Writer/ director Dave Bain on new musical Last Sales Conference of the Apocalypse
We’re always on the lookout for something different, and the one thing you can almost guarantee with fringe theatre is that something different is always one email away! Last Sales Conference of the Apocalypse caught our eye just from the title along. But then we read the blurb of how Sam has “initiated a nuclear missile countdown with his bottom” and well, you can imagine from that line alone we seriously needed to find out more.
So, we sat down with the writer and director Dave Bain to find out how a IT startup company could cause such mayhem!
What on earth inspired you to write a musical where the start premise is imminent global destruction?
We like to have an immersive element to our productions. I thought it would be fun to set up a scenario where audience members are treated like sales delegates arriving at a defence conference, and the actors would be the IT staff for that event.
Once I arrived at that premise, the idea of the technical team accidently triggering the launch sequence for a missile launch seemed an exciting way to launch the story (excusing the pun).
The story then moves into Sam’s head as he imagines it is all a TV series and he is the showrunner – does this allow you to really play about with the characters in very different ways than if it was all grounded in reality?
Definitely. We can be more playful with the scenario, in a way that you couldn’t if the action played out in the “real world”. Sam (the lead) forces the other characters to play out “roles” he has created for them in his mind. But these roles reflect his view of their personalities. As we get deeper into the story (and thereby his subconscious), his colleagues start to push back on him – their real personalities (and issues) emerge.
It’s a musical, is this your forte? Do you write the music as well as the script?
I’ve written songs and performed in bands since my teens. I’ve always loved musicals, but when I was younger I felt too scared to write one. GAME OVER (2017), was the first show where I brought my music to the creative table. I was a bit taken back by the reactions to that show; people really connected with the material, but also loved the music. This gave me the confidence to push forward with my song writing in Dissociated (2019), and now this show. I’m very proud of the songs in “Apocalypse”, they feel fully formed and integrated into the narrative.
And how much more difficult is it to write a script that also has to have some rhyming couplets included?
There is a song that closes the first act called “Join Us Instead”. It’s is heavily narrative based, and each verse has two sections. Unfortunately, this meant the song took forever to write. There was a three week period when I wanted to metaphorically throw this song into a deep gorge and never see it again. However, I got there in the end!
A lot of contemporary musical songs are written with melodic wiggle room, but I’m very precise with the timing on my lyrics: they need to sit exactly on the melody. It one of the benefits of writing both the words and the music.
The full soundtrack for the show is available via Soundcloud here
When we interviewed the cast and choreographer (check out the podcast here), they talked about each character having their own musical style, can you expand on this?
Sam, the show’s lead, imagines himself as a bit of creative. He loves old school musicals, so that’s his style. Stats, the tech lead, is into electronic music. Aesha, the sales & marketing person, likes things a bit funky. Finally, T-Base, the DPD delivery man, likes to bring the drama – so his music is overly melodramatic and dark.
Rehearsals started early September, does the script go through many changes during the rehearsal process or are you quite strict and stick to the final draft you’ve brought to the rehearsal room?
One of the strengths of being the writer/director is that I can change the script during rehearsal. When you get into the room with a bunch of people, you can quickly tell if what’s on the page is working or not. As a director I serve the story, so if I need to cut or re-write my own lines I will.
The downside of this approach is that it can be stressful for actors. With GAME OVER we changed about 15% of the script during rehearsal. Dissociated (2019) was on another level – there were four rewrites of the script during the first week of the run, with about 30% changes.
I didn’t want anyone to have to go through that again, including me! With Apocalypse, I ran a development workshop in January to iron out any big problems. That said, I’ve done a 15% rewrite from where we were at the start of September.
The one thing that never changes during rehearsal are the songs. Because I can record them myself, I can manage their maturation cleanly.
As silly as the play sounds, it does also explore some serious topics of domestic violence and conversion therapy. Are these subjects you’re worked on before, and how do you balance the serious with the silly.
I don’t think you can unpack this kind of material without creating a narrative environment that the audience has bought into. With all our shows, we ease people into the character’s world first. One of the best ways to create audience engagement is to use humour. Some comics use humour to attack others, but it can also be used to laugh at ourselves, and acknowledge our vulnerabilities.
The cast are LGBTQ, was this important to have given you touch upon conversion therapy?
The short answer is absolutely. I also believe in the importance of being an Ally. Straight women have a much better track record on this than men.
On a deeper level, I came into writing this show after doing a research MA on masculinity. It left me feeling that traditional “straight” masculinity is limited and highly restrictive in terms of finding our own expression of self.
The musical is having a four week run, which is a long run for fringe, how nervous are you about selling those tickets? And is the fact Waterloo East Theatre have given you a four-week run a good endorsement of their trust in you and your work?
I’ve taken nervous to a whole new level with this run, but I’m eternally grateful to Waterloo East Theatre, and its amazing director, Gerald Armin for giving us this opportunity.
And finally, why should we all be making our way to this lovely railway arch venue in October to catch Last Sales Conference of the Apocalypse?
If you’ve got to end of this interview and you still don’t have enough reasons. Here’s three more in shorthand:
i) Fifteen original – catchy – songs
ii) Lots of jokes, followed by some exciting drama and suspense
iii) Audio and live appearances by living legend, Marcus Bentley, playing the Voice of God from Big Brother.
Our thanks to Dave for taking time out for rehearsals to chat to us. Last Sales of the Apocalypse plays at Waterloo East Theatre from 4 to 30 October. Further information and bookings here.
