau byw
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